California University
Volume 22, Number 4 MARCH 2, 2020 KEEP UP WITH CAL U NEWS ONLINE: calu.edu/news
Guest Speaker Examines Medical Marijuana
C Provost Bruce Barnhart (left), President Geraldine Jones and Vice President Robert Thorn address faculty and staff at spring Convocation.
Leaders Discuss Master Plan
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he University community heard updates about the Campus Master Plan for facilities — plus details about Cal U’s financial sustainability plan and its proposed multi-year tuition pricing strategy — Feb. 18 at the Spring 2020 Faculty-Staff Convocation. The initiatives all are intended to bolster University finances and meet the State System of Higher Education’s requirement that universities identify realistic strategies for achieving financial sustainability within five years. Cal U already is taking proactive measures to address the financial challenges attributed to demographic changes, declining public support and a decrease in student enrollment, University President Geraldine Jones told a large crowd in the
Convocation Center’s south wing. In the past seven years, the University has cut operational costs by $10 million, non-faculty staff has been reduced by 23%, a strategic enrollment plan has been deployed and new academic programs have been launched, among other steps. “But in the current climate, those measures are not enough to bring our finances into balance,” the President said. At the State System’s direction, Cal U submitted a preliminary draft of its fiveyear sustainability plan in January. As part of the plan, Cal U is seeking State System approval for a tuition pricing strategy that includes a 3% increase in tuition, or $115 per semester, to enhance efforts to help more students succeed academically and remain enrolled until they graduate. Cal U is committed to using at least
$500,000 of the proposed tuition increase to provide additional scholarships for its neediest students. The multi-year tuition pricing strategy requires approval by the Board of Governors, which is expected to make a determination later this spring. In the meantime, the University is looking to its physical plant — the campus itself — for additional cost savings.
Campus Master Plan Robert Thorn, vice president for Administration and Finance, led the effort to update the Campus Master Plan. In collaboration with consultants from Buchart Horn Architects, a nine-member steering committee and 26-member board of faculty and staff members spent — Continued on page 2
Staff Members Honored for Job Performance, Service
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al U has recognized two staff members for their outstanding job performance and customer service. At the Feb. 18 faculty-staff convocation, Dr. Karen Amrhein received the Vulcan President’s Circle Award, and Barry Bilitski accepted the Vulcan Exceptional Service Award. Members of the campus community — faculty, staff and/or students — nominate candidates for the awards. A seven-member committee uses a rubric to identify the award recipients anonymously. The President’s Circle Award recognizes outstanding job performance, with an emphasis on collaboration and cooperation, commitment to the University, and innovation that improves the quality of service or results in cost savings. Amrhein, a director in the Office of Academic Success, was recognized for collaborating “with so many offices on campus that she seems to know everyone,” as one nominator wrote. She founded the peer mentoring program, which is credited for increasing first- to second-year retention rates by pairing first-year students with student mentors. She also created the Summer Success Academy for at-risk students, and she currently is leading a new foster youth initiative. As President Jones noted, “Nominators called her an — Continued on page 2
President Geraldine Jones presents the Spring 2020 Vulcan Exceptional Service Award to Barry Bilitski, an assistant director in the Office of Admissions.
al U will host a discussion about medical marijuana at 11 a.m. March 3 in Duda Hall, Room 103. Matt Reid, a Ph.D. candidate at Western Michigan University and a visiting professor at Grand Valley State University, will discuss “Medical Marijuana in a Post-Prohibition State.” His doctoral research focuses on the perceptions of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana in states where both are legal. He is the media editor for the Midwest Matt Reid Sociological Society and blogs at popularsociology.net. Cal U sociology professors Emily Sweitzer and Codie Stone are coordinating the event. “This discussion of medical marijuana is very relevant to today’s society as we explore various means for non-invasive treatments for many conditions,” said Sweitzer, who teaches courses in social deviance. “But it is also particularly relevant for social deviance majors as they examine the ever-changing social and cultural perspectives and norms that guide society and impact acceptance and tolerance.” Currently, 33 states have laws that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes; 11 states allow recreational marijuana use. On March 2, Reid will visit Stone’s classes at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon in Duda Hall. The public may attend by emailing stone@calu.edu. Reid and Stone met in graduate school and worked together as college instructors. “Matt is an innovative educator who builds rapport with his students by engaging them through his authentic passion for the discipline of sociology, and showing through real-world examples how sociology impacts individuals’ lives,” Stone said. Reid’s talk is sponsored by the Graduate School Speaker Series; the legal studies and social deviance programs; and the History, Politics, Society and Law Department.