THANKS FOR BRINGING ME ALONG Delta State University – State of the University Address August 17, 2006 Recently, I finished one of my summer reads. It was a novel entitled The Dante Club written by Matthew Pearl. His setting was Boston in the late nineteenth century where a villain was committing murders according to visions in Dante’s Inferno. Among the principal characters of the story were several literary figures, Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sr.), James Russell Lowell, the publisher J. T. Fields, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who was the greybeard in the group. It was a lively tale, and the poets solved the mystery. In the final scene, Pearl has them heading for a large social event to celebrate. I want to share with you the two concluding paragraphs of the novel, and then I’ll tell you how they relate to today’s address.
“
It was raining now, a night rain; a gentle, Christian rain. It must have been very inconvenient for J. T. Fields, driving from Boston to Cambridge only to go back to Boston again, but he had insisted. Holmes and Greene had left a good space for Longfellow between them (in the carriage), on the seats across from Fields and Lowell. Longfellow, as he climbed up, hoped he would not be asked to speak in front of all the guests during the banquet, but if he were, he would thank his friends for bringing him along.
”
2 I read these paragraphs the day that Paul Starkey decided I would be delivering the State of the University Address today. It was early last week, and we heard that our invited guest speaker would not be coming. Just before that news, I learned that a governing board meeting I thought would take me out of town today would not be a conflict. We intended to schedule this address next month, but the obvious solution was to move it to today. Like Longfellow, I hoped I would not be asked to speak in front of everyone today, but since I’m here, I plan to thank all of you for bringing me along on your adventures and accomplishments this past year.
Each year, I enjoy saying a particular sentence near the outset of this address. Here it is again in clear and unambiguous terms: the state of this university is sound. As we begin our 81st academic year, we can say unequivocally that Delta State University has more students and more resources than at any moment in its history. We are blessed with a strong faculty and a committed staff. We benefit from the support of our alumni and friends. During this past year, most units and many individuals reached goals that enhanced the lives of our students, our community, and the region we serve.
Are we without challenges? You and I both know that there are many issues confronting us. We worry about budgets and the sufficiency of our funding. We’re concerned about short staffing in some areas, and we can all list facility concerns that we wish could be addressed right now. We would prefer that every student arrive fully prepared to do college-level work. We want technology gains to move more quickly, and we would like to expand our collections in the library. We wish that there were both more travel money and greater support for research. In other words, we’ve got lots of areas for growth and many opportunities to apply our creativity in
3 developing solutions. However, we owe it to ourselves to recognize that every day contributions in the classrooms, laboratories, and offices of this university are tremendously significant. You have a right to be proud of what you and your colleagues are accomplishing. This is an outstanding institution.
Each year we discover some things about our organization, and what we learn makes us better. One important message to us this past year came from our regional accrediting body, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (or SACS). They reported to us two years ago that in all dimensions – save one – we passed muster with flying colors. The one area they told us to address was assessment. In this age of accountability, they felt we would be a better university if we created a more thorough, more systematic approach to setting learning outcome goals and determining whether our students achieve them. It is not that we were not doing assessment, but the SACS peer reviewers directed us toward better, more coordinated models. Many of you have been working hard with the Office of Academic Affairs and an external consultant to reach the milestones set by the accrediting agency. We must submit the results of your efforts in a couple of weeks. Thanks for all you are doing in this important area of institutional life. We have discovered through this process how to better assess the learning transactions that are at the heart of what we do. We’ll learn at the SACS meeting in December whether we’ve satisfied the expectations of our peers.
Another lesson that grew out of the SACS accreditation process for us came as we developed our Quality Enhancement Plan (or QEP) a prescribed aspect of the review. By now, all of you know that the theme of our QEP is student engagement. This past year, our second
4 team of Student Engagement Champions took several significant steps forward, not the least of which began at the Greater Expectations Institute, where the team spent five days planning a process that will introduce and immerse faculty – particularly those new to our community – in the unique aspects and character of Delta State. We’ve learned anew the importance of faculty development, and the SEC initiated faculty technology institutes that won a best practices award from the offices of the state governing board.
Our third lesson from the 2005/06 year was that the relationship we enjoy with our host community is deep and strong. We celebrated the Year of Cleveland, and we had a great time focusing on the richness of the ties that have existed over eight decades. Community leaders came together to help us plan and make our yearlong theme a reality. There were fireworks, cultural and entertainment events, contests for school children, displays, Main Street showcases, community awards, and many other activities. We’ll conclude the formal celebration with a bang on September 23 with more post-football-game fireworks, and we hope you will all attend. Of course, the spirit of the year will continue and the relationship will grow. Cleveland is a wonderful hometown for Delta State, and we are privileged to be so well located.
One aspect of this community that came into sharp focus this past year is yet another of the lessons that arose out of 2005/06, namely, that Cleveland and Delta State pull together to provide compassionate support for those in need. When the hurricanes of 2005 hit the Gulf Coast and hundreds of people came streaming into Cleveland, our community and campus citizens acted quickly to offer food, clothing, shelter, and financial help. It was a tremendous demonstration of commitment to the welfare of people in extreme circumstances, those who
5 were pulled up by the roots and cast adrift. Images from those days are still alive in my mind, and they are likely to be there for a long while. Many in this room helped clean out Hugh White Hall to offer housing. Several went out to the Expo Center to sort clothing or help with intake, registration, and medical situations. Some cooked meals and fed families or bigger groups of people every day. Time and energy were frequent gifts, but many of you also dug deep and gave hard-earned dollars to your churches, relief agencies, or even to the university to aid in the relief efforts. We saw similar responses in other communities, of course, but Cleveland and Delta State provided exemplary service. We owe a special thanks to Governor Barbour, Commissioner Meredith, and Senator Cochran for the federal student aid program created for students and their families who were directly affected by the disaster.
These, then, are what I’m calling the four lessons of the past year: (1) we must pay closer attention to assessment, particularly as it applies to learner outcomes; (2) while student engagement is the theme of our Quality Enhancement Plan, faculty development is a critical element of that effort; (3) our relationship with Cleveland is one of the most precious treasures of this institution, and it has been a strength for our entire 80-year history; and (4) a humane spirit is alive and well in our community and on our campus and working together we can make a difference to people in crises.
One of the opportunities to which I look forward in this annual address is reciting many of the top accomplishments of faculty and staff during the previous twelve months. I asked members of the President’s Cabinet and the Academic Council to submit lists of three or four of the best of the best from their areas, and, of course, most fudged a little and gave me a few more
6 than that. If I read them all, it would take quite some time, so I’ve selected a few items from each submission. Should you not hear me mention something of note that you or your unit did in this last year, please forgive me. I’m sure your dean or vice president included it. Sit back and join me in appreciating this abbreviated list of your accomplishments and those of your colleagues.
In the College of Arts and Sciences: •
There were 68 scholarly publications or presentations by faculty.
•
Faculty earned one state award, one national award, three outstanding teaching awards, and the Kossman outstanding teacher award.
•
More than $550,000 came in grants, including $300,000 in private support for the Excellence in Science fund.
•
Renovations began in Kethley in June after months of extensive planning by architects and faculty. We appreciate the good will and cooperation shown by many of you who were displaced in anticipation of this significant renovation. A year or two down the road is a similar project for Caylor – White/Walters, the science building. Again, faculty are playing a key role in the planning.
•
Social Work was re-accredited for eight years with no contingencies. This is really significant, when you learn that only 20 percent of the reviewed programs achieve this level of positive result.
•
Our GIS Center received regional and national recognition for its role in the recovery efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
7
In the College of Education: •
Accreditation was granted for the first time to our Athletic Training program.
•
Statewide governing board recognition came to the Educational Leadership program – awarded second place in the best practices competition.
•
In its second year, the e-learning program served more than 200 high school students with language instruction offered by two-way audio and video from studios here on the campus. Already there are more than 300 enrolled for the coming year.
•
Viking Corporation donated equipment for the Family and Consumer Sciences program; the facility was renovated, and dedicated as the Ada Swindle Mitchell Foods Laboratory. Our alumnus, Fred Carl, is founder and CEO of this international firm, and we’re proud of his success in life.
•
One unfortunate bit of news for us from the College of Education: Dean Lynn House is leaving her post at Delta State to become the Chief Academic Officer for the statewide Institutions of Higher Learning staff. We congratulate her and look forward to many years of outstanding performance. Now we’re looking for a new dean. Dr. Matt Buckley will serve during the interim.
In the College of Business: •
Gaming Management became an option within the Hospitality Services Management curriculum, and the first course enrolled 34 students.
8 •
Our Commercial Aviation flight team received its tenth consecutive invitation to the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Championship by placing in the top three programs in Region Four, the largest region of nine in the nation.
•
Faculty and staff raised more than $1,000,000 in grants, contracts, and special appropriation funding.
•
Studies showed that the Small Business Development Center had a $3,500,000 economic impact on the Mississippi Delta.
In the School of Nursing: •
Increased recruitment activities paid off – admissions to the undergraduate nursing program grew 21 percent two years ago and an additional 33 percent this past year.
•
Retention rates are also up with three years of results going from 46 percent to 97 percent.
•
Nursing students contributed 35,398 service learning hours over the past academic year which calculates to more than $630,000 in value added to local organizations and communities.
•
Grant funding is up by five percent for the coming year with a significant new emphasis on relieving the nursing shortage in the Delta.
•
For the first time, a senior nursing student was selected as a Congressional Fellow. Mary Luther served one semester in Senator Thad Cochran’s office in Washington, D.C.
•
A nursing faculty member, Debbie Allen, served as Chair of the Faculty Senate. She was an outstanding addition to the President’s Cabinet this past year.
9 In Graduate and Continuing Studies: •
Graduate school enrollment rose for the fourth straight year, and in last year’s fall semester it was at an all-time high for a regular term.
•
Intersession courses were launched during the winter break between semesters. An innovative resources-sharing plan means that faculty who participate can earn departmental support.
•
Institutional Research and Planning moved under the supervision of Graduate and Continuing Studies to better coordinate and integrate assessment with academic operations.
•
Non-credit and personal enrichment enrollments were more than 50 percent larger than the previous year.
•
Independent study courses showed an increase in enrollment of 30 percent over the past twelve months.
In Library Services: •
Roberts-LaForge Library is the most frequently used service and it consistently demonstrates the highest quality rating of any campus service according to the most recent graduation survey – more than 90 percent of faculty and students report satisfaction with library services.
•
Capps Archives and Museum curated and/or hosted nine exhibits, including the awardwinning Emmett Till Exhibit and Education Project created by our own Henry Outlaw and Luther Brown in conjunction with archives staff.
10 •
Born to Read, a literacy program in partnership with the College of Education, drew local and regional publicity for the Library.
In Delta Regional Development: •
Center for Community and Economic Development staff attracted and managed nearly $2,400,000 in sponsored program funding to employ almost 160 staff members for the benefit of local communities and schools. This is part of a $6,900,000 grant total supervised by Delta Regional Development.
•
Delta Center for Culture and Learning continued efforts to establish the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, and staff worked closely with the Mississippi Blues Commission to build a statewide Blues Heritage Trail. The Delta Center won two awards for $300,000 to help with the establishment of the trail.
In Staff Council: •
Staff compensation was a primary effort, and the council presented a proposal for a twoyear plan which was modified and became the basis for the distribution of the largest salary increases for staff in a number of years. Council Chair, Elsie Lynn Ervin, provided outstanding leadership in this endeavor.
•
After research on communications and related issues, a quarterly luncheon series was scheduled between staff council officers and the senior leadership of the institution.
•
Staff Council sponsored “Feed a Family” in November and collected enough food to feed 25 families at Thanksgiving.
•
A new electronic newsletter went monthly to all staff at the university.
11
In Student Affairs: •
For the second straight year, the university achieved record enrollment with its focused enrollment marketing and management model. Projected enrollment for this fall shows another gain.
•
Nearly $30,000,000 in financial aid went to 3,500 of our students. Special funding for Hurricane Katrina victims brought an additional $1,300,000 to the campus that was distributed to 170 students.
•
Residence hall capacity increased by 280 as the renovation project for the Court of Governors reached completion. A summer project in the Student Union is also nearing completion.
•
Student Services now recognizes and supports 112 student organizations and clubs.
•
Student Affairs and the Division of Finance and Administration worked together to create Delta State’s first disaster response plan. This was coordinated with universities across the state.
In the Division of Finance and Administration: •
Fiscal Year 2005 again showed a clean audit of our financial statements.
•
Services on the Okra Kard continued to expand.
•
Human Resources completed major projects related to compensation, job classification, and performance evaluation.
•
Cafeteria renovations and improvements came on line in September 2005.
12 •
During the year, the division completed more than $10,000,000 in construction and renovation projects and planned or initiated another $40,000,000 in projects.
•
Vice President Billy Morehead announced that at the beginning of the second semester this coming year, he will leave his position to become the Chair of the Accounting/CIS/Finance Division in our College of Business. He’ll be hard to replace, but we are soliciting applications in a national search.
In the Alumni Association and the DSU Foundation: •
10,000 alumni, friends, donors, students, and parents participated in alumni events during the last year
•
Seven monthly issues of a new electronic newsletter went to 9,000 alumni, and two issues of the alumni magazine went to 21,000 alumni and other supporters of the university.
•
Wings and Roots, the multi-year fund raising campaign, sailed well past its initial goal of $12,000,000 and its expanded goal of $35,000,000. The final announcement this past year reported a total in excess of $37,000,000.
•
In 1995, the foundation provided $42,000 in scholarships. This past year that number had grown to $282,000 serving 287 students.
•
Again this past year, the foundation provided $30,000 to fund six faculty awards of $5,000 each for excellence in teaching, research, or service. Today the foundation is sharing news that a similar program of staff awards is in the works. Watch for details to be announced shortly.
In Technology Management:
13 •
Several projects completed – fiber now reaches the entire campus and Microsoft Exchange is implemented. There are 20 new smart classrooms (a total of 37) and five new smart carts.
•
Personnel of the division implemented the award-winning Faculty Technology Institute, and a SLOAN Award recognized the posting of ten on-line courses in response to Hurricane Katrina.
•
There is a new student e-mail system and voice mail is campus-wide. There is a new campus network alert system and wireless now serves the Student Union.
In Intercollegiate Athletics: •
Of 330 athletes, 97 earned academic honor roll distinction.
•
Alyse Hasty, a softball player, was named the Gulf South Conference female athlete of the year.
•
Jasper Johnson won the Howell Award for the top Mississippi Collegiate Basketball Player and the honor of being named the National Player of the Year. Coach Steve Rives was named the National Coach of the Year for men’s basketball.
•
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won the conference title on the same court on the same day, and their combined season records totaled 60-5.
•
Seven of our 13 intercollegiate teams qualified for postseason play.
Forgive me for reading lists, but there is so much information of note that I hope you found it interesting. We received from the system office a list of performance indicators comparing our status in a number of areas with the other institutions in Mississippi and across the Southern
14 Region. There are several categories where Delta State’s performance is better than the mean for both groups. These include the three-year increase in enrollment, the three-year increase in the six-year graduation rate, and the three-year increase in retention. We’re also better than the region in our average entering ACT score and the percentage of our faculty with terminal degrees. In fact, in 26 of the 31 categories of data reported, Delta State led or equaled the region, the state, or both. Again, the inescapable conclusion is that Delta State University is a strong institution and that this faculty and staff are achieving remarkable results.
Each dawning academic year brings new strategic directions for departments working within the framework of the institutional strategic plan. The President’s Cabinet and the Academic Council likewise layout strategic directions year-by-year at a summer retreat. This summer we reviewed our intentions for the recently past academic year and set new directions for 2006/07. We accomplished what we set out to do over the past twelve months, and the new statements that will guide our work include these areas: student success; programs related to student, staff, and faculty diversity; salary distribution models; accreditation-related opportunities; feasibility of unit-based fund raising; and various physical plant projects.
We’ve also established a new theme to replace the Year of Cleveland. You will hear more about it and have opportunities to participate in the months to come. Our new theme is Health and Wellness in the Delta. It is a good year for us to focus on this area because the Delta Health Alliance – with Delta State as the lead institution in the collaborative – has expanded to become an umbrella operation overseeing $25,000,000 in project funds. Several new affiliated organizations will dramatically enhance the efforts that have been made over the past few years
15 by DSU, Mississippi State University, Mississippi Valley State University, the University of Mississippi Medical School, and the Delta Council. This is an aggressive approach to the health challenges of our region.
We have completed and enjoyed a year filled with your achievements, and we are looking forward to everything you will accomplish in this new academic year. Thank you for your friendship and your support. Thank you for what you do for this organization and for our students. And as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow resolved in the reading I shared with you, I want to thank you for bringing me along.