Creating Community 2010 Report of the President
Dear Friends of Southern,
O
NE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT SOUTHERN THAT I HAVE GROWN TO ADMIRE during my tenure as interim president is our university’s sense of community. As ours is a public institution, it is incumbent upon us to extend beyond our boundaries and make a difference in New Haven, the region of southern Connecticut, and our state. And we do so, through our educational partnerships; the volunteerism of our students, faculty, and staff; and the vibrant array of arts and educational offerings that we provide for the general public. In these difficult economic times, Southern’s overall contribution to the community has never been more valuable. We are playing a key role in Connecticut’s recovery process, educating record numbers of students, and developing new programs — in both growth and in-demand fields of study — to build on our 114 offerings at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Already, Southern prepares its students to work in more than 91 percent of the occupations identified by the state Department of Labor’s 2012 forecast that require at least a bachelor’s degree for employment. And, with more than 80 percent of its 2,300 annual graduates staying on to live and work in Connecticut, our university is a major contributor in building the state’s knowledge-based economy. Recently, for example, Southern was named as the host site for Connecticut’s first research center devoted solely to nanotechnology. The new center will prepare students for careers in this growth industry through hands-on experience with specialized equipment, including a state-of-the-art microscope that uses electrons to image materials on the atomic scale. Southern is also poised to launch its second doctoral program — an Ed.D. in nursing education conceived to help offset the state and national shortage of nurses and nursing faculty. This collaborative program — to be offered jointly with Western Connecticut State University — would be only the third of its type in the country. We are also committed to improving educational standards and opportunities at the grassroots level. Last November, I invited Bill Cosby to New Haven to spread his message of hope through education among local neighborhoods and schools. In the wake of his visit, Southern is working on a number of new initiatives to bridge the achievement gap and help children in grades K-12 realize that college is an attainable dream. These include a “Southern Academy” offering city high school and middle school students the opportunity to improve their learning skills in key areas, from reading to calculus. Public universities like Southern have tremendous power to transform lives through education. I thank you, as a friend of this university, for your active engagement in enhancing opportunities for our students — and for your ongoing role in ensuring that Southern continues to make a difference in the community it serves. Sincerely yours,
Dr. Stanley F. Battle • Interim President
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academics 69 undergraduate, 45 graduate degree programs accreditation In 2002 Southern received its 10-year reaccreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. alumni 67,000 athletics Ten national NCAA Division II team titles and 71 individual championships campus Nearly 172 acres diversity More than 600 students with disabilities. Minority students comprise more than 20 percent of the full-time undergraduate population.
Southern at a glance endowment $9.4 million enrollment 11,769 faculty 438 full-time; 83 percent with doctoral and other terminal degrees graduate students 3,273 operating budget $183.2 million residence life 2,728 students live on campus in nine residence halls undergraduate students 8,496, including 1,288 new full-time freshmen
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HE START OF THE 2010/11 ACADEMIC YEAR was a time of transition for
Southern, with new leadership appointments in a number of key positions. Dr. Stanley F. Battle became interim president in May, following the six-year
tenure of President Cheryl J. Norton. Battle previously served as chancellor of North Carolina A&T (2007-2009) and president of Coppin State University in Baltimore
(2003-2007). He was also vice chancellor for academic and multicultural affairs at the
NEW CAMPUS LEADERSHIP
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A Time of Transition
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2000-2003), and associate vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Connecticut State University (1993-1998). Soon after his arrival at Southern, Battle announced the appointment of several new, top-level administrators: Ellen Durnin, Dean of the School of Business, came to Southern from Western Connecticut State University, where she was Dean of Graduate Studies and External Programs. The Dean of the School of Education, Michael Sampson, was most recently Coordinator of Reading Education and Chair of the Graduate Council at the University of South Florida. Holly Crawford, new Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, developed and oversaw the Office of Research at Rutgers University. And Jaye Bailey, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, served as labor relations and employment officer at Southern since February 2009. Bailey has an extensive and accomplished background in all areas of labor law and human resources. “All of the chosen candidates are innovative, forward-thinking individuals whose skills in their respective disciplines will add to the rich tapestry of knowledge and expertise already present on our campus,� Battle said.
Left: Dr. Stanley F. Battle. Above, clockwise from top left: Ellen Durnin, Michael Sampson, Holly Crawford, Jaye Bailey.
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TUDENT ENROLLMENT CLIMBED for the third consecutive year at Southern, fueled by the largest number of full-time undergraduates (7,494) in the university’s 118-year history. A total of 11,964 students were enrolled last fall, marking a 1.3-percent increase over the 11,815 students from the previous year. The all-time high in full-time undergraduates marked the eighth consecutive
year of growth in that category. A year earlier, 7,366 such students were enrolled.
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
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Enrollment Reaches Record Levels
Provost Selase W. Williams attributed part of that growth to successful efforts in
improving the university’s retention rate — the percentage of students who begin at Southern as full-time freshmen and continue to register for classes each semester, rather than dropping out or transferring to another school. He also pointed to a record number of new full-time transfer students enrolled last fall (947), which eclipsed the previous record of 833 set in the fall of 2009. While new transfers come from schools throughout Connecticut and out of state, a large contingent are from area community colleges, such as Gateway Community College in New Haven, Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury and Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. The number of full-time students (combined undergraduate and graduate) reached 8,494, up 1.8 percent from the previous year and also the highest in Southern annals. The number of full-time graduate students reached 1,000 last year, the highest since 2005.
Students gathered together to form the letters “SCSU” during new student orientation.
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ITH THE HELP OF A $750,000 GRANT FROM THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, Southern and the Connecticut State
University System (CSUS) are poised to be at the forefront of a new
frontier in science with the creation of Connecticut’s first research
center devoted solely to nanotechnology.
The National Science Foundation estimates that 2 million workers will be needed to
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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On the Cutting Edge
support nanotechnology industries worldwide within the next 15 years. Nanotech is already being used to produce new medicines, improved medical imaging tools and more durable construction materials, as well as energy-efficient power sources like fuel cells, batteries and solar panels. The CSUS Center for Nanotechnology will prepare students for careers in this growth industry through hands-on experience with specialized equipment, including a state-ofthe-art microscope that uses electrons to image materials on the atomic scale. Center Director will be Physics Department Chair Christine Broadbridge, who has led the systemwide initiative and provided national leadership in the area of materials science education. Concurrent with the launching of the Southern-based center will be the establishment of a graduate certificate program in nanotech set to begin at the four universities in fall 2012. Initial courses will be offered at Southern this summer.
Christine Broadbridge helps student Barbara Bernardo use an atomic force microscope.
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ILL COSBY, THE LEGENDARY ENTERTAINER who is passionate about encouraging urban youth to stay in school and pursue higher education, used his vintage brand of humor to make salient points with people of all ages when he visited New Haven at President Battle’s invitation in November. At Southern, Cosby urged students, faculty and staff to reach out to the
underprivileged urban community. Then, at nearby King-Robinson magnet school, he told youngsters from grades Pre-K to 8 to study hard and do their homework. Finally, he took a walk through the Newhallville neighborhood, where he reinforced his anti-truancy message and urged parents to act like parents, rather than trying too hard to be
A D D R E S S I N G T H E AC H I E V E M E N T G A P
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A Message of Hope through Education
their children’s friends. Battle praised Cosby for his “commitment and energy for education that is unparalleled. His message resonates with the efforts of our university and our city to bridge the achievement gap and help children in grades K-12 realize that college is an attainable dream.” To that end, Southern is working on several new initiatives, including a “Southern Academy” offering city high school and middle school students the opportunity to improve their learning skills in key areas from reading to calculus. A literacy camp for elementary school students and their teachers is also planned for this summer, along with a conference for New Haven teachers focusing on classroom support and featuring master teachers from around the country. Southern faculty and New Haven teachers are working together to write new a curriculum that will better meet the needs of urban learners. And in the fall of 2011, Southern faculty and student teachers will be infused into three New Haven elementary schools — a plan that will be expanded throughout the city in coming years. Bill Cosby was the center of attention in Newhallville.
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ITH A MIX OF CLINICAL SERVICES, parental support, research and
technical assistance, Southern’s new Center of Excellence on Autism
Spectrum Disorders provides the state with a distinctive resource to
improve the educational and social experiences of students diagnosed
with a form of this development disability.
The center focuses on three avenues: training educators and professional staff about
the best practices of teaching students with any of the autism spectrum disorders; fostering research to benefit these students; and direct service through activities such as evaluating children, conducting clinics and holding special events. Among the special events planned is an annual international symposium, jointly sponsored by the center and AT&T, and featuring renowned scientists, researchers, educators and other experts on autism. AT&T has developed a handheld, picture-based application for mobile technology devices that is designed to help children with autism. Southern has worked with the company to test new features of the application, such as the use of video. Southern has been a statewide leader in autism education for years, and gained a
CENTER OF EXCELLNCE ON AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
A New Resource for the Region and the State
$300,000 federal grant to help launch the new center last February. It is the only public institution in Connecticut to offer a master’s degree concentration in autism spectrum disorders. And in 2008, Southern received gubernatorial authorization to lead the development of a statewide plan to better teach children with autism and similar disorders. Ruth Eren, an associate professor of special education and reading, serves as center director. The late James Granfield, former interim dean of the School of Education, was instrumental in the center’s formation until his death last year.
Southern faculty and students are working with AT&T to test a new mobile phone application for children with autism.
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S
OUTHERN’S FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE (FYE) program — a comprehensive series of courses, events and resources designed to make the transition to college life smoother and more academically enriching — continues to be a key factor in improving student success. Since FYE was created with a pilot program in 2007 and fully implemented in
2008, several areas of improvement have been noted in student engagement, academic skills and retention rates. In fact, retention rates reached record highs last fall in two key
TRANSITION TO COLLEGE LIFE
FYE Provides Fast Track to Student Success
areas — full-time freshmen who continue to attend Southern after two years (often for their junior year) and those who continue after three years (often for their senior year). For most new freshmen, FYE participation includes taking a two-course combination (English composition and Introduction to Intellectual/Creative Inquiry) during the first semester. The students take both classes with the same group of about 20 students, who often have similar academic interests. Last year, five such learning communities of students were created for those who were especially interested in environmental issues. “Getting students to think about sustainability provides them with a new perspective that will enrich their learning experiences at Southern, and potentially influence decisions they’ll make in their personal and professional lives,” said Suzanne Huminski, who taught three of the five FYE courses with an environmental focus. “It is also a way for new students to become involved in the campus community, and for student-based environmental projects to take shape here,” Huminski said.
Southern’s First-Year Experience program has helped boost student retention to record levels.
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OUR OUTSTANDING SOUTHERN STUDENTS were chosen as the 2010
recipients of the Henry Barnard Foundation Distinguished Student Award, presented to awardees who have at least a 3.7 GPA and have demonstrated outstanding participation in university and/or community life.
STUDENT SCHOLARS
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In Service and In Scholarship
Emily Brown, a history major, was president of the History Club for the last
two years, as well as a member of Southern’s Future Teachers Organization and the campus chapters of Zeta Delta Epsilon, a service honor society, and Phi Alpha Theta, a history honor society. Lauren Chicoski, an anthropology major, served as secretary of Iota Iota Iota, a women’s studies honor society; president of the Anthropology Club; president of the LGBT Prism Club and treasurer of the campus chapter of Amnesty International. Edward Dostaler, an exercise science major, served as president of the Exercise Physiology Club and was a member of the Pre-Health Professional Society and the Chemistry Club. An intern at two area hospitals, he also worked as a medical volunteer and an orphanage volunteer in Tanzania. Allison Kelly, a political science major, served as president of the campus chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science honor society, as well as the North Campus Townhouse Hall Council. She was a member of the Pre-Law Society and president of the Karate Club and worked as a life guard/swim instructor with the YMCA.
2010 Barnard Scholars, clockwise from top left: Emily Brown, Lauren Chicoski, Edward Dostaler, Allison Kelly.
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N ECLECTIC ARRAY OF RESEARCH BY SOUTHERN FACULTY — from debunking myths about bats and bullying to the consumption of chocolate milk and the overconsumption of food and goods — gained widespread media attention during the last year. • Kari Sassu, assistant professor of counseling and school psychology,
FAC U LT Y R E S E A R C H
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Faculty in the Headlines
researched bullying and how teachers deal with the phenomenon. She also studied how girls and boys differ in how they bully other children. • William Lunn, assistant professor of exercise science, found that drinking chocolate milk shortly after running helps generate faster muscle repair than a carbohydrate-only drink. • Miranda Dunbar, assistant professor of biology and expert on bats, sought to change some false perceptions about the flying mammals. She pointed out that they contribute a great deal to the ecosystem as the primary pollinators and seed dispersers for many tropical plants and fruits. • David Pettigrew, professor of philosophy, won acclaim for a film that he coproduced with his son exploring the aftermath of genocidal atrocities in Bosnia. The powerful 50-minute documentary focused on the remains of Klotjevac, a once-thriving Muslim village destroyed by Serb forces during the early 1990s. • Gayle Bessenoff, assistant professor of psychology, researched several aspects of overconsumption — a national ill — for a new psychology course that she taught last year. Among the topics were workaholism, hoarding and compulsive shopping. • Valerie Andrushko, assistant professor of anthropology, continued to gain national attention for her fieldwork in Peru, where she investigates ancient skeletal remains for evidence of violent trauma, physical stress, and culture change.
Assistant Professor of Biology Miranda Dunbar displays the skeleton of a tropical fruit bat.
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OUTHERN ONCE AGAIN OFFERED AN ECLECTIC, compelling range of programming throughout the year. The 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration featured Former Colorado
CAMPUS EVENTS
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Thought-Provoking Programs
Lieutenant Governor Joe Rogers as keynote speaker. Rogers discussed the life and legacy of Dr. King and the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah, a day in April set aside to
remember and learn about the horrors of the Holocaust, a campus event was held to share readings, recitations of personal stories, and the screening of a short film. In April, the 19th annual Women's Studies Conference examined the topic “Women & Girls of Color: History, Heritage, Heterogeneity.” In May, Winter Olympics speed skating champion Apolo Ohno brought his message of “No Regrets” to an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd at Lyman Center as the university's 12th Mary and Louis Fusco Distinguished Lecturer. The most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time, Ohno is an eight-time Olympic medalist. In September, Warren St. John, author of the bestselling book Outcasts United, visited campus to speak to students and faculty in the FYE Program, who had read his book for their Freshman Read. A solo performance by singer-songwriter and six-time Grammy Award winner John Legend sold out Lyman Center in October. And the university’s first Latino Film Festival showcased a diverse collection of short and full-length films by independent and international Latino filmmakers.
Apolo Ohno received rock-star adulation when he spoke at Lyman Center.
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OUTHERN STRIVES TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR to Greater New Haven by providing essential services and engaging in mutually beneficial partnerships with communitybased organizations. In a collaboration among Southern’s Special Education Department, the West Haven
Board of Education, and the West Haven Child Development Center, graduate students
in early childhood special education have the opportunity to work in classes with young children with identified special needs, along with peer models. The Center for Communication Disorders (CCD) provides a variety of family-inclusive speech, language, hearing, and advocacy services for children and adults from Greater New
SERVING THE COMMUNITY WITH PRIDE
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Partnerships and Collaborations
Haven and beyond. In 2010, CCD served 410 clients with a total of 3622 contact hours. The Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic (MFT) accepts referrals from police departments, schools, psychiatrists and a range of agencies. About 80 to 95 families, couples, and individuals are in treatment each week. In 2010, the MFT clinic served 404 clients with a total of 3,585 contact hours. The university has been a host site for the Connecticut Special Olympics for 20 years. In 2010, more than 45 SCSU staff and nearly 60 SCSU students volunteered during the Games weekend in June. In addition, each year Southern hosts on campus 2,400 athletes, 500 coaches, and 6,000 spectators throughout the Games. Southern is also the site for the Hamden Transition Academy, a work-transition program for older special education students. And the university is one of four Connecticut institutions partnering with the state Department of Children and Families on a project facilitating the successful transition of foster youth from high school to higher education. Southern currently enrolls 20 such students. Graduate students in Special Education receive the opportunity for real-life experience in the community.
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N STEP WITH SOUTHERN’S DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE, many of our students share their time and talents with the community. Junior Daniel Ndamwizeye, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, is a telling example. In 1994, at the
STUDENT SUCCESS
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Reaching Out From Personal Tragedy
age of 5, Ndamwizeye witnessed horrors few can imagine. Over the course of about 100 days, Rwanda’s radical Hutus massacred at least 800,000 Rwandan people. Both of
Ndamwizeye’s parents and two of his sisters were murdered — and the young orphan went on to suffer years of abuse at the hands of relatives charged with his care. But Ndamwizeye persevered and, at the age of 15, was reunited with his sister in Bridgeport, Conn. Although he initially spoke little English, he excelled in high school, serving as captain of the volleyball and cross-country teams and vice president of his senior class. Chosen among his classmates as “Most Likely to Succeed,” Ndamwizeye set his sights on earning a college degree. He enrolled at Southern and received a scholarship from the Stewardship Foundation, which supports orphans and young adults from foster care environments who were never adopted. Ndamwizeye, in turn, is committed to giving back. In addition to working full-time in the banking industry, the hard-working junior has started a line of inspirational t-shirts and has begun a nonprofit foundation to help orphans in less-developed countries. In January, he volunteered at an orphanage in Haiti. He also recently became a U.S. citizen. “It was a great experience for me because I feel I’ve learned so much here,” says Ndamwizeye. “America has allowed me to be who I want to be.”
Daniel Ndamwizeye and friends model t-shirts from his fashion collection.
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S THE WORLD BECOMES INCREASINGLY INTERCONNECTED, Southern continues to enhance and expand the variety of world languages available to students. The university has developed a revamped Master of Arts degree program in
Romance languages with course offerings in French, Italian and Spanish. Students can now choose from 35 new and redesigned electives — many of them focusing on various aspects of the Hispanic, Italian and French-speaking cultures, including literature, film, faith, art and theater in different historical eras. “We anticipate that most of our students will be current or aspiring world language teachers in Connecticut,” said Elena Schmitt, chair of the World Languages and
N E W G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M I N L A N G U AG E S
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Romancing the M.A.
Literatures Department. “Our program will help them to become more knowledgeable about and more involved in the languages and cultures that stir their interest.” At the same time, the degree will have practical use for individuals in many other fields — such as translation, journalism, anthropology, business and foreign service, Schmitt said. The Department of World Languages and Literatures has also expanded its course offerings at the bachelor’s degree level. Courses in Hebrew were added last year, bringing the number of world languages taught at Southern to 11. Portuguese was introduced in 2009. Courses in Arabic (2002) and Mandarin Chinese (2006) also have been created in recent years, while Russian was reinstated in 2008 after a lengthy absence.
Elena Schmitt (left) and Erin Larkin, director of the World Languages and Literatures department’s graduate program.
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OMMENCING THIS FALL, 26 FULL SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE AWARDED to promising mathematics and science students from urban high school and community colleges in New Haven and Bridgeport as part of the new Pathways to Academic Excellence (PAcE) program. Supported by $600,000 in funding by the National Science Foundation, PAcE
is an interdisciplinary project involving the departments of mathematics, computer
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New Opportunities in Math, Science
science, biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. Students’ success will be enhanced through early involvement in faculty-mentored research and internships, and through the formation of cohort groups and learning communities. Students will also take part in a service learning course that will take them back into the primary and secondary schools they attended to serve as mentors for the next generation of scholars. PAcE is one of a number of programs developed under the umbrella of Southern’s Center for Excellence in Mathematics and the Sciences, which has the overarching goal of increasing the number, quality and diversity of students pursuing careers in these fields. The center seeks to create a forum for interdisciplinary math/science collaboration in teaching and research at Southern. It also works to enhance the capacity of K-12 schools in Greater New Haven to effectively teach math and science to all students.
With support from the National Science Foundation, Southern is providing new avenues for urban students to study math and science.
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HE UNIVERSITY REACHED OUT TO THE COMMUNITY and across the globe during a year when need was great and generosity was in abundance. In the wake of a devastating earthquake in Haiti in January, a Haitian Relief
Committee was organized to raise funds and awareness. Activities such as Jeans Day and a benefit concert, gave the campus multiple opportunities to
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Helping Hands at a Time of Need
address the vast humanitarian need in Haiti. The 4th Annual Jail ‘N’ Bail, sponsored by SCSU Police and Beta Mu Sigma, raised
money to support the athletes of Special Olympics CT. Southern hosted its 4th annual Relay for Life, an overnight event that mobilizes communities to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones, and raise money for the fight against cancer. On Girls and Women in Sport Day, girls in grades 1-8 took part in a variety of sports with Southern student-athletes, enjoyed lunch and cheered on the Owls at a women's basketball game. The Division of Student and University Affairs sponsored its annual campus-wide Adopt-A-Family food drive, providing non-perishable food items to needy families in Greater New Haven. At Friends of Rudolph, the university’s annual holiday party and toy giveaway for New Haven children, about a thousand young guests made holiday crafts, shared snacks, visited with Santa and received toys. On the fifth annual Southern Day of Service, scores of students, faculty and staff worked on projects such as cleaning up a neighborhood park.
Students painted walls as part of a neighborhood clean-up during the Southern Day of Service.
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EMBERS OF SOUTHERN’S VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
DEPARTMENTS — Music, Art and Theatre — had their work recognized not only locally but also regionally and nationally in 2010. The Music Department’s performing ensembles held their regular
series of concerts throughout the year. In addition, a new jazz concert series, “The Art of Trio,” premiered, featuring the applied music jazz faculty. Music Professor David Chevan was one of the organizers.
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Excellence in the Arts
Music Professor Mark Kuss composed a piece for the 21st Century Consort that the group premiered at the Hirschhorn Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C. Kuss’ work was also featured at a concert at United Church on the Green in New Haven, where violist Marlene Segelstein and ONE premiered his Viola Concerto. Art Professor Mia Brownell’s work was on display in several exhibitions in 2010. A group show at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury featured a number of large paintings by Brownell. She also had a solo show at Sloan Fine Art in New York City and another show opened at the Museum of Arts and Culture in New Rochelle, N.Y. The Crescent Players and the Theatre Department mounted productions of the offbeat musical Bat Boy and the beloved Bye Bye Birdie. Several Southern students took home honors in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival 2010 Region 1 competition.
Bye Bye Birdie was another successful Crescent Players/Theatre Department collaboration.
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OUTHERN IS AMONG A SELECT GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS — and the only one from Connecticut — chosen to participate in a national project focused on infusing global learning into the general education curriculum. Out of more than 140 institutions that applied, The Association of American Colleges and Universities selected 32 colleges and universities to participate in General Education for a
Global Century, a curriculum and faculty development project funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. Southern’s role in this initiative addresses one of the 12 overarching goals of
G L O BA L L E A R N I N G I N I T I AT I V E
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An International Perspective
the university's strategic plan (2007-2012): that it will “Prepare students and faculty for life and work in a global society.” Provost Selase Williams convened a Global Education Planning Council with a charge to develop a long-range plan for global education on campus. The Council chose to pursue a role in General Education for a Global Century, among other steps it is taking to address its stated goals. Its work as part of the national project will address the following: • Developing a long-range plan for internationalization of the curriculum • Identifying targeted sites for international partnerships • Identifying student learning outcomes in the area of global education • Identifying sources of external funding to support global education efforts • Identifying means of international simulation experiences for students • Identifying strategies for incorporating faculty international research experiences into the classroom.
Public Health Professor William Faraclas (far left) leads an annual student public health team to Guatemala.
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OUTHERN FACULTY WERE SELECTED for two of the most prestigious awards within the Connecticut State University System (CSUS). James Mazur, a professor of psychology whose behavioral research has been
FAC U LT Y H O N O R S
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Recognized for Excellence
supported by the National Institute of Mental Health for 24 consecutive years,
was named a CSU Professor.
Scott Ellis, associate professor of English, was chosen as the 2010 system-level
Trustees Teaching Award winner for his effective use of technology to enhance student learning. Troy Rondinone, a prolific writer on labor history, was recognized as Southern’s recipient of the Norton Mezvinsky Trustees Research Award. The title of CSU Professor can be held by no more than 12 faculty members at a time within the CSUS. Since the 1970s, Mazur has sustained a nationally recognized program of laboratory research in behavioral psychology. This has enabled him to develop theoretical models of choice behavior — detailed in 45 articles that have been published in top-tier, peer-refereed journals. Mazur is widely credited with a theoretical formula that other researchers have applied to measure an individual’s impulsiveness and help curb such behavior in extreme cases. Ellis draws praise from his peers for his contributions to the improvement of academic programs, including the use of innovative technology and teaching methods. For example, he has employed the use of wikis, blogs and other Web-based activities when teaching American literature. Rondinone, associate professor of history, has produced original works shedding light on the role that media, military images and rhetoric had in shaping U.S. labor struggles in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Professors James Mazur (left) and Scott Ellis received prestigious systemwide awards.
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HE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN PREPARING FOR THE LAUNCHING of a new doctoral degree program in nursing education — potentially the second doctoral degree ever offered by Southern. The national shortage of nurses and nursing faculty has prompted the
university to work with Western Connecticut State University in proposing a
collaborative Ed.D. program.
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Offsetting the Nursing Shortage
The Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees gave the green light last
year and, at the time of this annual report’s publication, the degree program was pending approval by the state Board of Governors for Higher Education. Contingent upon the outcome of this review, classes would likely begin either in the fall semester of 2011 or in the spring semester of 2012. The Southern/Western collaborative program would be only the third Ed.D. in nursing education offered in the country. Colleges and universities generally offer either a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in nursing, which is geared toward research, or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), which focuses on clinical skills. By contrast, an Ed.D. is geared for those seeking to become nursing educators. About 25 students would likely be accepted into the program for the first year. The 51credit program, which would be largely online, is designed for part-time students. It is geared toward individuals who work full-time, especially nurses who might want to teach in their current profession. The program complements other recent efforts by Southern to address the nursing shortage, including a 12-month, accelerated undergraduate degree designed for professionals seeking to make a career change to nursing.
The new doctoral program is geared toward nurses wanting to teach in their current profession.
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OUTHERN WAS RECOGNIZED FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY of meritorious service to the region and the state when it was honored with the Corporate Heritage Award at the 216th Annual Meeting of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
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A Century of Service
Southern was praised for its role as the state’s pacesetter for teacher
education in the state, its wide range of program offerings in the health and human service fields, its innovative partnerships with area corporations and non-profits and its emphasis on volunteerism and community engagement. “Southern Connecticut State University has been a huge contributor to the community at large, and we don’t always find that,” said Anthony Rescigno, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. “To have a university that becomes a real partner with not only the business community but the community at large is a real credit to the institution.” Rescigno took special note of the university’s “continuing ability to grow, modernize
and diversify, with new fields of study and research.” Also noted was Southern’s inclusion in the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its strong commitment to leadership, volunteering, service learning and civic engagement. More than a quarter of the 12,000-strong student body is typically engaged in some kind of leadership and/or community service during the academic year.
Efforts like the Backpack Project helped gain national recognition for Southern students’ volunteerism.
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HE 2010 CALENDAR YEAR WAS MARKED WITH TREMENDOUS SUCCESS on
t
the playing fields, in the classroom and in the community for the Southern
Connecticut State University Athletic Department. The Owls ranked among the top 15 percent in the final Learfield Sports
Directors Cup Division II rankings for the fourth consecutive year. The rankings
are used to determine broad-based sport excellence among all NCAA programs. From the team perspective, 10 programs were recognized in NCAA Championship
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Sporting and Academic Success
competition and six programs won Northeast-10 Conference Championship — men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s swimming and diving, women’s outdoor track and field, baseball (regular season) and softball (tournament). Excellence in the academic realm remained a staple for the department as well, with roughly half of all student-athletes collecting either conference, regional or national recognition for their work in the classroom. The field hockey and women’s soccer programs also received team recognition from their respective national coaching organizations for academic success. Southern Connecticut student-athletes also continued to make a resounding impact in the area of community service, both on-campus and in the Greater New Haven community. Owls student-athletes volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time to outreach efforts in 2010. As the calendar year came to a close, the campus community rallied around the football team’s first national television appearance. The Owls defeated American International College, 28-7, in a game that was aired live from coast to coast on the CBS College Sports Network. Southern’s athletes excelled in a variety of sports, earning high rankings from the NCAA.
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OUTHERN’S CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM was once again in the spotlight, as several graduate students in English took first place in the 2010 CSUS writing contests in fiction, nonfiction essay and poetry. The competitions are open to students at the four CSUS universities and are sponsored by Connecticut Review,
STUDENT SUCCESS
S
Creative Writers Excel
a literary and arts journal published semi-annually by the Connecticut State
University System. Matthew Beacom won the Leo Connellan Poetry Prize and Marlene Schade won
the Leslie Leeds Poetry Prize. In addition, Jean Copeland won in the essay category, Benjamin Guerette took first place in fiction, Jessica Forcier received honorable mention for fiction, and Lee Keylock and Pat Mottola obtained honorable mentions in the Leeds contest. Beacom won the Connellan Prize for his poem “The Catfish.” He also won the 2010 John Holmes Award, given annually by the venerable New England Poetry Club to the writer of the best poem by a university student in a New England college or university. Mottola received an honorable mention in the Holmes contest. Schade won the Leeds Poetry Prize for her poem “Herfara Zecho.” Copeland’s winning essay was "Learning Curves,” and Guerette won for his story, “The Hammock.” The winners had their work published in the spring 2010 issue of Connecticut Review. “I am particularly proud that SCSU students won first prizes in each of the contest genres: poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction,” said Vivian Shipley, professor of English and a member of the Connecticut Review editorial board. “Their work is an example of the high level of talent that SCSU students have in all types of creative writing.”
Award-winning creative writers, clockwise from top left: Pat Mottola, Matthew Beacom, Lee Keylock, Marlene Schade, Benjamin Guerette, Jessica Forcier.
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HE OUTSTANDING GENEROSITY OF ALUMNI AND FRIENDS resulted in record fundraising results for Fiscal Year 2010. Total new gifts and
commitments approached $3 million, with 57% designated for endowments, 30% for programmatic support, and 13% for general university support. Donor philanthropy resulted in the establishment of 14 new annual and endowed
scholarships, and long-time supporters, the Stutzman Family Foundation and the Werth Family Foundation, made majors gifts to the university’s music program and marine
I N S T I T U T I O N A L A D VA N C E M E N T
T
A Year of Giving
studies program, respectively. In celebration of the life of the late Professor Emeritus of English Dan Ort, the university community joined with his family, friends, and former students to create an endowed scholarship in his name and to dedicate Southern’s Honors College Library in his honor. Alumni gathered at events locally and around the country. In May, Attorney William Pratt, ’76, hosted an alumni reception in Washington, D.C., and the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta was the site of another alumni gathering that same month. Homecoming brought more than 400 alumni and family members to campus in October. The accomplishments of Southern alumni were lauded at the Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon. The 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient was David McHale, ’82, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Northeast Utilities System and treasurer of the SCSU Foundation, Inc. In his remarks McHale stated, “My experience at Southern triggered a real passion for learning and achievement. To this day I remain thankful, involved and committed to the university.”
Northeast Utilities CFO and Distinguished Alumni Award recipient David McHale outside company headquarters in Hartford.
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ESPITE THE DIFFICULT ECONOMIC CLIMATE, progress has been made on several key projects that will advance the revitalization of Southern’s campus. The state Bond Commission approved $3.8 million for the renovation of the former
Student Center as a new home for the School of Business. Work on this much-
anticipated project will begin in summer 2011, and take about a year. Soon afterward
CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
D
Master Plan Moving Ahead
Seabury Hall, the school’s aging current home, will be demolished. The timing is favorable, as Southern’s business programs — accounting, economics and finance, management, management information systems and marketing — are in high demand for Connecticut’s workforce needs. Similarly, at the time of publication, the university was anticipating the passage of a legislative bill reallocating $16.4 million from CSUS 2020 funds to finish the long-delayed renovation of Buley Library. An addition doubling the size of the original library is complete, and approximately $31.6 million is needed for the overall project. The balance is already available through unspent original funding. Application was also made to the CHEFA Bond Market for $15.4 million to begin construction of a new, 1,200-vehicle parking garage on Lot 7 (behind Moore Fieldhouse near the Energy Center). Another pending project is a new academic science building. Architects have completed program specifications for this 98,478-square-foot structure, which will include general purpose and specialized laboratory instructional classrooms. Trained individuals in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines are also sought after in Connecticut. Already, the number of students majoring in the STEM subjects of biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics, physics and computer science has increased by nearly 17 percent during the last two years — at a time when Southern is playing an increasingly prominent role as a leader in scientific research and education.
An architect’s rendering of the new home for the School of Business.
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N 2010, THE UNIVERSITY AGAIN EXHIBITED STRENGTH in its principal “lines of business”: teaching,
Operating Revenues Indirect Cost Recoveries 0.2% Investment Income 0.1% Other Sources of Revenue 1.8% Private and Local Grant Revenues 0.7% State Grant Revenues 2.9% Federal Grant Revenues 5.6% Auxiliary Sales and Services 10.3%
research, and public service. Although the state operating appropriation allocated to the university is 36.2 percent of
FISCAL YEAR 2010
I
Financial Overview
total revenues, the other main sources of revenue (tuition
and fees, sales of auxiliary services, and grants and contracts) continue to show steady but slowing growth over the next few years. As Southern closed out the year 2010,
Tuition and Fees 42.2%
a better understanding was gained of the state’s State Appropriations 36.2%
deteriorating fiscal condition and the discouraging outlook for the overall economy for the coming two to three fiscal years. The apparent trend may lead to even less State General Fund support for the university’s operations. In fiscal year 2010, the university operating revenues
Operating Expenditures Student Services 10.0% Library 3.1% Academic Support 3.4% Public Service 0.2% Research and Sponsored Programs 1.2% Plant Operations and Maintenance 7.8%
increased by 3.34 percent to $197.1 million. This was attributable to increases in student tuition and fees. Institutional Support 13.9%
Operating expenditures decreased by 1.67 percent to $182.6 million. This decrease is primarily due to the savings associated with the 2009 retirement incentive program.
Instruction 35.7%
Scholarships and Fellowships 12.5% Auxiliary Enterprises 12.2%
The university held operating expenditures in line through conscientious fiscal oversight and was able to maintain the operating reserve guidelines established by the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System.
Southern is playing a key role in Connecticut’s economic recovery, educating record numbers of students and developing new programs that meet areas of demand in the state’s work force.
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Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System
Administrative Officers for the Connecticut State University System
RICHARD J. BALDUCCI Vice Chairman • Deep River
LOUISE FEROE Acting Chancellor and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
THERESA J. EBERHARD-ASCH Secretary • Danbury MICHAEL A. CARON Danielson ANDREW CHU SCSU Student MERCEDES DeMASI WCSU Student JOHN A. DOYLE Barkhamsted ELIZABETH S. GAGNE Avon ANGELO J. MESSINA Unionville JOHN H. MOTLEY Hartford SCOTT NOLAN ECSU Student RONALD J. PUGLIESE Southbury PETER M. ROSA West Hartford RYAN SHEEHAN CCSU Student JOHN R. SHOLTIS JR. Marlborough
PAMELA J. KEDDERIS Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration DAVID P. TRAINOR Executive Assistant to the Chancellor / Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Labor Relations WENDY CHANG Chief Information Officer JILL FERRAIOLO Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Relations / Communications WILLIAM J. GAMMELL Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Planning, Institutional Research, Market Research, and Analysis BERNARD L. KAVALER Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs
THE REVEREND JOHN P. SULLIVAN New Haven GAIL H. WILLIAMS Danbury
Produced by the Office of Public Affairs
Officers for Southern Connecticut State University
PATRICK DILGER Director
STANLEY F. BATTLE Interim President
PATRICK DILGER, BETSY BEACOM Editors
SELASE W. WILLIAMS Provost / Vice President for Academic Affairs
BETSY BEACOM, MIKE KOBYLANSKI, JOE MUSANTE, VILLIA STRUYK Writers
JAMES E. BLAKE Executive Vice President
ISABEL CHENOWETH, JOHN STEADY Photographers
RONALD D. HERRON Vice President for Student and University Affairs
BARBARA KAGAN Designer
MARCIA SMITH GLASPER Executive Assistant to the President / Director of Diversity and Equity
THAMES PRINTING Printer
Mission Statement Southern Connecticut State University provides exemplary graduate and undergraduate education in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. As an intentionally diverse and comprehensive university, Southern is committed to academic excellence, access, social justice, and service for the public good. Left: Southern students leap into action during the annual Day of Service in neighboring communities. Front cover: A young boy reacts to a talk by Bill Cosby during a rally for education at King/Robinson Middle School in New Haven. Back cover: More than 80 percent of Southern’s 2,300 annual graduates stay on to live and work in Connecticut.
FSC INFO FPO
501 Crescent Street New Haven, Connecticut 06515-1355 www.SouthernCT.edu