State-of-the-University Address
Good afternoon. Thank you for joining me for the annual State-of-the-University Address.
Let's begin by recognizing the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees for their leadership and dedication. Would our current and former trustees please stand and be recognized? We're fortunate to have University of Arkansas President B. Alan Sugg with us. Thank you, President Sugg, for the fine service you provide to the University of Arkansas. Let's show our appreciation to Dr. Sugg.
Thank you to the University of Arkansas alumni for your incredible support of your alma mater. Thank you to our outstanding faculty and staff. Your dedicated and extraordinary service is making all the difference for the students of this University. And, most importantly, thank you to our students for doing more than anyone, for making the greatest possible investment in the University of Arkansas-yourselves! You invested yourself in the promise that we would make your time at the University of Arkansas the best years of your life.
I also would like to thank my partner, Pat Nickell, for sign language interpretation.
For all who joined us this afternoon, please know how much I appreciate your time, effort, and support. In particular, I want to recognize my wife, Mary Lib.
Here is a promise: This State-of-the-University Address has something for everyone.
This year's address contains lots of good news. In fact, if you're an optimist, you might just think the University of Arkansas' glass is half-full. The pessimists in the audience need not be concerned, though. There's enough bad news in the address to allow you to see the glass as half-empty. On the other hand, if you're an engineer like me, you may say it's just too close to call.
Let's start with a reminder of something familiar. The University of Arkansas is striving to become a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world. This is the vision statement we have all learned over the past few years, and a day seldom passes that I do not find myself saying it. As we consider the state of this University, we can reasonably ask ourselves to consider the current vitality and vigor of this statement. I propose to do this now by taking it apart a bit. In particular, I want to examine what is at the heart of the vision statement.
What does it mean to be a student-centered university?
It means being attractive to students. This fall, the University of Arkansas made history with its largest enrollment ever: 16,449 students. The continuing growth in enrollment is a point of pride for us all-and especially in light of the fact that it comprises one of the most academically accomplished student bodies ever to attend the university. The average ACT score and high school grade point average of this group of students are the best in the history of the University.
These numbers show us that the University of Arkansas is meeting at least part of the promise inherent in the vision statement. It is achieving success unprecedented in its own history. This is occurring at a pace that has brought positive notice of the university and her state at the national and international level.
But statistics tell only part of the story of the commitment we make to students from the moment they are accepted for enrollment until the day they receive their degrees. It starts with the First-Year Experience Program. Students arrive in Fayetteville from all parts of Arkansas, the country, and the world. They are welcomed by our caring staff at Orientation and ROCK Camp. They participate in the pageantry of Academic Convocation. From their very first week here, students know they are part of something larger than themselves-the University of Arkansas community.
A warm and welcoming atmosphere is the foundation for building a sense of community-one that carries over into the classroom and, we hope, stays with students throughout their lives. We want them always to consider this University their home.
Part of being a student-centered university is recognizing the necessity of having the finest faculty and staff available for our students. UA faculty teaching challenges and expands the minds of students. Faculty research enriches the educational experiences of our students. (It also brings new technology, innovation, and business to Arkansas, the nation, and the world.) The quality of our graduates depends mightily on experiences in the classroom and the laboratory.
But, make no mistake, much is learned outside those walls. What many remember most from their college experiences are interactions with fellow students, study-abroad experiences, services performed in the community, building a house through a Habitat for Humanity project, being involved in United Way, raising funds for worthy causes, participating in social and professional organizations (clubs, societies, fraternities, and sororities), and just 'hanging out' on campus-around the Fulbright Peace Fountain, in Mullins Library, on the front lawn of Old Main, or here in the Student Union.
As I worked on this address, I considered sharing numerous statistics about the quality of our students, staff, and faculty, showing you graphs, reading from college guide rankings. It's all impressive stuff, even if you aren't excited by the quantitative side of life. But even more impressive are the people behind the numbers we often talk about.
A speech that named every individual on this campus deserving of special notice would keep us all here through nightfall and beyond-and, we'd be interrupting the important work they do. We can't give them all the accolades they deserve. Trying to sort through the faculty and staff who merit mention would take days by itself.
But this is an address about what it means to be student-centered. And so, I will present just a sampling of the outstanding students who make the University of Arkansas such a special place. I'd like to take a few minutes to tell you about them.
As I introduce you, please stand and remain standing. Let's also hold our applause until everyone has been introduced. While we hope all who were invited to join us are present, there were some academic conflicts here and there. If they did not make it, I think we'll all understand they're busily studying.
Biological engineering students Clay McDaniel, James Geurtz, and Willie Dillahunty collaborated with NASA researchers at Kennedy Space Center to create a chamber that can simulate plant growth conditions in a Mars greenhouse. This would be impressive enough, but they also won first prize in the AGCO Corporation Student Design National Competition. We're very proud of you and your accomplishments, Clay, James, Willie. Please stand.
Third-year law student Carla Meadows is the Chair of the Board of Advocates and won the Buddy Sutton Trial Competition this fall. Carla's also the past president of the Black Law Students Association. Please stand, Carla.
Doctoral candidate Jeanne Bleeker of the Health Science Program is implementing a cutting-edge osteoporosis prevention campaign that is being delivered to all female students on campus. Please stand. Thank you, Jeanne, for your commitment and innovation.
Tameka Bailey is a doctoral student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program and the Department of Plant Pathology. A native of Gould, Tameka is at work on research that examines stress responses in plants and will lead to the development of rice cultivars with increased resistance to pathogens and other environmental stress. Please stand, Tameka.
Stephanie Linam is a four-year honors student double-majoring in Classical Studies and English. She is married to a University of Arkansas law student, has two small children, and works 40 hours a week to support the family. She is an inspiration to us all. Stephanie, please stand. And I also understand that less than an hour ago Stephanie successfully defended her honors thesis. Way to go!
Krystal Johnson is an honors student in the Transportation and Logistics program, a Coca-Cola Scholar, past president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and a residence assistant for the past three years. Please stand, Krystal. Great job.
Trinity Simon is one of only four students nationwide to serve on the Executive Board of the American Institute of Architecture Students. A native of El Dorado, Trinity was also part of the team of UA architecture students that won a prestigious Unbuilt Design Award from the Boston Society of Architects. Please stand, Trinity.
Curtis Taylor and Chad O'Neal received National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee Fellowships. Chad is working as part of a team in the college of engineering that has fabricated the world's smallest nanomechanical machining system on a chip. Curtis is developing a nanomanufacturing process for the fabrication of future quantum electronic devices. Curtis has just received an offer to do research at IBM Zurich, and Chad has co-founded a nanotechnology company called SYSCONN that is located in the GENESIS Technology Incubator here. I'd like for Curtis and Chad to stand. Let me know what I can do to invest in your company.
Before concluding my recognition of UA students, let me share yet one more story that was brought to my attention earlier this week. Nicholas Griffin is a senior who commutes daily from his home in Alma. Why, you might ask, does he do this? Nicholas is the father to a 4-year-old son; his wife is on active duty in Iraq as we speak. He juggles the responsibilities of being husband, father, commuter, and student in order to fulfill his dream of being a University of Arkansas graduate.
There are hundreds of others who are also keeping lots of balls in the air in order to realize lifetime dreams of being graduates of the University of Arkansas. The successes of these remarkable students, as well as the successes of thousands of other UA students, would not be possible without our dedicated faculty and staff. They help make this happen. Words cannot convey the impact great faculty and staff have on the accomplishments of students.
The University of Arkansas, in its commitment to being student-centered, is also working to make the world a better place, by taking seriously its opportunities to act as a positive force for greater understanding among all people. As noted earlier, one of the most important aspects of being a student-centered University is providing an environment in which students can learn from everything they do. A significant element of that kind of learning is having a diverse student body. There's simply no way to measure the importance of bringing students, faculty, and staff of different backgrounds, experiences, and ethnicities together.
But we can and do look at measures of diversity that can be tracked, and it is the collective sense of this administration that we have to do more to provide our entire student body with the kind of education that a diverse campus population makes possible. An important step in the right direction is the creation of the Silas Hunt Scholarship Program, named in honor of the first African-American admitted to the University of Arkansas in modern times.
Next year the University of Arkansas will offer as many as 85 Silas Hunt Scholarships to freshmen who demonstrate that they can contribute to a more diverse educational environment.
We hope to recruit:
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Students from underrepresented ethnic or minority groups,
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Students from under-represented counties in Arkansas, and
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Students who represent the first of their family to attend college.
Too often, the most highly qualified of these kinds of students leave Arkansas to go to college, or worse, do not go to college at all.
The Silas Hunt Scholarships range in amount from $5,000 to $7,000 annually for four years. The most academically meritorious students who qualify will be awarded one of fifteen $8,000 scholarships. The Silas Hunt Program will be a powerful recruiting tool, one that, by enhancing campus diversity, will positively influence the educational experience of every student on this campus.
Another example of the University of Arkansas' commitment to its students can be seen just a few hundred yards from here, at the construction site at the corner of Garland and Maple Streets, which soon will be known as the North Quad. By the summer of 2004, the North Quad construction will be complete, the orange construction barrels will be gone, and students will be offered a residential complex specifically developed to support the needs of the 21st Century scholar. The North Quad will consist of four, four-story residence halls with a total capacity of 600 students. Each residential suite will contain four bedrooms, two baths, and a common living area. In addition, the North Quad will feature a state-of-the-art student health center and a dining facility appropriate to the needs of a growing student body. The North Quad will contribute directly to a student-centered University of Arkansas experience.
However, being a student-centered university means more than offering the finest residence and health facilities. It is essential that the University of Arkansas be more accessible to qualified students throughout the state and surrounding community.
I spoke a moment ago about the Silas Hunt Scholarships. They will extend opportunities to prospective well-qualified students whom we might not otherwise reach.
A second initiative in the area of access for students is now gaining momentum. In partnership with Northwest Arkansas Community College, we will respond to the upper-division and graduate education needs of Northwest Arkansas. I would like to recognize Dr. Becky Paneitz, president of Northwest Arkansas Community College, who has joined us this afternoon as we make this announcement. Please stand President Paneitz. Thank you for joining us.
Dr. Paneitz and I are pleased to report the formation of a study committee, chaired by Dr. Reed Greenwood, Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions, to examine the possibilities of creating a larger presence for the University of Arkansas in Benton County. This initiative promises to offer Arkansans who might not otherwise be able to take advantage of UA educational opportunities the chance to complete a four-year-degree or a graduate degree at the state's flagship university. Our goal is to add value to the existing higher education landscape in Benton County by creating a North Campus and supplementing the extraordinary programs at the community college.
Our upper-division and graduate offerings will be determined by existing demand. Early examination of the needs seems to indicate that there is interest in areas such as business, education, and nursing. Classes likely will be offered in the evenings and on weekends to serve the needs of nontraditional students.
Let me stress that this project is still in the exploratory stages. However, there is one condition on this initiative-it must be self-supported financially. As strapped as the university is for resources, we cannot divert monies from the core mission of this campus to respond to these new and emerging opportunities. There will be more information to share as Dean Greenwood's committee examines the opportunities at hand and reports back.
The potential success of this concept rests largely on the ability of two educational institutions to work together to serve the same population more effectively-that is, to be student-centered. I'm confident we will do so. Our communities and our students deserve our cooperation.
Just two months ago, this University paid tribute to the unique relationship it has with the communities of Northwest Arkansas in the first Towns and Gown event. More than 300 state and local leaders joined us in celebrating the many ways Rogers, Siloam Springs, Springdale, Bentonville, Bella Vista, Fayetteville and many other towns provide services and a sense of community to the University. The event also provided an excellent forum for highlighting the numerous ways the University gives back to the surrounding region by creating jobs, hosting cultural events, and producing fine graduates.
Our guests heard from speakers such as Frank Broyles, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, and chamber leader and Arvest executive Gary Head. They spoke about the importance of maintaining and enhancing the relationship between the University of Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas. The University of Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas have supported one another for 132 years. With our new tradition of Towns and Gown, we will continue to work closely with our neighbors to make life better for all of us.
As great a success as Towns and Gown was, I think it's safe to say that nothing brings the University of Arkansas community and the state of Arkansas together quite like Razorback athletics. We have a special opportunity this year to learn more about the successes and challenges of the athletics program from a study that has just begun-a year-long NCAA reaccredidation process, chaired by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Johnetta Cross Brazzell and Professor of Law Howard Brill. We also appreciate the service of Trustee Jim Lindsey on this committee.
This mandatory self-study is a once-a-decade opportunity to assess strengths and identify areas of needed growth. The University of Arkansas will be among more than 50 institutions-including North Carolina, Southern Cal, and Northwestern-conducting such an athletics self-study this year. Verification of the quality of the experience our program provides for students is, again, part of being a student-centered university.
Another essential aspect of the University of Arkansas vision is its obligation to give back to the community, to Arkansas, and to the world through its research mission. From agronomy to chemical engineering, research at the University of Arkansas fosters new discoveries, interpretations, and insights necessary for economic and cultural progress.
It spawns start-up businesses based on knowledge and technology.
It transfers technology from the research labs to the marketplace.
It provides the scientifically and technologically trained workforce needed to attract business and industry to the State of Arkansas.
It enhances the availability of venture capital.
And it has an overwhelmingly positive impact on the Arkansas economy through the recycling of research dollars through the marketplace.
In fact, every dollar invested in University-based research in Arkansas yields an annual return on investment to the Arkansas economy of 23.3 percent.
The economy of the 21st Century is based on knowledge. The University of Arkansas is positioned to deliver profound economic benefits to the State of Arkansas and the world through its research programs. Through their exposure to this research our students are poised to compete globally.
Among our efforts to serve the state and our students by growing and attracting knowledge-based businesses, we created the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.
Recently we broke ground on the Innovation Center which will house high-tech firms in such fields as biotechnology, environmental science, nanotechnology, and photonics. Such firms will have access to University facilities and will be encouraged to work with our research faculty to grow the kinds of businesses that will bring Arkansas to the forefront in the economy of the 21st Century. This is an integral part of the University of Arkansas vision of service.
The University vision, grand as it is, can only be realized with the support of the University's many loyal alumni and benefactors. Recently our alumni and supporters have taken great pride in University successes such as the rededication of Carnall Hall. For those of you who have not visited Carnall Hall, it's certainly worth your time to stop by. The first women's residence hall on campus, it now houses the 50-room Inn at Carnall Hall and the world-class Ella's Restaurant. It's an absolute architectural treasure. Not only will Carnall Hall function as a luxurious lodging for our alumni, distinguished visitors, and potential faculty, but Carnall Hall is a real-life laboratory for UA Hospitality and Management students.
With success stories like Carnall Hall, it's easy to see why alumni and supporters are proud of the progress the University of Arkansas is making. Their expressions of support through the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century have been nothing short of phenomenal. This campaign is the University's effort to raise $900 million by June 2005.
A few years ago, most people considered this an impossible goal.
Five years ago, how many of you would have believed the University of Arkansas, by this time, would have raised over $770 million? The University of Arkansas has raised 86 percent of the campaign total in 76 percent of the time allotted. As for the $300 Million Challenge-the campaign within a campaign to match the very generous gift of the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation-we stand at $142 million, or 47 percent of the goal in 52 percent of the time.
With the continued, unprecedented support of our friends and alumni, we will meet both goals. The influence of the campaign, and the positive news it has generated on behalf of the university are illustrated by a letter received a few weeks ago from Finn Erik Wagner-Knudsen of Copenhagen, Denmark. I hope he won't mind if I share with you a few of his words:
"Enclosed please find my modest contribution to the U of A Campaign for the 21st Century. I do wish I was able to match the very, very generous donation of the Walton Family FoundationÉ It will certainly make a difference to the U of A and to the State of Arkansas, the Land of Opportunity. Many years ago, back in 1956 and 57-in the aftermath of World War II and in the shade of the Cold War... I had the great privilege to spend my freshman year as a foreign student at the University of Arkansas.
"It is the best experience I EVER had.
"That wonderful year has influenced and directed me in a number of ways. It has become an integral part of my adult life. The USA and Arkansas became my second home... I still think of it every day."
Who can doubt that the goal can be met when we receive such an expression of support from as far away as Denmark? The kind of reach the campaign message has so clearly achieved is due in large part to the outstanding commitment we have right here in Arkansas in the Campaign Steering Committee. This committee of volunteers has done a tremendous job leading the Campaign and Challenge efforts.
I'd like to recognize our Campaign Chairmen for their fantastic work: Rob Walton, Tommy Boyer, Jim Walton, and Frank Broyles. I'd also like to recognize Campaign Treasurer Johnelle Hunt. Finally, I'd like to ask that we recognize all members of the Campaign Steering Committee with a round of applause. My heartfelt thanks to all who have made gifts and pledges and to all who will make gifts in the future to ensure that the University achieves this $900 million goal.
I'm also grateful for the efforts of the 2010 Commission, a dedicated group of business, government, and education leaders who have given generously of their time to help the University of Arkansas reach its potential. The first report of the 2010 Commission, Making the Case, was well-received nationally. It provided goals and recommendations to various constituencies within the state whose cooperation is vital to making the University one of the nation's finest public research universities.
The second report, Picking up the Pace, will measure progress toward those goals and point out areas that need attention and improvement. I'd like to recognize the Chair of the 2010 Commission, Reynie Rutledge. Thank you, Reynie. I'd also ask that we recognize the members of the 2010 Commission with a round of applause. You are providing extraordinary service to the University of Arkansas and, thereby, to the State of Arkansas.
Picking up the Pace highlights the tremendous progress the University has made in its academic reputation and in its private fund-raising efforts, but the news is not all good.
Far from it.
The University of Arkansas is making headway, but this progress is threatened. Due in large part to the economic downturn of the past few years, the State of Arkansas has continued to shift the burden of financing higher education from taxpayers to students and their families. State appropriations to the University of Arkansas are $22.5 million behind what was projected in 2001 by the 2010 Commission for this time period. That's $22.5 million less than what is necessary to reach our 2010 goals.
Think about that... We're already $22.5 million behind.
The University has been forced to increase tuition-this year, about 7 percent. Modest by comparison to increases at many of our peer institutions, that jump still poses a challenge to our students. It is essential we keep tuition costs reasonable so that students who want to attend the University of Arkansas are able to do so. The University of Arkansas must be supported adequately.
That support must be regarded not as a benefit to the University, but as an investment in this state's future. The University contributes to economic growth, to science and technology, to the culture and quality of the lives of citizens of the State of Arkansas. The State of Arkansas requires a greater number of skilled college graduates. When policymakers are interested in the bottom line, I point out that college graduates earn (and are taxed on) more than twice the income of those who attend only high school. By pricing a University of Arkansas education beyond the means of its citizens, the State misses a golden opportunity to move to the forefront of the economy of the 21st Century.
The $22.5 million shortfall in state appropriations to the University is troubling for more reasons than the rising cost of tuition. Earlier, you heard me discuss the importance of the faculty to realizing the vision for the University. I'm sure many of you are aware of cutting-edge research that takes place on campus, research that will lead to innovation and prosperity. There are many reasons for increasing state appropriations, not the least of which is adding faculty and staff in critical areas of strategic importance for the state's future.
It is also vitally important for us to compensate UA faculty and staff at competitive levels. In fact, it is imperative that we provide salary increases to the faculty and staff. As outstanding as they are, it is to be expected that they will receive job offers from other institutions. We must bring their salaries in line with those at peer universities. The extraordinary progress the University of Arkansas has made is due principally to the efforts of our faculty and staff. The time to reward those efforts is long over-due.
As you know, today the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees passed a resolution that was, to say the least, controversial. I won't repeat here all that I said earlier this morning. However, I do want to repeat the following statement:
"I don't believe allowing a few hours of D credit to transfer will cause us to lose ground in our pursuit of academic excellence." And..."Should you choose to adopt the resolution I pledge to do my best to implement it."
There will be no second-guessing their decision. We had our debate; we had the opportunity to voice our opinions. The Board of Trustees has spoken. I want to assure you we are moving forward, firmly committed to realizing our vision for the University of Arkansas. Our students and alumni, our faculty and staff, our friends and benefactors, and all Arkansans deserve no less.
Perhaps this address has left some of you with the feeling that the University of Arkansas' glass is half-full. After all, look how far we've come, look at all the progress we've made in spite of fiscal concerns.
On the other hand, maybe the shortfall in state appropriations seems too great a challenge for the University of Arkansas to overcome. Maybe the glass is really half-empty.
I'll reserve judgment.
It may be too close to call.
But the day will come-soon, I hope-when even an engineer like me will admit that the University of Arkansas' glass is overflowing.
Thank you for all you do to bring the University of Arkansas closer to that day.