Streaming Video of 2009 Spring Convocation
Before I begin, let me remind us all that we live in community. Much has happened in the last few months in our community that calls us to pause, to be thankful, to hope and to mourn. I would like to take just a moment to acknowledge and call to mind a special friend and fine example, Br. Dietrich Reinhart, the 11th president of St. John’s University. As I think of the impact of his life and of his impact on me, I am further reminded of all the significant events that have taken place in all of our lives since we last spoke. So, I would like us to pause for a moment of silence in honor of Br. Dietrich but also to stand with those among us who have experienced loss or who face difficult challenges ahead. Thank You.
Much has changed since I last stood on this stage for a convocation address. We have celebrated our own achievements, worked hard on plans for our future and marveled at the results of an historic national election. We have also witnessed a downward spiral in our global economy and wondered what the consequences would be for our institution. The emotional rollercoaster of the last six months has been both exhilarating and frightening. We now face the next step in our common life with the dual challenges of meeting the needs of thousands of students every day and charting our way through difficult times.
It is undeniable that our university and our state face a tough financial picture. State revenue projections are down resulting in a projected $426M shortfall in the current year. After the announcement last month of an anticipated $5.2 billion state revenue shortfall through the next biennium, the governor asked MnSCU to prepare a 10 percent budget reduction plan for this period. At the same time the MnSCU Board of Trustees took a firm stand on keeping tuition increases to a minimum. What does this mean for SCSU? Simply put, uncertainty remains. We know that we will be cutting $1.6 million from the base budget this year while we continue discussions of how we will prioritize to meet aggressive budget targets for the next biennium.
We have every indication that the coming months will be a time of sacrifice. Even so, we must continue to provide opportunity for our students and continue to make a difference. It is likely that we will enroll a number of out-of-work, nontraditional students seeking new careers and better futures. Moreover, we will be asked to prepare all of our graduates to join the workforce charged with reviving our economy and taking it in new directions. It is not an exaggeration to say that we have a great responsibility to educate students at a time when creativity, flexibility and innovation are going to be essential for the wellbeing of Minnesota and of America.
At times like these ( I don’t know about you) but I need to be reminded of two things. The first of these is, “Why I am doing this work?” and the second is, “What is the evidence that I can handle this challenge?” I think that we have ample evidence of both.
In September, we celebrated an inauguration with the theme, “A Common Goal.” At that time we focused on the contributions that our faculty, staff and students make on campus, in the community and beyond. We came together to shed light on the value of those contributions and the tremendous impact they have on so many in their jobs and in their personal lives. That record and the resulting impact continue.
In fact, we have had much to celebrate in the last six months: an unqualified audit, praise for our financial management, successful accreditations and significant honors and achievements among our students, faculty and staff and alumni.
I’d like to share some of those accomplishments with you….albeit with mixed feelings. There is so much that has been done and so much deserves praise. These are just a few examples….
In these accomplishments I see evidence of a wonderful faculty supported by deans and an institution that values scholarship. I see that we create opportunities for students to make a difference while they build skills for the future and evidence that amidst many competing objectives, without the resources to do everything that we feel we should, we still know how to keep our eyes on what’s important. That’s worth celebrating!
During the same period in which many efforts came to fruition, we also continued planning for our future:
This morning, I have asked some of the individuals who are most involved in these important efforts to talk about their plans and their progress:
Thank you, and thanks to all of the hundreds of faculty and staff who have committed their energy and expertise to work on these important initiatives. These projects and your willingness to dig in and make them successful are examples of the true strength of our university community.
So, what’s ahead this spring? With your involvement, we will continue to make great strides in our partnerships with the city and with our neighbors. We’ve made major differences already by creating educational events and establishing a presence in the neighborhoods that have changed both the perception and the reality of what it means for SCSU to be an institutional member of this community. For the first time in many years, the people who live near our campus have reason to believe this university cares what it feels like to be living in the university neighborhood. In fact, we can see the evidence of this change everywhere. We recently completed a feasibility study for the National Hockey Center fundraising campaign. The results overall were excellent but one thing that struck me was the perception of our donors and stakeholders that the reputation of the university is improving and doing so rapidly. I am grateful for all of the work that all of you have done to achieve this objective. We have a long way to go but the evidence suggests that we are well on the way.
We anticipate creating a broad-based coalition of all stakeholders – including the city, law enforcement, bar owners, landlords and students – to join us in dealing with alcohol issues. More and more people recognize that alcohol abuse is a national issue for college students and that this issue is a community issue not just a university problem.
Of course, we will continue to shape a vision for our future even as we work to trim budgets. It will be important that there be a close link between our planning and budgeting work. In order to achieve the aggressive targets that have been set we will have to change some things about the way we work. We will consider and craft these changes together with our eyes set on our mission and the needs of our students.
In his first inaugural address Franklin D. Roosevelt said those famous words: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” … He went on to say: “Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. It was 1933 and the country was in the depths of a depression to which many are comparing our current circumstances. He recognized that fear can have a paralyzing effect, and that it also can have a mobilizing effect. In that same famous speech Roosevelt expressed his conviction that a spirit of support among Americans – as they faced their common difficulties together – would help the country prevail.
In the coming months we will need that same spirit of mutual support on our campus as well as in our communities. We will ask for your input as we make budget decisions and ask for your patience as we make the best decisions we can for all concerned.
I know you all have questions, and I will now address some of the concerns that I’ve heard faculty and staff express in recent weeks. I want to invite you to continue to share your concerns as we deal with the challenges ahead:
Thank you all for coming, and have a great spring semester.