ood afternoon! This
morning in Washington D.C., Peter Maer rose early to
cover news at the White House for the CBS Radio network. Today in St. Louis,
Pat Mercurio encounters the challenge of leading
the Bank of America in Missouri. In New Zealand, Matt Mueller’s creative
energies are flowing to produce the computer-generated special effects for the
next film in the Lord of the Rings triology. In Springfield, Margaret
Blackshere faces the challenges of her role as president of the AFL-CIO
of Illinois. Right here in Edwardsville, Alan Dunstan
is busy with the many obligations of being the chair of the Madison County Board.
Ken Meiss in Peoria and David Hyten
in Edwardsville are in the midst of another day of dental care for citizens
of Central and Southern Illinois.
What do these people have in common? The answer is, of course, SIUE. Peter Maer, the CBS Radio White House correspondent is a 1970 graduate of our program in Mass Communications. Pat Mercurio, of the Bank of America, earned her BA in Philosophy in 1972. Matt Mueller, with the Lord of the Rings, graduated in 1992 with a major in engineering and a minor in theater. Margaret Blackshere, the president of the AFL-CIO of Illinois, earned a baccalaureate degree in education in 1965 and a master’s degree in 1972. Alan Dunstan, chair of the Madison County Board, is a 1980 graduate in political science and a 1982 alumnus of the School of Business. And, Drs. Meiss and Hyten are 1997 and 1998 graduates of the School of Dental Medicine.
This handful of graduates is anecdotal evidence of how SIUE is achieving part
of its first and primary long-term goal—producing capable
graduates. Each of us, I know, could add many more names to this list of
capable graduates from our pool of 70,000 alumni—graduates who are contributing
to the economy and social well being of Illinois, the nation, and, indeed, the
world.
While these are but a few cases of capable graduates, we have quantitative data
as well—both the perceptions of alumni and objective test results. Surveys
of alumni one, five, and nine years after graduation show that graduates believe
that SIUE significantly increased their skills and knowledge in areas fundamental
to a baccalaureate education, and the strength of that belief has increased
in recent years. For example, 87 percent of the year 2001 graduates said that
SIUE significantly strengthened their writing skills compared with 72 percent
who were surveyed one year after their graduation in 1997. Similar positive
changes occur for items such as reasoning skills which moved from 78 percent
to 89 percent, the ability to make informed decisions as a citizen which moved
from 63 percent to 83 percent, and problem-solving skills which jumped from
78 percent to 91 percent from 1997 to 2001.
While relatively few of our more than 2,600 graduates each year must take various external examinations as they leave SIUE, those who must, do extremely well. Last year’s dental school students finished fourth nationally, a ranking consistent with classes in recent years. So far this year, nursing graduates have over a 90 percent pass rate on their first attempt at the nationally administered licensing examination. No graduate of the Nurse Anesthesia program has ever failed to pass the national license examination. Accounting graduates routinely score well on the CPA examination, and, while most engineering students are not required to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination, those who do so, do well.
Across campus today, Seema Afridi is engrossed in a chemistry research project under the careful oversight of Professor Michael Shaw. In Edwardsville, Kathleen Wells is learning the practical side of classroom management under the direction of her cooperating teacher. Sherry McDowell is at Oliver C. Anderson Hospital today using knowledge gained from didactic nursing courses to provide patient care. Rick Maurer, a political science major, spent part of his day reading materials in his role of SIUE student trustee. This afternoon, Joseph Jackson is providing care for patients from Southwestern Illinois at the dental clinic in Alton, under the supervision of Dr. Peter Varbel.
What do these students have in common? They are, I believe, examples of engaged students, and evidence of how we are achieving the second part of our primary long-term goal. Just as with the capable graduates, each of us could list dozens of examples of current students highly engaged in their academic work, in the life of the university, and in the community.
We have quantitative data on student engagement as well. SIUE was among the first group of universities to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE as it is called. We now have three years of data about the engagement of our freshmen and seniors. The data is complex, and in general shows that SIUE students are about as engaged as students in our peer institutions. One area in which SIUE seniors do stand out above their peers is in planning or having had a culminating senior experience—testimony to SIUE’s required Senior Assignment. But, we could and we should be doing better than our peers on most of the measures of engagement. We—and by we, I mean all of us—need to study this data and determine how we might enhance the engagement of our students in pursuit of our vision of being a premier metropolitan university.
To have engaged students and capable graduates we must continually work to attract and retain a high-quality student body. In that regard, we have continued the trend of recent years. As this graph shows, SIUE headcount enrollment continued to move higher, reaching 13,295 this fall, an increase of 587 or 4.6 percent over fall 2002. Likewise, the number of full-time equivalent students continued to increase, reaching 10,604, an increase of 480 or 4.7 percent over fall 2002. The number of students attending SIUE full time also continued upward, increasing by 486 or 5.2 percent, but the number of students attending part time also increased this fall by 101 or 3 percent, reversing a recent downward trend in part-time enrollment.
The enrollment growth over the last decade has been driven by an increasingly large freshman class as illustrated by this graph. This fall new freshmen increased by 73, for a total new freshmen class of 1,709. These new freshmen, attracted by our programs and campus, come from throughout the state of Illinois as illustrated by this map showing the Illinois home counties of new freshmen.
Although we have a tendency to focus on new freshmen in examining enrollment trends, transfer students are equally important. In fact, more than 50 percent of our baccalaureate degrees each year are awarded to students who transferred to SIUE, although that percentage has been dropping as the size of the freshman class has increased. The number of transfer students has increased slowly over the past 10 years with an increase this fall of 1.6 percent to 1,304. New graduate students have held steady over recent years as shown in this graph, and the School of Dental Medicine continues its practice of enrolling exactly 50 first-year students each fall.
Last year, the Enrollment Management Council recommended that we set a goal of having an FTE student body of about 10,300. But, with an FTE enrollment this fall of 10,604, we have already exceeded that target by about 3 percent. And, we did so despite having moved forward the deadline for applications and despite having increased the screening of applicants for special admission more closely. The target of 10,300 is not set in stone, but it is based on a careful review of our resources and capacity. While we have adjusted to the larger than anticipated enrollment, we need to continue to work to control enrollment to a level consistent with our resources.
Over the past five years, the average ACT score of new SIUE freshmen has increased by about a half point, reaching an average of 21.9 this fall, compared with the national average of about 20. What that means is that, on average, new SIUE freshmen are at about the 64th percentile nationally.
But, that average can be misleading, since there is very significant variation around the mean. SIUE regularly enrolls significant numbers of students with high scores, but with a commitment to access, we also give a chance to significant numbers of students who have not scored well on the ACT—often because they attended high schools that, for various reasons, did not provide adequate preparation. As part of our strategy to control enrollment, we need to continue to re-examine our admission standards both in the context of our historical commitment to student access and the alternative access that less well prepared students have through Illinois’ strong community college system.
The increased enrollment of recent years, not surprisingly, has fueled an upward trend in the number of degrees awarded annually. That trend continued last year reaching 2,622, an increase of 111 or 4.4 percent over the prior year. While increased enrollment has been the primary driver of the increase in the number of degrees awarded, increased retention has played a role as well. This graph showing the second-year return rate of new freshmen shows modest, but real, improvement, particularly this year.
So, we have evidence—both anecdotal and systematic quantitative data—of having engaged students and capable graduates, and we are attracting students to continue to do so. But, what is the key to having engaged students and capable graduates? The answer, I believe, is having “Innovative, High Quality Programs”—SIUE’s second long-term goal. Or, more fully stated, our second long-term goal is to “Develop, deliver, and continually improve high quality academic programs appropriate for a Metropolitan University.”
Do we have high-quality programs? In a sense, that question is answered by the data we have on capable graduates. Is it possible to have capable graduates without having high-quality programs? Perhaps, yes. At institutions that only admit the most gifted and prepared students, it might be possible to have highly capable graduates with less than high-quality programs; the students will learn and progress in spite of being in a low-quality program. But, at SIUE, where we enroll students with a wide range of preparation, the quality of our programs determines, in large measure, the engagement of our students and the capability of our graduates.
Besides the data on the capability of our graduates, the best information on the quality of our programs comes from external reviews, principally through site visits from specialized accrediting bodies. This past year, we were successful in achieving initial accreditation for our Master of Social Work program and for our programs in computer science, and computer engineering, and we were reaccredited for our program in speech pathology and our other fields in engineering, and our professional program in chemistry was reaffirmed by the American Chemical Society.
With those accreditations behind us, we have only four programs remaining for which we are eligible to receive specialized accreditation—mass communications, art, theatre, and dance. For each of these programs accreditation is voluntary—voluntary meaning that accreditation is not necessary for graduates of the program to sit for a license examination as is true, for example, in dental medicine.
But, while accreditation for many of our programs is voluntary, specialized accreditation serves three valuable purposes. First, it provides an external reference point against which we can measure the quality of our programs; second, it provides external validation of our work; and, third, it provides national recognition, a matter to which I will return later.
Over the past year we made significant progress in achieving accreditation for our program in Mass Communications. The progress the faculty has made was validated by a consultant from the Accreditation Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Late last year we were able to fund substantial equipment purchases to upgrade from analog to digital equipment in our Mass Communication studios—an essential step to achieve accreditation. A visit from ACEJMC is planned for next fall, with the expectation of a positive decision later next year.
One additional point to note about specialized accreditation is that self-studies and site visits do not focus solely on the program under review. All accreditors are interested in the general education students receive, the quality of academic support services such as the library, and the quality of various student services such as career planning and placement, Disability Support Services, and Housing. So, visits by accrediting teams give us insight into the quality of many units within the University—and, what we have learned from recent visits is very positive indeed.
Finally, we should not forget that we have a very well developed process of program review and one of the most comprehensive and best assessment programs in the nation. We have been engaged in serious program assessment since the mid-1980s. Faculty members who have attended national conferences on assessment inevitably return to say that SIUE is “light years” ahead of most universities.
How do we achieve our goal of having “Innovative, High Quality Programs?”
We do so by achieving four of our other long-term goals. That is, we must have
a Committed Faculty and Staff, a Harmonious
Campus Climate, Active Community Engagement,
and Sound Physical and Financial Assets.
Do we have a committed faculty and staff? This graph
of data from the NSSE surveys shows that the percentage of seniors who report
the faculty to be “available, helpful, and sympathetic” is reasonably
high and growing, and compares favorably with the responses of students at other
urban institutions. SIUE alumni, when asked about their perceptions of faculty
availability, report similar results as shown in this graph.
Finally, the percentage of faculty reporting on the UCLA study that SIUE faculty
members are committed to the welfare of SIUE has grown significantly in recent
years as illustrated in this graph.
We also have a great deal of other evidence showing the commitment of our faculty
and staff, particularly to our students. Anyone who has read the nominations
for the monthly Employee Recognition Award knows
about the commitment of the many nominees. Anyone who has read student evaluations
of candidates for promotion and tenure knows about the faculty’s
commitment to students.
Anyone who has talked to alumni knows the respect they have for those faculty
and staff who made their degrees possible. Anyone who has attended a commencement
ceremony knows the eagerness with which graduates want to introduce their families
and friends to their mentors at SIUE.
Seated in the front row today are some of the recent recipients of the Employee
Recognition Award, the Teaching Excellence Award, and the Great Teacher Award
from the Alumni Association. I ask that they stand for recognition.
Last month, President Walker asked Robert Resek, professor of Economics in
the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, to give the Board of Trustees an overview of the economic
outlook for Illinois and the nation as background for its discussion of the
SIU budget. Before the meeting, which was held here at SIUE, I asked Professor
Resek, whom I knew from when he was vice president for Academic Affairs for
the U of I, if he had been to SIUE before. The answer I expected was, “No,
but what a beautiful campus you have.” That’s the answer I expected
because that’s the answer I’ve heard so many times before. But, that’s
not what he said. Instead, he said, “Your students smile;
they seem so happy!”
Professor Resek’s comment is, of course, one small data point indicative
of our having an Harmonious Campus Climate.
But, while it is a single anecdotal data point, I believe it brings alive what
we know from the quantitative data we have about the campus climate.
The NSSE, UCLA, and alumni data also give insight into our success in achieving
the goal of having a harmonious campus climate—and, the data looks generally
positive. Over the past three years, for example, the percentage of seniors
reporting that other students are “friendly, supportive, and that they
have a sense of belonging” has increased as shown in this graph.
The UCLA survey of faculty gives us some insight in faculty perception of the
campus climate. For instance, in the most recent survey, 89 percent of the total
faculty, and 86 percent of the women faculty, believe that our women faculty
members are treated fairly. And, as this graph shows,
the views of the general faculty and the women faculty have converged over the
years we have gathered this data.
Likewise, 89 percent of the faculty believes that faculty members of color
are treated fairly, and that percentage has also been growing since SIUE began
collecting this data in 1992. However, unlike the general agreement of men and
women about the treatment of women faculty, only 76 percent of the faculty of
color themselves believe they are treated fairly. But, as the graph shows, the
perception of faculty of color about their treatment has improved significantly
since 1995, the first time for which we have data on this question.
The percentage of faculty members who perceive the faculty to be at odds with
the administration is significantly lower than it
was when we first began to participate in the UCLA study, dropping from 30 percent
in 1989 to 11 percent in 2001, and is significantly lower than at other four-year
public institutions. This improved perception, I believe, is a result of improved
communication, and we need to continually work to maintain an environment of
open communication—an environment in which information, not rumor, dominates.
Finally, I would like to highlight the work of the Staff Senate in building
an harmonious campus climate. Through its hard work on events like the Fitness
Walk and Barbecue and the Ice Cream Cabaret,
the Staff Senate has helped create the camaraderie that makes this a great place
to work and a great place for students to live and learn.
With our vision of being a premier Metropolitan University, “Active
Community Engagement,” our fifth long-term goal, is an integral component
to our having high-quality programs. I doubt that there is another university
in the country more engaged with its community than SIUE. This university is
a product of the community, the result of the Southwestern Illinois Council
for Higher Education that spearheaded raising the funds to purchase the land
to make the Edwardsville campus possible.
But, our goal is not to be just engaged, but as the goal more fully states,
we intend to be “integral and indispensable” to Illinois and the St.
Louis metropolitan area. “Integral and indispensable”—a pretty
high standard! Are we integral? Are we indispensable?
Some 2,600 persons receive degrees from SIUE each year.
Some 38,000 alumni live in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Some 3,500 patients
make over 39,000 visits to our dental clinics each year. Some 200 clients receive
help each year from the Speech Clinic. Some 1,600
students are served by our Head Start program.
Some 10,000 people attend musical events
and art exhibits on campus. Some 4,800 enjoy Arts
& Issues presentations. Some 4,200 children throughout St. Clair
and Madison counties received some 8,500 books from
the Book in Every Home program this year.
Some 40,000 community members attended nearly 500 events booked through Conferences
and Institutes last year. Some 40 percent of teachers in schools in Southwestern
Illinois attended SIUE. Integral? Indispensable? I think so.
Perhaps the most important ingredient to having high-quality academic programs
leading to committed students and capable graduates is our sixth long-term goal,
“Sound Physical and Financial Assets.”
By any measure, the past two years have been a financial challenge. The weakened
economy in the wake of the September 11th attacks led to declines in state revenues
unseen for many years. Those declines have translated into very large reductions
in the support we receive from the state. In FY03 we lost $4.46M, more than
6.1 percent of our general revenue. This year, FY04, saw an additional loss
of $5.64M or 8.2 percent. In addition, we have been directed to reallocate $2.1M
to partially fund health insurance costs that previously had been paid entirely
through an appropriation to another state agency, Central Management Services.
Including that required payment, over two years the effective reduction in our
state general revenue support totals $12.1M or 16.6 percent of the beginning
appropriation for FY02.
Some of the loss of general revenue has been offset by raising tuition and
by the additional tuition from a growing student body. But we have had real
reductions, reductions that have led to layoffs of staff that I know sadden
all of us. And while our loss of general revenue has been partially offset by
the tuition from additional students, those additional students strain our ability
to deliver high-quality programs. We truly are doing more with less.
But, despite the blows to our budget, we are—at this point in the year—in
reasonably good financial shape. We were able to replace all faculty members
who retired or resigned. We were able to carry some tuition income into this
year, and the enrollment growth this fall provides additional income. The national
economy is showing signs of recovery. Whether that recovery will continue and
whether it will come quickly to Illinois is very much yet in doubt. Historically,
Illinois has lagged the nation in emerging from an economic downturn. A mid-year
budget reduction cannot be ruled out, and the outlook for the next fiscal year
will not become clear for a number of months, following the Governor's budget
message in mid-winter and the spring legislative session.
Over the past year, we have made progress on enhancing our physical assets.
The renovation of this building is nearly complete, giving
our students a new home away from home. The renovation
and expansion of the former Metropolitan Community College facility in East
St. Louis is in the final stages, so that we will finally have a facility
in East St. Louis equal in quality to those here in Edwardsville. The National
Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center was dedicated last
month, and is nearly ready for testing to begin.
This unique facility will bring researchers from around the nation to SIUE to
test new ways of reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources by making
domestic renewable energy sources more competitive.
With declining state resources, the role of private philanthropy is ever more
important to SIUE. While we lag behind many of our peer institutions in attracting
private funding, we made significant progress last year. Contributions are up,
and equally important, the number of donors is up by over 30 percent. We have
better knowledge about the gift potential of our alumni. We have expanded our
annual fund drive. The stage is set, I believe, for a major upsurge in the private
support we receive.
Achieving these six goals should lead to achievement of our seventh goal, having
an Excellent Reputation. High-quality
programs which engage students and produce capable graduates are the basis for
an excellent reputation.
Last June in attending the IBHE meeting, I had dinner with a group of six or
seven presidents and chancellors of Illinois public universities at a restaurant
in downtown Quincy. The server was a young woman who told us that she was working
on an associate’s degree at John Wood Community College, and that she intended
to transfer to a four-year school when she finished. Then, came the big question,
“Where do you plan to go?” Her answer was simple, “Edwardsville.
They have good programs, and everyone I know who goes there really likes it.”
Just an interesting story? Perhaps. A measure of our reputation? Not exactly. But, reputations are often built on stories, and reputations are often made the very way she learned about SIUE—from those who have had first-hand experience. Ten years ago, before we had residence halls and drew significant numbers of students from Central Illinois, we were virtually unknown in places like Quincy or Effingham or Decatur. Today, we have a growing positive reputation throughout the state—perhaps a better reputation than we have locally where every misstep we make is so obvious, and the good we do so often taken for granted.
These maps of Illinois graphically illustrate how
the word about SIUE has spread across the state. The map on the left shows the
counties from which SIUE had at least four students in fall 1993, and the map
on the right shows the counties from which SIUE has at least four students this
fall. Quite a difference!
We also have some quantitative data about our reputation. For the last two
years we have been ranked in the second highest of four tiers of Midwestern
master’s level institutions by U.S. News and World Report. The system
it uses to rank institutions is heavily dependent upon test scores of entering
students and graduation rates. As a result, it is highly unlikely that we could
ever move into Tier 1 without essentially abandoning our historic commitment
to access for the citizens of Southwestern Illinois. In fact, there are only
seven public universities among the 38 in Tier 1.
But, one subcomponent of the U. S. News data should be of particular
interest to us—our academic reputation. That score is based on an assessment
of SIUE by presidents, chancellors, provosts, and directors of admissions at
master’s level institutions in the Midwest. Here, the news is good. Our
academic reputation score is equal to or higher than all but three of the 35
Tier 2 schools, and equal to or greater than 12 of the 38 Tier 1 schools. And
the U.S. News data shows that no master’s level public institution
in Illinois has a higher academic reputation than SIUE, and only four private
schools do.
You have heard me say before that we need to lose the stigma of being a “best
kept secret.” That is not an easy thing to do, but it can be done. Some
universities develop national reputations through their athletic programs—sometimes
good reputations, sometimes bad reputations. Clearly, that is not a route we
will take, but, just as clearly, our student athletes have spread our name across
the nation by strong showings in national competitions.
How, then, will we lose the stigma of the “best kept secret?” We will do it by hard work. We will do it first and foremost by continuing to build the high quality programs upon which an excellent reputation depends. And, we will spread that reputation in myriad ways—through faculty and staff participating in conferences and seminars, through the word of mouth of students, through publications which document our quality. But we will not do much unless all of us know about the quality of SIUE.
How many in the SIUE community know about the excellent performance of students
at the School of Dental Medicine? How many of us know about our many specialized
accreditations? How many of us know about the excellence shown by our nurse
anesthesia graduates? How many know that the Illinois Nurses Association Board
of Directors selected two SIUE faculty members for both of its awards—Arlene
Fearing, as the recipient of the 2003 Distinguished Researcher of the Year,
and Marguerite Newton, as the 2003 Nurse Educator of the Year? How many of us
know that this year Michael Mishra won the Jordania International Conducting
Competition in Kharko, Ukraine? How many of us know that Ellen LaVelle was selected
as the Researcher of the Year by the College Reading and Learning Association?
If we don't know, and I didn’t learn of some of these things until a few
weeks ago as I prepared this speech, how can we expect those in Southwestern
Illinois, or in Metropolitan St. Louis, or in Illinois, or in the nation to
know?
So, achieving our goal of having an Excellent Reputation involves educating
ourselves. We have much to be proud of. Let us learn about ourselves, and then
share that knowledge with our friends, our neighbors, and our colleagues across
the nation.
What, then, is the State of the University? Budget difficulties not withstanding, the State of the University is strong. We have made progress this year in achieving our long-term goals in pursuit of our vision of being a premier metropolitan University.
But, we must look to the future, not to the past, and we must have a strategy
to move forward over the coming years. We cannot and we will not let temporary
economic problems impede our progress. An institution cannot stand “pat.”
We either move forward, or we fall backward. And, falling backward is not an
acceptable option.
The University’s Strategic
Plan is readily available on the SIUE Web page, complete with the many short-term
goals and activities planned for the remainder of this fiscal year. Today, I
want to concentrate on a very short list of what I perceive to be our highest
priorities—the things we must accomplish as we move through this year and
prepare for next fall.
First, we must secure funding for the renovation and expansion of the Science
Building. The building continues to deteriorate
despite significant expenditures for emergency repairs. Nothing
is a higher priority. Our programs in the sciences, engineering, nursing, and
pharmacy depend upon its renovation and expansion. This project is the highest
capital priority for the SIU Board of Trustees and a very high priority
for the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The state's fiscal crunch severely
curtailed capital appropriations for last year, but we simply cannot afford
to have this project go unfunded in this year’s legislative session.
Second, we must find a way to provide salary increases next year despite the
state’s budget situation. We cannot attract nor can we retain a high-quality
faculty and staff without paying appropriate salaries.
Third, we must find a way to expand the size of the tenured and tenure-track
faculty to meet the demands of our larger enrollment. As this graph
shows, the percentage of credit hours taught by tenured and tenure-track faculty
has declined in this period of enrollment growth. We must reverse this trend.
In the current economy and with the deep cuts in state funds, it is remarkable
that we have been able to replace all departing faculty—few institutions
across the state and nation have been able to do so. But, as significant as
that is, it is not good enough. Instructors and part-time faculty are integral
to our offerings, but the long-term quality and health of our programs depends
upon a large, core faculty who have a long-term commitment to the University,
and a University that has a long-term commitment to them.
Fourth, we must move forward with the School of Pharmacy
and meet our goal of admitting the first class for fall 2005. To do so,
we must proceed with the planned renovation and expansion of the building in
University Park previously used by the School of Engineering. And, we must secure
operating funds for the next stage of development. I believe we have a solid
plan to develop the space in University Park. Securing operating funds in the
current economic climate will be a challenge. But, the School of Pharmacy is
integral to the development of SIUE, and to meeting the health-care needs of
the citizens of Illinois.
Over this last year we have made steps, some large others small, in moving SIUE to achieving its vision, in making Edwardsville synonymous with academic excellence, in making this a great place for students to learn and live. We shall continue to move in steps, not giant leaps, just as those who came before us moved the University forward a day, a week, a month at a time. Let us resolve to continue our progress this academic year, moving into 2004 proud of our accomplishments, confident of our future, and knowing that the fruit of our labor will be the right to say again next fall, “Now is the best time ever to be a student at SIUE.”
Now, I would like to end on a personal note. At the conclusion of my first
State of the University address in 1997, I told the story of how I had come
to SIUE because it was close to Northwestern University, where I was finishing
my work. I came expecting to stay for six months or so with the intent to then
move on to "some better place." I had grown up in St. Louis, and although
my mother was from Columbia, Ill., I had never heard of Edwardsville and knew
little about SIU. As an undergraduate at Saint Louis University, I had friends
from Alton and Granite City. But with the insularity of a St. Louisan, I wondered
why anyone would live on the east side of the river.
My first students, in an evening class, were, to me, shockingly different.
I was 26; many students were older than I, many old enough to be my parents.
Most were married; I don't think I had ever met a married undergraduate before.
They were white and black; from all sorts of small towns with unfamiliar names;
they all worked, and held jobs as varied as the American economy.
But, beneath the diversity, they were united in their quest for an education.
And, in the words of our Alma Mater they saw SIUE as their "fount
of opportunity."
I said six years ago how I was drawn to the faculty and the staff who had left
secure positions at other institutions to come to Alton or East St. Louis or
Edwardsville ... not just because of what was here, but because of their common
vision of what this University would become, and because of their determination
to be a part of making the vision a reality.
So, I stayed. And I put aside the plan to go to "some better place."
Then, at some point—I really don't know when—I realized that SIUE
had become that "better place."
I hope I played a role in making SIUE that "better place." I know
there is work yet to do to make it a still better place. But, I also know that
after nearly 35 years it is time for me to bring my administrative role with
SIUE to a close, and to move on to other interests. So, I have asked President
Walker to if he would initiate the process to have a new chancellor in office
by next summer. He has agreed to do so.
SIUE has been very good to me. I met Kay here, at the Mississippi River Festival
in 1969 at an Iron Butterfly concert. She is the love of my life and my support
through all these years. Only I will ever know the extent of her support, her
encouragement, and her sacrifice to make it possible for me to serve SIUE. Our
lives have been intertwined with the University for most of our adult lives.
Kay tracked me down in Green Bay, Wis., where I was traveling with a Presidential
Search Committee, to tell me that we were going to be the parents of twins.
Our children grew up here, and when in town to visit, they return to campus
to run the trails as they did as teen-agers.
I make this decision to retire with some sadness, the sadness of knowing I
will not have day-to-day involvement in charting the future of SIUE. But, I
also make this decision with confidence, the confidence that SIUE will be in
the very best of hands—your hands.
Thank you for your kind attention. And thank you for your support for all these
years.
URL: http://www.siue.edu/CHANCELLOR/state03.html
Published by:
Office of the Chancellor
Last update: October 22, 2003 by gconroy@siue.edu
Copyright © 2003, Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University
