STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS - August 17, 2009

Good Morning and welcome to all of you! Today we gather to celebrate the start of another academic year at Christopher Newport University. 

As I walked across our campus this morning, I was reminded of the beauty of this place and how hard each of us works to instruct and inspire our students and to make CNU one of America’s preeminent liberal arts universities.

We have much to celebrate!  This week Forbes Magazine publishes its rankings of America’s top 600 universities and places CNU in the top 15% of the nation’s undergraduate institutions. 

Over the next few days we will also welcome our first year students.  Academically, this is the strongest class to ever enter CNU and will remain so until this time next year.

The SAT average (critical reading and math) of the freshman class is 1199 – that’s 17 points higher than last year and 239 points above where we started in 1996.  The average GPA of our freshman class has now risen to 3.64 vs. 2.8 12 years ago.  

Applications continue to explode, topping 8,400 for the first time.  The number of out-of-state students is the highest in our history - 113 - representing 9 percent of the freshman class. Students of color constitute 20 percent of the freshman class.

The number of first year students has increased as well.  Each year our goal is a class of 1200.  This year’s class numbers 1218.  (Indeed, in a chaotic year when many fine schools – UVA, Virginia Tech, JMU, Mary Washington – were all driven to their wait lists in order to fill their freshmen class, CNU was over subscribed.)

The students we now accept gain admission to many of the best schools in America.  Those schools possess large endowments, completed infrastructure and very often have been in business for hundreds of years.

Fortunately, in spite of the intense competition we face, in spite of the fact that we are still a work in progress, there is a magic to this place – an energy, an enthusiasm, a forward motion and it is infectious.  That’s what prospective students and their families experience when they visit CNU and that’s why our applications are soaring.

CNU has also been selected by more and more outstanding students because we have been able to offer more merit scholarship dollars.  When we provide scholarships we balance the playing field and prevail against the finest public and private schools.  Let me give you some examples. 

This freshman class includes 25 Canon scholars who earned, on average, a high school GPA of 4.1 and a 1369 SAT.  Canon Scholars participate in the President’s Leadership Program, receive a merit scholarship of $5,000/year and the opportunity to study at Oxford.

The freshman class also includes 106 Smithfield and Goodwin Scholars with an average GPA of 3.9 and a 1296 SAT.  Goodwin and Smithfield Scholars receive a scholarship of $2,000/year, participate in the Leadership Program and receive a $2,000 stipend toward foreign study.

In all, we will welcome 315 leadership students whose average high school GPA was 3.8 and SAT was 1241.  That’s 128 more leadership students than last year.

In the world of higher education, these programs offer rather modest scholarships but they allow us to land truly extraordinary students.

More and more we want the profile of our leadership and honors students to define our entire freshman class and we also want to ensure that the intellectual life of this place is rigorous and rewarding. 

Therefore, an all-important priority over the last year was to strengthen and enrich our Honors curriculum and fashion an honors program that would be as powerfully attractive to prospective students and as transformational as the leadership program.

Dr. Jay Paul has heroically led and sustained our honors program for many years.  Jay consulted extensively with faculty and worked with the Provost and Deans to fashion an honors program for the new CNU.

We are now able to say to prospective students if you are looking for intellectual challenge, if you are exceptionally motivated, CNU’s Honors Program is a great choice.

Accordingly,

• We offer renewable honors scholarships of $2,000 to $5,000 per year.

• Honors students have greater flexibility in fulfilling their general education requirements.

• Special Honors courses will be taught by distinguished Honors faculty.

• Top students will be able to study at Oxford in our summer program led by Drs. Kidd and Underwood and the committee on prestigious scholarships.

• Honor students will receive priority in registration and housing.

• Honors students will have opportunities to engage in independent study and undergraduate research and receive research stipends

• Honors students will regularly engage visiting scholars and speakers and participate in a capstone seminar on contemporary world issues and

• They will be mentored by honors faculty to develop a distinctive academic record and portfolio to prepare for prestigious scholarships and graduate study.

I am happy to report that 109 freshmen will participate in our new Honors Program.  Eighty of these students will participate in both the leadership and honors programs – 29 in honors alone.  The average for all honors students is a 3.98 GPA and a 1318 SAT. 

Remarkably, 347 freshmen – that’s 28% of our first year class - will participate in the President’s Leadership Program and/or the Honors Program.

Admissions – key performance indicators >>> (pdf)

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HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET

We begin this new academic year – the second year of the biennium - in a time of economic dislocation and a short fall in state revenues.  As you know, our state operating funds have already been reduced by 20%.  Now we are told that Virginia’s cash crunch is getting worse and the state budget may be short by another $1.5 billion. 

Fortunately, as we move into this academic year we will benefit from federal stimulus monies and from additional tuition dollars. 

However, we will surely be required to further reduce outlays.  I assure you we will achieve those savings thoughtfully and sensitively. 

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CAPITAL

Happily, although Virginia is short of cash, the Governor and the General Assembly have taken decisive action to provide capital funding for important projects.

I want to applaud the leadership of Delegate Phil Hamilton, Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, who has been our great champion in Richmond. I also express my appreciation to Senator John Miller and Delegate Glenn Oder for their strong support.

So let us talk for a moment about the many capital projects now under way.

Lewis Archer McMurran, Jr. Hall is rapidly taking shape and is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of classes in January.  This new academic building will house the departments of English, History, Communication Studies, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Philosophy and Religious Studies and Government and will provide offices for the Masters of Arts in Teaching program and the Dean.  McMurran Hall will add 82,000 square feet of academic space to include 30 state-of-the-art classrooms and seminar rooms and 120 faculty offices. 

When we move into the new McMurran Hall, old McMurran will be quickly demolished to make room for the construction of our new 21st Century integrated science center.  Work on that new facility has begun and the front section of Gosnold will soon be demolished so that the foundation can be laid. 

This facility will house our programs in Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science and Psychology and will add approximately 60 faculty offices, 14 classrooms and 70 new teaching labs and faculty and student research spaces.

This new building, extending 100 yards along the north edge of the Great Lawn, will be sited opposite the David Student Union.

The Science Center will be completed in two phases.  The first phase of new construction will be completed in 2011 and the second phase – either renovation of our current science building or new construction – will be completed in 2012.

The General Assembly has also approved funding to begin the design of a new home for the Luter School of Business and the departments of mathematics and physics, computer science and engineering, leadership and American studies and sociology, social work and anthropology.  In January we hope to secure full funding for the construction of this third new and important academic building.

The expansion of the Freeman Sports and Convocation Center is also moving forward.  The construction fence is up and work will begin in the next several weeks.  This 70,000 square foot addition will double the size of the Trieshmann Health and Fitness Pavilion, provide offices for Counseling and University Health Services, add an auxiliary gymnasium and a new 400 seat Gaines Auditorium  and an array of meeting rooms for student activities.  The gymnasium, fitness area and offices for counseling and health services will be completed by winter 2010.  The auditorium and meeting rooms will be completed by spring 2011.

I am also pleased to report that over $5 million in cash and pledges of private funds have now been committed to build the CNU chapel.  The chapel will host student groups, religious activities and weddings, as well as musical performances and lectures.  As you know, the University of Virginia, William and Mary and Virginia Tech all have chapels that are intensively used by students, faculty, staff and alumni.

We hope to begin construction of the chapel next summer when we also redesign the entrance to the university.

In a few days, we will also welcome 9 Greek organizations to Greek Village – formerly known as Barclay Apartments.  To encourage the success of our fraternities and sororities, we offered the 9 Barclay units and 5 sororities and 4 fraternities immediately seized the opportunity.

We will also expand student housing to increase the number of beds on campus to 4,000 to accommodate all freshmen, sophomores and juniors.  This year we are at full capacity in our upper class halls and we have 151 freshmen rooms tripled.

Planning will begin immediately for two new residence halls.  The first residence hall will be built for sophomores in Parking Lot D adjacent to the Freeman Center and the Wise Woods.  The second residence hall will be built for juniors on this side of Warwick Boulevard, somewhere between University Place and the CNU/Suntrust Building.

I have also challenged the Alumni Society to help us build an alumni house on campus to strengthen alumni activities in the days ahead.  Several hundred thousand dollars have been committed to begin the design of this new facility.

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Let me now direct my comments to the academic life of our university.  Indeed  “Our accomplishments surround us”…. and there is much to celebrate. 

The quality of our students is soaring. We have a distinguished and dedicated faculty who are deeply committed to the success of our students. A campus rich in intellectual life must be supported by facilities that promote our highest academic ideals.  Four major academic buildings - the library, McMurran, the integrated science center and Luter - will soon ring the Great Lawn.

The library has become a dynamic teaching and learning facility.

Our faculty has designed and our deans have implemented a liberal learning core, which engages and challenges our students as they prepare to become citizens of the world.

Over the last year we have created a third college in order to more evenly distribute the work of the deans and create intellectual synergies that will enhance and inspire our work as our faculty continues to grow.

We have now redistributed our teaching load in ways that will allow our faculty to inspire our students to ever-increasing academic achievement. And our Provost has brought experienced academic leadership and this year we welcome two new deans – David Doughty and Steven Breese

We have accomplished so much, but we must reach higher.  To that end, we must continue the multi-year journey to gain admission to Phi Beta Kappa and we must be committed to the success of this enterprise.

America’s most celebrated colleges and universities shelter a PBK chapter.  We must be among them. 

Phi Beta Kappa sets very high standards - a governance structure that promotes academic freedom and vigor; a scholarly faculty; a promising student body, a challenging curriculum.  Our campus facilities and library must be superb and the pursuit of academic excellence must have strong financial support. 

Moreover, our faculty must continue to grow!  Over the past several years we have added many new faculty positions and today celebrate a full time faculty of 235.  We remain committed to increasing the number of full-time faculty positions to 300.

I also remain committed to achieving a 3-3 teaching load for our tenure-stream faculty and we hope this will begin in the academic year 2014-2015 and be completed by the year 2019-2020.

Adjusted teaching loads bring increased opportunities and responsibilities:  as the Faculty Senate has promised, it will further the ability of our faculty to inspire our students’ pursuit of academic excellence by providing that precious commodity of time which is always in such short supply -

• time for our faculty to invigorate teaching through their enhanced scholarship;

• time for our faculty to engage students in research inside and outside the classroom;

• time to seek grants and author publications that will strengthen the university’s academic programs and reputation;  and

• time to travel abroad with students.

Academic – key performance indicators >>>

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STUDENT SUCCESS

In recent years the University has undertaken significant efforts to improve student success, with special emphasis on improving our retention and graduation rates.  Several years ago,  a task force  of faculty and staff established a plan of action and ambitious goals.  Those efforts – your hard work – have produced good results.

Learning communities, the CNU center for liberal learning, early-warning alerts for freshmen experiencing academic difficulties and efforts to improve academic advising have all contributed to student success. 

• Our 6-year graduation rate this year will exceed 58%   and then rise above 70% as the effects of our work are fully felt.  This is truly remarkable, when we remember that in 1999 our graduation rate was an abysmal 28%

• Our retention of freshmen has also increased. We won’t know the exact retention rate for the fall 2008  freshmen until classes begin next week, but we do know that 82% are registered for classes. 

We have come a long way, but we still need to do better.

This fall, we will convene another task force of faculty and staff to assess the results of our efforts and to make recommendations for the future.  I have asked the Provost and Vice President O’Connell to personally lead this effort and I ask each of you to give this undertaking your full and enthusiastic support.

Enrollment – key performance indicators >>>

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SERVICE

Last year I noted that CNU’s vision statement begins by stating “we are grounded in the principles of liberal learning and dedicated to the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service.”  It continues, “We will ignite in our students a love of learning and instill a sense of responsibility and civic duty that will give our graduates the knowledge and confidence to engage as responsible leaders and citizens in their communities, the nation and the world.”

If our goal is to prepare every CNU student for leadership and civic responsibility, if we are to prepare them to lead lives of significance and purpose, then we must foster a campus culture that celebrates service.

Our students should confront hunger, poverty, misfortune, human suffering and loss and through these experiences come to understand the harsh realities of the world.  They must also know how their unique abilities can turn hardship into triumph and instill in them a life-long sense of responsibility for making the world a better place.

I challenged you to make leadership and civic engagement signature distinctives of CNU and you responded magnificently!  

Your work has resulted in the establishment of the Center for Civic and Service Learning, led by Dr. Roberta Rosenburg and Brad Brewer.

Our community outreach will include another Day of Service this fall in which over 300 leadership students, faculty and staff will serve local non-profit organizations with a special emphasis on the Southeast community of Newport News.

We will continue to explore opportunities for international partnerships where we can focus the remarkable intellectual powers and energy of our students and faculty.   Dr. Marsha Sprague and the Masters of Teaching Program are undertaking important work in Belize. Indeed, our students and faculty are making a difference around the world.

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FERGUSON CENTER

Finally, the success of the Ferguson Center for the Arts has been amazing!  To date, 744,192 people have attended events at the Center and thousands of tickets have been used by our students.  This year there will be 31 performances and already over 14,000 tickets have been sold.

We will hold over 100 seats for each show for our students and they will be able to purchase tickets again this year for $5 to $25 and remember all CNU faculty and staff get 10% off tickets for the season. 

The new season promises to be extraordinary!  

• The best selling comedy-recording artist in history - the host of the hit television show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader” –  JEFF FOXWORTHY

• The most definitive Beatles tribute band on the circuit – THE FAB FAUX  

• One of the world’s most respected orchestras – celebrated for it’s versatility and artistic excellence -  THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

• Legendary trumpet player - HERB ALPERT  

• One of the finest voices in the history of country music – GEORGE JONES

• Returning  to our stage again this year with “A Smooth Jazz Christmas” saxophonist and composer - DAVE KOZ  

• one of America’s most popular entertainers performing favorite holiday classics and celebrated ballads, JOHNNY MATHIS

• The retro 1940’s musical that moved a nation’s spirit and helped to win a war  - a big band revue that brings to life the music of  Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey – IN THE MOOD 

• A masterful combination of precision dancing, state-of-the-art lighting and pyrotechnics, the award winning international dance phenomenon - LORD OF THE DANCE

Although, there is much more to be said, I believe I should bring my comments to a close, but before I do -

Let me end as I began, with my sincere thanks for all you have done and for all that we have accomplished together. And let me express my very real hope and expectation that this will be the most successful year ever in the life of CNU.

Paul Trible
President of Christopher Newport University

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