PAT Meeting
September 19, 2013
Page 4
President’s Advisory Team Members in attendance:
Diane Allen, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Simeon Ananou, Chief Information Officer
Tabatha Beck, President, Graduate Student Council
Steven Blankenship, President, Staff Senate
Beth Skoglund for Aaron Basko, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management
Jeff Downes for Eric Berkheimer, Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance,
Capital Planning and Construction
Betty Crockett, Vice President, Administration and Finance
Richard Culver, Director, Media Relations
Jason Curtin, Assistant Vice President, Development & Alumni Relations; Deputy Director SU Foundation
Janet Dudley-Eshbach, President
Sue Eagle, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations
Dane Foust, Vice President of Student Affairs
Clifton Griffin, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
Susan Griisser, University General Counsel
Mou Chakraborty for Bea Hardy, Dean, Libraries and Instructional Resources
Amy Hasson, Chief of Staff
Mentha Hynes-Wilson, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs
Ed Lashley, Chief, Salisbury University Police
Katherine Mooney, President, SGA
Karen Olmstead, Dean, Henson School of Science and Technology
Nancy Michelson for Cheryl Parks, Dean, Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies
Maarten Pereboom, Dean, Fulton School of Liberal Arts
Greg Prince, Vice President, Advancement and External Affairs
Marvin Pyles, Associate Vice President Administration and Finance, Human Resources
Elizabeth Ragan, President, Faculty Senate
Robert Sheehan, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director for Government and Community Relations
Courtney Sanders for Kara Siegert, Director, University Analysis, Reporting & Assessment
Brian Stiegler, Assistant Provost for International Education
Bob Wood, Dean, Perdue School of Business
Guests: James Buss, Director, Bellavance Honors Program
1. Welcoming and Opening Remarks – President Janet Dudley-Eshbach
o Dr. Dudley-Eshbach opened the meeting by welcoming the group and introducing new members of the team: Susan Griisser, the new University General Counsel; James Buss, the new Director for the Bellavance Honors Program; Simeon Ananou, new Chief Information Officer; and in absentia, Cheryl Parks, the new Dean of the Seidel School; Valerie Randall-Lee, the new Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students; and Dana Whitehead, Director of Delmarva Public Radio.
o An update was provided on the condition of Kristen Loetz, the victim of a shooting at off-campus housing. She has been released from Shock Trauma and transferred back to the Eastern Shore for rehabilitation. Chief Lashley and all of the staff who dealt with the recent crisis are to be commended for their prompt response and handling of the situation.
o The future of the University Consortium will be addressed this semester. Shared governance is taken very seriously at Salisbury University and meetings and discussions will be held to discuss improvements.
o The 40th Anniversary of the SU Foundation was postponed and has been rescheduled for December 4, 2013.
o Salisbury University received positive press in the Baltimore Business Journal, where we were noted as having the highest percentage of Alumni giving among all of Maryland’s public universities. SU was also named in The Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges for the 15th consecutive year for our “stellar academic programs” and “wonderful professors.” And SU was also named a 2013-14 College of Distinction for our “continued commitment” to their four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes. And again SU was named one of the US News & World Report Best Colleges for 2013.
o Employees will receive a 3% cost of living increase, effective January 1, 2014 and merit increases will take effect April 1, 2014. On the operating budget, this is the third year of a 3% structural correction to tuition (over and above 3% tuition increase USM-wide).
2. University Governance
o Faculty Senate – Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Ragan
i. The Faculty Senate has made considerable ground on getting a wider diversity of opinion by encouraging the attendance of new faculty members at Faculty Senate meetings.
ii. In an effort to improve communication, updates on Faculty Senate meetings are emailed within a few days of the meeting, instead of waiting for the formal approval of the minutes. Efforts are under way to improve the website and keeping it current as well.
o Staff Senate – Steven Blankenship
i. Open Staff Senate seats have been filled, with a new turnover of members. There is a renewed interest in shared governance.
ii. The focus this year has been on improved sexual harassment training on campus, improving the quality and quantity of submissions to the Board of Regents Staff awards, and improved communication with the Faculty Senate and Student Government Association.
o Student Government Association – Katherine Mooney
i. Katherine reported that this semester the SGA is focusing on more vibrant school spirit. They are adding more events to Homecoming, including a parade that will take place before the block party on Saturday, October 19.
o Graduate Student Council – Tabatha Beck
i. The Graduate Student Council has elected new officers, and meetings include all new members.
ii. The focus this year will be on recruitment and getting more graduate students involved in Homecoming.
3. Off-Campus Incident Debrief – Chief Ed Lashley
o Chief Lashley provided an update on the recent shooting that occurred off campus September 3, 2013. The chief commended the local law enforcement agencies on their coordination and communication amongst other local agencies. He also commended the SU community on their overwhelming support as a whole, and noted that the Counseling Center in particular was out in force and saw many students that evening and into the next day. He added that the emergency preparedness training that the campus has received came into play that evening and was shown to be very effective.
o The Emergency Preparedness Task Force will investigate additional opportunities for timely communication to the campus community.
4. Fall 2013 Undergraduate Enrollment Update – Beth Skoglund
o Ms. Skoglund provided the census data on undergraduate enrollment.
i. SU Freshman Class:
· The final class size is 1246 students, an increase of 46 over last year. The average SAT score is 1733 points with an increase of 9 points over last year. The GPA is holding steady at 3.71. There was a decrease in the number of out-of-state students by 13 and a decrease in minority students by 23.
ii. SU Transfer Class:
· The number of transfer students was 915, a decrease of 3 students over last year. There was a decrease in the number of out-of-state students by 3 and an increase in minority students by 34.
iii. Headcount and FTE Report:
· Headcount:
o The undergraduate headcount is at 8004, up by 35 students from last year for an increase of 0.4%.
o The graduate headcount is at 639 GRAD, down 49 students for a decrease of 7%.
o The total headcount is 8643, down 14 students for a decrease of 0.2%.
o The total minority headcount is at 2025, up 156 students.
· Full Time Enrollment:
o The undergraduate full-time enrollment is at 7658, up 37 students for a percentage increase of 0.5%.
o The graduate full-time enrollment is at 372, down 34 students for a percentage decrease of 8%.
o The total full time enrollment is 8030, up 3 students.
iv. Applications for freshman were up slightly. Progress still needs to be made in increasing the out-of-state student numbers. Staff have been added to focus efforts on increasing out-of-state freshman enrollment and transfer partnerships, particularly with out of state community colleges. The institutional goal of keeping enrollment numbers flat has been successful with a headcount down 14 students and the Full Time Equivalent students (FTES) at an increase of three students.
5. Graduate Enrollment – Clifton Griffin
o Dr. Griffin noted that while Salisbury University is and will remain an undergraduate institution, the goal is to have ten percent of the student body comprised of graduate students. In recent years, the percentage has been lower than that goal and efforts are underway to increase the number. Graduate Studies is currently working with the different graduate programs to develop individual marketing strategies. They are working closely with Admissions to coordinate and combine efforts to reach desirable graduate students, and to manage the admission process.
o The new Ph.D. program in Education will soon be admitting students. This program is one of our first to be a hybrid of on-line and in-class instruction from the onset.
6. International Enrollment – Brian Stiegler
o There has been much progress on increasing the number of students in the English Language Institute (ELI). Many of these students want to enroll in programs after the completion of their term in ELI. We have seen a growth in the number of students from Korea, and this spring we will have our first group of students from Japan. The first cohort of 58 students from Anqing Teacher’s College in Anqing, China will attend SU soon for their senior year as part of the partnership agreement between the two institutions.
o Efforts are underway to increase partnerships with other universities and the word is out that Salisbury University is an option for many students to come here.
7. Other Business
o Friday, September 27 is the inaugural SU Research Day. It will be held in Perdue Hall from 1 to 5 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
o The Salisbury University Police department has passed CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.) accreditation. The campus public meeting was very supportive and many positive comments were made about the department.
Recorded by: Tracy Hajir