General Assembly, Fall 2003

The following is the text of ESU President Kay Schallenkamp's address to the ESU General Assembly on August 19, 2003.

Welcome to the 2003/2004 academic year. It is always a pleasure to see everyone coming back from their summer adventures. As I visited with several faculty and staff over the past week, I have heard of great adventures to Africa, Europe, or Asia. For those of us who only managed to sneak away for a few days or a week to an area lake or county fair, there is something wrong with this picture! Please know we are delighted for your opportunities but are also a bit jealous.

A special welcome to our new faculty and staff. In some instances, you have big shoes to fill but as I have visited with you over the past week and read your bios, it is clear that you are up to the challenge. We are delighted to have you as part of our learning community.

Throughout last year, not only at Emporia State University but across the country, budget issues dominated most of our conversations and certainly much of our thinking. Your support and understanding as we addressed the $2.9 million base reduction (nearly 8 percent) is greatly appreciated. I applaud the work of the Tuition and Budget Committee who met early in the morning throughout the year. They came with clear minds as well as wet heads for a few! Your careful consideration of the issues and wise counsel made my job much easier. Thank you!

I would like to share a few highly relevant issues that were an outcome of those discussions.

Tuition was increased by 16 percent for this fall. The increase represents a 7.5 percent increase in the base tuition and an 8.5 percent increase for specific enhancements. These enhancements represent earmarked funds as follows: 4 percent for technology, 1 percent for graduate assistant stipends, 1 percent for academic success opportunities, 1.5 percent to maintain appropriate class section size, and 1 percent for base budget emergencies. While all of the enhancement funds will address significant needs, I am particularly pleased we will have approximately $100,000 to address specific programs for academic success such as the First Year Experience, Undergraduate Research, and other programs. This fund will be distributed based on recommendations from the Strategic Planning Committee.

The legislature allocated 1.5 percent for salary increases for 23 pay periods. Through a combination of state, tuition, and private funds, we were able to fund the entire 26 pay periods. I am extremely pleased that we were able to identify an anonymous donor who graciously provided funding for this purpose. This was a high priority for me since I believe all employees at ESU are part of our efforts to advance the University and we should not disadvantage any group of employees.

In addition, we reserved a small pool of funds to address promotion in rank, meritorious performance, and equity adjustments. One area of concern was the increasing compression among faculty ranks, with our most loyal and longest serving full professors falling further below their peers than Assistant and Associate professors. Using CUPA data, we reserved one half percent to address some of the compression problems and other equity issues.

Faculty have repeatedly expressed concern relative to compensation for graduate assistants. This is also part of the university's strategic plan. The Budget and Tuition Committee recommended an increase in the stipend for graduate assistants that is competitive with other universities in the state and the region and we have been able to accomplish this through the 1 percent tuition enhancement.

Out of state travel has been restored. A small pool of $20,000 has been set aside to encourage faculty and staff travel that includes student presentations at regional and national meetings. This pool will be administered by Dr. Schwenn and guidelines will be distributed in a few weeks.

I am delighted that sabbaticals will be restored. Placing a moratorium on sabbaticals last year was a difficult decision but was necessary to address the budget reductions and to ensure we had courses available for our students. Your understanding was appreciated.

The overtime budget for classified staff has been restored. Again, it is important to recognize the classified staff who voluntarily agreed to forgo overtime compensation during the last fiscal year. This had a significant impact in our budget presentations to the legislature and to the Board of Regents.

There are a number of areas that have been eliminated on a permanent basis or remain on the list of items to restore as funds become available. We have been advised by the State Budget Director to expect a flat budget for next year. Furthermore, if revenues fall short of estimates in the upcoming months, there is a possibility for further reductions in this fiscal year's budget.

While I believe we have responded very wisely to the budget problems, by no means, are we out of the woods. It is also important to note that much of our ability to restore the above items to the budget is due to enrollment increases. This does not mean that we need to grow at all costs, or that we should reduce standards to retain students but it does mean we must continue to be attentive to our enrollment and responsive to retention issues. I am pleased that Dr. Hirsh has formed a group of individuals from student affairs, academic affairs, and administration/fiscal affairs to review data and issues related to retention and recruitment.

Last month, I received a letter from a gentleman who had spent his vacation in Paris. His letter was remarkable. This is what he wrote:

"My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Paris this past month. While there, we attended Mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Before Mass began, a group of students from your university performed a beautiful series of songs in the cathedral. They were simply wonderful and the cathedral was a beautiful setting for their talent. Their final song, "Give me that Old Time Religion" is one of our favorites.

"What impressed me afterwards was how your students behaved when visiting with the numerous cathedral well-wishers. They were wonderful representatives of your university, your state, and our country. One French person told them they performed so well they must be from France.

"No ma'am," the young singer said. "We are from Emporia State University in Kansas."

Terry Barham took this group to Europe. They were primarily Kansas students, most had never been out of the country. This opportunity opened their eyes to another culture. An added benefit was the influence they had on others. They were ambassadors for the University and clearly performed that function extremely well. This is what ESU does best.

We have numerous stories that could be shared. We take students to other countries, we include them in research projects and have them co-present at professional meetings, we invite them to our country homes to watch comets and eat fresh baked rolls. We provide more than a collection of courses leading to a major. We invest in their futures. Our motto at ESU is "In the Center of It All." We celebrate this phrase in our publications, speeches, and advertising. Often we expand the meaning to discuss the importance of students at this University and our investment in their eventual careers as well as their adult lives.

During the upcoming year, we will have an opportunity to look at ourselves critically as part of the self study process for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association. As we conduct our self study for the HLC, we will examine our fundamental mission: Learning. As a learning community, we continually strive to ensure our students are well prepared. We are also committed to our own professional development and the value of collaboration. As a University community, we are surrounded by individuals who are highly educated, we are surrounded by individuals who seek to share their expertise with one another, and we are surrounded by individuals who are committed to establishing a positive learning environment.

When we walk into a classroom building, we witness the commitment of every person on campus to the mission of the University. The recent remodeling of the student organization space in the Union is designed to provide an open, collaborative environment for the students sharing this space. Increasingly, benches and tables are being installed around campus to encourage relationships and interactions. The wall of accomplishments on the second floor of Plumb Hall outside of the conference room is a revolving depiction of the many national and regional leadership roles of our faculty and staff. These examples, along with many others too numerous to mention today, serve as a daily reminder of our mission as a learning community.

Accreditation is the life blood of the campus which permits us to receive federal funds and offers a seal of approval for our students, faculty, and staff. It is also a wonderful opportunity for us to engage in thoughtful review of ourselves and to determine how we might improve. This effort is being chaired by Dr. Harry Stephens and he is supported by a committee that is representative of the entire campus. The work of the committee members and the collaboration of the campus is appreciated as we conduct this self study. It is expected that the self study will be completed in the spring and the team will be on campus in October, 2004 for the site visit. Your support and assistance in this process will be vital to its success.

As part of the self-study, we will examine our strategic planning efforts to ensure our plan is moving us in the direction we need to go. In addition, the strategic plan will be linked with the performance agreement that will be submitted to the Board of Regents this fall. Finally, we have been working with the Board of Trustees for the Foundation relative to our fund raising strategies. A key component of their discussion has been the University's strategic plan.

Often strategic plans are stagnant documents that serve as book ends for other unused items. At ESU, our strategic plan drives most decisions and is linked with our performance agreement for the Board of Regents and with our self-study for the HLC/NCA. Ray Hauke leads our strategic planning committee. Their serious work is making a difference for all of us.

I am pleased that we have been selected to participate in two national projects coordinated by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The first, the American Democracy Project, will connect with our performance indicators and provide a collaborative approach to addressing a national agenda related to civic engagement. I appreciate the leadership of Dr. Schwenn and the division of academic affairs in leading this initiative. However, I also recognize that the entire campus will be included in many of the activities. This opportunity to work with The New York Times and institutions from across the country will have a significant impact on the University.

The second national project is the Sino-American Project. As many of you know, there is increasing interest in developing academic relationships with universities in China. I appreciate the work of Dr. Schrock over the years as he has worked to develop relationships in China. Last year, Elaine Henry had an opportunity to work with other artists in China for several weeks. We also have Chinese language courses taught by Marianne Curtis and have a new minor in East Asian Studies.

Three years ago, Jim Harter and I had an opportunity to visit China and meet with individuals from several schools. We have continued to work with these individuals over the years. Now, through the Sino-American Project sponsored by AASCU, we will have an opportunity to engage in a national project that assures academic quality and international linkages.

Last week I received a letter at the house. It was hand addressed to me which meant it wasn't a credit card solicitation, a bill, or an offer for siding. I didn't recognize the name on the return address. Since my mother passed away a year ago, I receive few real letters. My siblings generally keep in touch through e-mail or phone. So I opened the envelope with great curiosity. It was from a former student who had married since she had been in my classes.

The letter said: "I recently had the opportunity to attend a Courage to Teach event...As part of the event we could honor teachers who were important to us. It may seem unusual that out of 18 years of education, I would select a college instructor. But your faith in me and belief that I had something special spurred me on and has stayed with me throughout my career. I am currently an elementary school principal. ... I work with a high at risk population and need to believe that I make a difference everyday. Thank you for giving me that belief years ago. Thank you. Julie....."

I remember Julie well even though it has been 20 years since she was in my class. She was one of those students who clearly had great potential but it was often just below the surface. She would have moments of brilliance during class discussions but seemed lackadaisical on her exams. Julie's real strength was in the therapy room. She had a smile that would charm any child or adult and she had a manner that could bring out their best. I recall worrying about Julie. Would she realize her potential?

Now, here she was, 20 years later taking the time to say thanks for me believing in her. We all have Julies. They're in our classes, they are our student workers, they are our athletes, musicians, artists, actors, and debaters. They are on our committees and on the treadmill next to us in the rec center. Like Julie for me, we never know how our efforts to reach out to them will impact their lives. But this is what it is all about. At ESU, we touch the future every day!

Welcome back, have a wonderful year, and good luck with your Julies!

 

Last Updated July 2, 2007>