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OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
President's Fall Address to the Campus Community
September 6, 2007
View the video of the address (Real Player)
Again we gather to celebrate the rebirth of our university. Each year, in good or bad weather, during good or bad state budgets and while facing yet another global issue, we welcome thousands of young people to Towson University. Once again, we are young. That's our cycle and because of the annual return of our students, and the addition of new students, Towson is forever young. This is our 141st rebirth.
When the students arrive they are closing a door on one part of their lives and opening a door to the next. Alexander Graham Bell said it well: "When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which is open for us."
Today marks my 33rd year on the campus and I am giving my fifth Fall Address as president. Time is a journey, a journey that passes too quickly. We are two-thirds through the current decade. The year 2010 is approaching much more rapidly than any of us could have imagined when I gave my first address in 2003. Since 2003, we have closed many doors, at times with reluctance. Many of the faculty and staff who arrived here in the '60s and early '70s, and did so much to build the Towson we know today, have left and more are leaving. I count many of them among my mentors and friends in my early years here at Towson: Hoke Smith, Pat Plante, Al Wingrove, Mary-Ann Myrant and so many others. On some we have closed a door forever; that is the cycle of life.
We are also closing doors on many things that we are sad to see go. Lida Lee Tall Hall held memories for many on campus. Lida Lee Tall is gone and our newest building is rising in its footprint. This change is symbolic of the exciting change occurring on campus. Recently, as I stood on the crest of the hill above Glen Esk and looked to the west, I saw incredible physical change. I saw a vast expanse—an expanse of growth and an expanse of opportunity. The closing of Lida Lee Tall's doors is symbolic of the many doors that will open for us over the next few years.
The future is about who we are and what we want to achieve. The physical changes are necessary and will allow us to do so much more with that future. We already have the Center for the Arts, a magnificent facility. Up Osler Drive and near the Auburn House we have our new and modern child care center. Both structures are models for other institutions. We are no longer dreaming, talking and planning for physical change, we are living that change. We can now see and reach out and touch our dreams.
From that vantage point near Glen Esk, I also saw the infrastructure work under way in preparation for new utilities, new driveways, new walks, additional lighting, new trees, preparation for opening up the Towson Run stream, and, most important, new buildings and other structures. Within a couple of weeks we will break ground for the College of Liberal Arts Complex, the largest building ever to be constructed on our campus. A new parking garage is rising to the north. 560 additional parking spaces. What a nice phrase! In the distance, toward Osler Drive, the new residence halls are rising above the landscape. 550 additional beds. What a nice phrase! It is even more satisfying when we stop to think that we are creating another building, following in the path of Millennium Hall, through a public/private partnership. It is yet another example that if Towson University is provided with the freedom to find ways to accomplish goals, we will find that way.
Now, I want to go back to an earlier comment. The future is about who we are and what we want to achieve. Each year, in my Fall Address, except for the first address, I have talked about our accomplishments. This fifth address is a good time to again talk about accomplishments, but with a focus this year on how we have done in the face of many challenges and the things we identified as "bad news" in that first address.
Before I comment on specific achievements, I want to mention how we established a framework for our success. Towson University 2010: Mapping the Future is a small document, but it is a powerful document. It is our commitment to turn words into actions and actions into outcomes. We have laid out nearly a decade of anticipated progress with only 23 goals and 86 action items. And, as I have said many times, we may be doing a thousand other things, but we will meet our 2010 goals. We are two-thirds the way there by using this small, five fold document; a sharp contrast to most institutions who measure their strategic plans by the pound, including the dust they gather. We can mail our strategic plan with a single first-class postage stamp (or the click of a send button). To further assure that we were not just stuck with a piece of paper, we devised an effective tracking system with thousands of milestones. We didn't find a system that fit our needs, so we designed our own. We know where we stand at any moment. Many of you know some of the tasks on a first-name basis. This is how we prepared for our work. Now, here is how we have done.
Prior to my address in 2003, I heard talk of new programs, new degrees, including doctorates, and growth. Many programs were established without appropriate funding, or, in some cases, any funding (bad news). In Towson 2010, we said we would develop new programs and we would grow, but., though we were willing to use creative methods, we also needed appropriate funding from the state. In 2003, Towson received approximately $4,500 per student in state funding. Today, we receive funding at $5,300. The per-student funding is critical to enrollment and program growth, and with the increase we have grown and developed programs appropriately. We will continue to fulfill our growth commitment, commensurate with appropriate funding. Last year we grew by almost 1,000 FTE students. This year we are projecting to grow by an additional 400. This is slower growth in line with the funding being provided. We are rapidly approaching 20,000 students. In 2003, we set a growth target of 2,500 students over 10 years; in four years we have already grown by 2,300 students, with some of our growth online or at off-campus locations. Last year we established five new off-campus programs and six new online programs. Now we will grow those programs. Lots of good news.
Our diversity continues to improve and is an additional step toward other 2010 goals. Our 2009 goal for minority enrollment is 18 percent of the total enrollment. We will surpass the 18 percent this fall. Our African American goal for 2009 is12 percent. We will achieve the 2009 goal. More important than the number of students are the outcomes. We are providing the on-campus climate and the support structure to enable all of our students to be successful at Towson and successful after they graduate. We have already exceeded our 2009 goal of a six-year graduation rate of 57 percent for African American students. In 2007, our reported rate was near 64 percent, the same rate as for our overall student population. In 2003 the graduation rate was 45 percent. More good news.
Once again, our accomplishments are not only about numbers. In the past few years we have opened doors that did not appear open to many. With our Top-Ten Percent Program we made it clear that we are willing, and able, to reach out to new high schools in the city and Baltimore County. In the third year of our program we have made adjustments, including more on-campus support and dual-admissions agreements with Baltimore City and Baltimore County Community Colleges to guarantee the success of these students. Once again, a Towson 2010 theme comes into play, partnerships.
I want to pause and talk about our African American graduates for a moment. They are an important part of our future. The region is becoming more diverse. The city residential population is majority African American. The county K-12 system has a large African American population. Towson University will continue to serve this changing population. As I move about the campus during Homecoming festivities I stop to see the activities at Burdick Field. The African American alumni have to hold the record for the most tents, some of the best food, the coldest drinks, and, most important, having a great time. I feel good, because to me it says they bonded when they were on campus and enjoyed their time with us, want to get together and want to come back to campus. I want all graduates to want to come back to campus and enjoy themselves at homecoming and other events; this is another 2010 goal related to the Student Experience.
Now, back to partnerships. Partnerships are so important to achieving our goals. In 2003, we were involved in many (OK news). In 2007, we lead many (good news). We mentioned the Top Ten Percent Program as an important partnership. I want to mention other partnerships. Our Cherry Hill partnership is very important to Towson for a number of reasons. A university the size of Towson, located in a metropolitan area has civic and social responsibilities that reach beyond the limits of the campus. We are stewards of our community and we need to behave that way.
In Cherry Hill our goals reach beyond the schools we are operating—we are also focused on meeting other responsibilities. We are working with parents, civic leaders, small businesses, clergy and many others to help make Cherry Hill a community where children want to go to school and want to excel and succeed. We are working on the entire social fabric of the community.
I want to continue telling you about partnerships, but will digress for a moment. I would like to think Towson 2010 is familiar to everyone. Partnerships are one of our five themes. As a reminder the others are Enrollment, Mix and Growth; Student Experience and Success; Resources for Success; and Telling and Selling the Story.
We have another important partnership with the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, CUMU. We are a founding member of this organization and the CUMU philosophy is very much in sync with our responsibilities beyond the campus. Although we are one of nearly 100 institutions, we are not a bystander member. We helped establish CUMU over two decades ago. We are CUMU's national headquarters and the home campus. For the first time, the CUMU national conference will be in Baltimore in 2008. From a personal standpoint I have many years of service with CUMU and this year, and next, I have the privilege of being CUMU's president.
Another important partnership is our growing role in Harford County with Harford Community College. I anticipate more and more opportunities for Towson in Harford County. BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) will catalyze that need. We have signed over two dozen new program MOUs with Harford Community College, that is the beginning. Our decision is to expand programs and enrollment at HCC to allow students from that area to finish their associate, bachelor and masters degrees on site in many programmatic areas. The Interstate 95 commute will no longer be a barrier to students who want to earn a Towson University degree.
Before I move from partnerships, I don't want to overlook our partnership with the Baltimore County government and the civic and business organizations in Towson. I believe the relationship with County Executive Jim Smith and his administration is the strongest relationship Towson University has ever had with the county government. In partnership with the county, we have made the area around the Court House and county office buildings wireless. For the second year, the executive and the County Council has given us a $100,000 grant for our International Business Incubator. Our SGA is developing relationships with local businesses. We are working with Bateman's Bistro on a pilot effort to use our TU OneCard at an off-campus business. We are also working on some cooperative efforts related to the arts and athletic events as another way to get people on campus and appreciate what a great place Towson University is. Our partnership news is all good news.
Grants and contracts are tied closely to resources for success, another 2010 theme. In the area of grants and contracts, we have had much success. The bad news in 2003 was that we were not close to the grants and contracts resources we needed. This past year we reached $20 million in grants and contracts, up from less than $10 million in 2003. A large portion was banked by DECO, but our academic units also made significant strides. I am confident in our progress and your work in this area, and I have set a goal of a 10 percent increase during FY08.
We were also falling short in fundraising in 2003, and we're only bringing in approximately $3 million annually (bad news). We have increased all fundraising, while reducing the cost of fundraising. In our Capital Campaign, this year, we raised nearly $6 million and, since July 2004, we have gifts and pledges of $24 million. Alumni giving is a known challenge at all institutions. I continue to meet with alumni groups around the country. Through the efforts of University Advancement and the Alumni Office, we are making progress. Our alumni donations increased by 14 percent over last year. During the recently completed fiscal year, we raised nearly $1.5 million from our alumni, nearly double what we raised in FY06. Again, lots of good news.
Part of the 2003 Fall Address "bad news" comments were the result of comments picked up by the transition coordinators during sessions with a wide-range of focus groups including faculty, staff, students and many groups comprising outside people. We heard: "Towson is not a player in the USM or the state. Towson is viewed as good, but we don't know why. Towson gets lost in the shuffle." We can stop. Anyone in this auditorium who has been associated with Towson four years or more has heard these and similar comments, over and over. We have heard the comments, and now we hear them less and less; we hardly hear them at all. Actually, we have been getting a little criticism over the past year for getting our nose a little too far out of the tent, and that leads to another 2010 theme, Telling and Selling the Story.
I reported last year that we have worked intensely to overcome the "who are they" and "what is Towson" attitudes. Our fund-raising success, our grants and contracts success, our enrollment growth, our growth in faculty, our construction dust on campus, and many other factors are partly the result of telling and selling the story. We have helped people throughout the area and state answer the question, "Towson who"?
Our awareness campaigns are as good as any in the region. We hear everywhere about our "Thinking Outside" campaign. Our Cherry Hill TV spots have captured the hearts and interest of a wide range of people in the metropolitan area. In 2003's address we said we are not known (bad news). Today we are known! We are now recognized for our role and importance to the state (good news).
I said last year, the higher our profile and success, the more critics. It is an established law of nature, the more wide-ranging you are, the more predators and potential enemies you encounter. If we haven't made enemies, we have some who are not particularly fond of us, but we are also making countless friends. The state and the Regents were looking for a growth campus; we walked right through that open door. We were told if you can find a partnership to build student housing the door is open. We were through that door in an instant. We had the opportunity to establish a MBA with the University of Baltimore. We were in that door. Then during a period when some thought we had taken on too much, we were told it was up to us to join the System and defend the MBA. We walked through many doors in Annapolis and helped to do just that. We have almost 500 students in that program today. Great news!
We will continue to be a campus that focuses on students, teaching and learning. But, as we grow and mature into what I like to call "that other state university", we will continue to demand the respect and support that comes with that role. We eagerly accept the mantle of that other state university. That other state university is Towson University. We are Towson University, and we are proud.
I also have been telling the story inside the campus. In 2003 the bad news was that internal communications was weak. I promised I would have roundtables, town meetings, study breaks and other open meetings. In the four years since, I have met with about 4,000 members of the campus community in groups of an average around 30 people. I have been open, briefed you and talked with many of you, some more than once. It is a way to communicate on campus and, just think, if each of the 4,000 had brought one friend, it would have been 8,000. It doesn't take much to change numbers, but for good communication we both have to show up. We also fulfilled our 2003 goals for internal communication with a greatly improved Web presence, a periodic electronic newsletter to the campus, a daily digest to collate the many e-mail announcements on the campus. My own appraisal of Daily Digest is, it is very concise, informative, and good. At times, when I am hit with a question about some subject, I ask, do you read Daily Digest? I like the frequent answer, "well, I do look at it" sometimes. I guess that's a no? Last year I asked each of you to do your part to help with communication. I ask that of you again. It is important to our success.
We are taking every reasonable opportunity to tell our story. Our approach has been and remains, you don't know Towson well enough. Sit down and let us tell you about Towson. We are not only thinking outside, if there is an open door of opportunity, we are coming in. We will be looking for partners and support out in our community, working with schools and residents, and with government and business. We will be doing all of those things and more. At the same time, we are going to keep on telling you about Towson University.
We know if we are going to tell people about Towson, we have to have something to offer. We are doing exciting things. But we never forget our most exciting thing, the 20,000 students who bring our campus to life and who are our raison d'etre, reason for being here. We also can't forget that institution and student growth is only possible with growth in faculty and staff and growth in resources. We must maintain focus on something that is always primary, enabling students who want to learn to be able to learn. We must also enable faculty who want to teach and stay up to date and move their disciplines forward, with the climate and tools to do so. If we forget these principles, we are not the university we want, and hope, to be.
In the past four years we have added nearly 100 additional net tenure-track faculty positions. We are approaching 630 core faculty positions. In addition to more tenured and tenure-track faculty, we now have 140 full-time lecturers. We continue to improve faculty salaries so we can be much better relative to AAUP standards. We are committed to remaining competitive as related to those standards. I am pleased to report significant gain. In 2003 we were at the 68th percentile (bad news), today we are at the 75th, and much closer to our goal of at least 80th (good news). We want our graduates to remember Towson, and it has been proven over and over that a large part of their memories will be related to faculty and staff.
I want to comment more on students as related to faculty. Some of the other "bad news" in that 2003 address had to do with the relationship of students to faculty. Only 40 percent of our graduates said they had a "culminating senior experience" (bad news). We have improved to 45 percent (good news), but we want to continue to improve this percentage. In 2003, fewer than 35 percent of freshmen and only a bit more of the seniors said they felt they truly interacted with faculty at Towson (bad news). We have made more gain in this area with both groups near 51 percent (good news). Again, we are pleased with the accomplishments and will look for more improvement.
The overall student experience is critical to student success. We have made large strides in student involvement. Over the past year we increased student attendance at targeted fine arts events by 15 percent, new members in Greek Life groups is up by nearly 30 percent and Family Weekend attendance is up by 40 percent. Athletics are also important to the overall image of our institution. We are experiencing success and with that success there is more student attention. Winning athletics will keep students on campus and while on campus they will become more involved in other activities. We have worked closely with the SGA and other student groups, and we have great results. Student attendance at athletic events featuring our revenue sports is up 52 percent since 2004. More good news!
The Division of Student Affairs has placed more emphasis on civic engagement, another 2010 action item. We have made great progress. I am committed to involved students. We will continue to increase internships, real internships, by five percent over 2007. We will increase student involvement in student engagement initiatives by 10 percent. The percentages may not seem large, but when you are dealing with thousands of students, the outcomes will be significant. This is our commitment and our challenge. Student involvement is important, but we also want to keep students motivated to study and succeed. We know involved students do better academically. Faculty are vital to student success in many ways. I was somewhat unfocused, no, make that unfocused in my early days as a student. I know now I had the potential, but you don't succeed on potential. Fortunately, I had a few faculty who helped me and got me connected. Faculty have a great influence on students both in the classroom and outside.
While I am talking about faculty, I want to get you to think about the changes that have taken place. In the beginning of today's comments, I mentioned faculty and staff who have left. Not only do our students make our campus young, so do our faculty. Over the previous few years, many of the faculty are new, we don't count in dozens, but in hundreds. Many are not only new to Towson, but are new to the profession. We are younger, at least most of us are. We have a new mix of experiences, ideas, and faculty with dreams and long careers still in front of them. They add more energy and life to the campus. They too keep us young.
It is good that Towson is younger, not just for the year, but for the future. In this, my fifth address, I have mentioned my first address many times. I have used 2003 references to help highlight what we have accomplished. We have taken care of most of the "bad news." I said in that first address, "I have a long history with the institution and I feel I have the necessary skills to help address what Towson needs today." I added, "What drives me is getting things done and making change happen. I thank you for the opportunity." I know we have accomplished so much. Everyone knows we are in town and when we walk through a door, we don't have to wonder if they know who we are, and they can be sure they will be seeing more of us.
Now join me and take a look at several slides that make me say, this is a great campus, a great community. There is so much to see, experience and hear at Towson.
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