The President's Blog

I can hardly believe that the academic year is almost over and summer is fast approaching. Recently we held Honors Convocation, a 57-year tradition where we recognized 260 students who received departmental awards and honors, as well as honor cords for cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.  And our commencement ceremonies this week (Thursday for graduate students, Friday for undergraduates) will be the exclamation points on a year of achievement, despite our ongoing fiscal challenges. I thank all of you, our faculty, administrators and staff, for a job well done. Each and every student who walks across the stage to receive his or her well-earned diploma directly reflects your commitment to student success. As we all take pride in our graduates’ achievements, we should also take pride in the teaching, the mentoring, the advisement and the support that helped them reach their goal.

Every commencement season brings out notable personal stories of students overcoming difficult odds or having interesting ties to Southern. Take the Carrano family, for example. Adjunct professor Andrew Carrano, currently teaching in the psychology department, holds three diplomas from Southern: a B.A. in psychology, a master’s
in education and a sixth-year certificate in school psychology.  His wife Donna has a B.S. in nursing and daughter Erica has a B.A. in theatre and is currently working on her master’s in English – all from Southern. Daughter Ashley holds a Southern M.S. in special education and son Dan will graduate this August – but walk Thursday – with a degree in music.  Obviously, this family sees the value in a Southern education!

Then there is Daniel Ndamwizeye, orphaned as a young boy during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, who entered this country as a refugee and is now earning a degree in business administration.  “I’m still in shock,” Daniel says. “ Given my background, I never thought I would be graduating from an American university.”  He says that Southern has opened many doors for him – teaching him leadership and teamwork that he will put to good use in a new management job with TD Bank in Fairfield; and fostering public speaking skills that have helped him relate his story and bring notice and support to the trust he has established to assist fellow orphans in less-developed countries.

These and many other heartwarming stories sum up all that is best about a Southern education – providing access, opportunity and the academic and individual skills for personal improvement and career advancement. And of course, the cycle of higher education never truly ends – the first orientation sessions for our new students beginning the next phase of their lives start May 29.

 HONORING OUR SANDY HOOK ALUMNAE

 Thursday evening’s graduate commencement for the School of Education will have a special poignance, as we will recognize the four educators – and Southern alumnae – who died in the December 14, 2012, shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Principal Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, M.S. ’97, 6th Yr. ’98; teacher Anne Marie Murphy, M.S. ’08;  school counselor Mary J. Sherlach, M.S. ’90, 6th Yr. ’92;  and teacher and current master’s degree student Victoria Soto, will all be honored with the SCSU Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, while Victoria Soto’s family will also accept a posthumous master’s degree in special education on her behalf.

The care and compassion shown by these educators demonstrates their strength of character, their total dedication to their students, and also the depth of their moral integrity. It is fitting that we honor their memory at a setting that celebrates education, even as we continue to mourn their loss.

 DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT

On the topic of commencement, you may have noted that beginning this year we will be holding ceremonies in December for both undergraduate and graduate fall degree completers.  The ceremonies will be held at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively, on Wednesday,  December 18 in the Lyman Center for the Performing Arts.

While fall graduates are eligible to participate in the ceremony the following May, requests for a commencement ceremony more closely aligned with the time of degree completion have been increasing.  Fall completers are far less likely to participate in the ceremony five months after they completed their programs.  And the current situation is particularly frustrating for education majors, as many complete the requirements for their degree in May, but have student teaching in the fall, which makes them ineligible to attend the May ceremony with their classmates.

Additionally, a number of December graduates secure employment after completion, and therefore are unable to attend the May ceremony. There are significant numbers of students who complete their degrees in December: 453 undergraduates and 252 graduate students last year. They will now be able to celebrate their achievement with their family and friends in a timely manner.

CONSTRUCTION AND A DEAN’S LEGACY

Excellent news from Bob Sheeley, associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations, that both of our major campus construction projects will be under way within the next couple of weeks.

Work on the new science laboratory building will commence next Monday (May 20), with the first couple of weeks dedicated to the installation of perimeter fencing and general site preparation. The long-awaited renovations to the original Buley Library are scheduled to commence Monday, June 3.

It is fitting that the science building project will begin before Dean of Arts and Sciences DonnaJean Fredeen moves to Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., as provost. In so many ways, DonnaJean has been the architect of the growth of our science programs and the vision behind this new building, which will help carry our STEM initiatives to the next level. 

DonnaJean joined Southern in 1987 as an assistant professor of chemistry and was named department chairperson in 1994 before taking on the dean’s role on an interim basis in 1998 and permanently three years later.  All of us recognize and thank her for her many contributions, including the introduction of the First-Year Experience (FYE) program; the reform and implementation of a new general education program, the enhancement of science and mathematics on campus and the establishment of new STEM partnerships in the greater New Haven community.

 Driven by her passion for the transformative power of higher education, DonnaJean will leave us with a wonderful legacy of accomplishment, and many of the initiatives that she has championed will continue to enhance our mission for years to come.

 FACULTY AWARDS

Here on campus, the academic year ended with numerous awards for our faculty, reflecting both the breadth of their talents and their commitment to the personal and academic success of our students. At our undergraduate commencement ceremony, Bernadette (Bunny) Madara, professor of nursing and Brenda Harrison, adjunct faculty member in exercise science, will be recognized as the 2013 recipients of the J. Philip Smith Outstanding Teaching Award. Both faculty members exemplify the qualities of great teaching, namely engaging and challenging their students in the learning process in a way that enables them to reach their full potential.

Currently teaching Gerontology, Integrated Pathophysiology/Pharmacology I and II, and Adult Health Nursing, Bernadette also serves as a clinical supervisor for student nurses at Yale–New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael. She defines students as “partners in learning,” actively seeking out and providing guidance to those who are having difficulty with course or clinical material. She uses a variety of teaching approaches to meet students’ diverse learning styles, with extensive use of instructional technology.

One student nominator referred to Bernadette as a “coveted clinical instructor” whose caring classroom and clinical environment allows students to approach her for advice and help.  In her nomination letter, Nursing Department Chairwoman Lisa Rebeschi said that Dr. Madera “demonstrates a strong commitment to student success and works diligently to maximize students’ potential” and that she is “highly regarded by her peers as an expert educator.”

Brenda Harrison teaches Fit for Life as well as Anatomy and Physiology I and II. In teaching the latter classes she says she works to take the stigma away from “the real hard course” and moving it from a memorization-based class into a course with high degrees of student engagement.  Her student evaluations praise her ability to present difficult material using enjoyable learning approaches. 

One student nominator wrote that Brenda “taught by planting a seed that does not grow wildly, but in the direction of success. We are accountable for how great we wanted that seed to become.” Colleagues praise her high standards and concern for individual growth. “True coaching is teaching. . . . Brenda cares about each individual, and like a true teacher, wants to bring out the best in each one of them. She applies the same level of dedication on the field that she does in the classroom,” wrote Gary Morin, program director of athletic training. (Brenda also coaches our SCSU women’s rugby team.)

Three other Southern faculty awards were also announced recently. Leon Yacher, Professor of Geography, was the recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Academic Advising Award, while Elizabeth Rodriguez-Keyes, Assistant Professor of Social Work, was named Technological Teacher of the Year. William Faraclas, professor of public health; and Michael Shea, professor of English, were named joint recipients of the Robert Jirsa Service Award for outstanding all-round service contributions to the university. And Elizabeth Lewis Roberts, assistant professor of biology, and Chelsea Harry, assistant professor of philosophy, were recipients of the Junior Faculty Research Fellowship. Congratulations to all of these awardees for their well-deserved recognition.

Fittingly, most of these awards were announced during the sixth annual Teaching Academy – a two-day mini-conference designed to help our faculty enhance their teaching skills. More than 150 faculty members attended the academy, which included sessions on a variety of topics such as technological fluency, understanding student veterans and curriculum-related issues. Keynote speaker Todd Zakrajsek, associate professor in the School of Medicine at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spoke on “Enhancing Student Learning: Emerging Research and Innovative Strategies.”

This highly productive program, hosted by our Office of Faculty Development, will only serve to enhance our university’s long-established reputation for pedagogical excellence.

 EVENTS

The semester concluded with several high-profile events that spanned the spectrum of the Southern experience: Honors Convocation; the Fusco Distinguished Lecture, featuring noted thespian Alan Alda; and two major community service projects:  Jail ‘N’ Bail and the Big Event. Honors Convocation celebrated the achievements of our best and brightest students; the two community service events continued a proud tradition of raising money and providing practical help for worthy causes, and in its 15^th year, the Distinguished Lecture brought another thought-provoking and entertaining speaker to a full house at Lyman Center.

The success and longevity of each of these events says a great deal about the thought, organization and attention to detail that go into both their preparation and execution. Kudos to all involved.

Dear Colleagues,

I know that all of us were deeply affected by the harrowing recent events in Boston. The sincere sympathy and prayers of our campus community go out to those who were killed or injured in the Boston Marathon bombings, and to their families and friends. We also send our best thoughts to the thousands whose daily lives were disrupted by fear and apprehension during the lockdown that accompanied the tense manhunt through Boston suburbs. I am sure that for many, the images from Boston engendered similar emotions to those felt in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings last December. As I said at that time, when tragedy strikes, it is important for all of us to offer our support where we can and to reach out to those we treasure the most.

 One of the scenes that will endure for me from the scene of the bombings was the widely publicized photograph of Joe Andruzzi, Southern alumnus and Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots, carrying an injured woman to safety. Joe was near the marathon finish line hosting a fundraiser for his foundation, which provides financial assistance to cancer patients and supports pediatric cancer research. Joe has lent his fame and accomplishments to the pursuit of good works, and now, a selfless act of kindness in the face of chaos. His courage exemplified the spirit of the people of Boston during the last week.

TALKING SOUTHERN

In my last blog, I spoke about the importance of sharing our message with leaders in the off-campus community, so that Southern is viewed favorably as a continued source for public investment and community partnerships. In recent weeks, I and members of my Cabinet have held very productive discussions with area legislators – at a legislative breakfast on campus – and neighboring aldermen, some of whom had never visited campus before. I also spoke with legislative leaders during the recent ConnSCU day at the state Capitol and addressed area business leaders during the 219^th annual meeting of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and as the keynote speaker at the Business and Civic Awards reception hosted by Business New Haven magazine:

www.southernct.edu/about/administration/president/BusinessNewHavenremarks3.27.13.pdf

On each of these occasions, my Cabinet members and I have emphasized Southern’s contribution to the state’s knowledge-based workforce and our special mission as a public institution to connect actively with the community at large. We have detailed how we are pursuing this course through innovative offerings in in-demand fields such as business and the sciences, more accelerated programs that meet the practical needs of non-traditional learners, and our ongoing commitment to excellence, access, and affordability. This will be a continuing discussion – and I believe, a vital one. We must tell our story clearly and often if we are to compete successfully for limited state funding in an economic climate that continues to be challenging.

NEW CIO

We have successfully concluded another search to fill a leadership position with the appointment of Dr. Pablo Molina as the university’s new Chief Information Officer. Pablo brings with him a track record of success as a multinational technology leader outside the United States and an academic technology executive at some of the most prestigious universities in the country. I wish to thank Dr. Lisa Lancor and her search committee for their excellent efforts in selecting a high-quality group of finalists for this important position.

Pablo’s most recent position in higher education was as associate vice president of information technology and CIO of the Law Center campus at Georgetown University. As campus CIO, he led distance-learning initiatives, and pioneered the use of academic systems including web conferencing, digital class recordings, electronic books, research repositories and exam management. During his five-year appointment as associate vice president, he helped spearhead both the adoption of a new student information system for the university, and a campus-wide initiative to replace existing finance, payroll and human resource systems with cloud services.

Prior to joining Georgetown, Pablo served as Director of Information Technology at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he introduced video streaming; revamped network infrastructure and services and led the retrofit of a 150-year-old building for information technology and multimedia purposes.

Pablo’s experience has given him a broad perspective of the ways that technology is transforming higher education, and I believe that he has the skills and leadership to move the university forward in this critically important area. Please take the opportunity to welcome him personally to campus this summer.

This week, three finalists for both the vice president for institutional advancement position and the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences will be on campus. Please take the opportunity to meet and listen to these candidates and provide your feedback.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

This summer, Interim Provost Marianne Kennedy will be leading a working group to ready the launch of our new strategic planning initiative. A memo will be distributed soon soliciting volunteers. As was the case with the preceding plan, the development of a new document charting the university’s course for the next decade will be an inclusive effort. It will allow us to align our goals and objectives with other major initiatives, including the revision of our master plan and the university’s first major capital campaign.

During my first year as president, I was impressed with this university’s commitment to informed, strategic decision-making. The budget process for example, involving the University Budget and Planning and the University Strategic Planning Review committees, is one example of utilizing collaborative effort to address an urgent situation. I am confident that the skills and talents of our campus community will again be put to best use in the months ahead as we plan Southern’s future growth and enhance its mission.

STUDENT ACCOLADES

Our students have been shining brightly as we approach the conclusion of the academic year. Earlier this week, four Southern students received the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, for their prowess in both the classroom and the community. Criteria for this prestigious award include a 3.7 GPA and demonstrating significant participation in university and/or community life. Each of the Southern recipients plans to enter the “helping professions” – teaching, nursing and social work among them – after an impressive career in college. The individual accomplishments of Nicole Cassidy, Cody McClave, Angela Read and Anna Walters are detailed on our website: http://www.southernct.edu/news/barnard2013.html. But suffice to say that “exceptionally bright and motivated,” “talented and proficient” and “the very best that SCSU has to offer,” are among the descriptive phrases offered by their professors. Congratulations to these students and to the faculty and staff who have taught them and nurtured their talents.

Rose D’Amico, a junior from Fairfield, was honored Tuesday evening by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy at the 2013 Community Service Awards, presented by the Connecticut Commission on Community Service. Rose was one of just two individual student awardees chosen from more than 40 nominations by 15 Connecticut colleges. She was recognized for her leadership as chair of the SCSU Service Team and as commissioner with the Student Government Association Service Commission.  Under Rose’s direction, the service team participated in over 15 service projects and logged more than 3,000 service hours.  The service team executive board has also created an innovative model for coordinating community service events on campus and the surrounding community.

Community service at Southern has long been a point of pride, exemplified in recent events such as Relay for Life and Jail ‘n Bail, each of which has raised thousands of dollars for worthy causes over many years. And thanks to the efforts of student leaders such as Rose, the tradition of volunteerism that is so in keeping with the mission of a public university will long continue. Kudos to Rose and to all our student volunteers and advisors.

Finally, we have also learned that Brendan Walsh, a student in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, has been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Student Award for 2013-2014 to Laos, where he will teach English. Brendan, who will be graduating from the M.F.A. program this May, is also an administrative assistant in the Office of International Education. He had previously taught ESL (English As a Second Language) for one year in Korea, as well as at Hartwick College, Oneonta, N.Y., where he received his undergraduate degree.

Brendan says he will use journaling and poetry writing with his students in Laos as ways to improve their communication skills. In addition to teaching, he plans to continue his study of Theravada Buddhism, work on a new collection of poetry inspired by his experiences in Laos, and volunteer at a local orphanage.

Congratulations to Brendan, who is just the second Southern student to receive this prestigious national award. His accomplishment, and indeed the accomplishments of all our awardees, reflect positively on the value of a Southern education, and upon all of those who contribute to student success in so many ways.

Recently, I have had the opportunity through the news media to discuss Southern and issues facing public higher education in Connecticut. As you know, there is a great deal of competition for limited state funding in an economic climate that continues to be challenging. I believe it is essential for us to talk about what Southern has to offer the region and the state and why this university – and public higher education in general – should be viewed as a positive source of investment.

On WNPR public radio, I spoke with John Dankosky, host of “Where We Live,” about our efforts to maintain accessibility and affordability in the face of rising tuition costs and declining state funding. We also discussed our new initiatives to enhance retention and graduation rates, the expansion of our offerings in key high demand areas such as the sciences and business, and our complementary engagement in providing a liberal arts education and enhancing workforce development. As I have said many times, while we all recognize that workforce development prepares our students for their first jobs, it is a liberal education that prepares them to face and accommodate the inevitable change that is more and more characterizing our world. 

You can listen to the whole discussion here: http://www.yourpublicmedia.org/content/wnpr/scsu-president-mary-papazian  Essentially, I sought to portray Southern as a university of opportunity, in step with both the state’s economic needs and the individual needs of our students.

I continued this theme in a shorter interview on Fox 61 television’s Morning Show this Monday, and in a keynote speech that I delivered at Business New Haven magazine’s Business and Civic Awards last week. And I plan to meet with legislators in Hartford on a regular basis, to ensure that Southern’s unique and significant role in Connecticut higher education is both understood and embraced.

NEW LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

As you know, this has been an extremely busy time on campus, with multiple searches for leadership positions running concurrently. Two of those searches – for director of admissions and vice president for student affairs – have been successfully concluded. I anticipate an announcement regarding the chief information officer in the near future, and the searches for vice president for institutional advancement and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences are at an advanced stage.

I thank all the members of the various search committees for their excellent efforts in presenting a very strong and diverse pool of finalists for each position. And thanks to those of you who attended the public candidate forums and presented your valuable input.

Please extend a Southern welcome to our new Admissions Director Alexis Haakonsen, who started her new job on Tuesday. Alexis has more than 18 years experience in higher education, beginning her admissions career at The College of Wooster in Ohio and serving as the executive director and dean of graduate admissions at Sacred Heart University since 2002. 

During her time at SHU, Alexis led effective and innovative marketing and recruitment strategies aligned with the university’s mission and strategic enrollment goals to recruit, enroll and graduate a diverse and talented student body.

Dr. Tracy Tyree will join us July 15 as the university’s new vice president for student affairs. She will bring with her a track record of commitment to student success, effective senior administration and innovation in student programming and support services.

Tracy’s most recent position in higher education was as associate vice president of student affairs for five years at the University of South Florida (USF). USF is a public Research I institution within the State University System of Florida, with about 48,000 students on its four campuses. Tracy worked primarily on the Tampa campus, which has a diverse population of 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

In Tampa, she established an office supporting the transition of first-year and transfer students, a center for leadership and civic engagement, and a department serving the unique needs of veteran students. Additionally, she secured funding for an integrated and comprehensive approach to student wellness; increasing staffing, enhancing facilities, introducing new programs and developing a behavioral intervention team.

Before joining USF, Tracy served for four years as the dean of student life at Susquehanna University, a liberal arts college of about 1,900 undergraduates in central Pennsylvania. Before that appointment, she was director of the First-Year Experience and Academic Advising Center at Mercer University, a comprehensive institution of more than 7,300 students, in Macon, Ga.

Tracy has been engaged on the national level volunteering in a variety of capacities with NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in college student personnel administration.

Tracy’s experience has given her a broad perspective on the issues facing higher education, and I believe that she will be an excellent advocate and mentor for our students.

Please take the opportunity to welcome Alexis and Tracy personally to campus.

 GROUNDBREAKING/PARKING

As you know, due to a delay in awarding the contract for the new Academic and Laboratory Science Building, tomorrow’s (April 5) scheduled groundbreaking ceremony has been postponed to the beginning of the fall semester, when construction will be under way. The groundbreaking will now be held on Friday, September 20, at 1 p.m.  Mark your calendars for this exciting occasion!

Depending on the conclusion of the contractual negotiations, construction may begin at an earlier date, however, necessitating the permanent closure of the Jennings Hall Parking Lot and a portion of the Engleman faculty/staff lot. These plans will be discussed at a Town Hall meeting this Friday, April 5, at 1:30 p.m. in the Adanti Student Center Theater.

Executive Vice President James Blake, University Police Chief Joseph Dooley and Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting and Facilities Operations Robert Sheeley will present an overview of parking at Southern, with specific reference to the changes that will occur with the advent of two major construction projects on campus (the Buley Library renovation is the other).

Please take the opportunity to attend, receive information, and offer your input on this important campus issue.

PUBLIC HEALTH AWARD

The Connecticut Public Health Association (CHPA) has created an annual student award in honor of Dr. Michael Perlin, a longtime member of our public health faculty, who passed away in 2011, shortly after his retirement from Southern.

As current Public Health Department Chair Bill Faraclas notes, Michael was known for his “mentorship, excellent pedagogy and unfailing devotion to students and academic integrity.”

Fittingly, the inaugural CPHA Michael J. Perlin Student Award will be presented to a Southern graduate student, Étienne X. Holder, today (April 4) at the Association’s Public Health Awards and Networking Night at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown. 

“I can think of no one more deserving than Étienne to receive this enormous honor,” Bill writes.  “Among her many admirable qualifications, she has distinguished herself academically, has an impressive record of volunteer service, and is working to lessen health disparities as a federally funded Public Health Training Center Fellow. Although she never met Mike Perlin, Étienne shares with him that quality of not being satisfied until she has done her best.”

Congratulations to Étienne and our Public Health Department on this deserving and poignant recognition.

PREDICTING STUDENT SUCCESS

As you know, our Student Success Taskforce is hard at work examining ways to enhance our retention and graduation rates.  One option that has already been identified is a predictive analytics system that can be used by our academic advisers to “look into the future” and offer students statistical-based evidence about the likelihood of full success in a particular major.   

This system was developed by the Education Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. to help students weigh their options when considering a degree program. It has been successfully used at other institutions to project whether a student will do well or struggle in a specific class or degree program.

Rick Riccardi, director of the Office of Management Information and Research, says the new system will help students learn at an earlier stage in their academic careers whether a particular program is a good choice for them. If it is not, switching to another major may make the difference between completing a program and graduating.

We can look forward to using the system in the 2014-15 academic year, once we have submitted 10 years worth of data. It certainly has the potential to be a valuable tool for our advisers and a boon to our students’ academic prospects.

KUDOS

Finally, congratulations to two individuals who have put Southern on the map in vastly different ways: Elliott Horch, our 2012 Faculty Scholar, and senior swimmer Amanda Thomas, four-time national champion.

During his six years at Southern, Elliott has earned national acclaim for his invention of the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI), a device that has enabled astronomers to obtain the sharpest of cosmic images and, as a result, a clearer glimpse into the origins of our sun and solar system.

After being extensively used at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, the DSSI will be available this summer for users of the 8-meter telescope at the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii – make your vacation plans now!

Elliott’s research, supported by more than $1 million in grants, has earned him several honors in the education and technology arenas. And perhaps most rewarding are his efforts to engage students in his work and nurture their interest in physics, helping to build the next generation of Connecticut scientists.

From its origins as a teacher-training institution more than a century ago, Southern has always held a reputation for excellence in pedagogy. And Elliott epitomizes the traits of an outstanding teacher and scholar, both inside and outside the classroom.

It is not surprising that the number of physics majors at Southern has nearly doubled in the last four years, given increasing opportunities for cutting-edge student research and the quality of our faculty members.

Amanda completed her storied Southern swimming career at the recent Division II national championships in Birmingham, Ala., with victory in the 200-yard individual medley for the third consecutive year. In addition, she finished as runner-up, third and sixth in three other events, reclaiming the Division II National Swimmer of the Year award that she first won last year.

With 18 All-America titles and four individual NCAA crowns, she is one of the most decorated student-athletes in school history. As you know, competitive swimming requires countless hours of individual training, yet Amanda has matched her dedication in the pool with her commitment to studies in the classroom.  She is set to graduate in May with a B.S. in exercise science with a concentration in human performance.

Kudos to Amanda for a career of outstanding accomplishments, and to Coach Tim Quill for nurturing the talents of yet another champion swimmer for Southern!

I hope that all of you enjoyed the recent holiday weekend, which was a welcome respite after a long period of disruption caused by the record snowfall that pummeled our state. On behalf of all the members of our campus community, I thank our facilities operations staff, our campus police and our payroll, residence halls and food services teams for their tireless efforts to clear the campus and keep key areas operating during several days of extreme difficulty. It seems we now are regularly challenged to respond to the worst that Mother Nature can throw at us, and on each occasion our campus staff has responded in exemplary manner. During the days when most of us are at home sheltering from the storm, please spare a thought for those working long and hard so that we can resume our normal schedule as quickly as possible.

ADVANCING THE SCIENCES

I’m sure that many of you have read about Gov. Malloy’s proposal for a $1.5 to $2 billion long-term science and technology initiative at the University of Connecticut. Development in these key areas is certainly good for the state, as we work to create a twenty-first century workforce, and here at Southern we must do our part to support the Governor’s long-term goals. Thus, it is important that we continue to develop and share with the legislature and the larger community the growth and potential in the sciences at Southern and our sister institutions. Indeed, enrollment in the STEM disciplines at Southern has increased by 21.5 percent during the last five years. Of the 1001 students currently enrolled in STEM programs, 43 percent are women and 24 percent minorities – highly significant statistics at a time when both populations remain underserved in the sciences. The number of physics majors has doubled in the last four years – boosted by three new initiatives tailored to meet the needs of Connecticut’s high-tech industry: an engineering concentration, an interdisciplinary M.S. program in applied physics and a 9-credit nanotechnology certificate program. And our current graduation rates for physics majors are in the top 15 percent nationally.

These advances will be boosted by the addition of our new academic science building, due to commence construction later this spring (to be marked by a special groundbreaking ceremony April 5). The new building will provide opportunities to explore new fields, enhance existing cutting-edge programs and draw even more students to the in-demand STEM disciplines. Starting in the next weeks with a legislative breakfast on campus, and in subsequent person-to-person meetings with key legislators and state officials, I will make the case that investment in Southern’s science programs – and indeed in our overall academic program – is essential for the continued economic revival of our state.

CELEBRATING RESEARCH

Later this year, we will mark the 30th anniversary of our transition from college to university status. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate all that has gone before, but also that which sets us apart – including our commitment to excellent teaching and our growing tradition of ground breaking research. One of those researchers, Associate Physics Professor Elliott Horch, will be honored next month as our 2012 Faculty Scholar of the Year. Elliott is highly regarded in the field of astronomy for his optics research. He developed a cutting-edge telescopic instrument that enables astronomers to see images of distant stars with crispness up to 20 times sharper than ever before. Based primarily at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tuscon, Ariz., it is helping to provide new insights into the formation of our solar system, and was recently used to take the clearest, ground-based pictures of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon (see the New Haven Register story at: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/01/05/news/doc50e852e5e1f12854475552.txt <http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/01/05/news/doc50e852e5e1f12854475552.txt> ).

One of the special things about a Southern education is that our students have the opportunity to work with leading researchers such as Professor Horch on a day-to-day basis. Such student-faculty interaction represents pedagogy at its best, and it is something that sets us apart from many institutions. I hope that you will take the opportunity to recognize Elliott and celebrate research and scholarship at Southern on March 11 at 1 p.m. in the Lyman Center Lobby.

STUDENT SUCCESS

In recent weeks, our Student Success Taskforce led by Peter Troiano, interim vice president for student affairs, and Nicole Henderson, director of our First-Year Experience program, has been working to identify areas in which we can enhance our retention rate and provide our students with a smoother path toward graduation. As I have stated previously, there are peer institutions elsewhere in the country with similar student demographic backgrounds that have successfully raised their six-year graduation mark to the 60 percent level that we should aspire to achieve.  And on campus we are already making gains in individual areas.

During the fall 2012 semester for example, our student-athletes recorded an all-time high grade point average of 3.057.  Eleven of our 19 athletics programs achieved a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher: the women’s cross country team posted an outstanding 3.84 team GPA to lead all squads, while the men’s basketball team’s 3.11 GPA led the way on the men’s side.

Individually, 54 percent of our 395 student-athletes achieved a semester grade point average of at least a 3.0, with 104 registered 3.5 or higher, and nine student-athletes scoring a perfect 4.0 GPA. Not surprisingly, Southern athletes were named to the fall 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll for academic achievement.

This success story is testament to the excellent work done by Athletic Director Pat Nicol and her team in placing an emphasis on academics and ensuring that a healthy balance is maintained between sport and study.

And while our teams excel in the classroom, they continue a tradition of achievement athletically. In the latest success story, Coach Tim Quill’s swimming and diving teams once again dominated the recent Northeast-10 Conference Championships. The men won a ninth title in 10 years, while the women recorded their 10th straight title. National champion senior Amanda Thomas was named the NE-10’s Most Outstanding Swimmer for the fourth year in a row after finishing first in five events.

BUSINESS MATTERS

We received two welcome pieces of news recently regarding the School of Business. First, the newly renovated building has been designated a LEED-gold certification facility by the U.S. Green Building Council, which recognizes projects for environmentally efficient design and construction. A gold designation is the second highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification level. The criteria include energy efficiency, air quality and innovation and this award is yet another testament to the university’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

As you know, we officially opened the new Business School with a ribbon cutting ceremony last September. But while the new school finally offers our students, faculty and staff access to 21st century accommodations and technologies after too many years spent in aging Seabury Hall, the project in reality remains half-completed.

To fully develop the school’s potential and provide the best possible response to Connecticut’s work force needs, we are seeking additional funding to develop the new building’s adjoining annex as a Business Student Resource Center. The center and its range of services – including internship development and management, academic advisement and technology assistance — will greatly enhance the learning environment and workplace development opportunities for our business students, and also provide a resource for the business community-at-large.

With support from the New Haven legislative delegation and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Business School Dean Ellen Durnin and Executive Vice President James Blake presented testimony before the legislative Higher Education Committee last week, seeking $4.5 million in state funding to cover construction costs for this new project. By all accounts, our request was well-received, and will shortly move on to the Appropriations Committee for another hearing and review.

Certainly, the need has never been greater than now to fully develop the potential of the only public School of Business in the southern part of the state. A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers ranked the 11 top college majors that employers are likely to hire and found that eight out of 11 were in business disciplines. Our business school is positioned to deliver graduates in all of these fields to Connecticut’s employers – and typically, more than 85 percent of our graduating class stays in the state to live and work.

Investment in a new Business Student Resource Center will enhance both the knowledge and skills of our Business School graduates. And in doing so, it will advance their career prospects and provide a practical boost for the economic future of our region and Connecticut as a whole. I will continue to update you as this senate bill continues its progress toward a hopefully positive conclusion.

Finally, I want to thank the organizers of two wonderful events that I attended recently. Our Multicultural Center hosted a moving and inspirational “Celebration in Honor of  Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”, highlighted by an eloquent presentation by Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson on ‘The Role of Media Images in the Quest for Equality.’ A professional monologist, Tiffany Bailey, portrayed Coretta Scott King in a monologue about her husband, family and the fight for civil rights. A special dedication to the memory of the children and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown was performed by Southern’s own Symphonic Pulse Dance Company and the program concluded with an electrifying performance by the dynamic SCSU Steppin’ Up Drill Team. In these often-troubled times in which we live, the words of Dr. King carry a special resonance today: “We must work unceasingly to uplift this nation that we love to a higher destiny, to a higher plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness.”

I also thank the Alumni office and the Alumni Association for organizing a wonderful event at the Fairfield Museum & History Center, which had on display one of the few extant copies of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The assembled alumni enjoyed a fine reception, convivial conversation, and a lecture by our own Professor Richard Gerber. We are reminded that as we build our future, the past is always with us.

Welcome back! I hope that you all enjoyed peaceful, happy holidays with your family and friends. Yet this holiday season was also burdened with sorrow caused by the tragic deaths in Newtown. At times of such sorrow, we treasure those we love even more and reconnect with friends we have not heard from in some time. It is an essential part of humanity.

Many of you were present at the moving tribute that our campus community paid on Dec. 18 to the three Southern alumni and one current student who died in the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School: Principal Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, MS ’97, 6th Yr. ’98; teacher Anne Marie Murphy, MS ’08; school counselor Mary J. Sherlach, MS ’90, 6th Yr. ’92 and current master’s degree student Victoria Soto.

The care and compassion shown by these educators demonstrates their strength of character, their total dedication to their students, and also their high moral fiber. Certainly they represent the best virtues which characterize our campus. We strive to prepare our teachers – and indeed, all of our students – to be engaged citizens, to have a high sense of responsibility, high moral values, and to be willing to act on behalf of others. Indeed Dawn, Mary, Anna Marie and Victoria showed themselves to be true heroes, for their last actions were attempts to protect the children in their care without concern for their personal well-being.  And so we honor their memory; we mourn their loss; and we continue to hold all who were impacted by these terrible events in our hearts and prayers.

NEW SEMESTER

A challenging Spring semester lies ahead of us. Yet despite the current climate of fiscal constraint, we must continue to move forward in the most careful way possible. With state budget cuts and enrollment declines adversely impacting our income, there is little room for maneuver or mistakes. As you have read in the papers, the Board of Regents has begun grappling with the issue of whether – and if so, how high – to raise tuition and fees. Somehow we must have income to meet the essentials of our programs. 

We have been informed by the Board, however, that we may proceed with hiring if we have made the allocation within the limitations of our current budget. Accordingly, as I announced in late December, we are continuing the search and hiring process for the following positions: 11 tenure track faculty positions; dean of arts and sciences, vice president for student affairs; an admissions director; chief information officer; and a campus security officer.  Further review in early January has allowed us to move forward with our searches for a vice president for institutional advancement, director of the Office of Diversity and Equity, and system administrator in IT.

As we discussed at December’s budget meeting, our first priority was to stabilize our enrollment and to serve the needs of our current students. We will consider hiring in other critical positions as our financial situation becomes clearer.  

I will keep you informed as new developments occur. We will continue our community forums, and I look forward to more open dialogue on the budget and other key issues such as promotion and tenure. I also intend to continue meeting with students and hearing first-hand about their concerns and ideas.

Last Friday evening, my husband Dennis and I welcomed 70 student leaders and a dozen administrators to our home as a prelude to the student leadership conference planned for that weekend. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a Southern president has invited students to their home for a social gathering. I was impressed by the dignity, good manners, and intelligence of our students. The evening was filled with fun and conviviality. Certainly we must do this again.

At the conference, which was planned by the students themselves, the students heard from a host of speakers and engaged in meaningful conversations with these guests and with each other on issues of leadership.  By developing skills such as communication, teamwork and planning, this type of event will complement the knowledge our students gain in the classroom, and produce well-rounded graduates who can play leadership roles in society.

Our campus construction program will proceed on schedule. The new 1,200-space parking garage near Moore Fieldhouse is almost complete – glass windows remain to be placed in the foyer and stairwell areas. Both the Buley Library renovation and the new Academic Science Building are out to bid, and we anticipate that construction on both of these projects will begin in late spring.

STUDENT SUCCESS

As you know, our six-year graduation rate of 43.7% does not compare favorably with the national average of 60%. We have already identified a significant loss of students between the sophomore and the junior year, and we will look at these and other issues closely. If students only attend for two years, they are treating Southern as a community college. Clearly, there is an urgent need for us to understand the challenges to introduce broader student success and to take appropriate action to address them.

Our new Student Success Task Force will analyze crucial issues related to student retention and graduation, and attempt to identify ways to increase our graduation rate. The task force will examine our current practices, determine what we can learn from our peer institutions, and analyze how we can positively impact the student experience. I have asked the task force to move past personal impressions and deal with whatever objective evidence is available or can be made available. The first meeting will be this Friday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. in the Adanti Student Center, and members have been notified of  their appointment.

We are not alone in the need to address this retention issue. In December, I attended the third annual convocation of Complete College America, a national non-profit organization that works with states to increase the number of Americans earning college degrees and to close attainment gaps between traditional and under-represented populations.  While undergraduate enrollment doubled nationally between 1970 and 2009, the completion rate for students remained virtually unchanged – so there is urgency. For one thing, it must be possible for students going full time to meet all the requirements for a degree in four years. Even a 60% graduation rate is not high enough.

Public institutions such as ours in other states have shown that obstacles can be overcome. Like this university, all of them are urban-centered, with diverse populations, a large proportion of commuters, and similar percentages of students receiving financial aid – yet their six-year graduation rates approach 60 percent. Where there is a will, there is a way!

The Connecticut delegation at the retention conference in New Orleans included State Sen. Beth Bye and Rep. Roberta Willis, co-chairs of the General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, and staff from the Board of Regents and Governor Malloy’s office. Clearly, there is a widespread and high level interest in this issue.

An analysis of our state’s public higher education record prepared for the Conference made sobering reading. By the year 2020, 67% of all jobs will require a career certificate or college degree – yet just 46% of Connecticut adults currently have an associate degree or higher. And while statewide access to higher education has improved dramatically, retention rates drop year by year. For too many students, the path through college ends with no degree – and often a mountain of debt. Finally, we must realize that our students will face international competition whether we like it or not. Americans must stay on top of the food chain if we are to provide ourselves and our children with a traditional middle-class standard of living. 

While these numbers suggest an urgency, we also were impressed with some of the work being done in other states to address the issue.  There is a path forward if we have the will to face the issues directly, learn from some of the work being done by our colleagues across the country, and make tough choices. 

Here at Southern, a 20-member Transfer Task Force was charged last fall by the co-chairs of the Enrollment Management Council to assess the effectiveness of our current services to transfer students and recommend improvement from recruitment through degree completion.

The task force has completed its review, and it has made a number of valuable recommendations. These include requiring all transfer students to complete an orientation process and creating an “early warning system” to advise students who are behind in class work or who are not on track to finish their studies in a timely manner. Students will be provided diagnostic assessment, helped to develop an education plan and provided guidance with how to work on financial issues. Those in need will meet with appropriate academic and financial aid representatives.

I wish to thank Chairman Kimberly Crone, associate vice president for academic student services, and the faculty and staff who agreed to serve on the committee for their innovative ideas. My Cabinet and I will work diligently with the task force to implement the best of these ideas.

KUDOS

Southern’s Athletics Department deservedly has gained a reputation for excellence at the national level, and not surprisingly alumni and former coaching staff regularly receive acclaim.

Jeff Stoutland ’84, MS ’86, one of the nation’s most respected offensive line coaches, helped mastermind last week’s resounding national championship victory for Alabama over the University of Notre Dame.  Jeff was a four-year letterman and a three-year starter and inside linebacker at Southern from 1980-83, a team captain in his senior year and served two coaching stints at his alma mater before moving on to Syracuse and then Miami.

Bob Dikranian, the founder of our men’s soccer program, has been selected for induction into the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Hall of Fame Class of 2013 on Jan. 18 at the annual NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis. Over 21 seasons, starting in 1966, Bob amassed a 227-94-21 overall record, won our first-ever national soccer title in 1987 and established the Owls as a benchmark Division II program in the nation.

Donna Lopiano ’68, one of the nation’s foremost advocates for equality and fairness in sports, has been chosen to receive the NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award for leadership in intercollegiate athletics at the 2013 NCAA Convention on Jan. 17. Donna, the former chief executive officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation, has devoted more than four decades advocating for equality in college athletics, particularly on behalf of increased opportunities for women.

“She has worked tirelessly on behalf of all student-athletes and has been a staunch supporter of the collegiate model,” says NCAA President Mark Emmert. “While she tends to be labeled primarily as a women’s sports advocate for the positive difference she has made in that arena over time, Donna has in fact fought for equality and fairness for all student-athletes in her many roles. That is why she is so deserving of this award.”

Fittingly Donna, a star student-athlete in multiple sports at Southern, will be one of our special guests next fall at a university event marking the 40^th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX, a groundbreaking law making gender discrimination illegal in federally funded education that has positively impacted the lives of millions of Americans during the past 40 years.  Also engaged in the Oct. 11 event will be U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Bernice Sandler, the women’s rights activist who was instrumental in the creation of Title IX.

It is appropriate that this event will be held at Southern, which began its own push for equality for women in athletics long before this became a national commitment. In fact, due to the university’s proactive recruitment efforts, Southern’s women’s basketball teams were ranked among the nation’s leading programs during the 1960s and early ’70s under the guidance of coach Louise O’Neal. Louise was recently honored by the national Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as a pioneer of the game.

 We are certainly proud of the ongoing success of our faculty and staff. We have a great tradition going for us, and we should not waste it.