Center for the Performing Arts - September 11, 2007 - 2 p.m.
Thank you Dan, and thank all of you for coming today. I know that this is a very busy campus, and I want you to know that I appreciate the time you’ve taken to be part of the State of the University address.
What separates this institution from most any other type of organizational model is that we work together, plan together, decide together and succeed together. Today, the state of our University is strong and vibrant and it’s because of our continued commitment to shared governance at Illinois State.
I want to say a special thank you to my wife Linda, Chair of the Board of Trustees Carl Kasten, Trustees Joanne Maitland, Betty Kinser and Stan Ommen, and State Representative Dan Brady for their support here today.
I deliver this message at the pinnacle of our Sesquicentennial celebration—and so—it is appropriate to begin by quoting a passage from our history—as written in a book published in celebration of our 150th year. Illinois State University opened its classrooms to students for the first time on the morning of October 5, 1857. Recalling that auspicious moment a quarter-century later, our first President, Charles Hovey, back then he was called a Principal, said, “you would have seen ten young men and seventeen young women grouped together on benches, looking inquiringly towards Ira Moore and the principal sitting on the platform. The two men on the platform saw, or thought they saw, in the faces before them a promise of coming honor to the institution. They believed in its future growth—not as a sudden creation of a magic palace, but as the slow-coming result of hard work on a good plan.”
Hard work on a good plan – I’m struck by those words from Principal Hovey because they are as relevant today as they were at the dawn of Illinois State’s existence.
Hard work? All of you—students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Illinois State, have worked hard to make this university the outstanding institution it is today.
A good plan? Well, Principal Hovey could have been forecasting Educating Illinois—the action plan that has guided us through our recent history and that is even today, being updated to inspire us in the years to come.
It is easy—and quite frankly—a lot of fun to look back 150 years and see our transformation from a tiny teachers college in the middle of the Illinois prairie—to the diverse and multi-dimensional institution with six academic colleges and 160 fields of study that we are today.
At most institutions, it would be more challenging to reflect over a shorter period of recent history and still reveal dramatic transformation, but not at Illinois State.
In just the last ten years, Illinois State has opened the Science Laboratory Building, Center for the Performing Arts, College of Business Building, Kaufman Football Building and a new research farm.
We have closed, remodeled and reopened three residence halls and we are working on number four right now. We gutted and rebuilt Schroeder Hall. We have improved our library and most of our classroom spaces. Next summer, we will begin building a new Student Fitness and Kinesiology Recreation Building. And sometime soon, I am confident that I will be announcing state capital support for a new Fine Arts Complex.
During this same ten year period, the image of Illinois State University has transformed dramatically. We used to be considered a “middle-of-the-pack” university. Today we stand out—and apart—from our competitors. I truly believe we are the emerging flagship institution in Illinois.
The academic quality of our students is the strongest it has ever been in terms of ACT composites, class rank and grade point average. Our faculty members are deservedly earning more honors than ever before. A new national ranking for scholarly productivity has ranked us 14th among institutions of similar size and scope, and our joint focus on teaching and scholarship has placed us in a unique position among the nation’s 4,000 colleges and universities.
We have more nationally ranked programs—the latest—a top 50 ranking by Business Week for our undergraduate programs in the College of Business. If you haven’t been in the College of Business Building lately, I invite you to stop by. It is a beautiful facility, and I understand the students dress really well too.
In 1997, our Foundation assets stood at about $20 million. Today it is nearly $83 million. A decade ago, we awarded $442,000 for scholarships to Illinois State students. In academic year 2006-2007 we awarded to our students more than $2 million in scholarships. That is an increase in support of more than 400 percent.
You are an important part of that support. In 1997, 737 members of the Illinois State family supported our University. Today, that number has almost doubled.
Just a dozen years ago, Illinois State was governed by a board that was forced to share its loyalty and its effort among three institutions—and the student members on that board cast a vote that didn’t count. Today, we benefit from an independent governing board that focuses its guidance on Illinois State alone—and when Student Trustee Ryan Cekander votes on a resolution—it carries the same weight as every other vote.
In 1997—there was little public talk about Illinois State University’s excellence as connected with student and family affordability for the premier experience we offer. Today, Kiplinger’s Magazine, a national publication, has three straight times, recognized Illinois State as one of the top 100 Universities in the nation for excellence AND value.
Ten years ago—we talked about students and athletes—and community support for our outstanding intercollegiate athletics program was fair-weather at best. Today we proudly “Spread the Red”—for our tremendous group of engaged student/athletes and for the campus and community support they so richly deserve.
Just last year, Illinois State student-athletes posted a 2.97 grade-point-average and contributed 2,189 hours of community service. The department is riding a streak of four straight semesters with a GPA above a 2.9.
Record crowds at football and women’s basketball events and a department contract with Nike were highlights to a year in which video boards were installed on Main Street, in Redbird Arena and at Hancock Stadium. Annual giving to Athletics has increased to $1 million per year and there has been a 70 percent increase in Redbird Club memberships.
How did all of this happen in just ten years? Principal Charles Hovey knows—hard work and a good plan.
As we stand on the threshold of our second 150 years, Illinois State University is poised to make an even greater academic contribution to our students, and to have an even greater impact on our community, state, nation and world. Here are just a few examples:
Academic Affairs, in partnership with Student Affairs, continues to successfully administer the American Democracy Project and the companion Political Engagement Project. In just the past month, two Illinois State professors were chosen as Carnegie Foundation Political Engagement Scholars. Stephen Hunt from the School of Communication, and Robert Bradley from Politics and Government were chosen for the honor based on their leadership roles in the University’s Political Engagement Project.
As Political Engagement Scholars, Drs. Hunt and Bradley will expand on their work of helping faculty members incorporate political awareness and engagement activities into the University’s general education curriculum. Their work on political engagement activities on campus will continue to serve as a model for similar programs at other universities. Illinois State’s active participation in the American Democracy Partnership has brought us national attention and national respect from the other participating institutions.
Just last May, our Board of Trustees approved a Renewable Energy major for the University. The news of that major became a national story, and Illinois State received positive media coverage across the country, including the Chicago Tribune and CNN.
The efforts of Mark Walbert, Associate Vice President of Academic Information Technology and Dean of Libraries Cheryl Elzy have also brought national attention to Illinois State. Their work on the Digital Citizens Project, an effort to find solutions to the problem of illegal file sharing, was the subject of a Chronicle of Higher Education feature in just the past two weeks.
In the last year, Research and Sponsored Programs and Graduate Study units have facilitated 250 funded grants and sponsored programs totaling well over $19 million. Meanwhile, work with our Washington D.C. lobbying firm continues in tandem with our local relationship with the Economic Development Council.
Although the number of Illinois State University success stories continues to rise, the number of challenges that face our university community is not too far behind. Because of this year’s marathon state budget process, most faculty and staff members still haven’t received their fiscal year salary increase, and we are still waiting for a state capital spending plan.
Clearly, we are far more dependent on tuition revenue and the funds we raise through grants and private gifts. Still, faculty and staff member compensation remains my number one priority. I also remain committed to continuing the mid-year Salary Enhancement Program that I initiated with my 2005 State of the University message. Since that program began, we have put $2 million into faculty and staff salaries, in addition to the regular salary increases that occur annually—and I think that says a great deal about our commitment to this initiative.
While we continue to make progress toward aligning our faculty and staff salaries with comparison group averages, it will take time to reach our ultimate goal. In 2005, salaries for Full Professors lagged 14 percent behind peer group averages—today it is about 10 percent. For Associate Professors, the lag percentage in 2005 was over 10 percent—now it is about seven percent. For Assistant Professors, the 2005 percentage was 2.2 percent—now it is under a half percent. For our Administrative Professional group, salaries are at or above comparison group averages. For our Civil Service group—comparisons to universities with the same Civil Service classifications as Illinois State, show our salaries at 1.2 percent higher than comparison group averages.
Our Division of Finance and Planning is currently calculating what this year’s state appropriation and income fund revenue will mean for Salary Enhancement, and I will share those details with the University community as they become available.
Clearly, the percentages show that of our employee groups, professors salaries are the furthest from comparison group averages—and that group will continue to be the focus of our Salary Enhancement Plan. I understand that there are individuals in all employee groups whose salaries are still below average, and we will use the Salary Enhancement Plan to address those individuals as funds become available.
I will also make it one of my priorities to explore and implement methods to enhance financial aid packages for students, and to make Illinois State an easier place for native and transfer students to get into their major course of study.
As we compete for academically talented and motivated students, we must realize that the demographics of Illinois high schools are changing. In Illinois, within the next ten years, 40 percent of high school graduates will come from underrepresented groups—and unless their college participation rates change dramatically, Illinois universities will be competing for students from a much smaller pool.
Our ability to remain a first-choice institution will increasingly be tied to our affordability, accessibility and flexibility. I am proud to say that in just the last two years, Illinois State has doubled its commitment to supplementing the state’s Monetary Award Program from $2 million to $4 million…and NO other Illinois public University can say that.
Another priority for this year is completing the revision of our strategic blueprint, Educating Illinois. Borrowing again from Charles Hovey—this is our good plan. It has guided us through the most successful period in Illinois State’s 150 year history—and with your help—it will continue to lead us to future success.
I’d like to give special thanks to Deb Smitley, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Planning, and Jan Shane, Associate Provost, for their leadership on this revision. I want to thank the members of the Educating Illinois coordinating team for their investment of time and effort. And I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the next edition of Educating Illinois through advice and insight. There is no example of shared governance at Illinois State University that shines brighter than Educating Illinois. It is a document with a thousand authors—and the authors are you.
During last fall’s State of the University message, I announced that Illinois State University had signed the Illinois Sustainable University Compact, as developed by the state Green Government Coordinating Council.The Compact is an action-based pledge to improve how our campus interacts with the environment and to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth and highlight the growing concern of the over-pollution of the soil, air and water. I also promised you a progress report during today’s message.
As part of the Compact, Illinois State specified nine goals that we pledged to achieve by the year 2010. I can report that we have already achieved or surpassed several of our goals and we are well on our way toward success with the others. A few examples:
As a result of a partnership with the University Farm, Campus Dining Services, Facilities Management and the Town of Normal, we annually compost more than 30,000 cubic yards of organic waste. We have reduced pesticide use by establishing integrated pest management practices at all facilities on campus.
Illinois State has already purchased four flex-fuel vehicles – we use other bio-diesel vehicles – and are exploring the possibility of using higher bio-diesel blends. There are several sources of public transportation that are available to students, faculty and staff members free of charge. These include Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System, Redbird Express campus shuttle, NiteRide and Late NiteRide. All of these bus services currently utilize some blend of bio-diesel fuels.
The University does not use toxic cleaning products and has incorporated
what are termed “green” products where possible. Currently, Thomas Metcalf School and University High School are cleaned exclusively with “green” cleaning products.
Through grants from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, we have been able to upgrade lighting in our classrooms, laboratories and administrative buildings resulting in a combined reduction of 950 kilowatts of required electricity. That energy could supply electricity to more than 800 homes for one year!
As we continue to work toward achieving our environmental goals, continued participation from members of the University community is essential. I’d like to thank the Offices of Facilities Management and Energy Management, and members of Illinois State’s Green Team for all of their hard work.
I think my favorite priority for this year will be to encourage every student, faculty member, staff member, alumni and friend of Illinois State to participate as much as possible in our Sesquicentennial celebration. The fantastic programs that launched our celebration last spring are equaled by the impressive line-up for this fall. Just one week from today, we welcome Doris-Kearns Goodwin. Later this semester, we will host Ken Burns, Naomi Judd, Henry Louis Gates Junior and Jonathan Kozol.
In addition, there is a full spectrum of companion academic, cultural and social events—and most of them are free of charge. In fact, most all of the costs associated with our 150th anniversary have come from private sponsor and trust funding. I encourage you to visit our Sesquicentennial Web site to learn about every program available, and about the wonderful sponsors who have helped make it all possible.
I also want to put in a special plug for our Homecoming Gala, which will be held the evening of Saturday, October 13, in the Brown Ballroom. If you haven’t already received information about that event, it is also available on the Sesquicentennial Web site.
I want to end my prepared remarks today with a thank you to four people who are very important in my work life. When I tell the Illinois State story to alumni, legislators and business leaders, I place most of the credit for our success squarely where it should be—with our professors, the staff members who support our academic mission, and the students who learn and grow at this institution.
I don’t however, say enough about the people who I work most closely with – the Vice Presidents – who bring advice, ideas and who, in a very real way, help hold me accountable to the responsibilities of this Office. So let me offer a simple thank you to Illinois State’s fabulous four—John Presley, Steve Bragg, Dianne Ashby and Steve Adams—thank you all for your leadership and your friendship.
Charles Hovey was the first Principal—the first President of Illinois’ first public institution. He contemplated the promise of coming honor—and he was right. He saw in the eyes of students, their belief in the Normal University’s future growth—and he was right. He attributed the University’s success not to magic—but to hard work on a good plan—and he was right. After 150 years – we ARE a university of honor, we ARE an institution with a brilliant future of growth, and we ARE a campus community that will always understand its values, and always understand the value of hard work on a good plan.
Thank you.