President Benjamin Allen |
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Welcome back to campus and the beginning of the spring semester. Pat and I just completed our first semester at UNI. We learned a great deal and had a lot of fun. We found that our first impressions of UNI when we interviewed last summer held true. The outstanding faculty and staff of this university truly do put students first and the education our students receive prepares them well for a lifetime of opportunities.
Pat and I were honored to take part in several milestones during the fall semester. Here are a few highlights.
UNI is one of 62 U.S. colleges and universities selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its new Community Engagement classification for curricular engagement and outreach and partnerships.
UNI also was honored to host His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal, at that time, ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States. We have 70 students from Saudi Arabia studying at UNI -- the largest international group on campus.
The university and community celebrated the openings of McLeod Center, home of the Robert J. McCoy Court, and the Innovative Technology and Teaching Center (ITTC), and ground breaking for the Human Performance Center.
On the volleyball court, the Panthers advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. This was their 12th appearance in the tournament. On the basketball court, the Panther women's team beat Iowa and the Panther men's team defeated both Iowa and Iowa State. What a great time to be a Panther fan!
Keeping campus informed is very important to me. With that in mind, I established a University Council, a group of leaders from across campus and across personnel classifications. The group meets four times per year. Keeping parents and guardians in the loop is also important. We launched the new Panther Parent e-newsletter and UNI Parent Web site. The feedback has been very positive.
The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the creation of a new standard for automatic admission to Iowa's public universities. The new Regent Admission Index (RAI) will go into effect in fall 2009. The current "top-half" standard will remain in effect until then. The first students to be affected by the change are now high-school sophomores.
UNI is committed to providing access to education for all students. To help students who struggle to afford college, we expanded eligibility for our Tuition Opportunity Program for Iowans (TOP). We hope to offer four years of full-tuition to at least another 200 low-income students each year through a combination of grants and scholarships. In addition to our Presidential and Provost Scholarship opportunities, Iowa high-school students who rank in the top 25 percent of their high-school graduating class are eligible for our new Distinguished Scholars Award -- total value of $3,000 per student. Students attending high schools that don't track class rank must have an ACT score of 26 or above to be eligible. This scholarship is one way we can recognize Iowa's best and brightest students and encourage them to choose UNI.
Looking ahead to this semester… The search for a new dean of the College of Education is underway. The search for a new vice president for educational and student services will begin this semester. The provost and vice president for academic affairs search will begin this summer.
The new Business and Community Services building will open this spring. It will feature a student-business incubator, an innovation accelerator, UNI's economic development and technology transfer programs and Iowa State Extension offices. Located next to the Center for Energy and Environmental Education, the new building marks the beginning of UNI's public campus, designed to provide an interactive environment for public/private partnerships utilizing the combined technical assistance of UNI and the broader community.
I'm pleased to report the university has reached an agreement with the insurance company regarding Gilchrist Hall and associated equipment and furnishings. Documents are being prepared for the asbestos removal contract. We hope to bid the project in February and have work begin in February as well. We expect the total project -- asbestos removal, restoration and renovation to take a year to a year and a half.
What's the future look like for UNI?
I have five priorities.
With that in mind, the new legislative session is upon us. Be assured that we will work hard with the Board of Regents to make our case for appropriate state funding.
UNI is somewhat of a hidden gem. I want this gem to be displayed proudly. In the parlance of business, UNI's stock is undervalued. The underlying fundamentals are strong, but we must do a better job of marketing this outstanding university.
Best wishes for a great year,
Ben AllenSpring 2007 |
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