September 13, 2009
Dear Colleagues,
Fall 2009, which began on a bit of a down note due to the budget cuts, has clearly rebounded. During the past couple of weeks, ULM faculty and staff received high praise from inside and outside the institution. At the August Board of Regents meeting, our College of Education and Human Development Teacher Education Program was recognized for the second consecutive year. New teachers in these programs positively impacted student achievement in such a way that student learning was better or comparable to the achievement of students taught by experienced teachers.
According to the report, “All three of these programs are producing teachers who in aggregate appear to be making a positive contribution to student achievement from the point of entering the classroom.”
Just last week we received some extraordinary news about our School of Nursing. The May 2009 graduates of the nursing program earned perfect scores on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a test considered the final hurdle in a nursing student’s career. ULM students received a 100 percent passage rate on the NCLEX, continuing a long-standing tradition of excellence.
We also celebrated the new 5,500-square-foot Kitty DeGree Speech and Hearing Center in Sugar Hall. College of Health Sciences Dean Denny Ryman said that in addition to providing a sound education, the center addresses serious “quality of life issues” by providing treatment to northeast Louisiana patients of all age ranges, regardless of their ability to pay.
Several of our faculty and staff continue to garner national and international accolades. Dr. Matthew Matusiak, an assistant professor of health sciences, was invited to sit on Nova Southeastern’s College of Allied Health and Nursing’s Peer Reviewed Journal. Dr. Anne Case Hanks, assistant professor of atmospheric science, was recently appointed to the national Unidata Users Committee, which is comprised of researchers who provide feedback on data systems and tools in the earth sciences field. Dr. Paul Sylvester, director of research and graduate studies in pharmacy, will speak at a technical seminar on palm oil and palm bioactives in South Korea. Patricia Roshto, an accounting instructor, recently returned from Brooklyn, New York, where she was honored as one of the nation's five outstanding Beta Alpha Psi faculty advisors. The Society of Research Administration International recently named Rene Hearns, director of sponsored programs and research, to their Distinguished Faculty group.
In addition, many of the special committees we established at the beginning of this semester are meeting and developing ideas that will help us meet the challenges of the future.
I know many of you also noticed what appeared to be a large number of students in the SUB and in Schulze Dining Hall, as well as the dearth of parking places. The fall enrollment numbers are not finalized, but it appears that enrollment has increased over last year by approximately 200 students. The most striking statistic is that full-time freshmen are up by approximately 9 percent. To make the situation even better, our freshman to sophomore persistence rate increased from 66 percent last year to 73 percent this fall. These are significant indications of the dedicated faculty and staff at ULM.
All of these awards, activities and increases happened in just the first few weeks of school. What a way to start the New Year!
Finally, Deborah and I will be away from campus for the next two weeks. We are going to take a little time away on vacation and recharge for the activities ahead.
Sincerely,
Jim Cofer
President