Faculty Address - August 19, 2004
Thank you all for joining me. Over the last two years, we have together done justice to Roosevelt's call toward the strenuous life - a life of work and sacrifice; one that doesn't always feel as noble as it sounds. You haven't been thanked enough for your acts of sacrifice - great and small - that have contributed to ULM's rebirth. Academically our community in northeast Louisiana and indeed many others around the state are re-awakening to a fact that has long been true; that ULM has rigorous programs peopled by a first-rate faculty; that ULM is an institution of individualized instruction and personal attention. For all you do for our students and for our university, I come here today to say thank you. But not only to say thank you. Our focus on giving students a deep and broad education, on developing well-rounded leaders, is not just our heritage; it is also our legacy. And so I also come here today to discuss with you our next great challenges, and how we're going to tackle them together.
The last twenty-eight months have been a case study in what happens when capable people commit to a shared vision and act upon that vision. We began with a little pride and an effort to reclaim our campus, and that effort blossomed into a comprehensive rejuvenation of our buildings and the creation of a strategic plan for our academic future. We have paid a great deal of attention to the physical campus for many reasons, chief among them is this: the condition of someone's home says a lot about the people who live there. ULM is our home, and it needs to reflect the pride and quality associated with the university. We couldn't continue to recruit first-rate students and renowned scholars with deteriorating buildings; the disconnection would have been as obvious to them as it was to all of you. But even as we improve our living environment, we did not neglect the learning environment and the life of the mind.
This administration has always prioritized academics. We began with some immediate, short-term goals, like getting out from under a SACS accreditation warning. We thoroughly reviewed our academic programs with a process designed and implemented by faculty on the Academic Program Review committee. A process, although stressful, that left us a stronger institution. We also learned that our classrooms were not suited to the needs of our faculty members who wanted to enhance their students' learning by incorporating more advanced technology. In response, we have completed the modification of 27 state-of-the-art "Smart" classrooms. But we know that's not enough.
Having resolved our most urgent problems, we have moved into a new era, one where, instead of being led around by events, we are guiding the future of ULM actively. In addition to the real changes we have made on campus, we have worked to alter the perceptions of ULM held by prospective students, alumni, and communities throughout northeast Louisiana. We must not underestimate the importance of how the public perceives the university.
In addition to giving our faculty the right physical tools, we also have to equip them with the right academic tools - better training and professional development. This year, we have set aside extra time and placed an emphasis on faculty development because we believe that of all the things we can do to make the educational processes at ULM better, helping our faculty is foremost. Quite candidly, some sessions worked well others not so well, but it is a start and a good start. Those of you who know of TQM know that the process is Plan, DO, Check and Adjust. That is what we will be doing for next semester's professional development activities.
Our job is to create the environment that makes that education possible and enhances the experience. When the university is at its best, everyone, the faculty, staff, and administration are working toward common goals in ways that are mutually reinforcing.
We took a big step toward that level of cohesion with the recently completed strategic plan. The strategic plan was an effort that included many, if not most, faculty members, as well as students and community members. It is creative, dynamic, and forward-looking. We now have an agreed upon mission, vision, set of core values and strategic objectives to which we are all dedicated because we all had a part in developing them. Focusing on Students, Developing and Academic Core, Cultivating Culture and Climate, Extending External Relationships and Building the Campus Physical Infrastructure are the five strategic themes upon which the plan is built and these themes will guide our actions in the next 5 years.
As I prepared these words I went back to that original speech I gave this faculty when I arrived in 2002. My intention was to talk about where we had been and what we had done together. As I looked at that speech I realized we had moved forward as an institution. Those words really have no relevance for us today, together we moved from a focus on the past to a focus on the future. The collegial process by which the strategic plan was created foster that change. The task was difficult, the hours were long, but the process and the product are worth the effort. I want to thank each of you that worked on the strategic plan. For their extraordinary efforts in creating the vision and managing the process, I would like to thank Dr. John Rettenmeyer and Dr. Jeff Galle. Jeff is the chairman of the steering committee that led us through phase I, and John spearheaded phase II, including the development of critical action plans for departments.
Their work, and your work, on the strategic plan is an example of the ideal relationship between university faculty and administration. Shared governance is one of the hallmarks of university life, and we're going to build on the success of the strategic plan by increasing the faculty's role in the governance of ULM. We started this year by pushing budget decisions down the chain, and increasing the involvement of the faculty and academic department heads. Where the budget is concerned, we are now and it seems we always are, constrained by very tight state appropriations. The increase in mandatory obligations used all the available new resources this year, and left us dependent upon student enrollment increases. We are doing our best to minimize the impact that any shortfall will have, and to a great extent, that means asking for your help in determining where to make sacrifices and where we can be more efficient.
It has been my pleasure these last two and a half years to work with outstanding faculty senate presidents, and I look forward to working with another in Dr. Rick Norman. Strengthening the working relationship between the administration and the faculty senate will be an important part of the future at ULM. Pursuing shared governance means putting aside our disciplinary differences and personal agendas and pursuing what is best for the whole university. In many instances, the faculty senate will serve as that voice.
We have said many times in the past that our university puts students first. Undoubtedly some have winced at such a notion, as it may evoke an image of catering to the whims of the student body. Let me say here and now in a most unequivocal way that putting students first means nothing of the sort. What it does mean is that in every decision, we prioritize student welfare, their future and the development of their minds. To put a fine point on it, indulging anything less than excellence would not be putting students first.
At the same time, we should do everything we can to draw out their best efforts. Giving students the tools for success is an important part of putting students first and will be one of our highest priorities. The reasons for this are clear. Our retention rate is lower than it should be; we graduate fewer than 30% of students within six years. Every time we lose a student, the effects are both abstract and tangible. We not only lose a future professional who would have improved the economy of the region or a potential donor to the university, we lose a real asset. We lose the cohesion of our student body and the revenue generated through tuition. Right now, our unsatisfactory retention is costing the university millions of dollars per year. We will focus on retention because it's the right thing to do for our students, because it will make our university a stronger community, and yes, because even marginal increases in our retention rate will, over time, prevent the loss of programs and services because of lack of revenue.
This process began two years ago with a faculty committee on retention. Your colleagues took the lead on this issue, and it is your plan we will be implementing. With every activity, with every part of the retention effort, we should bear in mind that the guiding principle is to give students the tools to meet the standards you set. To coordinate all of the necessary parts of the plan, we have created an office of retention and a Student Success Center, and appointed a distinguished member of the faculty, Dr. Barbara Michaelides, to be the director. The effort is to be comprehensive, including: creating a first-year experience to get students integrated into campus life early on, the Week of Welcome, the START program, tutoring and supplemental instruction, workshops on critical skills like time management and studying, outreach programs to high school teachers and students to prepare them for the rigors of higher education, a non-traditional student organization, the Parent Orientation Program and a parents newsletter.
There are three areas, though, where a commitment from each of you is vital. The first is the freshman year seminar course. You are our pedagogical experts, so we want faculty teaching FRYS rather than staff. Accordingly, we have increased the stipend by 50% as a way of recognizing your expertise and the step-up that the course is taking. FRYS is now required for all freshman and we expect to fill close to 60 sections this semester. Second, we need status reports from those faculty who teach introductory-level courses. By the third week of the semester, faculty in certain courses will be asked to file an online form identifying those students with whom the Student Success Center personnel should follow up. Third, we will implement mid-term grades this fall, which will be reported using Arrow just like final grades. Students will then meet with an advisor regarding their progress.
I ask you also to reexamine how you interact with your students inside and outside the classroom. That contact is vitally important in the retention of our students. I recently completed two books, both given to me by faculty members at ULM. The practices and principles explained in these two research based works embody what I envision ULM to be. I commend them to you, our classroom teachers, and all of us who deal directly with students. The books are "What matters most in College: Students speak their minds," by Richard Light, and "What the best college teachers do," by Ed Bain. Both worthy of study and implementation
What binds us together today is the student arriving on campus for the first time and the student buying his books for the last time; the student from 1954 greeting the student of 2004. You, the safeguard of our primary assets - those students who fill our halls - understand this better than anyone, realizing that the success of a university depends upon the quality of its graduates - and can be measured by the intellectual distance from enrollment to graduation - ULM will thrive or diminish based upon how well we challenge and prepare those students. On how well we move from a teaching to a learning environment.
Our goal of having a student-centered university can only be accomplished by regarding the faculty at every turn. We esteem the faculty because students are put first. Our design is to create a university in which the student is, and feels, essential, but we can only accomplish this goal through initiatives that increase the involvement of the faculty. Your affections and passions - your own various interests and proficiencies - are what propel this university to greatness.
You provide a first-class education. You create a well-rounded environment that fosters excellence. And you equip students with the tools for a bright future. In the classroom, you provide the knowledge that cultivates the keen interest of the students and pushes them beyond where they thought they could go. The faculty boasts some extraordinary achievements in their disciplines: you've created exceptional programs, published award-winning books, and developed life-saving drugs. And you have created generations of successful graduates. Our success belongs to you.
More than any other factor, ULM contributes to the quality of life in our region. Your work is the heart of that effort; you make northeast Louisiana a better pla ce.
The challenges ahead, both seen and unseen, are invitations for you to prove your excellence as you've done time and again. I call upon each of you to make an increased retention and graduation rate your personal goal as it is a primary goal of the university. I ask you for the extra engagement in the life of the academy that that goal requires.
Our university community has faced, and will face, great trials, but that only makes it all the more imperative that our beacon remain bright, and the light of knowledge undimmed.
Thank you, have a wonderful semester and I will see you Monday at the Convocation.
James E. Cofer, Sr.
ULM President