President Hitchcock
Report to the Faculty
May 7, 1997

Thank you so much, Mark, and . . . good afternoon everyone.

I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak with you today . . . to look back on a year which has been as full as it has seemed short! And to look forward to the opportunities which all of you have made possible for our University.

The past year has been marked by celebratory events which have enabled us — together — to reflect upon the rich heritage of this exceptional institution, and to reaffirm the basic values which sustain us.

But, it has also been a year of looking to our future — of developing the strategies necessary to build upon the very special legacy and rich potential of our University.

This legacy… this potential… can be summed up in a single word — people.

People who care deeply about our community, people devoted to creating an environment for learning which nurtures and supports their colleagues and our students. . . an environment characterized by innovation and quality.

We have with us today a number of such people, and I can think of no better way to begin this year-end Report than to recognize these members of our University community who epitomize the dedication to service and commitment to excellence which will assure our future.

Let me first introduce the faculty members who have been named as this year's Collins Fellows, for their extraordinary devotion to the University —

Please join me in acknowledging them for their outstanding contributions to our University.

Now I am honored to introduce our colleagues who have been selected for the 1997 President's Awards for Excellence. I know you will agree with me that this year's award recipients are truly outstanding . . . not only in the performance of their particular professional responsibilities, but also in their deep commitment to the University.

I hope all members of the University community will join us in honoring these exceptional colleagues at our annual Excellence Awards Recognition Ceremony, tomorrow, May 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Campus Center Assembly Hall. Again, congratulations — and deep thanks —to you all.

It is also a tremendous pleasure to acknowledge two of our colleagues whom the Board of Trustees has promoted to the highest academic rank within the State University of New York. The faculty members so honored clearly represent the highest ideals of our profession. Please join me in congratulating:

Last . . . but for from least . . . I ask you to join me in congratulating Dr. Judy L. Genshaft on her appointment as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Provost Genshaft was appointed following a national search that yielded a pool of truly outstanding candidates, and I am extremely grateful to Dean Frank Thompson and all the members of the Search Committee for their dedicated service over this past year.

Since joining us as Dean of the School of Education in 1992, Judy has demonstrated both leadership and complete dedication to academic excellence. She brings vision, a commitment to quality, superb judgment and fairness to this position of academic leadership. She has my full confidence and support, and I know she has the support of the entire University community. We look forward to having the benefit of her strong leadership in the years to come.

All of these outstanding members of our University community reflect the excellence that has characterized this institution throughout our history . . . and must continue to be the hallmark of all that we do.

This has been a year of difficult choices, deep reflection about our future, and a continuing commitment to our strategy of focus . . . of investing in areas central to our mission and to the very special learning environment of a research university. We are continuing to examine our priorities and configure ourselves to assure a future — not of gradual decline — but rather one of continued growth in quality and national competitiveness.

As we conclude this very productive and eventful year, I will briefly highlight the status of a number of institutional initiatives, as well as discuss the fiscal and policy environment which serves as context for the important decisions which lie ahead. Finally, I will speak to "futures"…

As I reflected on today's meeting over the last several weeks . . . reflected on my message to you . . . I realized how events in our institutional life may, at times, be viewed as isolated occurrences - - always the result of the exceptional talents of our faculty, staff and students — but, isolated, nevertheless.

Today, I would like to take a longer view. . . to discuss our progress over the past year in the context of the strategies we are developing . . . the decisions and choices we have been making . . . to move our institution forward.

Over the last several years, for example, you have heard me speak of the need to enhance our learning environment…a learning environment characterized by a quality student body and academic programs of excellence which address the challenges our students will face at a time of unparalleled societal change.

Clearly, recruiting and retaining both high quality students and the faculty required to design challenging and innovative academic programs also demands a quality campus environment - both in terms of living-learning experiences for our students, as well as the facilities and expanded technology so critical to our programs of education and research.

Progress in any one of these areas is not sufficient to our purpose…rather simultaneous progress across all these institutional priorities is essential to the totality of our learning environment here at Albany.

And, advances across all these fronts have been made this year, advances which build on our prior planning and investments and which, together, point the way to the future.

First, student recruitment…

Albany has long been known as highly selective in its admissions policies…and we must remain so, despite the tremendously increased competition for the best students brought about predominantly by changing demographics…especially here in New York.

Much has been accomplished over the last several years through the development of new recruitment materials, the creation of alumni recruitment networks and, especially, the deeper involvement of you - our faculty - as well as our students in the recruitment process. Our new students repeatedly tell us that this personalization of recruitment was one of the critical factors in their decision process.

As you know, such initiatives helped to stop what had been a gradual erosion of the academic profile of our entering class, and permitted us to retain our high national ranking for admissions selectivity. However, as I said this past September, I know we can do better.

Indeed, with the assistance of the national enrollment management consultant firm of Noel Levitz, we have begun to transform our undergraduate admissions operations to match the challenges of an intensely competitive admissions environment. We have made key investments in both personnel and new telecommunications technology, and we have increasingly involved the key players - you, the faculty, and our students in the recruitment process.

Although we recognize that success in this area requires a long-term investment of people and resources, our efforts even in this first year appear to be creating new momentum. I am delighted to report that freshmen applications to Albany have risen almost 8 percent this year . . . the largest increase of all the University Centers! Given this larger pool of candidates, we have been able to be more selective, and now anticipate enrolling a class of between 2,000 and 2,100 students, with an academic profile considerably higher than that of 1996. Our goal was to add 15 points to the average SAT score this year, and we appear to be on track to do so.

Increasing the size of the freshman class while, at the same time, enhancing the class academic profile is a Herculean task, and I congratulate Sheila Mahan and all the staff of undergraduate admissions for their excellent work. Transfer students and graduate admissions continue to represent a larger challenge - as is true across the SUNY system. However, here too, we must continue our policy of increased selectivity.

Many new strategies were employed this year, including a new telecounseling program, to achieve this improved academic profile of our entering class. However, the improvements we have seen also reflect the coming to fruition of a multiple-year effort to enrich our academic programs, to develop the kinds of programs which clearly attract highly-qualified applicants and serve to distinguish us from other institutions.

The Presidential Scholar Program is just such an initiative. Over and over parents, and the Scholars themselves, tell us that this Program was a major factor in their selection of Albany, and in their staying at Albany.

Word is spreading and, coupled with a review of our merit scholarship policies and an increase in our scholarship pool, we have seen a 13 percent increase in applications, and a 46 percent increase in deposits this year from these high achieving students…a group of students who have an average high school grade point of 93.5, and an average SAT of 1323!

I have repeatedly been told by members of the faculty of the myriad ways these outstanding students contribute to the intellectual climate of their classes, and…come September…some 520 of these students will be enrolled here at Albany.

Other initiatives show equal promise of recruiting excellent students here to Albany.. programs like Project Renaissance, an innovative, freshman year living-learning program. With 150 students soon to complete the first year of the program, Project Renaissance is evolving into an extremely attractive curricular option for first year students, given that it not only provides a truly interdisciplinary approach to general education, but also creates a community of learners in environments beyond the classroom.

Again, word is spreading, and some 360 students have already expressed interest in the Program's 400 openings for the coming year.

Ongoing faculty evaluation will, I am sure, lead to refinements and revisions which will make this Program even more attractive to our students.

All such curricular innovations require an investment of resources as well as faculty time and effort, but if such investments lead to challenging and creative academic programs, they not only enhance our institution, but the quality of our student body as well.

In this context, I am pleased to announce that the Innovation Fund for Teaching has again attracted a number of excellent faculty proposals, and six new awards are soon to be announced. We must continue to invest in the kind of pedagogic innovation that will support our learning environment here at Albany and, to that end, this Innovation Fund will be continued, with a new round of competition soon to be announced.

While resources remain limited, the allocation of funds to such curricular innovation enhances not only our ability to attract highly qualified students, but also to retain them. We must continue to reverse the trend seen nationally, as well as here at Albany, of increasing attrition between the freshman and sophomore years. To this end, Provost Genshaft will be convening a university-wide Retention Task Force to focus faculty attention on the issues surrounding this critical issue.

While we know that this national phenomenon is due, in part, to the increase in non-traditional students, coupled with the need of many students to work, we must assess the specific reasons for this decline here at Albany, and then design programs to reverse, where possible, this trend.

Beyond the investments I have already described to enhance the quality of our academic programs, we must also examine the quality of our academic and administrative support services, academic advising, residential life, financial aid, career counseling and placement…indeed, the overall quality of life on our campus. Recruitment and retention strategies, while clearly most related to the quality of student-faculty interaction, must embrace the totality of our institution.

And there is much progress to report.

It has become clear, for instance, that our current admissions area makes a very poor first impression on prospective students and parents. Hence, this summer, we will undertake major renovation of this space.

Further, in an effort to better serve our current students we are moving toward a more integrated approach to student services. As one step in this process, we plan to move the offices of the Registrar and Student Accounts to the Campus Center, in an area adjacent to the Office of Financial Aid and Student Payroll.

On another front, Provost Genshaft and Vice President Doellefeld and their staffs are also working with the Schools and Colleges to reconceptualize our Career Development Center to ensure a strong program which will offer significant services to our students and faculty, alumni and employers. I applaud their initiative in this area. Indeed, the need for a robust career development function was recently highlighted in a Report of the Business - Higher Education Forum, and we must remain competitive in this area of student services.

Next . . . thanks to a recent change in SUNY policy regarding dormitory financing, greatly increased resources will be available to rehabilitate our residence halls. This summer, for example, Dutch Quadrangle will be completely "rehabbed" for the first time since its opening over 30 years ago.

And, yes, Division I. As you now are well aware, on Monday I announced to the University Senate that I had signed the legislation they submitted to me in support of moving our intercollegiate athletics programs to the NCAA Division I level. There was wide support for this move from students, faculty and other members of the University community, the University Council, the Chancellor, and the SUNY Board of Trustees.

I would not have made this decision, however, if I did not think we could do it right. We will have a Division I athletics program of impeccable integrity, one which upholds the high academic standards of this institution, one which contributes to the quality of campus life, and one which offers a venue through which alumni and friends of the University can join with us in the celebration of our institution. But, as I said to the media on Monday, don't expect us to play Syracuse next year - - - and win!

As I said at the outset, these various initiatives may, on the surface, appear isolated . . . unconnected. However, each and every one reflects our shared commitment to creating a learning environment which embraces the totality of our institution. While the quality of our academic programs is paramount, residential life, student services, athletics, financial aid, and so on . . . all contribute to our long-term competitiveness in recruiting — and retaining — the quality students so essential to a robust, nationally - ranked research university.

Of course . . . ultimately . . . the quality of our learning environment here at Albany will be shaped by the quality of the faculty. Again, congratulations to you all for the, albeit, belated recognition of the excellence of your scholarship in the recently released study, "The Rise of the American Research University." As I said at the time, our reputation is finally catching up with our quality!

Our challenge now is to continue to renew ourselves through ongoing recruitment of the best possible faculty colleagues. I am, therefore,extremely pleased to report that I have authorized Provost Genshaft to initiate at least 20 new faculty searches in the coming year, twice the number we were able to recruit for the coming fall. We have lost some 15% of our faculty in the past ten years, and we must continue to reverse that trend. We must prioritize faculty recruitment if we are to realize the potential of this exceptional institution.

While, of course, subject to the availability of funds - - - and I will review our budget momentarily . . . announcing such recruitment at this early date will, hopefully, maximize our opportunities to identify and recruit the strongest possible candidates.

I am also extremely pleased to announce that with this next recruitment cycle, we will re-establish the Target of Opportunity Program which has, in the past, been so successful in helping us to fulfill our shared, and undiminished, commitment to diversity.

Finally, we will very shortly initiate a search for the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Details will follow, but I hope you will all participate in this extremely important decanal search.

Such recruitment activity is essential, I feel, if we are to maintain our momentum, and continue to grow as a research university. Indeed, even with the financial constraints of the past year, we can look forward to welcoming some 10 new faculty colleagues in the fall . . . colleagues with exceptional credentials who will add much to our community.

But, just as important as recruitment, is the need to retain our faculty of excellence . . . to provide an environment which supports their research and educational programs. Just as we must be increasingly "student-centered" as an institution, so must we focus investments to support the faculty programs at the heart of our enterprise.

And, such investments must increasingly deal with upgrading our physical facilities and expanding the technology so vital to both our educational and research programs.

First . . . technology.

By July 1, the installation of fiber to all offices in the University - - - on the Podium, Downtown and on the new East Campus - - - will be completed. This keeps us on schedule to provide network access to all faculty by this September. Likewise, ResNet will be universally available in our residence halls in the fall, providing similar access to all our residential students. Completion of these networking projects puts us well ahead of many of our sister institutions, and will greatly enhance our learning environment.

Our award-winning University web page - - - selected as "best" and as "most useful to campus faculty and students" in a SUNY-wide competition . . . has begun to have major impact on our teaching programs. It now hosts all of our schools and colleges, 38% of our departments and programs., and - most impressive - over 100 courses now have course materials on the web and are linked to the home page. I congratulate all who have contributed to this major initiative.

Such innovation in General Education and numerous other courses has provided strong evidence for the power of technology to contribute to the richness of interactions between students and faculty. The completion of network access for all our faculty provides the critical infrastructure that allows us to expand these pedagogical innovations in the future. With the connections in place, we are also committed to continuing our program to provide computers to all our faculty. Programs in faculty development will also be enhanced.

Similarly, we must look to technology to improve our administrative systems. The University's existing administrative computer systems are inflexible, difficult to maintain, lack integration and do not lend themselves to providing reliable and consistent information to faculty, students and staff. Consequently, under the direction of Vice President Carlucci, the University has launched an intensive, multi-year project to replace its financial, human resources, and student-related computer systems prior to the year 2000. The goals of this major, university-wide effort include improving services, putting more information directly into the hands of users, reducing bureaucratic processes, and creating more "end-user" tools for analysis and report generation with an integrated array of timely and accurate information.

When complete, the new systems will have the potential to change dramatically how we conduct our routine business. For example, it will allow students to transact . . . on-line from their residence halls, homes, or other computer sites . . . much of the business that now requires them to walk to, and wait in line at, a variety of sites.

The new system will also pave the way for a paperless environment in which department chairs and directors will be able to electronically process purchase requisitions and appointment forms. Employees will be able to access their personnel records and conduct routine personnel business from their desktops. This ambitious and intensive university-wide project will be led by Associate Vice President for Finance and Business Leo Neveu, but will require the assistance and support of all the members of our University community. In the end, all of our administrative and financial systems will be improved and . . . most critical . . . consume less of our time and resources.

The past year has also been highlighted by a number of major capital projects. And what a delight it is — after so many years - - to be able to report such major progress in the area of new facilities, as well as overall planning for our total infrastructure needs.

CESTM will open in June.

The new Library is literally taking shape before us.

Our new East Campus now provides excellent facilities for our School of Public Health, as well as a site for collaborative research activities with faculty from across our Region.

Such capital projects represent a critical part of our strategy to enhance the environment for scholarship here at Albany - - - to assure that the research and creative activities of our faculty are supported commensurate with their quality.

And what quality! I wish that all of you could share the reports I have been receiving from Provost Genshaft, Vice President Gullahorn and our Deans and Directors regarding the scholarly accomplishments of you, our faculty, just over the past year!

From Guggenheims, Fulbrights and other major Visiting Scholar Awards, to the receipt of major center grants such as the recently- announced national Population Studies Center in Sociology, as well as numerous highly competitive federal, foundation and corporate grants, to major positions with national and international councils, organizations and societies, to national awards and prizes, to major editorships and prestigious consultancies world- wide . . .the quality of your scholarship is manifest in so many ways . . . across so many areas of inquiry.

We must maintain this vibrant intellectual environment, an environment which forms the foundation of our educational programs, both graduate and undergraduate.

As you know, led by Vice President Gullahorn, a review of all our doctoral programs is currently being carried out through our Graduate Academic Council - - - a review which will help to inform the resource allocations, and reallocations, necessary to sustain this excellence. A review which, I know, will identify additional technology and facility needs which must be addressed if we are to recruit and retain the talented graduate students who bring such vitality to our programs of scholarship.

To continue to address the capital and technology requirements of the campus will take both careful planning and the identification of new resources.

Indeed, in many ways, this past year has been defined by the intensive planning so essential as we look to our future. The results are, literally, all around us . . . as well as on the Master Planning Web Page. Suffice it to say that the principles developed through this process have already begun to inform our capital priorities . . . principles which include:

These over-arching principles have been arrived at as literally hundreds of our faculty, staff and students have interacted with a team of consultants, staff of the State University Construction Fund, architects and engineers to identify - together - both long- term needs for new buildings and the shorter term possibilities for new uses of current facilities . . . all toward the end of supporting our institutional goals and aspirations.

The Master Planning Committee, led by Vice President Carlucci, is on schedule to have a set of specific proposals in place for inclusion in the next Capital budget request. Through their dedicated efforts, we have made major strides toward finally realizing our campus' fair share of new construction and rehabilitation funding. My deep thanks to you all.

Indeed, there are many issues we must address. Quality faculty, committed and talented students, creative and innovative academic programs, distinctive and distinguished programs of scholarship, excellent support services and facilities, a rich variety of co- curricular activities - - - all of these are essential to achieving the learning environment we desire.

And, what may occasionally appear as isolated initiatives are, in fact, all designed around creating just such an environment. From investments like our Innovations in Teaching Fund, to rehabbing the admissions area, to maintaining faculty recruitment in the face of fiscal constraints, to the CESTM building, to, yes, even Division I athletics . . . to a total revamping of our administrative support structures, to new telecounseling programs in Admissions, to our new Library . . . all of these projects are related to this single goal.

So much of the progress we have made over the past year has been facilitated by the support we have received from the Region's business leaders, community and political leaders, alumni and friends. As I meet with all these constituencies, it is clear that they recognize the key role we play as a nationally - recognized research university in enriching our Region and State. They have joined me in advocacy on behalf of our University. They have joined me in advocacy for a single reason . . . they recognize the power and importance of what you do.

There is no more effective advocacy than this.

They have seen how the basic research you do can lead to benefits for the economic vitality of the Region and the State; indeed, such recognition led to the funding of our new CESTM building - a project supported by the State, the federal government and private donations.

They have seen the richness of our cultural offerings as we reach out through the exceptional programs of our Art Department and Art Museum, the Writer's Institute, Theatre and Music . . . and their donations reflect their gratitude.

They have benefited greatly from our work with social agencies, not-for-profits and local and State government.

They have been enriched by our seminars, lecture series and consultancies from public health to business, from history to Judaic studies.

They have seen their children's schools throughout the Region benefit from the partnerships you have developed.

As I said in my Inaugural, it is through the quality of our research and scholarship, and the quality of our learning environment, that we ultimately fulfill our mandate of public service. It is through the quality of our relationships with the communities we serve that our public service mission becomes relevant and of true societal value.

The partnerships that we have formed with our various communities based on the richness and nationally-recognized quality of your scholarly contributions have indeed, proven pivotal in our advocacy efforts.

A handout provided at the door details the University at Albany's specific 1997 legislative priorities. While we clearly have a long wait ahead of us to know the success of our efforts - - - signs are good. Many of these projects have been specifically incorporated in the Assembly Budget Bill. Others have committed legislative sponsors who, along with our colleagues in the business community, have become our partners in advocacy for the University at Albany's specific needs.

Permit me, at this time, to introduce Mr. David Gilbert who joined us this past fall as Director of Government Relations. Please join me in welcoming him. David, working with our faculty, our Chairs, Deans and Vice Presidents, as well as the firm we retained in Washington, DC, has had a major impact on our advocacy efforts . . . from helping, along with Vice President Carlucci and Vice Presient Kersten, to obtain $2 million in federal support for CESTM, to being a constant and effective presence in the Executive Chamber and the Legislature.

With regard to the 1997-98 State Budget . . . the strength of the economy, and the growth in State tax revenues convince me that there is a high likelihood of the SUNY budget being funded as originally submitted to the Governor. While this budget does not take into account inflation, some budget stability will have been achieved.

Restoration of the SUNY budget is clearly becoming a priority in both houses of the Legislature, and on both sides of the aisle. Voices have united around the State, including our new Chancellor and the Board of Trustees, to urge restoration of our operating budget; restoration of TAP is also likely. While our budget may still be impacted by inflation, this bipartisan support signals, I believe, a growing realization of the power of SUNY to contribute to the growth of the State, and the continuing need to provide affordable access to the highest quality public education.

However, it is also clear that non-state revenues will continue to increase in importance for us here at Albany, and the partnerships we have continued to form have also greatly assisted us in securing the private support that provides that crucial margin for excellence.

As you all are probably aware, Albany has had an unprecedented success within the SUNY System. The Campaign for Albany concluded this past December, above target and a full three years ahead of schedule. This is an extraordinary achievement and eloquent testimony to the commitment of faculty and students, alumni and friends to our University. Thanks to you all, and especially to Vice President Kersten for his leadership of this major undertaking. Now . . . on to the next Campaign!

I am also delighted to announce that this year's Annual Fund is breaking all records. We are on target to meet or, most likely, exceed the $1.6 million goal we set this past fall.

And, more good news. As of March, external support of our faculty's research and scholarship is some $3.5 million ahead of last year . . . a remarkable achievement given funding constraints at the federal level. No wonder we are ranked #17 in the country based on faculty quality!

Each of these successes has flowed from the strength of our faculty. Each has been possible because this University community has made a collective commitment to a strategy of focus, and because we have demonstrated the courage to make the choices and take the risks necessary to continue to grow as an institution of excellence. We have done so in a period of great challenge and uncertainty . . . and we have done so as higher education itself faces tremendous economic, technological, and demographic pressures.

As we predicted in the fall, this year has been one of continuing challenge and difficult choices. But you have clearly demonstrated that we can move forward in such times . . . can successfully navigate truly formidable external challenges while still continuing the critical internal dialogue through which we will come to consensus around a shared vision for our University.

Since December, the Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Provost Genshaft, has engaged in just this kind of dialogue. They have engaged in rich discussion concerning the challenges and opportunities we face at a time of major societal transformation.

As the first step in a process which will extend into the next academic year, the Strategic Planning Committee has enunciated and endorsed a set of strategic values which they feel should define our institution. These values complement the University's Mission Statement and set the context for the development of strategic initiatives which will guide us in the years ahead.

In the Committee's view, our institution should be judged by its commitment to engaged learning. Such a learning environment would be characterized by faculty and students at every level coming together in common quest to appreciate inherited wisdom of the past and to participate in the discovery of new knowledge.

We must also create an environment of discovery, an environment where research and teaching are viewed as interrelated dimensions of an holistic enterprise of scholarship, creative performance, and learning.

Next, the value of Societal Responsibility . . . the obligation of the University to respond to the expectations placed upon it by its external community. These expectations relate to inclusiveness of access, the quality and types of our programs and the relevance of our teaching, research, and service to the broader community.

Fourth . . . Technology and Innovation - the need to prepare students, through innovative curricular programs and pedagogy, to be contributing citizens in a world that is being transformed by technology.

The final strategic value, Distinctiveness, expresses the Committee's view that the programs we support must be not only distinctive through their adherence to the values of engaged learning, discovery, societal responsibility and technology and innovation, but also distinguished. While remaining committed to our mission as a comprehensive research university, this value of distinctiveness acknowledges that choices will need to be made as we continue to invest in programs of strength and importance to our overall mission.

Clearly, each of these values, or goals, has profound implications for our future. These strategic values will be further refined by the Committee and, in the fall, the strategic planning process will expand to include the entire University through Department meetings, fora and subcommittees of the Steering Committee. I urge you to participate. These values will form the context for the development of the strategic initiatives which will guide our future planning and resource allocation . . . both at the campus and college level.

While this is clearly a process which will require considerable time and energy from each of us, it is also a process which will position us to take advantage of opportunities, and provide us with a strategic framework for making the choices necessary for continued excellence.

To all of you on the Committee who have participated so willingly and with the clarity of vision so essential in a time of profound change . . . thank you. And, I hope you all will become involved as this process expands throughout the University community.

This has truly been an eventful year, a year of new beginnings and the coming to fruition of projects often years in the making.

Our presence in the community is strong and vibrant, due to your programs of research and teaching . . . programs which assure that our service is, indeed, relevant and of true societal value. New partnerships which have developed with the Governor's Office, the Legislature, business and community leaders, alumni and friends provide a solid foundation for our future. Our new Chancellor, Dr. Jack Ryan, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Tom Egan, are keenly aware of our momentum, the impact we have had on our Region and the State, and our ability to take a leadership role not only within the State University of New York, but the nation as well. They have clearly indicated to me their commitment to support the University at Albany as we move forward.

This is a moment of great opportunity for our University . . . and we have in abundance the committed faculty and academic leadership necessary to chart a course of true distinction.

Let me close today by expressing my most sincere thanks to all the members of the University community who have given so much of themselves during this past year.

Our outstanding governance leaders: Carlos Santiago, chair of the University Senate, Bonnie Spannier - Secretary, Sue Faerman - Chair-Elect, and all the members of this year's Senate.

The leaders of our employee unions: Professor Ivan Steen, President of the local chapter of United University Professions; Ellen Kryzkowski, President of CSEA; Art Burt of PEF; Gus Polli and Douglas Rogers of Council 82; and, Kathleen Sims of the Graduate Student Employees Union.

Our student leaders: Mike Castrilli, President of the Student Association and Steve Schwab, Chair of Central Council. I also look forward to working with next year's student leaders: Rasheem Rooke, SA President, and the incoming Central Council Chair, not yet selected, as well as Mike Castrilli, returning as student representative on the University Council.

Also Christopher Pace, President of the Graduate Student Organization, and incoming president Mr. C.N. Le of the Department of Sociology.

All the members of the Master Planning and Strategic Planning Committees - their names are on a handout at the door; please let them know your views - - - your suggestions.

Our outstanding Vice Presidents, Deans, and chairs.

And each and every one of you, the members of the faculty and staff.

Please know how very grateful I am for your continued support and deep devotion to our University.

As I said at the outset . . . thanks to all of you . . . our University is clearly moving forward . . . is clearly committed to enhancing its rich legacy of academic quality, access and diversity.

Together, our aspirations can be realized.

Thank you.