President's Summer Update

President's Summer Update

August 2008

Greetings! I hope that this update finds all of you well, enjoying some time with your family and friends during this beautiful summer and looking forward to the beginning of a new academic year. As you are all aware, the earlier part of the summer was particularly rough for many Iowans with tornados and floods. We are grateful that our campus and community were spared this awful experience, and we continue to look for ways to be supportive in the recovery efforts.

As in the past, my summer update is just a quick opportunity to get our campus community, our Trustees, and all of those interested in the University of Dubuque onto the same page. Even though we are not in our regular academic session, it has been a busy time on campus with Summer School, UD for Kids, MDiv on-line cohorts, United Methodist Licensing School, construction projects, repair projects, and more.

ENROLLMENT UPDATE

Virtually everywhere I go this time of the year, people stop me and ask “How is your enrollment looking this year?” My response is always the same, and it goes something like this: “In Iowa we have an expression. Don't count your chickens before….” So that I don't count my chickens before they hatch, I will simply say that the enrollment management team has done another outstanding job this year and we hope to have another record entering class. The Student Loan crisis that has swept across the country has made this year particularly challenging, but with early intervention, on-going communication with students and families, a campus-wide support network, Trustee involvement, and superb partnership between admission and financial planning offices as well as the finance office, we will enroll another absolutely amazing group of young women and men. I am pleased to report, as well, that enrollment in the Graduate program is up, and the second full cohort of MDiv On-line students was also full. While I was in San Jose for a meeting of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in June, I was reminded again of how much interest there is in our seminary's on-line MDiv program.

CAPITAL PROJECT UPDATE

Since our May Board meeting, a number of you have been asking me about our future Capital Projects. As I shared before, the trustees are focusing their future efforts on a Fine, Performing Arts, Worship and Campus Center; additional student housing, and a Seminary/Faculty Office Building; various deferred maintenance projects, and an updated campus wide Emergency Security system. There is a lot of interest in the Fine, Performing Arts, Worship and Campus Center. In fact, hardly a day goes by when I am not asked about it. Along with many other items, reporting back on these Capital projects will be on the Board's agenda at the October meeting.

Chlapaty Recreation and Wellness Center

If you have been to campus lately, you have noticed that the Chlapaty Recreation and Wellness Center is rapidly moving towards completion. In fact, with special permission from Dan Runkle, AD, the three Bullock boys spent about an hour last evening running pass routes on the new field turf. Unfortunately, I soon discovered their capacity for running pass routes now exceeds my capacity to throw a football! Anyway, the project is, simply, stunning. Work on the inside of the CRWC continues to progress, as does work on the Stoltz Sports Center. We will be dedicating the CRWC during Homecoming on Saturday, October 18. We are grateful to the Chlapatys for their wonderful gift, and for those donors who have participated in this project. Let me make a public service announcement and remind everyone that there are still naming opportunities available in the CRWC between the range of $5000 and $1 million dollars. Please contact John Puotinen or me if you have an interest in participating, and log on to http://www.dbq.edu/ to see pictures of the project, and a list of giving opportunities.

MISSION, VISION, ACTION PLAN 2015

It is hard to believe but the Mission, Vision, Action Plan 2008 will be coming to an end in December 2008. Occasionally, I must remind myself that when we began this endeavor in 1999, most of our entering students were eight to nine years old and had never heard of the University of Dubuque. Much has been accomplished over these last ten years, a lot of which is visible but most of which is not apparent to the eye. Daily I am grateful for the wonderful group of students, faculty and staff who call the University of Dubuque “home.” I marvel every day at both the depth and breadth of commitment exhibited by those who work here, teach here, coach here, and go to school here. We are very, very fortunate to be at this point in our history and, as I have said to you before, I do believe that the best is yet to be.

To that end, we are still in the process of updating the Mission, Vision, Action Plan 2015. There will be opportunities this fall for campus-wide input, and trustees will be visited throughout the year for their additional input and insight. As part of this plan, we are busy making available a rather extensive planning document through one accessible electronic site. That document will include such items as the Mission, Vision, Action Plan 2015, the Strategic Plan, Campus Master Plan, pages from the UD Fact Book, and more. A special feature of this planning document involves the Board of Trustees challenging itself to be a “highest performing board” as measured by standards established through the Association of Governing Boards (AGB). The AGB has selected our University to be one of the few institutions featured nation-wide in academic turnarounds and in Board performance and we will be featured in one of their future monographs. In other words, we will be studied, our national recognition will grow and, hopefully, we will be of help to others.

LESTER AND MICHAEL LESTER WENDT CHARACTER INITIATIVE

The new Director of the Lester and Michael Lester Wendt Character Initiative, Dr. Henry Pitman, is hitting the ground running. Dr. Pitman comes to us from our college, as he most recently has served as Associate Dean of the College and Professor of Education. We welcome to the Wendt Center as well, Jan Kremer, the Center's new Administrative Assistant. Janet Shepherd, former Administrative Assistant, is still in the Center, but is now serving as Director of Institutional Planning, and reports to Dr. Carlyle Haaland.

Like the rest of the country, we were particularly saddened by the death of Mr. Tony Snow who was to be the featured speaker in this coming fall's Michael Lester Wendt Lecture. Regardless of one's political affiliations, I think that we can all agree that Mr. Snow was a model of courage and grace as both he and his family embraced the challenges associated with his disease. While reviewing his life, I ran across an inspirational piece written by Mr. Snow in July 2007. You may find this article at the following link: www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/july/25.30.html The speaker who has been chosen to replace Mr. Snow is Dr. Michael Josephson, founder of the Josephson Institute in California and a leading voice on issues of character. The Josephson Institute has pioneered the Character Counts initiative across the country.

ADVANCEMENT

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Dozier Jones, UD graduate from the class of 1966 has joined our Advancement Staff as a major gifts officer. Dozier lives in Alamo, California, and will be concentrating on visiting our large network of alums and supporters who live on the west coast. We are very excited about Dozier's presence with us.

Those of us involved in Advancement and fundraising work wouldn't be doing our jobs if we weren't always looking forward. On December 31, 2008 we will be completing our Forever Better Campaign. Thus far, our benefactors and supporters have given over $126,000,000 towards a goal of $125,000,000. Yes, we have surpassed our goal, and are still surpassing it! If we are moving this Mission forward, however, it won't be too long after this Campaign is completed before we'll be entering into another Campaign. In addition to the capital projects that I have already mentioned, I would anticipate that over 60% of the next Campaign's goal will be focused on growing the University's endowment through scholarships, faculty support, travel and research support, Diamond Program support, and more. We are rapidly approaching an endowment of $100,000,000. To compete on a national scale, however, we will need to move our endowment to between $200,000,000 and $250,000,000. Though a lot of money, this is the kind of endowment that it will take for us to achieve our dreams and to compete on a national scale.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Indeed, it has been a wonderful summer for all of us at the University of Dubuque. It is, however, great to be starting a new school year, and to begin meeting all of the new students and families as they begin this important journey in their lives. A number of us were privileged to host a record number of students and families who visited our campus last week as part of Iowa Private College Week. Clearly, our reputation is growing, and enthusiasm for an education at the University of Dubuque continues to grow with it. Though I absolutely loved meeting all of these guests, the best part of the week for me, personally, was the ten minutes two times a day that I had to enjoy visiting with my colleagues and our student ambassadors. These people and many more are the face of UD and, honestly, their enthusiasm and affection for our Mission is contagious! For that, and for all of you and our important work together, I am most grateful.

Blessings,

Jeffrey F. Bullock

President