Welcome back to all of you, to what promises to be another great year in the continued development of Ball State. I am pleased to tell you that, certainly from my perspective, the state of the university is sound, it is positioned for further progress, and it has positive momentum in the right direction. Our strategic plan expresses a widely held vision of where we want to go and contains a number of powerful goals to achieve the vision, and some promising strategies to achieve the goals. We are blessed with a dedicated and talented faculty and staff, and more academically prepared students who are seeking out the education and special experiences we have to offer. We are, in other words, in pretty good shape, with the potential to get better.

But, as you are all aware, there are challenges ahead—financial, to be sure, but also apparent in public concerns about the cost and direction of higher education. These are national problems, and their consequences are worse in many other states than they are in Indiana. But they do exist here, and they will demand extraordinary commitment and skill if we are to keep our positive momentum and not lose some special opportunities that will only come along once.   More about this later.

Reflections on the Past Year
The 2001-2002 academic year—indeed the first decade of the new century—will always be overshadowed by the events and aftermath of September 11. The Ball State community was very much a part of the national and international outpouring of grief and rededication to civilized values, and it will always be a source of pride to me that, in response to these unprecedented events, we also rallied to the support of each other, rather than succumbing to ethnic or religious intolerance. As we move forward into the post-9/11 world, we must also participate in the continued efforts to ensure our country's security and also those values and civil liberties that are at the core of what we seek to protect.

On a more prosaic level, colleges, divisions, and many departments were engaged in developing strategic plans that supported the institutional plan, but that gave these units more specific guidance in setting and fulfilling their aspirations. The first Strategic Plan Implementation Progress Report, prepared by the Office of Academic Assessment and Institutional Research, takes us a long way toward achieving a high level of accountability in measuring our progress—as well as indicating those areas in which we need to work harder. Especially as times get tougher, the map laid out in the strategic plan will help guide us in the right direction.

Last year at this time, we had just announced receipt of the $20 million award from the Lilly Endowment for the iCommunication project. The first year of that project has been very exciting, and has confirmed our conviction that this program will have high ambitions, be fully multidisciplinary, and provide opportunities throughout the campus. The first year was challenging because so much had to be established very quickly. The coming year should see this work start to come to fruition and reach its full dimensions.

Two measures that validate our work are our ability to attract qualified faculty members to our ranks and to recruit qualified and committed students. Though we have begun to notice a lack of competitiveness in entry-level salaries, to a degree that is a source of real concern, we have nevertheless had a good recruiting year for new faculty. Nothing defines this university, or any university, more than the character of its faculty and this must always be one of our highest priorities.

On-campus enrollment will surpass 18,000 this fall for the first time since 1997 and the number of first time students will exceed the goal of 3,700. Off-campus enrollment will also show a significant increase. The plan to raise admission standards in order to reposition the university, improve retention, and increase enrollment is working. I appreciate the highly effective work and collaboration of people throughout the university, and particularly the efforts of the admissions staff. We are on the right track and expect the enrollment to continue increasing to the target of 19,500. The bold decision to go in this direction has made a real difference for our university and we plan to 'stay the course'.   

Notwithstanding the view, held by some of my faculty colleagues, that administrators are entirely superfluous, we have placed some very talented leaders in new administrative roles at Ball State during the past year. I suggest that none of these folks will be superfluous in any sense of the word.

The most significant new appointment is that of Beverley Pitts as our Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. I have been congratulated on the wisdom of my choice, but it was frankly more like the recognition of a compelling and unavoidable truth. Bev has clearly earned the overwhelming confidence of the Ball State and Muncie communities, and we are all fortunate to be able to work with her.   I am also delighted to note the appointment of Lawrence "Bubba" Cunningham, formerly associate athletic director for external affairs at Notre Dame, as our new director of Intercollegiate Athletics. Whether you pay attention to Ball State athletics or not, the integrity and success of these programs are tremendously important to the public perception of our institution.

Bev will have more to say about other new administrators, but I simply want to add my personal congratulations to Robert Kvam, the new dean of the College of Fine Arts; Nancy Kingsbury, the new dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Technology (and a former neighbor in Denton, Texas); and Cyrus Reed, the new assistant provost for International Education.

Commitment of the Board and Administration to the Vision of the University
I hope that you are all aware of the significant decisions that we have made in the past year to help the university meet its goals. I particularly call your attention to the actions of our Board of Trustees, who confronted some tough decisions very conscientiously, and always with a view toward the high aspirations we have for Ball State University. In unfavorable economic conditions, the vice presidents worked closely together with me to pare away about $1 million in current expenses and the provost committed some remaining funds to deal with salary equity problems. The board of trustees approved new revenues in the form of increased tuition and fees. This enabled us to address one of our highest priorities, in the form of an average salary increase for faculty and staff of 4 percent—the highest average percentage raise of any public university in Indiana this year.

Current Situation in the State / Challenges for the Future
We have gone to great lengths to mitigate, as much as possible, the negative effects of the very serious financial situation in Indiana. We did this in the hope that the economy would soon recover, or that the General Assembly would provide new funding from significantly increased state revenues.   So far, neither of these has occurred, and the prospects are problematic for at least the next several years. We must meet these very real challenges while also ensuring the continued development and progress of the university.

Our current situation is a concern. We have taken a permanent reduction in our base budget from the state. A month's appropriation of $10.2 million has been deferred indefinitely, but should be repaid within the next few years. And we have no repair and rehabilitation funding for the coming year. State revenues continue to decline, and to date there is no consensus in the General Assembly about either the nature of Indiana's economic problem or the steps that should be taken to deal with it. So we have our work cut out for us.

University Initiatives
The senior staff, deans, and other key administrators concluded an on-campus retreat earlier this week to sort through many of these issues and challenges. I am pleased to report that we are determined that this university will move forward, that it will continue to be an attractive and stimulating place to work and develop professional careers, and that in five years it will be better than it is now and also better positioned to command the future.
 
One good way to keep moving ahead is to constantly examine what we are doing, seeking improvements and new opportunities as they appear. We cannot be complacent, and we cannot simply continue business as usual. Among other things, we must be more entrepreneurial in seeking out new opportunities and resources and leveraging the considerable intellectual capital that we can also bring to bear on the economic development of the state.

We must pay close attention to our strategic plan and assess our progress in meeting its goals and objectives. We must prioritize. We must use all the data at our disposal to ensure that students are learning and benefiting from the special experience they should have here. We must find ways to make better use of our current funding, because we are less likely to get more. We must maintain an excellent faculty and staff, and the support they need to do their jobs. And we must not defer critical tasks that can move us forward.

One of these tasks is a comprehensive review of the university core curriculum, which is a justifiable source of institutional pride but one that has not been seriously re-examined in a long time—too long a time, given all the changes in knowledge over even the past decade. I especially urge a thoughtful consideration of general degree requirements that better provide for multicultural, global, and environmental awareness for all our students. These requirements say, more than anything else, what we think is important in preparing students to be effective global citizens.

I have therefore asked the provost to appoint and convene a special task force on core curriculum principles and goals. This faculty group will be charged to consider the role of the core in the intellectual life of the university, and to develop a coherent set of goals that a modern day core curriculum should achieve. Once this task force has issued its report, and the entire campus community has had an opportunity to comment on it, a second faculty group will be established to devise specific recommendations to the provost for implementing these goals. If it is true that the character of any university emerges most clearly in its curriculum and in its budgetary allocation decisions, we want our true character to come forth in both.

I have spoken on many previous occasions about the profound need for a global perspective for all our graduates, especially since we are located in a place that is not likely to provide that perspective outside the efforts of the university. Such a perspective is even more critical in the aftermath of September 11, when grave misunderstandings about our country and society pose threats even greater than those during the Cold War. Never has international communication and connection been more important to the United States than now.   If our students are to be successful as future business, cultural, and civic leaders, they must be both comfortable and effective in this new multicultural, global environment. One of the important objectives in our strategic plan, under Goal I, is to "provide all students with enhanced learning opportunities through international, internship, practicum, research, service learning, and leadership development experiences."   While we already send many students for short-term or long-term study overseas, we must do much more. To that end, I propose that Ball State University ensure that every single undergraduate student have the opportunity to study or work in another country during his or her time here. We should also seek through new technologies to provide additional "virtual" international experiences for our students, and to enhance our curriculum to better support these experiences.

As we prepare for what promises to be one of the most challenging legislative sessions in many years, we must be clear about how this university contributes not just to the welfare of Indiana but also to the essential conditions for the state's economic recovery and future prosperity.   Beginning next week, we will launch a major information campaign throughout the state to call attention to these contributions. Our theme will be "Building Better Communities," and we will carry the message to civic clubs, alumni events, media interviews, and eventually to the General Assembly.   Even though money will be tight, we want everyone to be clear that when it comes to the economic condition of Indiana, higher education is a part of the solution and not part of the problem. And Ball State is one of the best higher education investments of all.

A Bright Future
The beginning of this new academic year will provide many reminders of our good fortune and prospects for a bright future. On September 13 we will formally celebrate the successful completion of the Above and Beyond comprehensive campaign, which has thus far raised considerably more than $110 million, considerably over the initial goal of $90 million, for scholarships, capital projects, and special academic initiatives.   On September 14 and 15, we will celebrate the reopening of the Ball State University Museum of Art, with significantly expanded exhibit space in a renovated Fine Arts Building. And on September 22-27 the UniverCity cultural and intellectual festival will bring scores of outstanding speakers and performers to our campus and to Muncie in an exciting university-community collaboration. All of these occasions point to our achievements, our capabilities, and our capacity to achieve our university vision.

I thank you for all you do to make this campus a preferred educational destination for so many students and families. Behind our successful marketing efforts is a very good university that provides excellent preparation for lives and careers. We have a real story to tell, and I am always proud to tell it. And I hope you take justifiable pride in being a part of it.

Let's have a great year.