Thank you all for coming out today for the first of what will be many conversations with the Frostburg State University community. As I begin my remarks, I want to express my sincerest thanks to the faculty and staff of Frostburg State University. I want to thank you for your support during my candidacy and for graciously accepting me as your fourteenth president.

I am extremely happy to be here, and it has been a pleasure in these past weeks getting to know you and learning about my new home.

I am constantly in awe of the surrounding beauty of this area and this University. Everywhere I look I see lovely vistas, and the campus is beautiful and meticulously maintained. The beauty is not limited to the scenery. The people I have met over these past weeks have been extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful. Needless to say, I'm enjoying the change from the Long Island Expressway to Frostburg's Main Street, and I have received a few quick lessons about living in a small town.

On my way to campus on my very first day, I turned the wrong way down Center Street. By the time I arrived at my new office five minutes later, my administrative assistant Mary Griffin had already received two calls about the new president's wrong turn. I'm sure many of you can relate to how fast news spreads in a community of this size.

In that spirit, I want to focus my remarks today on what I believe will be a series of correct turns we will be making together over the next few months, as well as the important task we have of "spreading the news" about Frostburg State University.

Since I arrived at Frostburg State University, many of you have asked me about "my vision" for the University. Before I move forward, I want and need to listen to faculty, staff and students as we work together to develop a collective vision – Our Vision. As such, I have been devoting a generous portion of my time over the past weeks to listening and learning about the history and culture of this University, this community and this region. I will present our collective vision at my inauguration in April.

I would like to share with you some of what I have learned about Frostburg State University and my impressions so far:

- First of all, I have found that faculty and staff genuinely care about this fine university, and most importantly, that they care about our students and their total learning experience. The students I have spoken with recognize how unique this relationship is.

The commitment of faculty and staff is shown by the many creative approaches taken to support student learning, a commitment that was likewise reflected in the findings of the Middle States Commission, which noted the numerous areas in which you excel in your efforts to educate our students. And yet, at the same time, I have discovered that, at times, faculty and staff have not been consistently encouraged to develop, share and implement their ideas. I truly believe that my role as your president is to inspire and support creativity to allow all of us to better serve our students .

- Secondly, I have found many truly effective academic and administrative departments doing wonderful things for the University and our students, going the extra mile to make a positive impact on our students' experience. I have found many excellent examples of interdepartmental collaboration but we can go further. We need to bring the right people and departments together to move this University forward on some important initiatives. It is my role to encourage and facilitate these essential collaborations here at Frostburg State University.

- Third, I have learned that an overriding element of Frostburg State University's history comes from the tenacity of not only the faculty, staff and students, but from the local community, which recognized the inherent opportunities offered by higher education. Their involvement and investment from the very beginning have been instrumental in creating the tremendous institution that Frostburg State University is today.

Local historian Betty Van Newkirk wrote this in a recent column: "Frostburg has become a college town, not because a group of bureaucrats considered it properly distanced from the University of Maryland, or because a millionaire provided land and endowments. It came into existence because the people in our community – many of them miners – valued education, and went to rather extraordinary lengths to supply schooling for their children."

Donations for State Normal School Number 2 came from all walks of life – including from local coal miners who gave what they could out of their meager wages: 25 cents, 50 cents or a dollar. These donors' names are enshrined in the cornerstone of Old Main.

- Fourth, Frostburg State University has a student body of whom we all should be proud, and I am truly enjoying getting to know them as individuals. These are young people – and some not-so-young -- who are pursuing the promise of higher education, embracing leadership and giving time back to the community.

Like you, these students are proud of their institution, and they will take that pride with them as they graduate to join our esteemed alumni, the true measure of Frostburg's success. And by that measure, Frostburg State University stands with the best, not only in the Emmy-winners, scientists and captains of industry, but in the folks whose efforts wherever they are reflect admirably on their Alma Mater.

- Finally, it is apparent to me the value of recent and upcoming infrastructure improvements, as well as how valuable they will continue to be in supporting the educational atmosphere of Frostburg State University. The University System of Maryland – Hagerstown facility has not only brought life back to a distressed section of downtown Hagerstown, but it has created a place for students in the Washington County region to gain access to higher education opportunities that had once been out of reach. Edgewood Commons on our campus is offering our students superior living accommodations, providing them with a much wider range of housing choices than had been available, and supplying the amenities that today's students expect.

In a concerted effort to establish Frostburg State University as an asset both educationally and technologically, the University embarked on an ambitious program of growth and renovation to establish what is sometimes being called the triad of progress. The first two phases of that triad are complete with the $6.5 million renovation of Gunter Hall in 2002, which houses the Department of Geography and environmental labs, and with the construction of the beautiful $33 million Compton Science Center in 2003. Compton is home to the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics and Engineering and 41 state-of-the-art labs. The third leg of that triad, the Center for Communications and Information Technology, is an integral part of our look toward the future. This $52 million building will link technology-intensive disciplines, including Mass Communication, Computer Science, Graphic Design and Mathematics, provide an expanded Planetarium and offer state-of-the art venues for our TV station and WFWM, our National Public Radio affiliate. The CCIT, which will be constructed on the site of the current Tawes Hall, is entering its design phase and is scheduled to be completed by 2010.

Also, in recognition of the importance of a vibrant and accessible student union in the overall college experience, students have agreed to fund the $17 million expansion and improvement of the Lane University Center, scheduled for completion in 2009. It is our expectation that this expansion will provide a greater measure of community and access to facilities to all of our students.

I am committed to continuing to learn about Frostburg State University, and I hope you will continue to assist me by sharing your wisdom as we create this collective vision. In order to realize this vision, we must immediately face some serious challenges and overcome each in turn. And I am confident that we will succeed.

As many of you are no doubt aware, Frostburg State University continues to experience a decline in enrollment. Our latest census shows that we are 111 FTE's down from last fall, and our headcount is now the lowest it has been in nearly 20 years. Declines are across all student demographics -- undergraduate, transfers and graduate students. This shortfall in enrollment means that we are down $2.7 million from our budgeted revenue projections – a clearly significant amount.

I believe it is essential that I take this earliest opportunity to apprise you of the steps we are taking to address this looming challenge. I have, with the input of the Executive Committee and others, developed a plan that will mitigate the impact of this current financial deficit.

But I want to assure you that we will achieve these ends without resorting to layoffs, furloughs or departmental givebacks and without causing any lasting financial harm to the institution.

Let me repeat that. We will achieve these ends without resorting to layoffs, furloughs or departmental givebacks. It is my utmost goal NOT to cause any lasting financial harm to the institution.

Our first step in addressing this shortfall -- while preserving our financial stability -- was to enlist the support of Chancellor Kirwan. I have asked him to allow us to use a part of our reserve fund over the next two years. He has agreed. We will also manage the resources we have in a way that will help us weather this challenging period. Some of these steps include delaying some major expenditures, examining current job vacancies and using revenue from sources such as Intersession and Summer School. Working within the strictures imposed upon us by the Maryland political process, our goal is to work aggressively to resolve the enrollment shortfall by 2008.

First and foremost, we will pursue our goal of increasing enrollment without sacrificing our academic standards.

However, addressing our enrollment is a part of the larger effort in taking this University forward. An Enrollment Management Committee has been formed and currently consists of 17 people representing Academic Affairs, Student and Educational Services, Administration and Finance and Enrollment Management. Its charge is to build the collaborations needed University-wide to bring the best possible undergraduate and graduate students to Frostburg State.

One structural move will be to bring Enrollment Management under the direction of the Office of the Provost, led by an Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management. This move will build credibility and cooperation among the deans and the department chairs, as well as between undergraduate and graduate admissions.

We will also continue to invest in our graduate programs, implementing the results of the graduate services study that we already have in hand. Graduate studies are an area of great potential for Frostburg State University. I believe we have the capability to build our programs, including to the doctorate level, implementing an Ed.D. and possibly a Ph.D. program.

Our overall efforts will be directed by the findings of our Middle States Self-Study, which led to our successful reaccreditation last spring.

The Middle States evaluation team found much to praise in its report to the University. The primary recognition was contained in the very first sentence: "Frostburg State University’s most notable change during this past 10 years has been its evolution from a comprehensive college to a regional university."

I would add that we are a Comprehensive Regional Master's I University, or in the new Carnegie classifications, a Master's L University, "L" meaning we are a larger program, awarding at least 50 master's degrees each year.

And I will continue to emphasize that Frostburg State University is a constituent member of the University System of Maryland, which is one of the top university systems in our nation.

The Middle States Evaluation team noted our cultural, service and economic development initiatives. It highlighted the excellent support systems we provide our students. It praised our diverse, engaged student body. The team recognized the forward-looking effort of the Undergraduate Education Initiative and our online education efforts. It applauded us for achieving noteworthy accreditations, most notably recognition from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, in addition to a number of accreditations in individual disciplines.

Our students agree. Over the past two months as I have started to meet our students, I always ask why they chose Frostburg. Over and over I am told that they selected Frostburg State University because of its reputation for high quality programs and that they appreciate the individual attention provided to them by our faculty and staff. This response was echoed in the student survey conducted for the Middle States Self-Study.

I currently serve as a Middle States Commissioner, and, while I was unable to vote on Frostburg's accreditation, I was privy to the Commission's discussions. It is very unusual for an institution to be reaccredited with no noted issues or concerns. I was extremely impressed and very proud.

But you already know that this is a remarkable university. It is time to take the message of our successes and share it. As I have said since my interview for this position, we need to get our message out, both inside our university community and to rest of the world. Tell them what we already know – that Frostburg State University is an exceptional institution.

We must get our word out beyond the Western Maryland region, and we will build a comprehensive, well-researched marketing plan to do so.

Like our concept of a technological triad of educational facilities, I am relying on a triad of human effort to comprehensively spread the word about Frostburg State University to prospective students, the community, political leaders and others.

First, the marketing of our university and our communications to the community must be priorities. In order to accomplish these priorities, I am establishing a new division under the leadership of a Vice President for Communications and Media Relations. It will be the responsibility of this group to develop and implement a definitive and broad-based marketing initiative. The position of vice president will be a member of the Executive Committee and a position announcement will appear in the Chronicle of Higher Education very soon. Among this office's duties will be to centralize our marketing efforts and to develop strategies to market Frostburg State University that are consistent with how prospective students seek this information. This will require some financial adjustments, since few funds are currently dedicated to marketing Frostburg State University. And yet nationally, universities spend approximately one percent of their operating budget or more on marketing.

With that in mind, we have also established a Marketing and Branding Task Force, which will have its first meeting next week. This task force will be facilitated by Dr. Carol Gaumer, chair of Frostburg State University's Department of Marketing and Finance. The group is charged with first assessing how the larger market views us, and then with clarifying our "brand," an institutional identity that captures and reflects all that this university is and all it offers to our students. The group's next step will be to find the best way to get our message out to the world, forming the core of the plan for this new department.

This will be an ongoing mission, because launching a new brand is a journey, not a destination.

Second, we are also working with the University System of Maryland to seek proposals from a search firm to find a seasoned advancement professional to fill the vacancy of University Advancement Vice President. This division must be able to move forward with its critical work of fund-raising, especially with the upcoming capital campaign. My goal is to raise two to three million dollars a year.

The third and final leg of this triad is in the area of economic development and government relations. It has long been recognized that the University represents an economic opportunity in and for the region. The creation of the joint ABC@FSU is just one of the potential opportunities for leveraging economic growth both for Frostburg State University and for the surrounding area. The need for an executive-level approach to these issues was set out in our Middle States self-study.

Thus I would like to introduce my new Chief of Staff and Vice President for Economic Development and Government Relations, Mr. Stephen Spahr. Mr. Spahr joins the Executive Committee made up of Provost Stephen Simpson, Interim Vice President for Student and Educational Services Tom Bowling, and Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance David Rose.

Mr. Spahr's duties will be to work with state and regional economic development agencies in their efforts to promote the Allegany Business Center at Frostburg State University and to identify new means of leveraging the University as an agent for economic growth and change in our area.

We are very fortunate to have someone of Mr. Spahr's caliber in this position. Mr. Spahr brings to Frostburg State enormous strength in government relations. His varied background will be an asset to the University and an aid to me in managing and troubleshooting various complex projects that are planned or under way for our community. He has significant administrative experience in various government agencies and has frequently dealt with legislators on a variety of projects. Mr. Spahr has spent years concentrating on reinforcing ethical practices and compliance in government operations.

Since arriving less than a month ago, he has begun the process of meeting with county and business leaders to discuss ABC@FSU and other issues. While he and I expect that he will be spending a lot of time in Annapolis during the General Assembly session on our behalf, he has in fact already been there to begin the process of ensuring that Frostburg State University maintains a voice in the State House as discussions and issues vital to the life of the University make their way through the political process.

Like our science and technology triad, these moves are designed to support our students first and foremost. Enhanced communications and marketing of our clearly branded identity will take that message to prospective students. Fund-raising will provide the scholarships and endowment needed to recruit and support them. And economic development and government relations will help create opportunities for them both as students and as graduates.

With all of these changes, faculty and staff need to know that we will be looking at the right things. Decisions will be based on our strategic plan, first and foremost with the intent of supporting academic affairs and its important mission of educating of our students. And changes that have been made already and those in the future will foster the freer flow of information.

For an example of how academic needs and collaboration will drive future decisions, I have taken the action of postponing two pending capital construction projects -- a water line improvement and some ventilation upgrades -- with the intent of redirecting this capital allotment to projects that will more directly serve the immediate needs of our faculty and students. As such, I have asked Provost Simpson to work with the deans, the department chairs and the rest of the Executive Committee to review our capital improvement plan with an eye toward academic needs.

Another change I am implementing to encourage collaboration is to make revisions to our budget process. These changes were urged by our own Middle States steering committee, a recommendation with which the Middle States evaluation team agreed. I have presented a draft budget process to Dr. Robert Kauffman, chair of Faculty Senate, as well as to Dr. William Childs, chair of the Institutional Priorities and Resources Committee. In this new model, as the budget is drawn up, deans, directors and department chairs will have input into the process. The ultimate goal is to have a budget process that is transparent and encourages communication in both directions. It is important for those affected by the budget to know what the issues are.

I have also changed the composition and agenda of the President's Cabinet to encourage collaboration and open, honest discussion of issues. With a more issues-based mission, the Cabinet now includes not only the chair of the Faculty Senate, but the chairs of the Senate's four main committees: Institutional Priorities and Resources, Faculty Concerns, Academic Affairs and the Graduate Council. Cabinet now also includes representation from the Chairs Council.

I will need your help along this journey. As I continue the process of refocusing our priorities, there will be many opportunities for you to offer your feedback and suggestions on the direction the University is headed. I invite you please to take advantage of these opportunities. A university community thrives on the free and open exchange of ideas.

There is much more to be said, much more to discuss and much for us to plan together. Community relations and the problem of student alcohol abuse will continue to be pressing issues. Our role in supporting economic development must be clarified. Academic development, including potential new degree programs, will require our attention. Most importantly, my focus will always be on our students and how we can provide them with a rich, rewarding educational experience.

These are all discussions we will have together.

Please understand that change takes time and requires that thoughtful decisions are made. Making some correct turns to solve our financial challenges will allow us to move more easily into the future we envision. We have a financial hole to dig ourselves out of, but I truly believe it can be done. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here today. We all know we have something of value here at Frostburg State University. It will be up to all of us to spread the news to the rest of the world about that value, and I look forward to working with you to realize Frostburg State University's enormous potential.

Thank you.