Subsequent to our spring Convocation in April, 2003, several developments took place which further illustrate that we are, indeed, experiencing difficult—if not the worst of—times, as well as the best of times: The budget got worse. Two additional reductions totaling nearly $1.9 million were made to our budget for fiscal year ‘04, which began July 1, 2003. Consequently, we were forced to eliminate, in addition to 22 positions taken back earlier by the State, another 24 positions. Some of these were vacant at the time; in some instances, individuals transferred to other open positions; and in other cases, individuals retired or were laid off. These actions were necessitated by the fact that the majority of our budget is driven by personnel costs, and only by reducing those costs could we save the dollars needed to balance the budget

The impact of these personnel reductions has been significant. We were unable to fund approximately eighteen vacant full-time faculty positions and have been forced to assign approximately thirty class sections to adjunct faculty, who, because of limited hours, cannot provide the full range of services, including out-of-class time, to support instruction. The library lost five full-time professionals when the State eliminated those positions. As a result, no reference librarians are available to students at night or on weekends, when the library is open. Similarly, hours in the computer labs have been reduced and support staff are unavailable during evenings.

For the first time, we were forced to charge students a user fee for health services in order to secure funding to replace a full-time nursing position with a part-time nurse. Across the campus, operating budgets have been drastically reduced, and the remaining cohort of faculty and staff are being asked to do more with less. There have been no salary increases for three years.

The prospect for next year is equally grim. We have been advised that our budgets will be “flat,” but, in fact, unfunded mandates (salary increases, insurance increases, cost of new facilities coming on line, etc.) will further reduce our budget by over $2.1 million. State appropriations total only 33.2% of our current budget, and that amount will drop to 32.2% next year without additional funding. By contrast, tuition revenues currently account for 34%, and they are projected to rise to over 36% in '05, following a recent increase approved by the Board of Regents.

The worst of times? Presumably, it could be worse, but there can be no doubt that Frostburg State University, like all public institutions of higher education in Maryland, is experiencing some of the most difficult times in recent memory, including the recession of the early 1990’s. Now, how can I possibly say that in some sense these are the best of times for the University?

Applications are soaring. We had a waiting list of 300 students for the fall semester, some of whom have been offered delayed admission for the spring, when there will be spaces available following our December graduation. Inquiries for the fall of 2004 are running 1,000 ahead of last year at this time.

The quality of our students continues to rise, as indicated by national test scores and grade point averages. SAT scores of entering freshmen have risen 50 points since 1999 and are above both State and national averages. The high school grade point average for entering freshmen is 3.1.

We continue to attract an excitingly diverse student population. The entering class this year includes 16% minority students, of whom approximately 12% are African-American. New international students came from fourteen countries in South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, bringing the total to 33 countries and further enriching the culture of our campus community.

The down side of all of this is that, without additional revenue, we may be forced to cap enrollments at a time when high school graduation rates are spiraling. None of us wants to do this, but even the recent substantial increases in tuition do not cover the full cost of educating students, and tuitions are already approaching a level that may be unaffordable for many families.

On the other hand, our faculty continue to do outstanding work. Dr. Barbara Hurd, who received a coveted Elkins professorship for $80,000 from the University System last year to complete her book on caves (Entering the Stone), has had the grant renewed for $75,000 to assist her with her work in progress on the “wrack line,” a study of natural and man-made elements that wash ashore. Her first book in the series, Stirring the Mud, inspired by her experience growing up near Finzel swamp, has been nationally acclaimed. (The Los Angeles Times declared it one of the best twenty books published in 2001.) Her book on caves received a glowing review in the New York Times and other papers across the country, and Dr. Hurd has been interviewed on NPR in several major cities, including Washington, Philadelphia, and Seattle. This fall, Professor George Plitnik of our physics department was interviewed by a reporter for the Associated Press for his creative approach to teaching advanced scientific theories through fiction. In October, he appeared as a guest on the CBS “Early Show,” and he has been featured on radio interviews in Scotland and Spain as a result of the AP article. Dr. Tom Serfass, one of our biology professors, has been honored as a most distinguished young alumnus by his alma mater, Penn State University. Dr. Serfass will host on our campus next summer an international conference on otters which will draw scholars and researchers from all over the world. Professor Robert Llewellyn of our art department had two of his works featured in an invitational international art exhibit at the Gorohovaya Gallery in St. Petersburg, Russia from September 15 to October 15. These are only a few recent examples of the excellent work being done by our faculty, who remain committed to both teaching and scholarship.

Our staff are also outstanding in ways that we do not always appreciate. For example, the threatened devastation of hurricane Isabel brought home to all of us their incredible dedication and resourcefulness. When we learned that we were predicted to be in the literal eye of the hurricane, we assembled everyone on campus who could help us with preparedness: building managers, groundskeepers, residence hall staff, food service managers, communications supervisors, and so forth. Within hours, an evacuation plan to assemble students in buildings with powerful backup generators was in place in the event that we lost power; food service staff prepared cold foods to last for several days if necessary and rented a refrigerated truck to store the food; maintenance workers dug trenches to divert water and mud from the new science center since rain had delayed the completion of the landscaping around the building; the director of media relations had messages out to the campus community and media throughout the state within hours. We involved the Chief of Police of the City of Frostburg in our planning so that students living off campus would be taken care of. In short, everyone knew what needed to be done and went out of his or her way to do it. The exercise was a demonstration of what “community” is all about. Fortunately, the predictions were wrong. We experienced only minor water seepage in two buildings and no damage to trees or grounds. But we were ready, and that is what is important.

The best of times? Perhaps not, but we can continue to take pride in Frostburg State University as an institution in which exciting, diverse, capable students come to study under the tutelage of some of the finest faculty members in their fields, supported by staff who demonstrate every day that students are our reason for being here. And that is much to be proud of!

CRG/mg
11/12/03