State of the University
2006-2007
Faculty Accomplishments
Our faculty has had an excellent year, with too many awards and other achievements to detail here. I will summarize a very few notable accomplishments as an example of the productivity of the faculty as a whole. Law School Professor Linda C. McClain's book titled The Place of Families was published in January by Harvard University Press and has already received wide acclaim from law academicians throughout the country. School of Education and Allied Human Services Professors Alan Singer and Mary Carter won the National Conference for the Social Studies 2006 prize for their slavery curriculum. Also from the School of Education, Frank Bowe testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, and Janice Koch is now the president-elect of The Association for Science Teacher Education. In Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Carolyn Dudek was named a Fulbright Fellow in Argentina, Philip Lopate was inducted into the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Greg Levine was appointed a KITP (Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics) Scholar for 2004-2006, which represents major recognition for a scientist specializing in condensed matter physics. In addition, Matthew Sonfield from the Zarb School was elected dean of fellows of the Small Business Institute, and Steven Knowlton from our School of Communication was awarded a Knight International Press Fellowship to Moldova.
I would also like to acknowledge Aashish Kumar of the School of Communication, who supervised a Hofstra summer workshop for high school students titled "Documenting Diversity," which resulted in 10 short documentaries created by student participants. This program was made possible in part through funding from the Horace and Amy Hagedorn Foundation of the Long Island Community Trust and the Roslyn Savings Foundation. We continue our efforts to enhance diversity in the faculty, staff and administration. We are making progress, but this clearly must continue to be a major priority for us going forward.
This year we have also completed national searches to fill two endowed chairs with nationally known scholars from other institutions. Dr. Meena Bose, former director of American politics at the United States Military Academy at West Point, has been named the Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies and will lead the new Center for the Study of the Presidency. In addition, Julie Elizabeth Byrne, from Duke University, has been named the Msgr. Thomas J. Hartman Chair in Catholic Studies.
There are two new faculty-initiated projects on the horizon for this year that all of us are very excited about. The first is a proposal by Cindy Bogard, Mike D'Innocenzo and others for the establishment of a Center for Civic Engagement "designed to strengthen democratic values by encouraging students to actively participate as knowledgeable citizens in their campus, local, state, national and global communities." The second is a proposal by Denny Taylor for an International Center for Every Child, which would utilize teachers and others to work with children in the aftermath of a catastrophic event. The goal is to cushion the impact on children of natural catastrophes or wars and to let their education and other supportive activities continue. I support the mission of both these centers, and I believe there will be grant and other funding opportunities available to facilitate their good work.
Fiscal Affairs
The University continues to improve its financial condition. In recognition, in December 2005 Moody's upgraded Hofstra's debt rating to A3, reflecting "the University's improved operating performance and fundraising contributing to very strong balance sheet growth." Endowment investments have doubled, growing from $100 million to more than $200 million, since I assumed the presidency. In addition, the University's operating margins have improved, and considerable funding for physical improvements in classrooms, student spaces, technology, and deferred maintenance has been identified within the operating budget.
With respect to health care costs, when I became president, the University had a non-contributory health care plan for all active employees as well as a noncontributory plan for retirees for the life of the retiree and his or her spouse. We also were paying the entire cost of health care for our active as well as retired employees, although health care costs were accelerating at rates of greater than 10 percent per year. By 2003, the unfunded FASB 106 obligation to future retirees had reached $59 million, and was growing by an amount in excess of $8 million each year. If we had allowed this situation to continue unchecked, the unfunded FASB 106 obligation may well have exceeded $100 million by now, jeopardizing the University's fiscal viability as well as the futures of employees and retirees. Instead, the University has addressed the FASB 106 issue by requiring modest contributions from current employees both pre- and post-retirement and eliminating post-retirement health care for new employees; these steps have halted the spiraling increases in the unfunded FASB 106 obligation and protected the University's future fiscal stability, while at the same time still providing very generous benefits for all employees.
Post-Katrina, in an effort to prepare for all contingencies, we are working with consultants to develop and document disaster recovery and business continuity plans and expect to complete the administrative plans during this fall. A second phase of the project will identify plans for academic and student life areas.
University Relations
After receiving input from all constituencies, we have just completed a yearlong initiative to redefine Hofstra's brand and create a message that resonates with alumni, students, community members and faculty. Working with an outside agency, the team conducted both quantitative and qualitative research, as well as synthesizing existing data from Institutional Research, and created a brand that speaks to our engaged, dynamic and successful Hofstra community. The campaign, which was launched September 1 with the first stages of the Web site, encompasses advertising, Web, video, publications and brochures, posters and multimedia.
Our efforts to place Hofstra faculty members as experts in the media have also been successful. Faculty placements in print and broadcast media have gone up 160 percent from the '04-'05 academic year to the '05-'06 academic year. A Hofstra University Experts guide has been published to be used in conjunction with the online press room.
Finally, this past year we installed a new digital print shop, adding color, on-demand and large-format print services to our capabilities. The new online print order system allows our faculty and staff to order printing and duplicating services from their desktops. And in response to faculty requests for a better way to communicate with students and community members about deadlines and events, we have launched the Hofstra Information network, available on 21 LCDs, a video wall in the Student Center, and Channel 32 on the Hofstra television system.
Capital Campaign
At the 10th Annual Hofstra Gala on May 4, we publicly announced the launch of a $100 million capital campaign. To date, more than $78 million has been pledged to the campaign, including 16 gifts of $1 million or more. In comparison, the University's last capital campaign had a goal of $35 million. A very compelling capital campaign video has been produced, which features distinguished alumni, including Francis Ford Coppola, as well as faculty and students talking about their experiences at Hofstra. The video will be used nationally as we meet with alumni and friends in the tri-state area, Washington, D.C., Florida, California, Chicago and Boston. We continue to work to secure the support of our 105,000 strong alumni body. The Annual Fund campaign (The Fund for Hofstra University) has also been invigorated, and for the first time, exceeded the $1 million benchmark last year.
We have strengthened the University's ties to our federal and New York state legislators and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in discretionary New York state grants. We have also secured promises for a significant federal grant and significant New York state capital funding.
Technology
We continue to improve on the use of technology in teaching and in learning, and to enhance classrooms with the latest in instructional technology. The University is also becoming more focused on supporting faculty in the use of technology in the curriculum by increasing resources dedicated to instructional support. We are seeing the fruits of this focus on instructional technology through the launching of the first podcasting service as a pilot project this fall; more than 700 fall classes are using Blackboard in their courses, thus improving the connection between faculty and students and among students; our first fully online program, a certificate program in gifted and talented teaching, is ready to launch. And the faculty is investigating other online graduate programs. Technology also played an important role in our new orientation program by allowing students to take some of their placement exams prior to arriving on campus, thus enabling such students to spend their time on campus more effectively.
We continue to work to expand and improve services to students and to employees. Self-service tools are constantly being improved, and we have now developed a knowledge management system, "Ask Kate & Willie," that permits users to type in questions and receive answers within seconds. Our computer labs continue to be upgraded, high-tech screens have been installed throughout campus, and a new signage program is planned.
Physical Facilities
This past year has been an extraordinarily busy time for new construction and the enhancement of the campus physical facilities. The New Academic Building was completed in time for the beginning of fall 2006 classes. The new building imaginatively uses glass and steel to dramatic effect, with a light and colorful interior. The building houses a 230-seat "black box" theater with a box office, set construction areas and dressing rooms, an orchestra rehearsal space for the Music Department, as well as faculty offices and seminar rooms. With the completion of the New Academic Building and other renovations about to take place, I will soon complete the pledge I made to the faculty when I assumed the presidency – to ensure that each full-time faculty member has his or her own office.
Also this fall, the first floor of the Axinn Library will have been completely redone; this renovation includes a new reference room, comfortable student seating, an Internet café, and new carpeting and lighting, all creating a bright, luminescent appearance. Brower Hall, one of the older classroom buildings, has been completely modernized with the installation of an elevator, new high-tech classrooms and comfortable furniture, updated air conditioning and heating, and new rest rooms. The lower level of Roosevelt Hall is also nearly finished, and features new classrooms as well as student office space for the Law School. We have replaced classroom furniture in a number of the older buildings, and continue our plan to renovate all classrooms. Fire sprinklers and new alarms were installed in the Colonial Square residence halls; this concludes the board-approved plan to install sprinklers in all residence halls on campus, including the low-rise residence halls where sprinklers are not required by code. In addition, the entire Axinn Library building is now being equipped with sprinklers. The third pedestrian bridge will also be open this fall, allowing students to cross Hempstead Turnpike at Oak Street more conveniently and safely.
In the next few months, work will begin on the renovation of the Student Center facilities, providing comfortable dining and social space, as well as additional student meeting and study rooms. We have broken ground for the new graduate residence hall, which will feature suites with largely single rooms and small kitchenettes for our law and graduate students. This year, we will also begin the complete renovation of the University Club, David S. Mack Hall, and are making plans to transform the core of the Netherlands for the new student Living/Learning Center.
In the past five years, we have transformed the campus by renovating the older academic buildings and investing in new construction. We began with the complete reconstruction of Hagedorn Hall to house the School of Education and Allied Human Services, and completed the renovation of Mason Hall, which now houses the Department of English. In Calkins Hall, we added a new high-technology laboratory for the independent study of foreign language, with two high-technology classrooms to enhance teaching and learning. New labs were installed for engineering in Weed and Adams Halls. The Zarb School of Business opened its simulated Trading Room, complete with 34 Bloomberg terminals, stock tickers and other forms of instructional technology, designed to provide students with the unique experience of using real-time financial and business data. Renovation and construction will continue as we work to make our classrooms, other academic buildings and student spaces as comfortable, inviting and up-to-date as possible.
Presidential Debates
We continue to aggressively pursue the possibility of Hofstra hosting one of the presidential debates for the 2008 presidential election. We have formed an internal task force and had a feasibility study prepared by our consultants and are continuing to meet with the Presidential Debate Commission's production consultant and counsel. The informal feedback has been very positive, and we anticipate that Hofstra will be a viable candidate for the formal, and lengthy, application process.
Outreach
Our annual "Great Writers, Great Readings" series had six very successful events, featuring poet Charles Simic, authors Haruki Murakami and Jonathan Franzen, Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Donald Margulies and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edward P. Jones, and National Book Award winner Jean Valentine. This current year, "Great Writers, Great Readings" continues with another extraordinary roster of authors and playwrights, beginning with the recent visit by author John McPhee. Thanks to the efforts of our Creative Writing faculty, especially Philip Lopate, Erik Brogger, Martha McPhee, Phillis Levin and Julia Markus, this series has become, in a short time, an important and distinctive program for our students and for Hofstra University.
The highlight of the past year was our very successful 11th Presidential Conference, William Jefferson Clinton: The "New Democrat" From Hope. In an 80-minute speech, which was covered by The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN and The Washington Post, President Clinton addressed an audience of nearly 5,000 students, scholars and Hofstra community members. During the three-day conference, former Clinton administration members, such as Janet Reno, John Podesta, Richard Riley, Robert Rubin, and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as well as scholars, journalists and policy makers, offered insight into diverse topics. Almost 2,000 Hofstra students, as well as hundreds of area high school students, participated, and about 100 Hofstra students were selected to act as hosts for the panelists, as members of President Clinton's advance team, and as guides for journalists in our state-of-the-art media center.
University Management
I continue to enhance the University's senior management team. We have hired a new vice president for student affairs, Sandra Johnson, who served as the associate dean, Division of Student Affairs, at Columbia University prior to joining Hofstra. Vice President Johnson is working with her staff to enhance student satisfaction in all areas and to improve retention. Also new this year is Joseph Barkwill, who was the assistant vice president for operations, engineering & utilities and, prior to that, the director of physical plant, facilities operations, at Columbia University, and has assumed the position of vice president for facilities and operations at Hofstra. This newly created position oversees plant, new construction, renovation and maintenance, buildings and grounds, custodial services, utilities, environmental and fire safety, regulatory compliance, event management and auxiliary services. Both of these new vice presidents report to Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration Pat Adamski. We have also hired a new director of the Hofstra Museum, Beth Levinthal, who was formerly director of the Heckscher Museum in Huntington. Ms. Levinthal will report to Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Herman Berliner; she will be working to enhance the museum's visibility, enrich its programming, and involve students, faculty and the community in museum activities.
The Future
I continue to believe more firmly than ever that Hofstra's potential is limitless. We have all the ingredients necessary to move forward. Our more than 500 full-time faculty, as well as our adjunct faculty, are recognized for their excellence in teaching as well as their scholarly pursuits, and many of them are nationally and internationally renowned in their respective fields. We have extraordinary students, a beautiful campus in an excellent location, and an energetic and supportive administration. All of us — faculty, administration, staff, students and alumni — are committed to making Hofstra University the best institution of higher education that it can possibly be. Working together, we will see Hofstra reach the next level of academic prominence and prestige and take its place among the very best universities in the nation and around the world.