President's Report to Alumni
The Citadel’s Board of Visitors met this past weekend and I would like to provide you the highlights.
The BOV received an update on the state budget and what it means for The Citadel. Unfortunately, the state’s economy is still weak – declining revenue has resulted in two cuts this year to the college’s state appropriation totaling 8.8 percent or about $1 million. In the last 18 months the state appropriation has declined nearly 31 percent, or $5 million. We expect another cut this year and have been warned by legislators to expect another cut next year.
These cuts hurt. Ten staff members have been let go, and 71 positions are vacant – that’s 12 percent of our work force. We’ve cut the adjunct teaching budget 25 percent and we have not been able to proceed with some of the initiatives related to our strategic planning.
However, I emphasized with the BOV that you cannot cut your way out of trouble. We continue to compete in a very competitive higher education market, one that demands we continually improve how we go about providing a top-quality college education. Fortunately, we had begun our strategic planning process before the recession hit, and that has better positioned us to move forward, despite the state cuts. We are emphasizing the importance of running the college efficiently and maximizing all opportunities to generate revenue in order to replace what we have lost from the state.
Our strategic plan, the Blueprint, has been published and distributed to the college community, higher education organizations, and industry. There is also a link to the Blueprint on the college’s web page, www.citadel.edu. We were able to make $500,000 available this year for Blueprint initiatives, though we had intended to allocate $1 million. The difference was used to cover some of the state appropriation cuts this year.
As part of the Blueprint’s goal of increasing student retention, the College Success Institute is being redesigned to boost participation. CSI is a summer program that gives incoming students the opportunity to take two academic courses while introducing them to life in the Corps. Students who participate in CSI have a higher rate of retention.
Last fall the BOV approved bringing the Veterans Program back to The Citadel. Not only do we feel a particular duty toward veterans, the new GI Bill includes generous benefits for college that create more opportunities for vets to attend The Citadel. The last few months were spent developing and promoting the program, which, to date, has received inquiries from about one dozen vets. Two enrolled for the spring semester, but we expected that participation would be low mid-year, and we recognized the need to give promotional efforts time to establish awareness of The Citadel’s Veterans Program. Additionally, about 100 cadets are using their parents’ GI benefits to pay for college.
In order to expand our profile in the region, another goal of the Blueprint, we are also increasing our outreach to regional industries. This will have the additional benefit of learning how we can adapt the Citadel Graduate College to regional business needs.
Increasing revenue through growth of the CGC is essential to The Citadel’s future because growth in the Corps is limited. I have directed further renovation of Stevens Barracks, which will permit the Corps to grow from 2105 to 2205, but that is the maximum. On the other hand, the Citadel Graduate College has tremendous capacity for growth.
I am pleased to report the CGC’s enrollment grew by 6 percent for the fall semester and 9.1 percent this spring. We will continue to market the CGC to promote further growth.
Commandant Col Leo Mercado reported that the number of disciplinary cases administered through the Office of the Commandant have increased significantly this year and are likely to exceed last year’s totals. Col Mercado noted this increase can be explained in part by the transition to a new commandant; the numbers went up as well in the year the previous commandant took over.
The increase in disciplinary cases also reflects Col Mercado’s commitment to upholding the standards laid out in the college regulations. He has not changed a single regulation or policy. Instead, he is holding cadets and staff accountable for what is already on the books. By doing so he encourages the sense of duty, the discipline and the pride cadets can experience by meeting a single, uniform standard.
Regarding discipline, the BOV voted unanimously to assign immediately the review of disciplinary appeals to the President, rather than the BOV. Students must understand clearly that the college administration oversees discipline. The BOV’s action does not change the disciplinary process, or the grounds for an appeal.
The number of alcohol incidents is up 50 percent over the same time last year, which is a particularly disturbing statistic. Alcohol abuse is a problem at all college campuses, but at The Citadel our regulations dictate clear consequences for violations – too many cadets are receiving punishments for alcohol incidents. I ask you, our alumni, to help our cadets to succeed by reinforcing our emphasis on responsible consumption. Send the message and show by our actions that only cadets over 21 can consume alcohol, and that its abuse, whether in the barracks, off-campus or at tailgate parties, will not be tolerated.
The BOV also received very positive news regarding the results of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which measures how students feel about various aspects of their college education. Our students continue to give The Citadel high marks – we exceeded institutions of our size in every benchmark category, including the level of academic challenge and the extent to which we provide an enriching educational experience. For example, Citadel students acknowledge extensive faculty-student interaction.
Not surprisingly, cadets do not feel the college provides a supportive social environment. But more importantly, cadets give the college among the highest scores in the country for developing a moral compass. Cadets report in far higher numbers than at other colleges that their college has a strong influence on their developing a personal code of values and ethics, and on developing a deepened sense of spirituality.
The BOV also selected the Palmetto Medal recipients and those individuals who will be awarded honorary degrees at graduation. These will be announced as soon as the recipients have been contacted.
In these tough fiscal times, I want to acknowledge you, the alumni, for all your support of the college, and not just financial. Your words of thanks for our efforts and your encouragement to stay the course mean much to faculty and staff. And I personally very much appreciate your support. On behalf of The Citadel community, thank you.
Go Dogs!