Mid-Year Report

Dear Colleague:

A number of you have suggested over the past six months that I issue a midyear report to provide faculty and staff with an update following the "State of the University" address I gave in August. While I don't believe a formal gathering in December is necessary, I do think that sharing a report at this time is an appropriate way to continue to involve and inform the campus community.

Before I begin, let me say that I am grateful to our Board of Visitors for placing their confidence in me. It has been a pleasure working with both former rector Marc Jacobson and current rector Ross Mugler. As you may know, the board has decided to have an outside consultant conduct an institutional review to gain a clearer understanding of where our opportunities and challenges are for the future.

This review, which will involve both external and internal constituents, will provide the upcoming presidential search process with significant data. I will keep you informed as the board progresses on these two important matters.

I am delighted to say my tasks as acting president so far have been more than manageable. The on-campus support from faculty, staff and students has been superb, and I have received nothing but strong encouragement and helpful words of advice from a variety of external constituents all around the Commonwealth, including alumni and elected officials, as well as business, community, educational and military leaders.

During the "State of the University" address, I told you one of the first things I did when I assumed this seat in June was commission an immediate review of our enrollment strategy, so that a strategic plan for an optimum capacity can be written. The ultimate goal for this plan is to tie in with the overall strategic planning process in 2009.

More than 250 of you have participated in the process to date. We continue to review all aspects of student enrollment, from first-year to transfer to international and graduate. We have looked at housing and financial aid as well as class capacity, faculty teaching loads and even our pricing structure.

Many factors must be considered when assessing enrollment. Obviously, one of those is the resources to address all critical components of operating a university. This includes faculty to teach classes, staff to advise students and facilities to accommodate an increasing enrollment.

As I said back in August, while I understand the benefits of growth, I also must pose the $100,000 question. Will Old Dominion University be a better place in five years?

During the fall, committee after committee has reported overwhelmingly - and I concur - that we must strive to be the best institution we can be with the resources available to us. If we can only get bigger, but not better, we will choose better every time!

While I am not prepared to release any findings until they have been formally presented to me, it seems logical that we will enroll fewer freshmen and transfer students next fall. Our enrollment this fall exceeded 23,500, and I am not certain we can serve students effectively and efficiently if we go much beyond that. Clearly, retention will impact our ultimate number for 2009.

In fact, several national experts predict lower spring semester enrollments because of declining student financial aid and other economic factors.

We also have listened carefully to those who have suggested we reduce enrollments considerably. The fiscal reality, however, is that if we dramatically reduce the number of new students, we will be forced to make additional budget cuts because of revenue loss.

I have asked Alice McAdory and Marty Smith to keep you informed about the strategic enrollment management process throughout the spring semester, since this review truly impacts every aspect of campus life. I expect that it will be an ongoing process for many years to come.

Let's talk for a moment about state funding.

Revenue shortfalls that directly impact the Commonwealth's budget will remain with us through this fiscal year and beyond. We were forced to trim $5.6 million in October and I am certain we will face another - and perhaps larger - cut in July. Governor Kaine will announce his budget next week, but all of that is subject to decisions during the next General Assembly session, which begins in January. We will need to watch this closely. No doubt we will all be required to make some adjustments in the weeks and months ahead.

As an institution already underfunded, we have successfully asked the Commonwealth in times of previous cutbacks to look at base adequacy as a way to better protect those schools that have historically received less financial support than what the funding models indicate they need. We will continue with that request, but a reduction at any percentage level remains a reduction.

The vice presidents and deans, in conjunction with the Board of Visitors, have worked to implement a mission-critical theme in how they approach reductions. Still, that can carry us only so far, since we are already razor thin in various areas, including teaching, advising and support services.

State appropriations will continue to fluctuate in Virginia, based on the economy, as long as our tax structure stays the same. When times are good, budgets will improve, but when revenues fall short, budgets will be trimmed.

We must take actions now so that we can withstand future budget reductions from the Commonwealth. We must work diligently to shore up staffing and expectation levels, for example, in fundraising, research and out-of-state and international recruitment. Old Dominion University has to recognize that the term "state-supported" will at best be "state-assisted" from now on in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Another matter of great importance to the long-term success of this institution is public safety beyond the campus borders. While our University Police do an outstanding job within their jurisdiction, there have been several troubling instances - some involving our students, others not - in areas near our campus.

As our enrollment has grown and more students have elected to live on or near the campus, many have found themselves living off campus in places where Old Dominion University Police do not have jurisdiction. Both our student leaders and the administration have been working closely with the City of Norfolk and its police department to identify areas and situations where more patrolling is necessary.

In addition, we have announced a joint Old Dominion University-City of Norfolk Task Force, which will include police, students, civic league presidents, elected officials, landlords and our own faculty and staff. Clearly, safety is everyone's concern. There are a number of things we can do as citizens to protect one another and ourselves, which includes working collectively to improve the overall environment on and near the campus.

To highlight this, the University has developed a Web site (safety@odu.edu) that will offer safety tips and provide updates on a variety of related issues. For example, we will announce at this site when crimes are solved. Too often, local media choose to sensationalize a crime, but then never report later when individuals have been arrested.

Certainly, any report to the campus has to address tough issues, and I have tried to accomplish that with economy of language as my guide.

I also want to take this opportunity, however, to acknowledge the solid working relationship I have enjoyed with Student Government Association President Michelle Davis and Faculty Senate Chair Paul Champagne. Both have been terrific colleagues. To further open the doors on university governance, I have invited Dr. Champagne to join the vice presidents once a month for one of their meetings with me.

I would just add that, along with our challenges, Old Dominion enjoyed a fall semester full of outstanding accomplishments and achievements. I also am happy to report that George Dragas Jr., a well-known alumnus and long-time university supporter, recently made a $1 million gift earmarked for academic purposes.

Many of you have asked me for some key facts about Old Dominion University that you could share with friends, colleagues and neighbors. In closing this end-of-the-semester report, let me list a few:

• Old Dominion can claim more SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Awards than any of the other 65 public, private and community colleges in Virginia, with the exception of William and Mary.
• Our students have been honored as Rhodes Scholars, Truman Fellows and USA Today Academic All-Americans.
• Our alumni are leading expeditions to space, serving on the Federal Reserve Board, being nominated for National Teacher of the Year, commanding at the highest levels in all branches of military service and earning gold medals at the Olympics.
• Old Dominion University faculty are research leaders not only in Virginia, but also internationally in fields ranging from bioelectrics and modeling and simulation to alternative energy research and nuclear physics.
• While Virginians comprise 80 percent of our student body, we have students here from all over the world, and we are proud to say we are the most diverse campus in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Thank you for your efforts toward making Old Dominion University the outstanding institution that it is. I look forward to continuing our collective work as we begin the spring semester in January.

Sincerely yours,

John R. Broderick
Acting President