2006 State of the University Address to Faculty

Karen W. Morse, President
September 22, 2006

I. Welcome

Welcome to fall quarter 2006.

We are privileged to have two Trustees with us today. Peggy Zoro, and Chiho Lai, our Student Trustee.

I welcome our retired faculty, who helped establish Western’s broad reputation.

Welcome to our 41 new full-time faculty and 27 new part-time faculty. We authorized 29 new tenure-track faculty positions through the annual budget allocations this biennium, a number enhanced just this last spring due to our success in the 2006 supplemental budget session, a very unusual accomplishment. Our new faculty will provide a remarkable infusion of new ideas and approaches in a short period of time. You bring new energy and we want you to succeed. You are our future. We will certainly do our best to help you in your teaching and scholarly careers at Western. Thanks for joining us.

To the returning faculty: thanks for your work that has resulted in so many accomplishments that continue to strengthen the university and give us appropriate recognition.

We will soon be greeting another group—a new class of freshmen who will challenge what we know of the world. Most of this fall’s 18-year-old freshmen were born in 1988.

Where were you, and what were you doing in 1988? Some of our new faculty who are 28 – 30 years old were 10-12 years old, which placed them squarely on a 5th to 7th grade playground.

These students are different in so many ways from what we all were as students. The annual Beloit College Mindset List for 2006 points out that “these students learned to surf the internet as they learned to read, they expect solutions for everything from baldness to diseased organs.” “this generation …. is used to things happening in ‘real time,’ like live satellite coverage of revolutions and wars, instant messaging and movies on demand.”

They will want to be in contact with their families—and with you any time of the day or night through email and cell phones. And we need to remember that most are 18 years old, unsure in spite of their demeanor, anxious about all kinds of things, trying out a newfound freedom. We do not want to be an institution where faculty might say “look to your right and look to your left—one of you won’t be here after this quarter”. We have been given a public trust. We need to set high expectations for performance, but also help those who struggle with this new environment.

I am pleased to introduce Florence Lowe, a graduate from the class of 1934! She has stayed connected to WWU for 72 years since graduation. WWU makes an impact on its students!

While teaching and learning will continue – in many respects – as they have since 1934 and before, our new freshmen will challenge our methods, our theories, our perceptions of society and the world. That is one of the best results and rewards of being in our profession.

And now, lunch—prepared by university catering with regional produce and other products. This reflects the participation of university catering in the campus wide initiative on sustainability and “farm to campus.” Enjoy!!

II. Update

Again, welcome to campus as we begin anew. This is going to be an exciting and interesting year. We all have a lot simmering on the front burner. I’d like to take a minute before I get into the meat of my talk to update you on three items.

1. Washington Learns

First, one effort that has the potential to make a difference for Western is an active conversation about education going on at the state level. The Governor initiated a blue ribbon committee study of the state’s entire education system; the study is known as Washington learns. This governor is serious about making the resulting recommendations a dominant part of her agenda. This report will not sit on the shelf—we will see her issues in her budget.

The Washington Learns premise is one with which, as faculty, we agree: “the foundation of our social and economic future is based on knowledge—its pursuit, its understanding, its proliferation, its development.” This fits in beautifully with what we are committed to and what I continually maintain when I talk about what we do at Western. I am intensely proud of you as faculty. I truly believe that you are dedicated to our purpose. You don’t hear what I say when I talk to external audiences about you and our objectives, so let me share that with you.

I maintain that our goal is to graduate students who are creative, imaginative, and analytical, solve problems, have a foundation in the liberal arts, are able to work with colleagues, understand other cultures and are willing to be a productive member of society both through their professions and community involvement. What we aim to do is to produce creative individuals. At the same time we expect creative and scholarly efforts from faculty which are brought into the classroom and involve students, which is what Washington Learns wants.

Washington Learns has incorporated many of our priorities and values in its report and we believe we can use much of what is recommended to obtain resources for you. Of course, it also addresses issues that that need our input and we will have dialogue on that this year.

2. Campus Survey

Second and closer to home, we had a terrific response to our faculty and staff survey on the campus environment, learning how you view Western, its challenges, strengths, and issues. You’ll hear more about the findings of the survey that will inform our plans and actions. It is clear that the ways we all communicate are key and we will continue work to improve communication. The full report is on Western’s web site. Copies are available on the table for you to take, produced by modernized equipment in our print plant that now reports to External Affairs.

3. Faculty Bargaining

Third, I look forward to working with the senate this year on academic issues and interests. We will be also be working in a new context with the faculty union, which will change our way of doing things and consume much of our time this first time around.

Statutes reserve exclusively for bargaining some subjects previously dealt with through traditional governance. Statutes also recognize a role for the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Handbook will be different as some of the prior responsibilities of the faculty will now lie with the union. I trust that the union and Senate will have open discussion about how to apportion their participation in important decisions.

I want you to know our commitment to support what is best for faculty and students will not change with bargaining. But some things will be different. For example, I have been informed that it is not appropriate for me to seek the advice of the senate’s Faculty Salary and Welfare Committee or PPRC about faculty salaries and workplace conditions. These issues are reserved for discussion at the bargaining table.

We are forming the university negotiating team. This first time around, there will be novices on both sides of the table—but novices bargaining in good faith. Clearly both the union and the administration will need to invest time and resources in the process. It is important that our first contract be a good one.

We will keep the campus informed on all fronts.

III. State of the University

What is the state of the university and how will we focus our efforts in the coming year? What will we use to guide us? I’d like to give you seven points where I see our efforts focused and our emphasis under each point.

Point 1: We will support and facilitate faculty efforts and potential accomplishments

We intend to continue to support faculty participation in conferences, provide technology for use in the classroom, and facilitate your generous community service.

We will continue to fund workshops on pedagogy like those provided by our service learning program and Teaching and Learning Academy (TLA), for example, the 2-day faculty writing instruction retreat in early September which involved 21 faculty. I have received emails from a number of faculty praising the program.

Continued recognition by the Carnegie Foundation confirms the TLA’s collaboration with students as a model across the nation. Three hundred faculty and 200 students have participated in the last 5 years. Consider joining the effort.

We will continue to facilitate proposals to obtain external grants for teaching, research and creative activities. I anticipate that we will exceed last year’s $12 million record, which is a measure of your standing among your peers and a reflection of your commitment to discovery.

Your productivity is impressive. Last year, you authored 59 books, 83 book chapters, 410 papers, 27 edited volumes and 513 presented papers—a remarkable scholarly output. I wish I had time to 4 mention all of you by name, enumerating your accomplishments, but we’d still be here at dinnertime – a week from now! Believe me, I know how productive you are and I personally appreciate your efforts.

The university will support more of your interdisciplinary endeavors that take much time and energy, for example:

• The neuropsychology program, a new degree program with psychology and biology,
• The advanced material science and engineering center with chemistry, physics, engineering technology, geology and sci-tech services,
• The new interdisciplinary emergency management degree
• And the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership project that is preparing teachers to teach science so students experience the joy of discovery, the same kind of joy you experience in your sophisticated creative and research activities.

And we will encourage the kind of individual productivity that is recognized through teaching and research awards. Excellence in teaching awards were given to Dr. Marsha Riddle Buly from the Woodring College of Education, Dr. Mary Janell Metzger from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Suzanne Paola was awarded the Olscamp Faculty Research Award and Dr. Robert Kim, Woodring College of Education, received the diversity achievement award this past year.

The last thing I want to mention is that we will facilitate faculty opportunity and commitment to involve students in the discovery process. I am especially proud that students were an integral part of many of your accomplishments, often achieving their own awards, which reflects your dedication to making a Western education a profound learning experience. Thank you.

Point 2: We should deal aggressively with the recruitment and retention of students...

We will develop a revised enrollment plan for slow growth through the next few years. Certainly we must help the state provide access to higher education; we must also be vigilant about maintaining and enhancing the excellence of the Western intellectual experience and making sure to provide a solid liberal arts base.

We will continue to work on lowering the student:faculty ratio. Evidence of this commitment is those 29 new faculty positions added during the past 2 years, and we will get more if we receive our requested funding for the 2007-2009 biennium.

We will strengthen student recruitment by enhancing the excellent efforts in admissions and academic support services. We will add staff, where warranted, to meet the increasing competitive demands in that arena.

Finally, we need to enhance recruitment and retention of the best students by developing more scholarly opportunities for our students. Integrating aspects of the honors program with the first year experience could enhance our ability to attract excellent students who are choosing a university. This area has become increasingly important for recruiting the best and providing a stimulating program for them once they’re here. Thanks to George Mariz for his work on Scholars Week, which continues to grow.

Point 3: We should provide a sharp focus on recruiting and retaining high quality faculty and staff

Thus, we will continue to place high priority on competitive salaries—as you experienced this biennium with increases of 4.5 and 5% distributed in accord with the faculty handbook. Faculty salary support required a continuing allocation of base funds above the legislative appropriation of 3.2 and 1.6%, a cost of approximately $2 million just over this biennium. This is not an inconsequential commitment.

We have been more diligent about supplementing faculty salaries than any other Washington public institution, even when there were cuts in the state budget. I will work hard to increase state funding and hope that the faculty will join us in advocating for our budget request.

We will focus on strengthening the system for recognizing and rewarding excellent performance. We will act on forthcoming recommendations in a faculty gender and race equity study carried out by a national expert working with a campus committee. You are invited to participate in discussion of the report at the open campus meeting October 27. A salary compression study will be done this year using the same compensation expert.

As we work together to achieve our goal of recruiting and retaining a more diverse faculty, I invite you to seek out our equal opportunity office executive director, Dr. Sue Guenter-Schlesinger, who works closely with faculty search committees. She is very experienced in this field and eager to be of service.

Point 4. We will need to increase and diversify our funding efforts and sources

Our legislative budget approach will be a more programmatically based budget strategy – one that was successful for us in the ‘06 session of the legislature. The request seeks the usual support for new enrollment and salaries, but, with significant academic participation from deans and faculty, it more specifically pursues needed programmatic areas. And at the same time is closely related to state needs discussed by Washington Learns, the prosperity partnership and the legislature. We have a very good case to make.

If the budget packages are approved, we will have new funds to strengthen existing academic programs, begin new programs, support our library, and address other pressing needs.

To increase and diversify our funding, the staff of University Advancement is intensifying its efforts for faculty by implementing new strategies. A focus will be raising endowment funds for scholarly collaboration between faculty and undergraduates -- the Foundation has already raised more than $50 thousand for this program.

Recognizing needs identified by faculty and staff, Stephanie Bowers and members of the Foundation Board are working to find ways to help new faculty and staff break into the housing market in Whatcom County. They have also created programs that connect new faculty with members of the community.

Point 5. We will strengthen international programs

Diversity – of people and experiences -- remains one of the central values of Western and international programs serve to enhance activities in that arena.

We will act on last year’s efforts of a group of faculty convened by the provost to consider the future of international programs and how to better integrate the study of different cultures and diverse societies across the curriculum. This is vital to the student experience in this day and age.

We are beginning the search process to hire a faculty director for a Center for International Studies.

We will work to increase the number of students studying abroad. There has been a 32% increase over the past 5 years.

We will expand the orientation program for new students from abroad.

We will continue initiatives in support of democracy, diversity of people and perspectives, and civic engagement on an international scale. American higher education for international students has had an important impact on world leaders. And we have a role to play.

Finally, on the international front, there is a lot we can learn from our colleagues. I draw your attention to the Center for Innovative Instruction’s Teaching Showcase features best practices of professors Larry Estrada, Kathleen Young and Ed Vajda, whose scholarship informs their instruction and promotes their students’ understanding of global issues.

Point 6. We must continue campus infrastructure improvement

Space—the never ending challenge.

The next step in improving the campus infrastructure is to build the academic instructional center to provide more classroom and faculty office and research space. Last year, in the hot construction market, we only received one bid – and that was nearly $10M over budget. Campus planning has been working with faculty in psychology and communication sciences and disorders with the goal of obtaining bids late this fall for construction to be completed in early 2009.

We will continue work on campus infrastructure in another way by refurbishing classrooms to create a modern teaching and learning environment. Improvements include lighting, acoustics, seating, as well as appropriate technology to provide opportunities for state of the art teaching.

We are continuing plans for Western’s presence on the Bellingham waterfront to provide unique educational and community opportunities. I enjoyed chairing the committee that worked for over two years with the campus to obtain ideas, approaches and plans—in my opinion an essential process for any action we would take. The campus committee is now turning to colleges, departments and faculty and staff to refine their program proposals and ideas. We have used earmarked state funding for faculty to study model facilities and assess feasibility for projects and will continue to explore partnerships and opportunities for funding.

Point 7. We need to prepare for the 2008 Northwest Accreditation visit

Like revising general education requirements, preparing for accreditation in April 2008 can be invigorating or only a periodic exercise. It is an opportunity.

Our goals for the self study are to:

• Understand, analyze, evaluate, and improve planning and effectiveness of the institution.
• Identify educational outcomes and document student achievement of those outcomes.
• Document that the specific commission eligibility requirements, standards, and policies are met;
• And accurately and candidly identify strengths, weaknesses, and achievements of institutional activities, structures, and processes.

This is truly an institution-wide effort that reviews academic programs as well as support programs and facilities. Your participation is essential as we prepare for accreditation.

IV. Conclusion

You may wonder where these seven points came from--- actually they came from the strategic plan that is at your place setting and available on my web site. Every one of my points is an objective in the plan. Every one of our hopes, dreams, intentions, and efforts for Western Washington University is related to the strategic actions developed for this plan.

As a university, it is important to plan, to ensure that we structure the institution to support the mission and the best efforts of all concerned. We had been using the old plan to great advantage, but it needed an update.

Our new strategic plan was developed to reflect what we do best, what we need to do for you to make the university better, what environment and facilities are needed and where we need to commit resources over all areas of the university.

Our strategic plan is an important part of our preparation for accreditation in 2008. Would the members of last year’s Strategic Planning Committee, co-chaired by Provost Bodman and Professor Jeff Newcomer, please stand? I want to thank you for your thoughtful and painstaking work, and for producing a useful result. And I thank many, many individuals here for your involvement, ideas and responses that helped shape this plan that gained Trustees approval in June. It truly represents shared governance.

The departments, colleges, and faculty senate will be asked to address many of the plan’s objectives, including developing our plans for graduate education. So the effectiveness of implementation will be in your hands.

Please note that the central premise is a continuing commitment that Western Washington University will become the premier public comprehensive university in the country through engaged excellence—and I believe we can achieve that.

Our five strategic objectives will help -- they correlate with your achievements:

• Interactive participation of students
• Integration of the highest quality teaching, scholarship, and creative activities.
• Civic engagement and social responsibility
• Appreciation of diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
• And environmental stewardship and sustainable practices through our programs, scholarship, and actions.

The strategic actions that were the basis of this talk, are the final element of the plan, reflecting both ongoing actions and a blueprint for future action.

Strategic plan implementation and accreditation clearly are watchwords for the year. We have a lot to do.

Our strategic plan theme, engaged excellence, is clearly not just for students. For this university to succeed and prosper, our community of faculty, staff and administrators must continue to be:

• Engaged in understanding how the world, society, and our students and their needs are changing;
• Engaged in exploring ways to invigorate and renew our academic programs, looking at interdisciplinary interactions, international breadth, and developing inquiring and creative students who know what discovery is.
• We must be engaged in defining and achieving common interests and efforts;
• And engaged in communication and interaction, with integrity and a willingness to solve problems creatively.

Through “engaged excellence” we will achieve our goals. I am confident that you will participate by sharing your expertise and talent. And ahead of time, I thank you, and best wishes for the coming year at our special university.