November 2012 Monthly Update

Admissions
Our Early Decision application total to date is equal to last year’s record, even though many have been granted extensions to our priority Early Decision deadline of November 1.  (Hurricane Sandy affected a number of high schools from which students apply, resulting in many receiving application extensions from us.)  As of November 14, we had received 130 Early Decision applications, compared to 131 as of the same date last year, which was an all-time high.  Students who decide later that St. Lawrence is their first choice can commit to Early Decision at any time up until February 1.  We review ED applications on a continual basis, and we notify Early Decision applicants throughout December and January.   Thirty-two percent of the Class of 2016 chose St. Lawrence through Early Decision. 

Academics
The Sustainability Semester will open in January with students and staff living at the Route 68 farm leased to St. Lawrence by Cornell Cooperative Extension. The JM McDonald Foundation has awarded the University a grant of $32,000 to renovate the classroom building for the Sustainability Semester.   The New York City Semester, having exceeded its goals for the first year, will be offered now both semesters of the academic year rather than just the fall semester. 

New Residence Hall
Our designated residence hall architects, Sacco & McKinney, have visited campus four times since the Board meeting.  Focus groups of students, residence life staff, facilities staff, student life staff, and senior staff, plus town hall meetings for students, faculty, and staff, have brought insights to the architects’ understanding of St. Lawrence culture and aspirations.  A subcommittee of the Residence Hall Planning Committee has reviewed proposals from nine general contractors and will select the contractor by early December, completing the team that will fulfill our goal to open the new facility August 2014.

Communications
Visual Identity Refresh: Communications is completing its work to update the University's institutional brand and will provide a preview of the refreshed word mark and a brand style guide during a campus forum in early December. More details on this project and the presentation will follow soon.

Website Redesign: The redesign continues to progress and is on target for a January launch. Communications and IT staff are preparing to migrate content into the new content management system and to train department content managers on how to use it. Please visit http://blogs.stlawu.edu/redesign/ for more information and to provide comments or ask questions.

Advancement
University Advancement continues to raise funds for our top priority this fiscal year, the new residence hall.  To date, two trustees have expressed their intention to support this project with $1 million each, toward our $10 million 2012-2013 goal.  The St. Lawrence Fund stands at $2,036,278 in commitments, up from $1,847,398 last year at this time.  Through a trustee-to-trustee calling program this fall, we reached 100% St. Lawrence Fund participation (based on commitments) from trustees by the October board meeting – a signal to all Laurentians that improving alumni participation is a priority for the University.

We continue with data cleanup, report development, and refinement of business processes to maximize the benefit that The Raiser’s Edge is capable of delivering to the entire University.  Integration with the Datatel Colleague (for HR and Finance] and SAINTS (for the Registrar, Student Life, and Student Services) will be launched shortly to ensure seamless and real-time sharing of biographical and other relevant information.  We look forward to the fundraising and engagement work we will accomplish with colleagues across campus with this powerful new advancement tool. 

On October 29, we launched a new and improved online alumni community, my St. Lawrence.  New features include the ability to view one’s giving history and submit alumni class notes online, along with enhanced alumni directory features and expanded resources for volunteers. 
Recent alumni events include Homecoming ’12.  Hundreds of alumni, current students, faculty and staff came together for a fall weekend of athletic competitions, affinity events, Alumni Council events, the Hall of Fame Induction, and a celebration of retired Men’s Ice Hockey Coach Joe Marsh. 

Health Insurance Rates for Administrators, Faculty and Non-Union Hourly Staff
We have been working very hard to find ways to offer options in health care, options that are cost-effective and beneficial for employees and cost-effective and reliable for University budget planning.  Last year, we introduced the CanaRx International Mail Order Program, the High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA) and a Dual Dental Insurance Coverage Option.  Response to these new options has resulted in the projected costs for 2013 being slightly less than our budget plans.  While the University’s health insurance costs will rise next year, for 2013 I directed the University’s budget to absorb those cost increases.   Therefore, for 2013, for participants in either the Excellus Healthy Blue PPO program or the Healthy Blue High Deductible Health Plan, rates for exempt staff and faculty will be the same as rates in 2012.  (Our unionized employees have their own separately negotiated health plans.)

Social Security Withholding
As part of the 2009 stimulus package for the U.S. economy, Congress reduced Social Security withholding to 4%.  The lower level is set to expire December 31, 2012, and return to 6% on January 1, 2013.

September 2012 Monthly Update

Facilities Master Plan
Although it will remain a “living document,” with changes and refinements expected in the many years to come, the Facilities Master plan is moving closer to being completed.  Our consultants, Saratoga Associates, have been working on the draft Master Plan since their update meetings with trustees and the campus in the summer.  Their focus has been to complete the studies associated with academic and administrative facilities.   In addition, their partner, Beardsley Design, has completed the facilities assessment and is working on conceptual cost estimates for any building renovations that Saratoga Associates will suggest to us.   We held several campus presentations of the draft this week and appreciate the thoughtful attention and comments we heard.  (The presentation and other information on the process, as well as a form for comments, are available at www.stlawu.edu/masterplan.) We now will work with Saratoga Associates for prepare a final draft for the Board of Trustees’ consideration in October.

Architect Selection Committee
As those of you who could attend the July forum with Saratoga Associates heard, the Board of Trustees accepted the preliminary recommendation that we should construct a new residence hall, to be open by fall 2014.  The Board commissioned a committee of trustees, faculty, students, staff and alumni to organize and develop its review of potential firms on a very time-sensitive schedule.  A report of the committee’s findings will include a careful analysis of comparative fees among the firms under consideration and a determination of the new building’s scope and capacity.  The question of a building site will be guided by the prior discussions around the new master plan as well as future advice from the new architect and a general contractor, to be selected this fall.  

The committee members are:

Trustee Emerita Mary Bijur ’65, P’91, co-chair
Trustee Tom Saddlemire ’70, co-chair
Trustee Andre Couture P’15
Trustee Bill Crombie P’11
Trustee Breanne Madigan ’03
Trustee Sarah Redlich ’82
Professor of Psychology Tom Greene
Alli Shea ’13
Alumni Council Member Lissa Short ’84, P’15,
Director of Network Technologies James Mattice’93
Vice President and Dean of Student Life Joe Tolliver
Associate Vice President for University Advancement Tom Pynchon P’14
Chief Facilities Officer Dan Seaman, ex officio & staff coordinator, with Lisa Cania

Athletics Advisory Board
I have endorsed the recommendation of our colleagues in Intercollegiate Athletics to create a new Athletics Advisory Board of faculty, students and staff to improve the integration of academics and athletics and to enhance communication across campus on opportunities and challenges of our athletics program.  This new Athletics Advisory Board represents a best practice in the discipline; a number of our Liberty League peers have created such groups to very salutary effect.  I trust that the Advisory Board will assist our athletics director and me in the management of and planning for our programs.

With appreciation of the time they will devote to this work, meeting several times each year, I share the names of the individuals who have agreed to serve on the Advisory Board. They are: 
Professor of History Liz Regosin, chair
Head Women’s Soccer Coach Franco Bari
Greg Cary ’15
Professor of Geology Jeff Chiarenzelli ’81
Associate Professor of Psychology Bill DeCoteau
Professor of Economics and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Allison Del Rossi
Jamie Goldsmith ’13
Thelomathesian Society President R. John Montgomery ’14
Associate Professor of Psychology Cheryl Stuntz, faculty athletics representative
Professor of Psychology Jim Wallace, faculty athletics representative
Director of Athletics Margie Strait will facilitate the meetings.

New Admissions Search Strategy
Historically St. Lawrence has conducted “searches” of high school sophomores and juniors, strategically purchasing names and encouraging students to respond in order to add to the inquiry pool.  The respondents help to enhance an inquiry pool that would otherwise by comprised of referrals from alumni, Board members, and coaches and from students and families self-initiating contact with us.  This summer we determined there are tens of thousands of high school seniors who are great matches for St. Lawrence and who did not make their information available when they were sophomores and juniors.  So, we are conducting a senior “search” to capture those students unknown to us and encouraging them to apply

Enrollment
Our preliminary data freeze shows these encouraging statistics:

Undergraduate Enrollment                        
2,401 headcount        
(+40 from Fall 2011)

Graduate enrollment                                    
72 headcount              
(+4 from Fall 2011)

Class of 2016                                                     
644                                 
(-3 from Fall 2011)

Transfers                                                            
18                                   
(+1 from Fall 2010)

Undergraduate Diversity                             
11.4% (US)                             
(+.7%)
                                                                               
6.7% (International) 
(+1%)

FY to Soph. Retention (prelim)         
92.6%                            
(+2.6%  in Fall 2011)

4-yr graduation rate                          
79.4%                            
(76.4% in Fall 2011)

5-yr graduation rate                           
80.1%                            
(79.3% in Fall 2011)

6-yr graduation rate                          
79.4%                          
(80.3% in Fall 2011)

Fall Study Abroad                                   
154                           
(+39 from Fall 2011)

Rankings Update
St. Lawrence has again been rated as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education by publications that annually rate and rank colleges and universities. U.S. News & World Report, which selects only 251 liberal arts institutions nationally, has us in a tie at the number 56 spot, placing us in the top 20 percent of our peer group, and names St. Lawrence as “an A-plus school for B students,” meaning that our environment allows students to find their niche and thrive. The Fiske Guide to Colleges, which selects only 300 four-year colleges in the United States, Canada and Great Britain to profile, included us and called St. Lawrence “a school on the rise.” The Princeton Review considers the University one of 220 institutions recommended as the “Best in the Northeast” and listed us as one of the Top 20 colleges with Best Food.

Sierra magazine only chose 96 institutions for its “cool schools” listing of colleges demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, and we are among them. Just 650 of the nation’s colleges, including St. Lawrence, made the Forbes magazine list of “America's Top Colleges,” which “focuses on educational outcomes, not reputations.”  Thedailymeal.com places St. Lawrence on the list of the 52 colleges in America with the best food, and a new ranking by Parchment.com, which ranks schools according to student enrollment decisions, has St. Lawrence as 11th among liberal arts colleges and 28th overall among all universities.  Parchment.com used the rates by which students accepted offers of admissions as their basis of this rating, indicating perceived value and demand.

Advancement
University fundraising goals for the year have been set for our major areas. Overall, we have a University goal of $16 million dollars in private support.  Within that overall total, the St. Lawrence Fund, which is our expendable fund and supports the University’s operating budget, has a goal of $5.2 million, with an alumni participation goal of 31%.  The philanthropic support we receive from faculty, staff, alumni, students, and volunteers of St. Lawrence serves as a vote of confidence in our daily work on behalf of the University.

Over 175 Beta Theta Pi alumni returned to campus last weekend for our first fraternity affinity reunion.  By all measures, the event succeeded.  Tomorrow we welcome back St. Lawrence families for Family Weekend.   One essential activity is a meeting of the Parents Committee, whose members learn more about campus programs, which helps them with their contacts to other parents. We have over 100 Parent Committee members who volunteer their time to help with fundraising, career services, admissions work, and general outreach, providing an invaluable service to the University.

We are fast approaching the “go live” date of our new database system, The Raiser’s Edge, and close on the heels of that, the University’s new online alumni community.  Colleagues from across campus have been attending Learning Lab sessions to learn how to navigate the system for their purposes.  As noted in an earlier email to the campus community, the development/alumni portion of SAINTS is no longer being updated after September 20, and The Raiser’s Edge should be live by October 8.  The public launch of the new my St. Lawrence is expected the last week in October.  These events are the fruition of a year-long collaboration between Information Technology and University Advancement staff, with assistance from University Communications.  We look forward to putting these systems to work to help us achieve the engagement and fundraising goals of “The St. Lawrence Promise.”

Communications
The website redesign, led by University Communications and Information Technology and informed by a campus-wide advisory group, continues to progress. Communications has started meeting with departments that will move to the Drupal content management system for the first time, helping them to organize and prepare their content for migration. The process of training members of those departments in how to use the new system is being developed for later this fall. Departments already in an earlier version of Drupal will hear soon from Communications on how the process will work for them. The design phase continues to evolve with our partner firms, Trellon and IE Design and Communications, on both the look and feel of the site, as well as the structure of the content management system. Our projected launch will be January 2013.

Libraries and Information Technology
The libraries received $8,297 in grant funding from the Northern New York Library Network (NNYLN) in support of the Color Management for Digital Collections project.  This grant will aid efforts to digitize our book arts collection, which includes about 350 rare works, from European illuminated manuscripts of the medieval era to Ethiopian parchment scrolls and Japanese accordion-fold books.  When the project is completed, the collection of digital images will be exhibited online and available to the public.

A summer partnership between Libraries and IT resulted in over 70 additional locations with electrical power outlets throughout the ODY Library.  With more students bringing portable electronic devices, the need for additional power outlets was significant.  This project improves the effectiveness of the ODY Library for the student body.

August 2012 Monthly Update for Campus

Admissions
To date, we have received 702 deposits from first-year students and 651 remain active, well on our way to making the final goal of 640.  We have received record numbers and percentages of deposits from U.S. students of color and international students year-to-date.  On July 1, we welcomed two new assistant directors of admissions, Jenna Farmer ’11 and Ryan Walsh ’12, both who served the Admissions Office as students and summer interns.

Facilities Master Plan
A campus forum on July 11 brought about 80 faculty and staff together for an update from Saratoga Associates, our facilities master planning consultants.  The update reviewed progress on assessment of residential and academic spaces as well as preliminary thoughts on the emerging campus needs related to the Strategic Map.  We plan update forums for faculty on September 18 at 4:30 p.m., on September 19 at 12 noon for all employees, and on September 19 at 7 p.m. for students. You will hear more about this very soon.

Website redesign
University Communications and Information Technology staff continue to work with our website redesign partners IE Design and Communications and Trellon on the development of the new site and content management system (CMS). The campus-wide group advising on the project, the Website Redesign Advisory Group, is reviewing design concepts from IE, while IT and communications staff continue to work in concert with Trellon to develop a feature-rich CMS. More testing of the designs and CMS will continue throughout the summer.

Advancement
The University’s fiscal year ended on June 30.  Overall, $14.8 million was raised in private support from St. Lawrence alumni, parents, friends and corporations, foundations, and organizations.  These gifts provide needed funds for our ongoing programmatic and capital initiatives and help build our endowment.  In addition to providing unrestricted support, these gifts also help fund important initiatives such as student-faculty research, scholarship aid, student internships and travel.  The St. Lawrence Fund, which provides much-needed ongoing support for our operating budget, finished the year with $4.6 million raised.

You heard the great news that Kirk Douglas ’39 and his wife, Anne, will give $5 million through the Douglas Foundation to a scholarship they started at the University in 1999. The gift will enhance the Kirk Douglas Scholarship fund, which supports students who represent diversity, have financial need and demonstrate excellence in academics and leadership. The gift creates what will now be the largest endowed scholarship at St. Lawrence and expands the availability of the premier scholarship to all four classes. It was previously available only to juniors and seniors. Through the Douglas Foundation, Kirk and Anne Douglas have now given nearly $7.5 million to St. Lawrence to support this scholarship.

During July and early August, University Advancement held eleven “send-offs” for incoming freshman students and their families.  Organized in regions where we have high concentrations of students arriving in the class of ’16, these events provided an opportunity for our newest Laurentians to meet other students from their area.   

Athletics and Advancement
A special celebration is planned to celebrate Joe Marsh’s retirement on Thursday Nov.1, as a part of our Homecoming program. The event will cost $70.00 for those attending.  More details on the full Homecoming program are forthcoming.

Facilities Improvements:  Summer Facilities Projects - 2012
Projects completed as part of the University’s annual capital improvement program: 

Student Residences
Dana Dining Hall:
*Replaced flooring

Dean Eaton Extension:
*Renovated four existing single baths and added ventilation and floor drains
*Built out four ADA-compliant restrooms
*Renovated eight student rooms
*Added custodial storage
*Insulated attic space to comply with energy code

Gaines Hall:
*Replaced fire alarm system
*Renovated restrooms: new partitions, sinks, shower faucets, re-tile and sealing of flooring
*Basement – lighting & fire alarm upgrades

Lee Hall:
*Renovated East Wing: new flooring in student rooms and corridors, fresh paint throughout, new furniture in student rooms, restroom renovations.

Hulett and Jencks:
*Repaired showers

Rebert:
*Re-pointed chimney       

Sykes Hall:
*Replaced hallway carpet in international wing

Whitman, 11 Maple, 62 Park, and 21 Romoda:
*Installed new sprinkler systems and detection devices. 

17 College:
*Replaced roofing system    

21 Romoda: third floor renovation
*Added 11 beds to the existing 3rd floor
*Installed roof dormers to allow natural light into rooms
*Renovated and expanded restroom facilities
*Installed sprinkler system in entire residential sections of building for fire protection and detection devices. 

48 Park:
Replacing windows, to be completed in August.           

53 Park:
Repaired/replaced roofing system           

58 Park:
Replaced bathroom floors       

76 Park:
Exterior repairs

78 Park:
Re-pointed foundation & added drainage
           
Academic Spaces
Atwood:
*Replaced fire alarm system    

Bewkes: 
Painted 2nd and 3rd floor hallways, breezeway columns and overhangs

Griffiths: 
*Renovated dressing rooms

Hepburn Hall:
*Replace fire alarm panel
*Replaced entrance doors

Madill:
*Painted

Memorial: 
*Repaired front entrance, added railings, and painted steps

Noble Center:
*Repaired masonry

Noble Center:
*Replaced entrance doors

ODY: 
*Completed phase I roofing system replacement

Piskor: 
*Updated lighting

Richardson:
*Repaired masonry

Athletic, All-campus and Administrative spaces
Facilities Operations:
*Replaced roofing system, insulated attic space

Gunnison:
*Renovated basement  

MacAllaster Soccer Stadium:
*Repaired turf and coaches’ boxes

Payson Hall:
*Re-pointed entire building façade, accompanied by lead t-joints for cap stone perimeter of building
*Replaced roof
*Repaired and painted  first floor – West side of building

Student Center Winston Room:
*Upgraded lighting
 
Vilas:
*Repaired east and south entrances
 
Appleton: 
*Replaced lockers and flooring in Men’s hockey locker room

Augsbury:
*Renovated women’s track & cross-country locker room including new shower room.

Campus Infrastructure
Slate maintenance
Installed new steam lines for greater energy efficiency in Dean-Eaton Hall
Renovated Park Street crosswalks 
Repaved and curbed Romoda Drive
Campus tree removal
Installed storm drains and curbing on road from Griffiths to Hulett and Jencks Road.
Repaired sidewalk B-Lot to Jencks Hall
Sidewalk from Gaines to Hulett Hall
Elevator compliance inspections
Central Heating Plant chimney repaired and re-coated

Monthly Updates took a break for June and July 2012

May 2012 Monthly Update for Campus

Admissions
As of May 22, we have 692 total deposits; 663 remain active (29 withdrawals and deferrals to 2013).  We expect more deposits and some melt for a likely first-year enrollment of 643-656 (plus any transfers required to have FYP).  In addition to our record early decision matriculants, we are enrolling record high numbers and percentages of U.S. students of color and international students. 

Communications
Website redesign continues; we have received a comprehensive site audit as well as the first two levels a new site map from our partner firms IE/Trellon.  Over the summer, Communications will work with the Web Redesign Advisory Group to review and select design concepts and build the new content management system. The team will touch base with department representatives throughout, with a plan to work more closely with departments to finalize site decisions in early fall.  The redesign is on schedule to launch in December.

Finance
Continued thrift in expenditures and improved revenues provide greater strength to our operating budget; thanks to all budget managers for your care.  The April 30, 2012 endowment value is $235.8 million. 

Sustainability Semester
On May 1, we announced that building upon the success of our highly acclaimed Adirondack Semester and nationally known environmental studies programs, we will launch a Sustainability Semester in the spring of 2013.  Similar to the Adirondack Semester, students in the Sustainability Semester will live and take courses together that address themes of human sustainability such as land and water use and food production from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.  The program will be located on farm property near the St. Lawrence campus, owned by the Cornell University Cooperative Extension.  The University will lease the property.  Associate Professor of Geology Cathy Shrady is the program director.

University Advancement
The St. Lawrence Fund stands at $4.47 million in commitments from 9,654 alumni, parents and friends, slightly ahead of last year at this time.  As we head toward the June 30 deadline, staff and volunteers will focus on pledge fulfillment, leadership gifts and the renewal of past donors.
Overall giving to the University is now at $12.4 million.  We expect many pledge payments to be fulfilled in June and a boost from our reunion giving program, which should help us as we push for our $16 million goal. 

Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2012, November 2-4.  An on-campus planning committee of faculty, staff and students is examining ways to expand student participation in the weekend including an overarching theme for the weekend, new programming such as career networking opportunities, affinity gatherings with alumni, faculty and others across campus, and possibly a community service project. If you have event ideas for Homecoming 2012, please contact Kim Hissong at khissong@stlawu.edu.

The Raiser's Edge and NetCommunity project approaches the second and final data validation test.  The team will review and make adjustments to our data during the next few months so we can maximize the benefits of our new database.  Sessions in the ODY computer lab to introduce the system to potential end-users across campus will continue.  We remain on-target for an October launch.

Vice President for Information Technology and Libraries
Our search committee met with a group of semi-finalists and will develop its plan to bring finalists to campus in the next weeks.

Summer Facilities Projects
Here’s what we will work on over the summer months to improve energy efficiency, safety and appearance:
Student Residences
Dana Dining Hall: flooring replacement
Dean Eaton Extension: restroom upgrade and exterior wall restoration
Gaines Hall: replace fire alarm system
Lee Hall: east wing renovation
Hulett and Jencks: repair showers
Rebert: re-point chimney       
Sykes Hall: replace hallway carpet in international wing
Whitman, 11 Maple, 62 Park, and 21 Romoda: install new sprinkler systems
17 College: replace roofing system    
21 Romoda: third floor renovation
48 Park: window replacement           
53 Park: repair/replace roofing system           
58 Park: replace bathroom floors       
76 Park: exterior repairs
78 Park: re-point foundation & add drainage
           
Academic Spaces
Atwood: replace fire alarm system    
Bewkes:  2nd and 3rd hallways, breezeway paint columns and overhang
Griffiths:  dressing rooms renovation
Hepburn Hall: replace fire alarm panel          
Hepburn Hall: replace entrance doors
Madill: painting
Memorial:  front entrance add railings and paint steps
Noble Center: masonry work on East side of building          
Noble Center: replace entrance doors
ODY:  phase I roofing system replacement
Piskor:  update lighting
Richardson: repair exterior masonry

Athletic, All-campus and Administrative spaces
Facilities Operations: replace roofing system
Gunnison: basement renovation
MacAllaster Soccer Stadium: turf and coaches’ boxes repairs
Payson Hall: renovation work            
Student Center Winston Room: lighting
Vilas: east and south entrance repairs

Infrastructure
Slate maintenance
Install new steam lines for greater energy efficiency in Dean-Eaton Hall
Renovate Park Street crosswalks  
Repave Romoda Drive
Campus tree removal
Install storm drains and curbing on road from Griffiths to Hulett and Jencks Road.
Repair sidewalk B-Lot to Jencks Hall
Sidewalk from Gaines to Hulett Hall
Upgrade lighting        
Elevator compliance inspections

 

April Monthly Update for Campus

Strategic Map:  As we have stressed, our Strategic Map is a document that will evolve over time.  We have revised the Map to incorporate the preamble text suggestions offered by the faculty.  I call your attention to the Map website, where you can read the next preamble text and also follow progress on the Map’s goals and objectives.

Admissions:  Admissions and the campus have held two open houses for admitted students with the third and last occurring this coming Friday.  Sunny weather greeted both groups.  Deposits have been received from 317, a record for the date of this memo’s preparation, April 13.

New Program in Jordan:  Beginning in the fall of 2012, students will have the option to study for a semester or a year in Amman, Jordan, in partnership with American-Mideast Training Services. The program is designed for students interested in studying the Arabic language (both Modern Standard Arabic and the Levantine colloquial dialect) and Middle Eastern and North African cultures. More details are available on-line.

Mellon Foundation Awards Grant for Humanities:  St. Lawrence has been awarded a grant of $700,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of a five-year project titled "Crossing Boundaries: Re-envisioning the Humanities for the 21st Century."  With the grant support, the University plans to develop new cross-departmental collaborations, with a goal of strengthening and affirming the centrality of the humanities to the contemporary liberal arts curriculum.  More details are available on-line.

Website redesign: The University website redesign project kicked off this week with a series of meetings and a campus forum with partner firms Trellon and IE Design and Communications. Representatives from Trellon/IE and University Communications met separately with groups of students, faculty and staff to discuss the current website and future needs. This discovery phase will help inform a site audit and map, the first steps of a months-long project expected to continue into the fall. Visit  http://blogs.stlawu.edu/redesign/ for more information and to provide feedback.

Commencement:  Students, faculty, staff and guests at Commencement 2012 will hear remarks from "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau and Skidmore College dance professor Mary DiSanto-Rose '75 at St. Lawrence University's Commencement ceremony, on Sunday, May 20. Both will be awarded honorary degrees at the ceremony. Indian Lake Spanish teacher Martha Swan, founder of the organization John Brown Lives!, will be awarded the North Country Citation.

University Advancement:  University Advancement has embarked upon the development of an alumni engagement metrics system that will measure how engaged our alumni are with St. Lawrence and will inform ongoing and new engagement programs.  We are researching peer institutions with similar programs such as Amherst, Colgate, Cornell, Hamilton and Middlebury, to name a few.  The goal is to have this system in place in 2012-2013.    

The Alumni and Parent Programs office will be renamed effective July 1, the Office of Annual Giving and Laurentian Engagement.  This new title recognizes the important role that engagement plays within the Strategic Map and our goals moving forward.

Reunion 2012 is May 31-June 3.  We hope to welcome at least 1,000 alumni and guests back to campus.  Highlights of the weekend include alumni college sessions led by alumni, faculty and staff, the dedication of the Quantitative Resource Center, the alumni awards and class gift ceremony, the annual Service of Remembrance and the all-class picnic (which faculty and staff are invited to attend).  Other Laurentian engagement programs underway include: travel programs to Spain – October 14-24, 2012 led by Professor Emerita Rita Goldberg; to Israel, Palestine and Jordan in June of 2013 with Associate Professor of Religious Studies Michael Greenwald; and regional events with Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jeff Rickey.

The Raiser's Edge and NetCommunity implementations continue on-schedule and on-budget.  We have just completed Round Two of data validation. Bob Doser, Advancement Systems Analyst and Report Manager, is offering sessions in the ODY computer lab to introduce the system to potential end-users across campus.

Harassment Awareness Training:  The United Educators On-line Training program for harassment awareness training has been completed by about a third of our employees. We need 100% of you to complete this important training.  St. Lawrence has a strong tradition of valuing the individual and we hope this on-line program will assist in affirming that culture. If we achieve 100% participation in the on-line education program, we improve awareness for a more inclusive campus culture, we also benefit from more stable insurance rates.  The on-line course will take about 45 minutes. If you need to stop and start again, you can log back in, and the course will continue where you left off.  We ask you to complete the course by June 30, 2012. 
To access and register for the course:

At various times, the course will recommend you refer to our SLU Harassment Policies; they are located on our Policies and Procedures Web site under the Equity Policies and Procedures section.

March 2012 Update

Facilities Master Plan: Saratoga Associates spent two days on campus to conduct campus-wide charrettes. More than 500 students, faculty and staff participated in the collaborative sessions, providing ideas and feedback to facilities needs and campus design possibilities.   Several separate meetings on such topics as community relations, residence life, classroom space and sustainability attracted dozens of participants.  Saratoga Associates will return to campus at the end of March to conduct further interviews. We also have created a public website with many resources, including the charrette results.

Admissions:   Last Friday, March 16, Admissions and Financial Aid mailed decisions and aid packages to the students who applied in the “Regular Decision” application phase.  Dean Rickey provided a detailed report via email to the faculty and staff on Monday, March 19, with the headline that we anticipate making our class and financial projections with continuing achievement in academic quality, female/male ratio, and geographic, ethnic, racial, and socio-economic differences.  Overall, St. Lawrence is offering admission to 45% of this year’s applicants.  The admitted pool is academically stronger and more geographically, racially and ethnically diverse than a year ago.  As we head into the yield season, please extend Laurentian hospitality to visiting admitted students. 

Identity research and website redesign: University Communications and partner firm Studio-e will present the messaging recommendations of an identity study during campus forums scheduled for March 28. Studio-e conducted focus groups, one-on-one interviews and surveys with more than 150 students, faculty, staff and alumni in February. The messaging developed from this research will inform all communications and marketing, including the redesign of the University's website, a nine-month project scheduled to begin in April. University Communications soon will be sending more information on both projects, including opportunities for feedback.

Advancement:  For all causes, including the St. Lawrence Fund, we have raised $9.45 million to date toward our goal for the year of $16 million.

Guided by the Strategic Map, alumni engagement efforts continue to be a major thrust within University Advancement.  This was a special topic at the University Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees at its February meeting.  Trustees heard from Alumni Council President Deena Giltz McCullough ’84, University Advancement Tripartite Committee Chair Patti Frazer Lock, and Executive Director of Alumni and Parent Programs Kim Hissong regarding new student and alumni engagement initiatives, results of recent Alumni Council focus groups and faculty ideas related to engagement.   Several initiatives currently underway include:  a Spain Laurentian travel program October 14-24 with Professor Emerita Rita Goldberg; Homecoming 2012 planning in conjunction with Alumni Council weekend (November 2-4), and expanded faculty and senior staff participation in regional events this spring and beyond.

The Raiser's Edge and NetCommunity implementations continue on-schedule and on-budget.  The vendor will be on campus March 19-22 for data validation and testing.  Project Team members are having conversations with offices across campus to identify shared data needs and collaboration opportunities

Finance: Operating activity through February continues to be slightly favorable to the Latest Revised Estimate that is calculated from submissions by budget managers and analyzed by Finance staff. 

February 2012 Update

Campus Conversation: I invite all faculty and staff to a campus conversation on Wednesday, February 29, at 4 p.m., in Sykes Common Room.  I’ll provide a brief update on the Board of Trustees meeting and hear your comments and questions.

Strategic Map: Facilities Master Plan: Saratoga Associates will return to campus February 28 and 29 for campus-wide charrettes, collaborative sessions that will give all students, faculty and staff the chance to provide ideas and feedback to facilities needs and campus design possibilities.   The Facilities Master Plan Advisory Committee has begun its leadership of this process. I thank Professor of Chemistry Larry French for his willingness to co-chair the Advisory Committee with Dan Seaman.  Committee members are faculty Brian Chezum, Catherine Jahncke and Melissa Schulenberg; senior staff Tom Pynchon and Jeff Rickey; administrators Jim Koszan and Matha Thornton; staff Jackson Binan and Rick Sprague; students Stephen Cash ’14, Jack Holby ’14; Kurt Malkames ’12, Corey Parent ’12, and Colleen Ryan ’15; alumni Steve Todd ’92 and Jacquie Kuno ’84, P’12, P’15; and Village Superintendent Brien Hallahan.

Strategic Map: Identity research and website redesign:  University Communications has engaged Studio-e of Concord, Massachusetts, to assist with the development of the University’s new communications and marketing plan. Its staff visited campus last week for preliminary research and will connect further with faculty, staff and students over the next several weeks. University Communications also has formed a Website Redesign Advisory Group, including staff, faculty and a student, to assist in directing a comprehensive redesign of the website, including selecting a partner firm. We plan to select the firm by the end of March so we can kick off the project in April. Depending on the firm we select and other variables yet to be determined, we could launch the new site by the end of this year. We will be reaching out to campus as well with updates and opportunities for feedback along the way.

Strategic Map: New Curriculum: The Academic Affairs Committee has worked for the past four months, including a day-long meeting in January, to revise our learning goals and general education curriculum. Revisions have been guided by the feedback generated from faculty conversations over the past three years, including a faculty caucus held this fall about the general education curriculum proposal.  The result is a streamlined proposal that the committee believes will renew and strengthen our commitments to skill development (writing, oral communication, information literacy, and quantitative and analytical reasoning), while giving students greater freedom in defining their general education courses and encouraging them to think in integrative ways.  The proposal will now go to the full faculty.

First-semester retention: We’ve maintained the first-to-second semester retention of first-year students at 98%, same as last year, which was the highest retention rate since 1992.  This semester, we have the highest number of students studying for the semester off-campus since tracking began in 1982.  It is the highest number in absolute terms (181) as well as a percent of the student body (7.8%).   The second highest term was fall 1982 with 177 students studying off-campus (7.4% of enrollment).

Admissions: Our Early Decision applications are at a record 284, a 21% increase over a year ago. 

SUNY Canton:  As you know, our neighbors at SUNY Canton experienced a serious fire in one of their science buildings on February 10. I am very pleased to announce that arrangements have been made for affected SUNY Canton students to continue their academic work through the use of some labs and facilities at St. Lawrence.  Three labs on the third floor of Bewkes, no longer in use by our faculty and students, will be used by chemistry and biology classes from SUNY Canton. Students and faculty will have bus transportation to and from campus, provided by SUNY Canton. We will prepare the spaces to be used, including cleaning and restoring all life safety systems necessary for lab work.  SUNY Canton classes are scheduled to begin here on March 5, SUNY Canton will use the labs through this semester and perhaps longer, depending on how quickly repairs can be completed to their facilities.  I am very proud of the faculty and staff of St. Lawrence for your generosity, initiative and overall willingness to help our academic neighbor. I know you will join them in welcoming our SUNY Canton colleagues to campus.

SUNY Canton’s Small Business Development Center and the Canton Chamber of Commerce had planned 6 seminars on e-commerce. With the fire, they lost their venue.  Our staff  has identified space that will serve the need, and we will sponsor their time on campus.

Advancement:  For all causes, including the St. Lawrence Fund, we have raised $8.9 million to date toward our goal for the year of $16 million.

This past weekend successful meetings of the Parents Committee and the Alumni Executive Council took place on campus. Each group heard from President Fox and other University officials on campus updates.  The Alumni Council held focus groups to discuss alumni attitudes and philanthropy as they prepare to help provide further input on alumni engagement activities as a part of the Strategic Map.  University Advancement staff continue to work on how the Strategic Map goals are being channeled through our programs and are pleased with the level of alumni and parent engagement through events and look forward to the feedback from the Alumni Council.  A joint presentation will be made at the University Advancement Committee on how alumni, parents, faculty, and staff can work together to increase our alumni engagement.  Advancement staff has been working on the implementation of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge and Net Community with intensive training and design sessions.

Laura Ellis, our next vice president for university Advancement, joins the staff on March 12.

Management training: About 70 administrators who supervise other staff or students attended a half-day management training seminar on January 19 to learn more about harassment prevention, about providing constructive feedback, and about University policies.

Innovation grants:  The deadline for spring proposals is March 2. The Innovation Grants program will award several grants at $2,500 per project and one or two grants up to $5,000 per project for new initiatives proposed by faculty, staff and students.  The program encourages new initiatives that will improve the quality of life at St. Lawrence through new curricular, co-curricular, or campus life projects and provide a foundation for St. Lawrence’s future.  All faculty, staff and students are eligible to submit a proposal to the Innovation Grants Committee. 

January 2012

Strategic Map Update: The Chair of Faculty Council, Elun Gabriel, sent faculty reflections of the map to me at the close of the fall semester. I shared with him then that I appreciate the spectrum of views expressed at faculty meetings and the resolutions that represent a general response to the Strategic Map. The map, and the planning process that has drawn and developed it, must be a living, evolving, and dynamic document. We are still (and will be indefinitely) collecting reactions and suggestions from all St. Lawrence constituencies, so having at the close of the fall semester the faculty's own reflections helps immensely in the process. We will update and revise the map with the advice and consent of the Board. The letter incorporating the faculty's sense of our strategic direction, along with other feedback, will allow our shared work on campus to be joined with the Board's regular review of our progress.

Facilities Master Plan: With appreciation for the time so many people offered in the process of selecting our facilities master planning consultants, I’m happy to announce the choice of Saratoga Associates/Beardsley Design to work with us over the next year.  Very soon you will receive information from Dan Seaman, director of facilities operations, about the schedule of campus events that will involve faculty, staff, students, alumni and community.  Saratoga Associates will spend the spring semester gathering information and perspectives about the ways we use our campus spaces and about our vision for their use in the next decade.

IT Staffing: As I shared in December, Sondra Smith has taken a one-year leave of absence from her position as Co-CIO and Director of Educational Technologies to work with Educause.  I thank these staff members for their willingness to support the academic mission of the University, the strategic mapping process and our next computer replacement cycle.
*In addition to her role as Co-CIO and Director of Client Services, Rene Thatcher will be the Interim Director of Educational Technologies.
*Grant Currie has been promoted to Manager of Educational Technologies.
*Jamie Richardson has been promoted to Manager of User Services and will oversee the work of our Hardware and Media Technicians.
*Steve Millington has been promoted to Student Services Coordinator managing the IT HelpDesks and student staff.

Admissions: Early Decision applications are 12% ahead of last year.  On January 8, the Alumni Council and Office of Admissions conducted the second annual Alumni/Admissions Workshop for alumni and their high school-age children.  This is a project sponsored by the Alumni Council and this year was held at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA.  Kent Jones ’72, director of college counseling at Emma Willard School, and Lauren Reed ’11, teacher, coach and college counselor at EWS, joined Admissions staff and two students in providing this wonderful service to alumni families.  Rob Donovan of the Council’s Admissions Committee assisted with the arrangements.

We welcome eight transfer students and four new first-years next week.

Search for Vice President for University Advancement, Fundraising Update and Data Migration Project: Our search progresses for our next Vice President for University Advancement; about 50 faculty and staff met with a candidate last week.  Gifts to the St. Lawrence Fund, which are gifts that help fund the University’s current programs, are up by 7.8%, with $3.4 million in cash and pledges recorded.  Private gifts to the University are down 6.42% as of December 31, 2011, with $7.7 million raised.  In the first year following the completion of Momentum St. Lawrence, we anticipated a drop of capital gifts over the previous year.  

University Advancement and Information Technology (IT) kicked off the implementation of the new University Advancement database, the Raiser’s Edge and Net Community, with introductory sessions for campus stakeholders.   Staff members have been working in a “quiet phase” leading up to the kick off for months.  The next nine months will be full of planning, staff training, and data conversion in preparation for the planned October 2012 “go live” date.

Emergency preparedness: Over the Winter Break, our Emergency Preparedness Team held its annual full-scale tabletop exercise to review our emergency planning and response protocols. The tabletop exercise demonstrated our protocols are well established and functional.  Some key points: Our Threat Assessment Team, represented by staff from Residential Life, Faculty, Safety & Security and the Counseling Center meet on a weekly basis; we have multiple and redundant emergency communication systems that will be tested with the campus community in the next few weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Patrick Gagnon or Lisa Cania, or for more information, please go to the Safety & Security website.

Educational programs on harassment and discrimination: We are partnering with United Educators to provide online educational programs on issues of sexual and discriminatory harassment for all SLU faculty and staff.  The online course will take about 45 minutes. We ask you to complete the course by June 30, 2012. Each month we will draw one name from the list of faculty and staff who have completed the course and provide that person with a gift certificate to Brewer Bookstore.  The sooner you complete this important course, the better your chances for the drawing.

PCPSOA contract ratification: The members of the Professional Campus Public Safety Officers Affiliated ratified their new three-year contract with St. Lawrence for the period September 1, 2011-August 31, 2014.

November 2011

Facilities Master Plan: The campus community was invited to attend a series of open forums, November 14, 16 and 17, to hear proposals from each of the three firms being considered to help St. Lawrence University develop its next Facilities Master Plan, one of the key recommendations of the Strategic Map. These forums were the first of several opportunities for faculty, students and staff to become involved with this important process.  The University will select one firm to work with us in a collaborative process that will produce a Facilities Master Plan that will serve as the blueprint for campus development in support of the academic mission and faculty, student and staff needs for the next 5-10 years.

Homecoming: Over 400 alumni and guests returned for Homecoming 2011, which took place the first weekend in November. This revitalized program, which was coordinated by the Alumni and Parent Program office, with the assistance of the Athletics Department, the Alumni Council and student support, included events such as the Athletic Hall of Fame induction, a campus pep rally, trivia night in Pub 56, athletic contests and more.  Hundreds of students, faculty and staff also participated in the weekend’s events. 

Admissions Update: As of November 10, we had received 123 Early Decision applications, compared with 52 as of the same date last year. Our priority deadline for Early Decision was November 1.  Students who decide later that St. Lawrence is their first choice can commit to Early Decision at any time up until February 1.  We review ED applications on a continual basis, and we notify Early Decision applicants throughout December and January.   Approximately 30% of the Class of 2015 chose St. Lawrence through Early Decision. 

Search for Vice President for University Advancement: We continue in the active phase of recruitment of candidates, with the search committee working closely with our consultants, Storbeck/Pimental.  Interviews of prospective candidates will take place in New York December 6 and 7, and finalists will visit campus in early 2012.

Electronic W-2 Forms: As a part of the University’s continual efforts to reduce administrative costs, the W-2 tax forms for 2011 will be produced electronically in January.  The new HR/Payroll system provides the ability to do this and employees who provide consent may use Webadvisor, the same portal used to view pay advices and enter and approve timesheets, to do so.  Kathy Mullaney or Carol Gable will answer questions.

Educational programs on harassment and discrimination: We are partnering with United Educators to provide online educational programs on issues of sexual and discriminatory harassment for all SLU faculty and staff.  Not only is this programming the right thing to do, we also will benefit from stable insurance rates if we meet the United Educators’ goals for implementing and completing this educational program. More information about the on-line program is coming your way after Thanksgiving.

October 2011 Update

Strategic Map: As mentioned in a campus note earlier this week, the Board of Trustees passed a unanimous resolution endorsing the Strategic Map, “The St. Lawrence Promise.” The Alumni Executive Council and the Thelomathesian Society also have passed resolutions of endorsement.  The Board made clear its expectation that all constituencies of St. Lawrence University will be integrally involved with the development of specific goals, objectives, strategies and tactics that create the plans to realize the Map. Learn more and read the full map.

St. Lawrence Named A Best Value: St. Lawrence University was named one of the top 200 Best Values in Private Colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The report, released October 25, ranked the schools based on outstanding academics and great economic value. St. Lawrence University placed at #59 in the top 200 because of a high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, good student-to-faculty ratio, excellent on-campus resources and overall great value. Last year we placed at #62.

Net Price Calculator: Financial Aid staff members announce the launch of SLU’s net price calculator (NPC), a requirement for every college and university whose students receive Federal Title IV (Financial Aid) Funds. The NPC will allow families to estimate their financial aid and costs for attending St. Lawrence.  The NPC is linked from the Financial Aid homepage and can be found here: https://www.stlawu.edu/financialaid/price_calculator.html.

Data Migration Project in Advancement Services: After a two-year study, the staff members of University Advancement and Information Technology have chosen Raiser’s Edge, by Blackbaud, as the product that will allow the migration from our Saints database for alumni, parents and friends, into a database that is Web-compatible and the choice of many other schools.  This migration project is the second in a series, with the Finance and Human Resources transition to Datatel having been completed during 2009-2011.  We are migrating from Saints because it is written in a programming language that no longer is taught and has very few experts beyond
St. Lawrence.

Search for Vice President for University Advancement : We are in the active phase of recruitment of candidates, with the search committee working closely with our consultants, Storbeck/Pimental. 

Educational programs on harassment and discrimination: When I shared my annual communication reminding us that the St. Lawrence community should be the model of equity, civility and inclusiveness, I announced that we are partnering with United Educators to provide online educational programs on issues of sexual and discriminatory harassment for all SLU faculty and staff.  Not only is this programming the right thing to do, we also will benefit from stable insurance rates if we meet the United Educators’ goals for implementing and completing this educational program. Spending less than one hour to complete the education module will be an important contribution you can make to the University’s affirming culture and financial stability.  You’ll hear more about this educational program in the very near future.

September 2011 Update

Strategic Map:  The draft Strategic Map is now the topic of campus conversations after its release September 12.  We have three forums planned to hear feedback, and we have an on-line feedback submission form. 

Tuesday, September 20, 12:30 p.m.:           Eben Holden Center
Thursday, September 22, 7:00 a.m.:             Bloomer Auditorium
Monday, September 26, 4:30 p.m.                 Eben Holden Center

Union contracts: We have completed contract negotiations with our two larger unions, CSEA (for our clerical workers) and SEIU (for our dining services and facilities operations members). We begin negotiations this month with our third union, representing eight security officers.

Rankings Update:  St. Lawrence has moved up two spots in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of national liberal arts colleges, just released. St. Lawrence University is Number 53 among the 252 best, most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the nation. That ranking places the University in the top 20 percent of its peer group.  St. Lawrence scores particularly well in its average freshman-to-sophomore retention rate, at 90 percent, and in its predicted-versus-actual graduation rate, at 75 percent versus 83 percent.  This year, St. Lawrence was included on the magazine's list of "A+ Schools for B Students."  (Recall that US News data reflects the previous fall’s statistics.) 

The new 2011 results of the annual National Survey of Student Engagement are extremely favorable. In some areas, such as “supportive campus environment” and “level of academic challenge,” the percentages are climbing. Recently, Forbes magazine produced its version of America’s best colleges and universities. The Forbes list mixed research universities with liberal arts institutions, which is very different from similar attempts to rank the order. St. Lawrence was accorded 64th place out of 650 in the mix, which is a top-10% level of recognition.

Enrollment:  A preliminary data freeze shows us these enrollment statistics:
Undergraduate Enrollment:                2,359 headcount         (+32 from Fall 2010)
Graduate enrollment:                          72 headcount              (stable with Fall 2010)
Class of 2015:                                     647                              (+38 from Fall 2010)
Transfers: transfers:                             17                                (-1 from Fall 2010)
FY to Soph Retention (prelim):          90.3%                          (92.4% in Fall 2010)
FY to Junior Retention (prelim):         88.6%                          (86.5% in Fall 2010)
4-yr graduation rate:                           76.4%                          (76.2% in Fall 2010)
5-yr graduation rate:                          79.3%                          (79.4% in Fall 2010)
6-yr graduation rate:                           80.3%                          (82.9% in Fall 2010)

Holiday Plans:  On December 27, 28 & 29, 2011, the University will be closed with only essential personnel as needed.  These extra paid holiday days are given to provide as much opportunity for staff to enjoy the holiday season while maintaining necessary university functions.  Hourly workers and exempt staff will not need to account for these days in their vacation banks for 2011, 2012 and 2013—we are happy to provide these days as gifts to our employees. Supervisors will work with staff regarding necessary assignments and procedures for payroll. 

August 2011 Update

Strategic Mapping Council: We had the fully engaged participation of 52 community members, including faculty, staff, trustees, students and alumni worked August 2-4 at Canaras as our Strategic Mapping Council, facilitated by William Weary, president of Fieldstone Consulting of Washington, DC.   Bill Weary led us in a series of exercises to clarify values and connect values with the recommendations of the Recession Response Phase 2 report, providing a small writing group with instructions for the draft Strategic Map of six-eight pages.  The writing group, Tom Evelyn (VP, communications), John Collins (professor, global studies), Samantha Glazier (associate professor, chemistry), Jim Kozsan (facilities operations), Charlie Sullivan ’89 (Alumni Council), and Amy Callahan ’13, is working on the draft.  We will have several participants from the Mapping Council read our draft by early September, and will release the Strategic Map draft to campus, Alumni Council, Parents Committee and trustees shortly thereafter.  We have scheduled three employee meetings for discussion and feedback.  All employees are welcome at any and all of these meetings as schedules permit:

Wednesday, September 14th – 4:30-5:30 – Eben Holden 
Friday, September – 16th – 7:30-8:30 am – Sykes Common Room
Monday, September 19th - 12:30-1:30 pm – Eben Holden

I’ll have more to share with you at Convocation remarks next week, and in subsequent communications.

CSEA Contract:  The membership of CSEA ratified its new three-year contract on August 18. 

Admissions:  Jeff Rickey, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, took office on August 1.  We expect 653 first-year students and 17 transfer students next week. 

Finance:  Work continues on year-end operating results, which we expect to review next week. The June 30 endowment market value was $237,000,000, down $2 million from our May 31 value. We await the July return.

IT Support services relocate to ODY Library: This summer, Jim Forney and Grant Currie relocated to ODY creating a digital media lab and replicating the educational technologies training lab (formerly located at the Center for Teaching and Learning at 62 Park St.) on the lower level of ODY. Lucas Wright also has an office in ODY and Madill.  These changes make educational technologies staff and student staff who are trained as technologists more easily accessible to faculty and students, providing more direct and integrated support for technology and research and communication skills. Additionally, during evening hours and weekends, the IT HelpDesk will operate out of ODY space for the academic semester. In all cases, the IT HelpDesk phone line and remote assistance remain unchanged. All together, we are working to make the library the kind of learning commons that it will need to be to support the liberal arts.

Whitman Hall conversion:  You’ll recall that we have converted former office space in Whitman to a 42-bed residential space.  That project is on schedule and on budget.  The modular office complex for the First-Year Program, Academic Advising, Special Needs, CSTEP/McNair,HEOP, and the Center for Civic Engagement, located adjacent to Whitman for the next two years, will be complete by August 19, ready for the academic year to begin.

Other campus projects updates:

• All masonry work on Gunnison Chapel and Herring Cole is completed.
• The walkway near Sykes Hall is nearing completion.
• The roadwork, curbing and walkway construction at the entrance to Eben Holden is 95% complete
• The Lee Hall residential refurbishment project will be complete by the 19th.  New flooring, paint and furniture for the west and north wings, and the east wing will be completed next summer.
• The former CTL at 62 Park St. ground level was converted into 13 student beds with a staff apartment.
• Five additional beds were added to a residence on Maple St.
• Roofs were replaced on 11 Maple, 62 E. Main St., 85 E. Main St., and 17 College.
• All windows were replaced and new vinyl siding was installed at 50 and 52 Park St. theme houses.
• The roof on Memorial Hall was replaced
  
  

July 2011 Update

Admissions Update:   As of 7/22/11, we have 655 first-year students who continue to plan to matriculate in August.   When we examine our average summer melt (based on 10 years of data) for July and August, we could melt an additional 14 students.  The highest melt during these months was 21 and the lowest was 6.  We received 136 transfer applications for the fall semester.  Of these, 52 were admitted and 18 plan to enroll.

Whitman conversion:  You’ll recall that we have moved offices from Whitman Hall and are converting the space to 42 new beds as well as rest rooms, lounge space and laundry room.  That project is on schedule and on budget.  We expect delivery of a modular office complex, to be located adjacent to Whitman for the next two years, in early August.  

Facilities Projects: The Lee Hall/Eben Holden circle has been changed to provide a new entrance road and walkway, and is the beginning of the creation of the pedestrian inner-campus walkway system that will eventually go from Eben Holden to Vilas Hall.  The Chapel repointing project continues, and we now have a 125’ lift to reach the highest point of the masonry sections of the steeple and bell tower.  Repointing and stone repair has begun on Herring-Cole as well.

Project Status:

Approved Capital Project Work - PROJECT DESCRIPTION	STATUS
Augsbury – replace column showers	Completed
Dana Dining Hall – re-point entranceway of Dana Dining Hall	Completed
Gunnison  Chapel -  re-point spire & bell tower
Herring Cole – Re-point façade of building, entranceways – repairs
Campus-wide Elevators – Compliance work related to new elevator inspections (PHASE I)	Completed
50 Park – Window replacement
50 Park – Vinyl siding installation
52 Park – Window  replacement
52 Park – Vinyl siding installation
Dean Eaton fire alarm upgrade	Completed
Lee Hall renovation work
Lee Hall abatement	Completed
Red Barn – shore up the red barn
Campus-wide slate maintenance
Sykes Hall – replace piping	Completed
Sykes Hall – Repair entranceway pillars
Memorial Hall – replace roof
Newell Field House – work on repair of West Wall
Hulett-Jencks replace North entrance door
Hulett-Jencks replace West side breezeway entrance door
11 Maple – replace roof	Completed
62 E. Main – replace roof	Completed
85 E. Main – replace roof
17 College – repair entranceways
Sykes – Repair clock tower
Block Building – replace entranceway doors	Completed

Financial Report:   The staff is working on year-end analysis, so we will update you in August on the FY11 annual operating results.   The endowment market value at May 31, 2011 was $239,915,000, down from April. 

Fundraising:   The June 2011 "Honor a Laurentian Mentor" campaign, inviting gifts to recognize a faculty member, coach or staff member, brought in 1,594 gifts.   Total gift cash for the year was $16.3 million, which compares to $17.7 million last year.  As a regular reminder, gifts (both unrestricted and restricted—general or specifically earmarked) from alumni, parents and friends are one of three main sources of revenue, and are already in our budget projections every year.   These are funds we must receive annually to help meet expenses.

June 2011 Update

Admissions Update:  As of June 15, we stand at 654 active deposits (707 total deposits).  We continue to monitor summer melt closely.  Since it has been running on the higher end of the average, we did make a small number of offers to students on our waiting list and are awaiting their responses.  We expect that all of these numbers will continue to move around a bit before we settle at our final enrollment.

Financial Report: Operating revenues should meet expectations and operating expenses are 2.2% less than projections.  Most expense areas continue to be less than last year.  Everyone on campus has played a role in this new culture of thrift.  We expect to generate a surplus of over $2 million this year.  The endowment market value as of 4/30/2011 is $242,268,000.  Ten month investment return is 22%.  Through June 15 cash gifts total $14.3 million compared to $16.3 million at this time last year.  The annual fund has closed the gap slightly and is now 3-5% behind last year in total commitments. 

Reunion attendance:  We greeted a nearly record high level of guests with well over 1000 on campus, and reunion alumni presented over $7 million in gifts and future pledges to the University.  

Office Moves: You’ll see in the list of capital projects below the reclamation of student residence space in Whitman Hall. Thanks to our staff colleagues who have been working in Whitman in for their understanding and wonderful cooperation.  These offices will move to temporary space this summer and then to a modular building to be placed adjacent to Whitman Hall in the fall.  From late June through late August, you’ll find these offices as follows:

HEOP:                                                Lee Hall
Academic Advising:                           Memorial Hall (R. Thacker) and Bewkes 317 (J. Torres)
Special Needs:                                    Bewkes 314-316
CSTEP/McNair:                                  Bewkes 322 and 326
Center for Civic Engagement:            Bewkes 321 an 322
First-Year Program:                            Flint 211 (Crosbie-Currie), Valentine 217, 218 (Bishop and
                                                            Daniels), Bewkes 318 (Boyette)
Summer Campus Refurbishments, Repairs and Renovations: We have an ambitious summer facilities plan to improve energy efficiency, assure safety and enhance campus life.  Projects in progress:

Summer Campus Refurbishments, Repairs and Renovations: We have an ambitious summer facilities plan to improve energy efficiency, assure safety and enhance campus life.  Projects in progress:

• Whitman Hall-renovations to accommodate new residential space
• 62 Park-renovations to for residential space
• Lee Hall-residential refurbishment
• Dean Eaton-fire alarm upgrade 
• Lee Hall-abatement        
• Sykes Hall- replace steam, condensate & hot water piping, repair entranceway pillars and clock tower         
• Hulett-Jencks-replace North entrance door  and West breezeway entrance door         
• 17 College-repair entranceways           
•  50 and 52 Park-Window replacement  and vinyl siding installation              
• Memorial Hall,  11 Maple, 62 E. Main, 85 E. Main-replace roof on each building     
• Atwood Hall-foundation waterproofing
• Gunnison  Chapel-re-point spire & bell tower 
• Dana Dining Hall-re-point entranceway of Dana Dining Hall       
• Herring Cole-Re-point façade of building, entranceways – repairs         
• Appleton Arena -ice compressor renovation
• Augsbury-replace column showers      
• Newell Field House -repair West Wall           
• Red Barn-shore up the red barn            
• Block Building-replace entranceway doors   
• Vilas hall-new boiler    
• Entrance road-inner campus road to Eben Holden renovation
• Campus-wide slate maintenance             
• Steam line tunnel and piping replacement

May 2011 Update for Campus

Earlier this spring, I began a monthly update to the Board of Trustees, with quick facts on the various topics I monitor regularly.  Trustees have appreciated the updates and now that we have some experience with the format, I’d like to send monthly updates to you.  We’ll aim for updates each mid-month.

RRP2 Forums, Feedback and Next Steps:  We had eight opportunities this spring semester for faculty and staff to meet in ensemble setting to provide feedback to the task group and to me, plus three additional Conversations with the President on open topics. Thelmo and the Alumni Council met to discuss the report, several governance committees focused on the report during regular meetings.  The task group produced an addendum of comments to be shared with the Board and to inform Canaras and the Strategic Mapping Council this summer.

Strategic Mapping Council:  With countless hours between my March 23 memo and now, let me excerpt what I shared in that communication regarding next steps for strategic planning:  The RR-P2 report is as comprehensive and substantive as a National Geographic world atlas. It is nearly encyclopedic in its treatment of issues that have had much study over the years, in the Middle States Accreditation Report, in internal studies, and even a recent market research study. From the atlas, we need to develop a map.

I will convene a Strategic “Mapping” Council of faculty, staff and trustees who will meet during the summer, creating a succinct, visionary strategic map that will be the topic of campus dialog in September.  The goal is to present a new Strategic Plan (or “map”) to the Board of Trustees at its October 2011 meeting.  With this strategic map, we begin to shape St. Lawrence’s financially secure and dynamically growing future, a shared vision that must be promising, ambitious and reachable.

I will also note here that this summer, if not sooner, we will begin the preliminary research necessary to the development of a new Campus Master (Facilities) Plan. Once we have a shared endorsement of a Strategic Map, and have done our homework on facilities inventories, the Campus Master (Facilities) Plan will identify future campus and infrastructure priorities to support strategic initiatives. We will, of course, invite broad campus participation in the master planning process as we near this special project’s beginning.

Faculty Council has given me, at my request, names of 15 faculty members to invite to our summer planning retreat.  Administrative staff, hourly staff, students, alumni, community and trustees will comprise the full council, which will work in early August.

The special planning grant from the Mellon Foundation will assist us in this major next step toward a "Sustainable St. Lawrence." The summer retreat for the Strategic Mapping Council will be led by a well-known consultant in institutional planning who has written several publications for and is highly recommended by the national Association of Governing Boards.

Financial Report: Operating revenues are 3.1% ahead of projections and operating expenses are 2.1% behind projections, and the net spread is 5.2% favorable. Thanks to everyone for your role in making the best use of University resources.  Most expense areas continue behind last year. The endowment market value as of 3/31/2011 (the date we use to fix endowment income projections for the following budget year) is $236,026,649.  Total annual return is 18.7%. As of May 9 total gifts for 2010-2011 continue to run slightly behind last year with $12.5 million received.  Cash from current and previous gifts are on track with projections.

Admissions:  As of May 13, we have had 698 total deposits; 667 remain active (31 withdrawals and deferrals to 2012).  We expect 12-15 more deposits for total of 710-715.  Of these, 5 are expected to defer.  We estimate first-year enrollment of 645-657 (plus any transfers required to have FYP).  The mean SAT score for those we expect to enroll is up 10 points. We will welcome 43 Presidential Diversity Scholars next fall, compared with 34 last fall; we expect the strongest HEOP class in 14 years, and we will have the same strong percentage of the class coming from the North Country as last year. Our new financial aid model should help us secure more net revenue, as we wished, while still aiding more students.  A study team is planning for First-Year program, student housing and student services, and another team will review first-year student interests to consider academic staffing.  

Contract negotiations: We begin negotiations with St. Lawrence’s three bargaining units immediately after the May Board meeting.  All agreed to a one-year rollover of their contracts in 2010, so new three-year contracts will take effect July 1, 2011. 

Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid:  Our search committee will bring four strong finalists to campus the week after Commencement.