August 2006 Presidential Update

I just returned to the office yesterday following a three week vacation. Contrary to my fears, I was generally able to unhook psychologically without leaving town though I did keep up with email so as to avoid dealing with hundreds of them now. We enjoyed the third family wedding of the last 12 months; Sunday evening Pat and I spent some time dreaming about what we might do for a vacation trip next summer if we don't need to plan for a wedding! And, no, I still can't dance!

Some of you have noticed that the official EMU calendar does not include the month of July. A few have jokingly suggested that means July does not exist and therefore everyone should just disappear. The fact is that while many have taken some vacation time, and we do enjoy a change of pace, there are some on campus for whom this is a very busy time. Our Conferences and Events personnel have hosted thousands of campus visitors during the summer months, physical plant staff are busy preparing for the new academic year, the admissions office continues to process applications for the fall term, and business office staff are working hard to complete the annual audit for the year just completed.

The 2005-06 fiscal year ended on a strong note for which we are very thankful. The generosity of EMU alumni and friends provided a 24 percent increase in total contributions over the previous year, including an 8.5 percent increase in the University Fund (annual unrestricted contributions). The entire advancement division deserves our kudos for a tremendous year in relating to donors who care deeply about the EMU mission. The preliminary audit work indicates we will have completed the year in the "black," a very important achievement for the current and future health of the institution. We will report exact numbers when the audit is completed in the weeks ahead.

Last week we received a communication that EMU has been named as one of 50 "All-American Colleges," and will be profiled in a soon-to-be published book, "All-American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals, and People of Faith." Thus far I haven't learned how we were selected, how the information about EMU was collected, or the identity of the other 49 institutions to be included in the volume. As far as I know, no one at EMU submitted information and we did not request to be included. Interestingly, the profile I've read is rather detailed and quite accurate. Please contact my office if you would like to receive a copy of the seven page profile.

During the 2006-07 year much work will be done by the Academic Structure Task Force, co-facilitated by Jayne Docherty and David Brubaker. The expectation is that the task force will issue recommendations near the end of the first term or early in the second term for how we might organize the academic offices of the institution to better serve faculty and students in the years ahead. EMU became a university in 1994, and it is an opportune time to review the experiences of the past decade and to plan for the next one. During the next four months you will receive regular reports from this task force and there will be opportunities for the campus community to be engaged in the discernment process.

In mid-June I participated in a "Forum for University Presidents" sponsored by the Chronicle of Higher Education in D.C. Some of the largest institutions in the country were represented and it was instructive to hear about their challenges, many of which are similar to those we face. A national concern shared by all is the increasing debt load being carried by our graduates and the corresponding decreases in federal support for higher education. Keeping the cost of education affordable for families and students is a high priority for every institution, even as we seek to better support faculty and staff across the institution.

As we prepare for the beginning of a new year, and welcome many new faculty, staff, and students, I invite us to seek God's wisdom in all that we do. We are reminded daily of the continuing need to prepare graduates who will enter into a world of uncertainty, conflict, and strife. In recent days we've received emails from EMU graduates in the Middle East for whom life is extremely difficult. Our mandate to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God" continues to be a high calling.

Books I'm reading now: Making the Most of College by Richard J. Light (Harvard University professor); Leadership in Higher Education edited by Francis L. Lawrence; Governance as Leadership by Richard Chait and others; A Handbook for Seminary Presidents edited by G. Douglass Lewis and Lovett H. Weems, Jr.; Will Our Children Have Faith by John Westerhoff; Management by Baseball by Jeff Angus.

Blessings, Loren

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