November 07 Presidential Update

The Provost Search Committee continues to meet weekly. This past Monday the committee met with the Faculty Senate to receive input regarding the professional and personal qualifications desired for the role. We also approved the text of the position announcement and advertisement which are attached for your information. We are developing a list of potential candidates for the position; please feel free to share names and contact information with any member of the search committee- Spencer Cowles, Marti Eads, Lonnie Yoder, David King, Marcy Engle and Loren Swartzendruber.

This weekend is the first meeting of the Board of Trustees for the 2007-08 academic year. An orientation session is scheduled for the full day on Thursday, and board sessions begin Friday morning. Dr. Conrad Kanagy, sociology professor at Elizabethtown College (PA) and former pastor of Elizabethtown Mennonite Church will share a presentation in Strite Auditorium at 10:45 a.m. Friday from his recent Church Member Profile research.

Not directly related to the board sessions, but of particular interest to many of us, is the Friday morning convocation address by Dr. David Orr, environmental studies faculty member and activist, who was the driving force behind the construction of the Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin College (OH). A group of faculty, staff, and students from EMU visited the Oberlin campus in September.

Following the board meetings I will travel to Indiana for meetings of the Education Opportunities Task Force convened by Mennonite Education Agency and a day of development contacts with Ellen Miller, associate director of development.

On Thursday evening, October 11, I had the unique opportunity to join perhaps 300 leaders from around the world to hear a speech by the United Nations General Secretary. The gathering of global leaders was cosponsored by the National Association of Evangelicals for the purpose of raising awareness and lobbying members of Congress on issues of concern around the world- poverty, HIV Aids, water, global warming, hunger, etc. I was not able to participate in the larger event due to the overlap with our Homecoming Weekend events.

The Homecoming Weekend generated a large number of positive responses from participants, many of them here to enjoy a class reunion. Of special interest were the wonderful " 90 Years of Music"  concerts led by Dr. Ken J. Nafziger and a mini Science Summit coordinated by Dr. Roman Miller and the advancement division. It was a great opportunity to showcase the faculty and programs projected to be housed in the future renovated and new science facilities.

Program planning continues on schedule for the science facility. We will be incorporating green technologies into the facility at a level to be determined as planning proceeds. Kirk Shisler and I are meeting with donors almost weekly to introduce the project, lay the groundwork for significant lead gifts, and to invite support. We anticipate that by late spring or early summer we will have firm cost estimates and general schematic plans to share with university constituent groups.

Loren

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