Today marks the one year anniversary of the passing of President Earl H. Potter III. As we remember President Potter and reflect on the past year, I would like to express my deep gratitude to each and every one of you for the roles you have played in moving the university forward and remaining focused on student success.
This past year offered the university several opportunities and successes that we should all be proud of. Here are just a few examples of your outstanding and remarkable work:
- We unveiled our 2017-2021 Strategic Plan to build the 21st Century engaged university and reposition St. Cloud State University within the higher education marketplace – leveraging our strengths to expand our areas of excellence, increase our competitiveness, and maximize our potential.
- We welcomed our first cohort of 2+2 finance program students from Nankai University Binhai College in China to campus in the fall. A second cohort will arrive this fall.
- We opened our St. Cloud State at Plymouth facility and welcomed a new relationship with the north metro community to serve the Twin Cities area.
- We received official notification of reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission was in March following a successful campus visit in November.
- We laid the ground work for both the university’s 1st comprehensive campaign in two decades and its Sesquicentennial celebration.
- We raised more than $7 million in grants and contracts and more than $4 million in private funds through the Foundation.
- We acquired EAB’s Student Success Collaborative platform as part of our larger recruitment, retention and advising efforts in partnership with our Student Government.
- We delivered a balanced budget for FY17 budget including adding $2 million in reserves and have develop an FY18 budget that includes a reserve rebuild of $2 million and $1 million in strategic investments. An additional message and details about the final FY18 budget will be forthcoming.
The campus and our community also were handed several challenges this past year. In addition to President Potter’s passing, the incident at the mall and the death of student Jesse Dady are reminders of how important our relationship with the community is in responding to tragic events and coming together in times of need. I am especially thankful for the friendship of Mayor Dave Kleis and the partnership with the City of St. Cloud.
I look forward to the work will do together in the coming year to advance the mission of the university and help our students prepare for the workforce and community needs of Minnesota and beyond. In the meantime, please take the time to enjoy the warm summer with family and friends.
