Good morning everyone! Thank you for joining me at our Fall 2018 Convocation to welcome in this new academic year and the beginning of our sesquicentennial year.
It already seems like a lifetime ago that I went through the search process, but I would like to take a moment to thank the members of the search committee. The Chair, President Blackhurst, and search committee members did an outstanding job representing St Cloud State and the St Cloud community. Throughout the entire interview process, they represented your passion and sense of pride for St. Cloud State University and our community.
Thank my family – spouse Jani for her support; my niece Kisha and nephew Scotty and friends and colleagues from UNC for their support. Moving to Minnesota was a significant decision – here’s how our golden retrievers responded when we told them we were moving.
Did she say we are MOVING? Okay, are there squirrels where we are going?
I would like to thank Interim President Vaidya who stepped into the presidency at a critical time for St. Cloud State and provided exceptional leadership. I know we all wish him well in his new presidency at Northern Kentucky.
I’m so pleased to welcome our special guests today: Lt. Gov. Fischbach, Senator Jerry Relph, Representative Jim Knoblach, Representative Tama Theis and Representative Jeff Howe.
Thank you for your unwavering support of St. Cloud State University and for delivering on the visionary Eastman renovation.
Since this is the first opportunity for many of you to meet me, I would like to begin by telling you a little bit about me and share a few of my experiences that made it possible for me to be here today and that have contributed the values I bring with me as I serve as your President.
I will begin with sharing my family background. My grandparents immigrated to the United States in 1905 as young children with their parents who were German farmers in Russia. They came with few possessions and did not speak much, if any, English and settled in Colorado. My grandparents and ultimately my mother after she was old enough, worked as laborers in beet fields, which are located not far from our previous home in Greeley, Colorado. My mother told me stories of how she was harassed at school because of her background; the family had to live on the “German side of town” and how a teacher told her she didn’t belong in school if her family didn’t have the money to buy the school supplies she needed.
My parents did not finish high school – both dropped out to help support their family during the Great Depression. My father was a local truck driver (from whom I got my sense of humor – one of his favorite saying was “well blow me down and call me shorty”) and my mother worked for the local school district for over 35 years – calling substitute teachers at 4:30 a.m. I do not think she missed a day of work because she was committed to doing her part to make sure students were going to have a good learning experience that day.
I was a first generation kid and I remember packing my Ford Pinto and my parents waving goodbye as I drove off to Colorado State University. After I completed my first year, my brother asked me if I would help his family relocate to France to launch their art career. Yes! At the age of 20, I took my very first plane ride and embarked on my first international experience traveling to France and Germany. I met people who lived in small villages and large cities and discovered how they worked and lived; I ate food I never knew existed (I discovered a French dessert called Napoleon and had my first espresso coffee). I discovered that people have unique and wonderfully diverse ways of life and living and although these differences existed, I also discovered that, as humans, as a citizens of our global community, we have much more in common than we are different.
I came back from France and transferred to the UNC as an undergrad to pursue Gerontology. I paid for college with the help of scholarships, work study in the library and delivering pizza on the side. I went on to get my Master’s in gerontology at UNC and supported my education by managing that same pizza restaurant. After graduation was employed as a legal assistant, providing legal services to low income older adults. Over time, I discovered my passion for teaching and research and decided to pursue a doctorate in sociology from ISU, where I first heard jokes about Minnesotans (I never laughed at those jokes).
Upon graduation from ISU, I was hired and eventually tenured at UNC as a faculty member and was actively engaged in teaching, research and community service. While at UNC I had the good fortune to serve in many roles.
This wonderful personal and professional journey, supported by many along the way, has shaped my beliefs. I believe in the value of and transformative nature of public higher education – it changed my life and I want others, regardless of their background or socio-economic status, to have this same opportunity.
In the value of faculty scholarship and creative works that serves enrich students’ learning experience and creates new knowledge which can be applied to improve our lives and communities; That everyone, no matter where they are located in the organization chart, contributes to the success of the institution; That local, regional and international engagement is vital to our students’education and addressing the most pressing problems humankind faces; We are better because of our diversity and there is so much we can learn if we just take the time to understand each other’s lived experiences; and In creating an inclusive and welcoming campus for all students and it is the role of universities to model inclusive excellence.
That’s a little bit about me. But now that I am here, I wanted to let you know that I have had a great time get out and about in the community and across campus meeting many different St. Cloud State and St. Cloud community folks.
I have discovered during these conversations that I usually get asked three questions. Why were you interested in St. Cloud State? How do you like St. Cloud? After these what I think are “MN nice” question, they get down to brass tacks and ask “what’s your vision for St. Cloud State?”
One reason is because your mission and vision to become Minnesota’s 21st Century Engaged University captures exactly how a university should be serving its students, its faculty and staff, and our city, region and state.
It seeks to provide students rigorous and relevant academic experiences with engaged, active learning opportunities in an intellectually vibrant, inclusive and diverse campus community. Prepare students to act as responsible global citizens and professionals who remain actively connected with our university, and it also articulates goals of an engaged campus, engaged students and engaged communities.
Second, here’s what I learned about St. Cloud State and what I believe makes it such an exceptional university: it is a university comprised of faculty and staff are deeply committed to students, and student success; you are passionate about and proud of your university; including your hockey teams; you offer high quality undergraduate and graduate academic programs; it is a university that has been through some tough times in recent years, but is resilient and has never wavered from its mission and vision; it is a university, that in spite of these challenges, has accomplished a great deal in areas such as student success and retention, in research and creative works, and many others; it is a university that values its external partnerships and understands the importance of those partnerships in serving our students and contributes to the economic well-being of the region; and it is a university ready to begin writing the next chapter in its storied 150 year history.
Then the second set of questions people ask me “How do you like St. Cloud? How are things going? Followed by “Are you ready for THE WINTER?”
Here is a brief run-down of how things are going so far:
When asked how I like St. Cloud I say – “It’s been wonderful getting to know all the different neighborhoods.” While this is true, it is also code for I have been getting lost trying to figure out streets versus avenues, North versus South and some streets even go by two names!
St. Cloud is a wonderful city – lots to do – Summertime by George, great restaurants, and it is a city with lots of character. Wouldn’t you love to be a kid with this in your yard!
I found out that I have to take a written test to get my driver’s license. Really?! Is driving in Minnesota that different than in Colorado?
I have been informed that for many drivers in St. Cloud, red lights are just a suggestion.
I found out that I failed in “how to receive the mail” at our new house. Even the mail carrier had to tell me how to operate our mailbox.
We are in the process of selecting the paint colors for our new house. As you can see I have made many trips to the Sherwin-Williams store and am on a first name basis with the staff.
And yes, I have been preparing for THE WINTER. I purchased new down jackets from LL Bean during their Fourth of July sale (a time when everyone is in denial about winter, so I got some good deals). When I tell people this they nod approvingly, but still look at me like “you still HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE IN FOR”. However, the ‘trievers have their snow boots and are ready for the winter.
I was in the deli section at Lunds & Byerly’s to buy a salad – there was the usual choices, Caesar, chicken salad, and then I spied one called “Minnesota Nice” salad. I bought that one. I thought it would aid in my quest to learn about “Minnesota Nice”.
Finally, I have visited 7 lakes so far so I thought that meant I have 9,993 left to visit; but I heard you really have 11,842 lakes.
Thank you all for helping with our transition to St. Cloud and for the warm welcome we have received.
So for the final question “what is your vision for St. Cloud State?”
In my first 51 days at St. Cloud State, I have visited with faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, our alumni and foundation board members, community members and business leaders, our Chancellor and Vice Chancellors at Minnesota State, and our legislators. During these visits I have been learning about people’s concerns, hopes and aspirations for St. Cloud State.
People I have spoken with – to a person – truly want St. Cloud State to be successful and “turn things around”. I agree and we need a vision that will set our sights on how we move beyond our current fiscal challenges.
What is a “vision.” A vision is The ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.
In preparing for the future we must have the wisdom to leverage our institutional strengths, understand the current context in which we operate, and opening the doors to unbridled imagination and innovative thinking.
What institutional strengths will we build on? Here’s a few.
- High quality academic programs
- Our commitment to be 21st Century engaged campus and our commitment to the Husky Compact;
- Our commitment to be Stewards of Place, a unique role we play in the intersection of teaching, scholarship, and service to our communities;
- Our International partnerships and enrollment;
- Our desire to advance equity and inclusion;
- Our commitment to student access and success;
- Our history of being first in a number of innovative academic and student support programs; and
- Our 150 year commitment to excellence in higher education for state of Minnesota.
Next, we will need to understand how to adapt our strengths in a changing higher education landscape.
Here’s a snapshot of our context. Let’s go back about 15 years. Birth rates were high and as a result, high school graduation rates in Minnesota and Central Minnesota were high. New high school graduates in Minnesota could choose from all of the Minnesota State colleges and universities, the U of M universities and a handful of private universities with long histories in Minnesota. High school graduates typically applied to two or three universities. Students came to campus, registered for classes, and learned from faculty in classrooms. You actually had to go to the library to check out books and journals. If students struggled and dropped out, we figured they just weren’t ready for college, and that was ok.
The majority of St. Cloud State’s operating budget came from the state. That meant low tuition and low debt for most students. Marketing and branding of universities was not that critical; many invested little or no funding for marketing.
Around 2008, the landscape started to change. At first, the changes were subtle and went unnoticed by most of us. If we noticed at all, most of us felt that the changes were not permanent and if they were permanent, that changes would not impact us. We were, after all, institutions of higher education that had been around for more than 100 years! But by 2012, the changes accelerated
So, what changed?
New players entered the higher education market. University of Phoenix, and others began to offer undergraduate, masters and doctoral degree programs online. They have taken a significant share of the higher education market. Straighter Line, a company that provides online courses, many of which are what we consider as general education courses, for around $100. And now corporations like Amazon want to start delivering college courses.
The demands on state funding from multiple sources (such as K-12 funding, health care, corrections, transportation and higher education) increased, particularly during the Great Recession; and while we are fortunate that we continue to receive financial support from the state at levels greater than those in other states, the amount of funding we received declined. As state support dropped, tuition increased to make up the difference in our operating budgets. Student debt is a real concern.
More people began publicly questioning the cost and value of a higher education. What was the ROI for students and their families?
Demographics started to change and Minnesota and other Midwest states were experiencing significant declines in the number of HS graduates. More universities are competing for fewer students.
And now freshmen are applying to 5, 6 or 7 universities and they compare financial aid packages. Diversity of our student body increased to match that of our state and nation. The economy started to shift as did the demand for new careers for a digital economy; gig-economy, the dot.com economy.
As a result, St. Cloud State, like so many universities across the country, saw significant declines in undergraduate enrollment.
So where does that leave us? We know that there is no “going back” to the way things used to be. And while many describe these changes as disruption and a disaster for higher education, I do not. We must see these changes as opportunities for innovation — to reimagine how we deliver on our promise to education students and serve our community. When we view challenges as opportunities and choose to take control of our destiny, we will see our way into a future where St. Cloud State is a university that is vibrant, thriving and unstoppable!
What is the vision? Here’s what I would like to share with you about what I imagine to be the future of St. Cloud State University.
Simply stated, St. Cloud State will be the university of choice in Minnesota.
First, We will do that by diversifying our revenue stream and we will accomplish this by serving new kinds and ages of student learners; continuing to improve our retention rates; developing pathways that allow students to move seamlessly between our partner institutions like SCT&CC; investing in the infrastructure and data driven strategies needed to do the work of strategic enrollment management; continuing our focus on developing degree programs with our international partners; investing in new and repurposed undergraduate and graduate degree programs that are in high demand and responsive to changing workforce needs; and increasing external funding via grants and fundraising.
We will work to improve our visibility and national ranking as we showcase how we provide our students with high quality learning experiences. We will work to ensure that St. Cloud State is a welcoming and inclusive place for all students. We will continue to be great partners with city ,state ,federal and community leaders; We will continuing to grow and engage our public/private partners and our tech transfer initiatives to serve our students and the region’s economic development. We will be good stewards of our fiscal resources.
Trust me, college and university presidents are sharing similar sentiments at Convocations across this nation. How will we be different? Here’s the secret sauce for to our success.
Our success begins with you.
You have already launched some incredibly innovative projects. The Eastman project is just one example. We will, however, endeavor to continue to unleash other innovative and creative ideas that I know exists in our faculty, staff and students. Big ideas that will effectively differentiate our niche in a competitive landscape to rethinking our processes and procedures and being mindful that we can’t continue to say yes to do everything!
We will be known and admired for pushing the boundaries – in a good way; I want to hear people say “I had no idea they were doing that… at St. Cloud?”; Will will honor and learn from our past, without letting the past hold us back.
We will create a culture that allows for taking risks that are calculated and strategic.
Next, we are going to reawaken our sense of hope and pride. Some people I met over these past few weeks told me they felt defeated and resigned to our decline in enrollment and wondered if we will ever become fiscally sustainable. I am here to tell you yes we will. By engaging in the actions what will make St. Cloud State the University of Choice in Minnesota will regain the our market share of the brightest and best students in the region.
Being innovative takes courage and determination. Courage to embrace change and a determination to be singularly focused on the work to be done to act now. Courage also means taking risks and yes, we won’t get it right every time and that’s ok.
Thank you for all you have done in the face of tremendous challenges. You stayed the course and weathered the storm. And as we look forward, we have some wonderful, exciting work ahead of us.
Before I close, I would like us to take a moment to remember why we are here. Each of us — in her or his own way — is called to this work in large part because we know how terribly important our work is. We have been given the responsibility of providing students a transformative education. No other agency of society has our tasks:
To prepare students for the future, however uncertain it may become, because they will be equipped with the intellectual skills to succeed no matter the uncertainties they will face. To open minds to new possibilities, new relationships, and new worth.
I am daily motivated by this calling, and I know you share it, as well.
By focusing on what it will take to achieve greater financial stability, and by celebrating regularly our successes in achieving our common calling, we can take the many steps toward securing the next 150 years for St. Cloud State.
In a very real sense, it is only by working together that we can hope to meet these ends.
The new president is traditionally called upon to be a “Vision-Stater” which is what I shared with you today. What is absolutely true, however, is that the people in the university turn out to be the ones doing the heavy lifting and the hard work. They — you — are the “Vision-Makers.”
As your president I will work to create the conditions that pave the way to unleashing more of your imagination and innovative ideas. St. Cloud State, during its 150 year history has always, successfully, responded to change. As stewards of this university, we will do the same. Will be dreamers and doers.
I am excited to begin this journey with you as we embrace the opportunities that exist in the challenges we face, and as we work together to bring out the best in our students and our university.
Thank you.
