Canisius College President John J. Hurley welcomed faculty, staff and administrators back to campus on Thursday, September 8, during Presidential Convocation in the Montante Cultural Center. President Hurley’s state-of-the-college address outlined his priorities for Canisius in the year ahead and highlighted his long-term goals for the college’s future.
To listen to his speech, click the Play button in the audio player below.
To download a video of the speech, click here to enter the Canisius iTunesU site. You will need iTunes installed on your computer.
President Hurley indicated that last year’s listening tour helped create an environment at Canisius where “new ideas are surfaced, outdated practices are reevaluated and discarded, and optimism and enthusiasm can take hold.” To keep this positive momentum going, President Hurley announced that he will continue the listening tour, and visit departments and divisions on a two- to three-year cycle.
A new strategic plan is now in place for the college. Completed last year with input from across campus, the document is “challenging and inspiring” and will serve as a “tactical guide for everything that we do at the college,” said President Hurley.
President Hurley also lauded the college’s Organizational Review Committee, which was charged with identifying $3 million in new revenues and cost savings for the college’s operating budget. Implementation of 80 of the committee’s recommendations is underway.
President Hurley also noted that the college finished the 2010-2011 fiscal year with an $850,000 surplus, “which is positive though not overwhelming in the context of a $95 million operating budget.” He explained that while Canisius opened the semester with 819 registered freshmen (up from 714 last year), the discount rate rose and the net tuition revenue was “not what we expected from the class.” The college also has 158 registered transfer students compared with 163 from one year ago “and less than our budgeted number of 200,” added Hurley. Overall, enrollment in the undergraduate college is up to 3,049 as of Thursday, September 8.
Graduate business programs and graduate programs in arts and sciences exceeded goals. But graduate education programs and the college’s three new programs from the Office of Professional Studies are not as robust as expected.
“The problem in these areas is not so much one of our performance as it is one of our projections,” said President Hurley, who asked Pat Richey, vice president for business and finance, and treasurer, to work with the Budget Committee in the upcoming year to manage projections.
“There are some bright spots in the recruitment and retention area,” added President Hurley. Though the figures are not yet final, it appears the college exceeded its target for the freshman-to-sophomore year retention rate. The academic quality of the incoming class is strong. The high school average for freshman students is 90.43 percent. The average SAT score for the freshman class is 1112. The number of students in the freshman class from outside the Buffalo area increased slightly. Currently, 57.2 percent are from Erie County; 7.3 percent are from out of state. The number of international students increased from 22 last year to 38 this year; a 65 percent jump in enrollment. Residence halls are full.
“The net result is that we enter the new academic year with a manageable budget shortfall, which the college’s Senior Operating Team will address in the weeks ahead,” explained President Hurley, who added that there is a bright side in the recruitment and retention picture. “I am greatly encouraged by the extent to which the campus embraced my call to make this our number one priority.
President Hurley continued, reporting that the fall 2011 semester began with new personnel in place. Richard A. Wall, PhD, is the interim vice president for academic affairs and Rev. Michael F. Tunney, S.J., is the college’s new director of mission and identity. Bob Hill will join Canisius in mid-September as the new director of marketing. He comes to the college from Xavier University, where he spent 18 years in marketing.
Also new for the start of the fall semester is the Canisius gateway. These attractive stone monuments sit on either side of Main Street and greet visitors to campus. Subway and 2Mato (in Old Main), and a renovated Iggy’s (in Palisano Pavilion), are the newest eating and gathering spots on campus. Visitors to the library will notice changes to the lower level and a renovated conference room outfitted with SmartBoard technology.
Although it’s not evident from the outside, construction crews are busy at work inside Science Hall. The main floor is currently being built-out following a complete demolition in late spring. “We are targeting a fall 2012 occupancy date for the main floor,” said President Hurley. The Institute for Autism Research will be the first tenant in the new building.
Not far from Science Hall, is the Hamlin Park Initiative. Two homes on Glendale (number 17 and one on the corner of Glendale and Humboldt Parkway) received complete makeovers, inside and out, in the past year and are now being marketed to people interested in owner-occupancies. President Hurley singled out the Hamlin Park Initiative during his convocation address “because I want to show that there is a different way to do housing rehab in the city, where the cost of renovations does not exceed the fair-market value selling price of the house.” When the first two homes are sold, the college will begin work on the next two. Eight homes, in all, are scheduled for renovation and sale.
Finally, President Hurley outlined, what he described as, “aggressive goals” for the coming year. In addition to the budgeting process, financial aid, mission and identity, and a search for a new academic vice president, strategic planning will remain part of the everyday life of the college. The Long Range Strategic Planning Committee will complete project and budget plans for the 66 action items that make up the strategic plan.
Student recruitment and retention remain “the most important priority for Canisius,” said President Hurley. “We need to achieve all our enrollment goals, continue the move into more regional and international markets, and improve freshman-to-sophomore and sophomore-to-junior retention.”
In addition to these goals, President Hurley appointed an Online Education Task Force to develop a comprehensive plan for the future of online education at Canisius. The Task Force will address policies governing the development and delivery of online courses.
A new positioning statement for the college is currently being vetted and will be turned into a creative, new approach to govern the college’s marketing efforts.
The role of the Human Resources Office will be redefined so that there is greater focus on organizational development, talent management and greater employee engagement.
And, Canisius will conclude the college’s $90 million comprehensive campaign this year. The campaign currently stands at $83 million but “I would like to see us conclude this campaign with a flourish and then immediately move into planning mode for the next campaign,” he stated.
President Hurley concluded his state-of-the-college address by saying that there is clearly work left to be done. “Let’s not have 2010-2011 be just a brief honeymoon for a new president,” he said. “Let’s build on the foundation and the accomplishments of the past year and redouble our efforts to make Canisius the great university we know that it can be. In the year ahead, may God bless all of you and may God bless Canisius College.”
Submitted by: Office of Public Relations
