Stephen J. Ciesinski '70, chairman
of the College's Board of Trustees announced at the meeting on Homecoming
weekend that the College would “redouble our efforts in several key areas” –
academics, endowment and image — to “move to the next level of excellence.”
“Academics at Union
is already strong – we just need to make it stronger as compared to the best
liberal arts colleges in the country,” he said in his report. “Academic
excellence must be our number one priority, and this topic covers quite a range
– the reputation of our school; our student/faculty ratio; fresh and innovative
programs; student selectivity; intellectual atmosphere on campus; grants for
both faculty and students; faculty compensation; student awards; student
retention and graduation rates; and alumni careers.
On the endowment: “Our endowment
of $240 million is much better than most colleges. But if we're going to have
such things as a top-tier student-faculty ratio, and the ability to attract the
best faculty to our college, our endowment needs to be at least twice that
amount. That means that our percentage of alumni giving needs to go up, and
that the number of major gifts must also increase.”
Of strengthening the College's
image, he said, “We need to continually make sure that our message is
consistent and that it is being received clearly by our various audiences and
constituencies. In particular, we are working very hard to ensure that our
alumni relations are improved, since you are the absolute best messengers of
what Union stands for.”
To read the chairman's full
report, visit: http://www.union.edu/Board/Archive/2003_10/