President Roger Hull on Tuesday
urged faculty to help minimize so-called summer melt in the Class of 2008 by
having “a constant stream of contact” over the summer through emails, phone
calls and letters.
About 560 students have reserved
for the Class of 2008, but with a number of other institutions making
unprecedented use of wait lists (as cited in a May 25 article in the Wall Street Journal), it is important to
work to minimize the losses, Hull said.
“It is absolutely crucial in terms
of the financial health of the institution that we hold as many students as
possible,” he said at a general faculty meeting. “We need to do everything we can to make those students
feel connected to the College.
“The admissions office has done
its job,” he said. “It's in your court to help us hold those students.”
Clifford Brown, chair of the
Faculty Executive Committee, also urged his colleagues, noting that it was “not
a hard sell” to contact the students simply to welcome them to Union
and see if they have questions.
Christie Sorum, dean of faculty,
said that students have been categorized according to their interests and
expected majors. Names and contact information are available from department
chairs.
There will be a mail ballot,
likely due by June 4, for several faculty governance positions, said Clifford
Brown, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee. Nominated candidates were:
David Cotter and Brad Lewis for Faculty Review Board senior member-at-large;
Aaron Cass, Chris Duncan, Andy Feffer and Jay Newman
for Academic Affairs Council; Michelle Angrist (unopposed) for FRB junior
member-at-large; and Julius Barbanel and Cherrice
Traver for Student Affairs Committee.
Faculty approved the granting of
degrees to 501 students at Commencement on June 13. Faculty will gather for
breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Yulman
Theater to robe for Commencement, Sorum announced. The processional will begin
at 9:40 a.m., join the graduating
seniors and take a route through campus that includes a walk through the Nott
Memorial. The recessional will go the opposite direction through the Nott. It
is important, Sorum told her colleagues, not to stop until they reach the
flagpole west of the Nott.
Trevor Simon '06 invited faculty
to donate and participate in the Relay for Life starting on Friday. The 12-hour
charity walk raises money for cancer research. Last year's inaugural edition
raised some $55,000, the second largest amount of any college in the country.