February 15, 2023
Dear Campus Community,
As I watched the tragedy at Michigan State unfold, I got to thinking about the way life on campus can disguise the disruption and uncertainty that characterize our contemporary day-to-day lives. Perhaps of necessity, we tend to bring idealism into our learning communities, a sense of optimism, hope, and the promise of a better life. It’s not that we live in a bubble; it’s that the project of learning requires a deep sense of faith that life is – or can be – meaningful, fulfilling, and just. That knowledge can make the world a better, more peaceful place, even when awful things persist. Join me in sending healing thoughts to the Michigan State community.
As time passes, our hearts heal with the promise of a new season bearing hope and happiness.
So much is happening at this point in our admissions cycle and our academic year. New students are applying and being accepted, while continuing students are moving forward in their programs. Housing reservations are being made. Research projects are well underway. Students are already looking forward to Commencement in the Spring and planning for Fall Orientation is in motion.
Our campus cycles are characterized by some things coming to fruition and others yet in planning or investment phases. For example, we are excited to report that our student retention efforts have exceeded our goal, currently standing at 95.67%. This means that more than 95% of undergraduates who enrolled in Fall 2022 are now enrolled for Spring 2023. Given our current efforts to boost enrollment, this is welcome news, as retention remains a crucial aspect of this project, and we can see some of our efforts having a positive impact on student persistence. Yet, it is still the case that we carry a substantial budget deficit that will require our most deftly innovative strategies to ameliorate, before we can see our way to a more promising fiscal future.
So, in the meantime, we continue to plant seeds, as with a recent trip to meet with the Los Angeles Community College District and its Chancellor Dr. Francisco Rodriguez and the presidents of the individual colleges. LACCD includes 9 community colleges in Los Angeles. They were extremely welcoming to me, Provost Moranski, and Senior Associate Vice President Elias Lopez, and eager to discuss opportunities to work more closely together to build stronger transfer bridges between our institutions.
We also continue to strengthen our campus climate by administering our second campus climate survey in April. And, as part of our demonstrated efforts toward inclusivity, we have released our campus virtual tour in Spanish, and will be taking a number of steps to lengthen the reach of awareness and recruitment efforts, the companion goal to our ongoing strategic budget planning.
I think it is important for all of us to remember that to reach our goals, we need to keep moving, adapting, repurposing, and renewing our efforts, even in the midst of tragedy. We in higher education stand with the Michigan State community, because like us, they too are beholden to the seasonal work that ushers in new students while also graduating others, no matter how difficult.
Warmly,
Mike
Mike Lee, Ph.D.
President