State of the University Speech

Caught Chancellor Rita Cheng's State of the University speech this afternoon (You can listen to it here if you have about an hour and fifteen minutes). Some notable points from the speech:

--Enrollment is down 4.7% and has dropped about 2600 since 2008 (that's the bar graph in the picture above)  After noting that enrollment had dropped consistently over the past decade, it was all positive after that.

-Largest freshman class in 20 years with ACT scores averaging a point higher than last year.

--750 academic scholarships awarded, triple the number three years ago with the number of students in the honors program triple as well.

--Online courses up 36%

--2700 scholarships awarded with 1135 accepted

--Summer school schedules posted earlier than ever with more classes open to community memebers and more remote learners.

--all new students received a tablet computer on entering the university

--Received about $20 million from the state, $15.7 from the Federal Government, $7.4 from industry, $3.17 million from the SIU Foundation and $14 million from other sources.

--25 firms currently in the SIUC Research Park.

--$14 million invested in campus renovation last year

--New Student Services Building expected to open Homecoming weekend, then Woody Hall rennovation begins, expected to be completed in 18 months.

--Morris Library renovations completed by spring semester .

92% of classrooms will have up to date technology.

--400+ video cameras installed on campus

--McLafferty Annex turned into laboratory facility.

--Cummunications Building rennovations to start soon.

--New residence facilities to open by 2016

--Women's resource center coming

--Listed as a top 100 school in US New and World Report (funny how schools that don't make the list say it either doesn't mean anything or is skewed).

--Debate Team one of only 6 teams to win two national titles in one year.

--Only mention of sports teams was the award winning women's volleyball team.

--Recognized Mayor Joel Fritzler and Councilman Don Monty, who, so far as I could tell, were the only city council members in attendance.  Others may have been there but they weren't recognized by the Chancellor during her speech.  Did spot City Manger Kevin Baity and Jeff Doherty, ED of the Jackson County Growth  Alliance in the audience.