President tells trustees of UD’s 15 years of progress

5:13 p.m., Dec. 15, 2005--University of Delaware President David P. Roselle highlighted a decade and a half of progress and discussed current and future initiatives during his presentation to the UD Board of Trustees during its regular semiannual meeting Dec. 13 in the Trabant University Center.

“In 1991, we issued a planning document that described the goals that we wanted to achieve,” Roselle said. “Today, the University of Delaware is a much different institution, and some of the things that we aspired to 15 years ago we now do on a regular basis.”

The goals reached, Roselle said, include competitive compensation for faculty and staff, increased scholarship and fellowship support, an improved living and learning environment and the creation of a University community in which people treat each other with respect.

“It was recognized that we must stop doing things, even successful things, if they did not advance the institution towards these goals,” Roselle said. “We wanted the University to be a better place to go to school and a better place at which to work.”

In the area of graduate studies, Roselle noted that in 1990, when UD awarded 100 doctorates, there were 1,463 full-time graduate students and a financial aid budget of $20 million. For 2005, Roselle said, the amount of financial aid had increased to $52 million and that 172 doctoral degrees were awarded in a graduate school program that included 2,567 full time students.

Roselle also noted that the 12,875 freshmen applications received in 1991 and the 21,590 received in 2005 resulted in nearly the same number of acceptances (approximately 10,240). However, the yield was much higher in 2005, and the number of freshmen from Delaware on UD’s Newark campus increased from 833 students to 1,166 during the same period.

“This contradicts the notion that UD’s goal is to not accept Delawareans and to instead take higher-paying out-of-state students,” Roselle said. “The truth is that we are partial to Delaware residents.”

SAT scores for Delaware residents have increased from 1107 in 1991 to 1156 in 2005. The SAT scores of out-of-state students has risen from 1125 in 1991 to 1230 for 2005.

“The message is that the University of Delaware is a lot more popular and that better students are attending school here,” Roselle said.

Among minority freshmen, Roselle noted that the total number of freshmen had risen from 209 in 1991 to 512 for the current academic year, with Hispanic students experiencing the largest percentage of growth.

“We are really proud of this record,” Roselle said. “A lot of people of good will have worked hard to make this happen. There is a lot more to be accomplished, and I am sure that our progress will continue.”

While the number of students participating in UD’s Associate in the Arts Program, formerly the Parallel Program, has risen from 487 in 1991 to 713 in 2005, the average SAT score of 974 has remained nearly constant, Roselle said.

“Many of these students need a special program with smaller classes,” Roselle said. “The Associate in Arts program gives them closer attention in a more supportive environment.”

Roselle also credited the enhanced ratings of the University to a faculty that continues to secure sizeable research grants while garnering prestigious national recognition from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research.

“I’m very proud of our faculty,” Roselle said. “Not in any of the places where I have worked have I encountered a faculty that is so involved in the lives of undergraduate students as is the case at the University of Delaware.”

Roselle also noted that UD currently has more than 100 named faculty positions, with faculty endowments that now exceed $68 million. Grants and contracts secured by UD faculty have increased from $39.8 million in 1991 to $141 million in 2005.

“It is increasingly competitive to get contracts and grants,” Roselle said. “Our faculty are being successful, and I think they will be successful going forward.”

In noting that a great faculty is a requirement of a great university, Roselle said that UD has remained committed to providing competitive compensation for faculty and staff, and that UD ranks eighth among major regional institutions, compared to 15th during the 1990-91 academic year.

“The 2004-05 compensation for full professors at UD [$141,385, including salary and all benefits] is 23 percent greater than inflation-adjusted 1990-91 compensation,” Roselle said. “It is estimated that this will increase to 25 percent for 2005-06, and it also is estimated that the University will rank higher beginning in FY 2006 or FY 2007.”

In providing attractive learning spaces and state-of-the art research facilities, Roselle said that UD has spent more than $772 million since 1990-91. Of this amount, $406 million went for renovations and more than $365 million for new construction, Roselle said.

Supporting UD’s commitment to competitive compensation, scholarships and fellowships and an enhanced living and learning environment is a $1.16 billion endowment fund, Roselle said.

“The University’s endowment has grown from $326 million to $1.16 billion,” Roselle said. “Some of the growth of the endowment stems from the fact that contributions to the endowment account for approximately 50 percent of all distributions. These contributions are the result of the University’s development efforts.”

Roselle also noted that UD has made considerable strides in creating a more diverse faculty and in complying with federal Title IX guidelines in intercollegiate athletics.

“Instead of cutting programs to reach Title IX objectives, we have added sports and scholarships and hired women coaches,” Roselle said. “We now offer 12 women’s sports and 11 men’s sports.”

Study abroad and school spirit

Other areas that have seen substantial growth among UD students are the study abroad program, recently ranked first in the nation among public universities, and school spirit programs, including the mascot YoUDee, cheerleading and dance teams and the UD Marching Band, Roselle said.

“In 1990, there were 374 study abroad students, with no scholarship support,” Roselle said. “This year, there are 1,477 study abroad participants with $400,000 in scholarship support, including support from a scholarship endowment that has grown to $2.5 million.”

The endowment for partial scholarships for Marching Band members, cheerleaders, dance team and mascots now totals more than $5 million, Roselle said.

“Heidi Sarver has done a remarkable job with the UD Marching Band, which now has 350 members and has gained national recognition,” Roselle said. “The cheerleaders, dance team and mascots also have been successful in national competitions.”

Faculty recognition

Provost Dan Rich: “The value of a UD education is best described by those who are the beneficiaries of that education.”

In his remarks, Provost Dan Rich recognized the achievements of UD faculty, including the most recent named professor recipients and award-winning faculty at UD.

“Last year I introduced Nancy Targett as the interim dean of the College of Marine Studies,” Rich said. “Today, we recognize her as the dean of that college and the director of the Sea Grant College Program.”

The list of new named professors included Steven Eidelman, Robert Edelsohn Chair in Disabilities Studies; Suresh Advani, George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Guang Gao, Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; John Gillespie Jr., Donald C. Phillips Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Norman Wagner, Alvin B. and Julia O. Stiles Professor of Chemical Engineering.

Rich also recognized award-winning faculty members, including George Hadjipanayis, Richard B. Murray Professor of Physics, who received the 2005 Francis Alison Award; Jewel Walker, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Theatre and recipient of the 2005 Barrymore Award for Choreography and Movement; and Margaret Anderson, professor of sociology and women’s studies, who received the 2006 Jessie Bernard Award.

Also recognized at the meeting were Thomas Hanson, assistant professor of marine studies, who received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award; Joel Schneider, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, who is a recipient of the DuPont Young Professor Award; and Cole Galloway, assistant professor of physical therapy and psychology, who received the Margaret L. Moore Award for Outstanding New Academic Faculty Member.

Student achievements and perspectives

Brian McGinnis: “To describe the Honors Program to a prospective student, I would say it is a living, learning and interactive community that is supported by professors and staff.”

Zachary Schafer: "My trips to Argentina and Antartica were the most intense studying experience I ever had. The study abroad programs challenge you and take you out of your comfort zone."

Leah Geib: “You often hear words like dedication, courage, sportsmanship and perseverance. These are just words unless you can attach experience to them.”

In concluding his presentation, Rich also mentioned UD’s newest Marshall scholars, seniors Thomas Isherwood, an international relations major; and James Parris, a biochemistry major.

Rich then introduced three students who discussed the value of their undergraduate experiences at UD with the trustees.

“The value of a UD education is best described by those who are the beneficiaries of that education,” Rich said. “These students will tell you about the important things about UD education and how they experienced them.”

Brian McGinnis, a senior majoring in English and music with a minor in economics and political science, described his experiences in the Honors Program. He said he came to UD as a chemical engineering major, but a one-credit music course changed the direction of his academic career.

"I discovered that life in the lab was not for me," McGinnis said. "Then I took a singing course with Patrick Evans [associate professor of music]. That experience was really fantastic, and it led me to change my major drastically."

Of the UD Honors Program, McGinnis said. “Besides the classroom experience, you find students going deeper into the course material. You study related topics and then pull it all together and apply it to the broader campus experience. To describe the Honors Program to a prospective student, I would say it is a living, learning and interactive community that is supported by professors and staff. It really is a unique experience.”

Zachary Schafer, a senior history major who grew up in St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, shared his experiences as a study abroad participant. "My trips to Argentina and Antartica was the most intense studying experience I ever had," Schafer said. "The study abroad programs challenge you and take you out of your comfort zone."

Among the most memorable experiences of his study abroad trips were a close relationship with an Argentine host family and experiencing the natural wonders of Antarctica.

“It makes you realize how small we are and how much else there is outside of Newark and the United States,” Schafer said. “No matter how big the world is, study abroad makes it so much smaller for us.”

Leah Geib, a graduate student in the Department of Communication and UD Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2004, reflected on the commitment required of scholar-athletes at UD. “You often hear words like dedication, courage, sportsmanship and perseverance,” Geib said. “These are just words unless you can attach experience to them.”

A three-time member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic team and a three-time recipient of the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Award, Geib said the support of her teammates, coaches and intercollegiate athletics administrators during her undergraduate career at UD helped her juggle academic responsibilities and extracurricular activities. As well, she was able to participate in a study abroad trip to Australia and New Zealand.

“These experiences helped me to develop personal character and helped me to succeed in the classroom and to handle stressful situations,” Geib said. “At times, it was overwhelming, but UD is passionate about this.”

At the beginning of the meeting, a moment of silence was held for Mary J. Hempel, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Public Relations, who died in September.

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

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