UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 1, Page 1
August 31, 1995
Trustees honor Roselles' achievements, service

     The Board of Trustees began the 1995-96 academic year with the
surprise announcement of its unprecedented action to recognize and
celebrate the leadership, service and contributions of President David
P. Roselle and his wife, Louise, during their first five years at
Delaware.
     Board Chairman Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr. used the occasion of the
New Student Convocation to-"in a very public way"-recognize the
president and Mrs. Roselle for their successes since coming to the UD
in 1990.
     "For the past five years, every possible opportunity has been
seized for this University as a result of the Roselle administration.
In this, a remarkable-really unparalleled-ability has been
demonstrated....In the leadership of higher education, David and
Louise Roselle are 'the top'!" Kirkpatrick said, alluding to the Cole
Porter standard.
     The Roselles "have enhanced all aspects of life at the University
of Delaware," he said, "and they have done this with a keen sense of
the University's rich past and an unwavering optimism about its
future."
     To make the fifth-year anniversary recognition especially
meaningful, the board chose to focus on scholarship and campus
beautification-two areas of special interest and accomplishment for
the Roselles, Kirkpatrick said.
     In the area of scholarship, he said, all incoming Honors Program
students whose application essays receive an A grade from the faculty
evaluating committee will be called Presidential Scholars, in honor of
the president's commitment to attract student scholars.
     For campus beautification, the trustees chose the area bordered
by Alison Hall, the library, the tennis and basketball courts and the
Perkins Student Center, to receive a major upgrade in landscaping,
lighting and walkways-financed by a private source.
     Applying objective measures to the Roselles' first five years,
Kirkpatrick said, the "caliber of the Roselle administration becomes
strikingly clear."
     For example, he said, University and private funds for
undergraduate scholarship aid have increased by 80 percent, going from
$10.5 million to $18.9 million. More than 50 percent of this year's
incoming freshmen are receiving some of this increased support,
Kirkpatrick said.
     "Gift income to the University has seen an equally impressive
increase," the chairman said, "going from $12.5 million in 1990 to
$22.8 million last year, providing precious enhancements for this
institution."
     Kirkpatrick also cited:
        * An increase in combined grant expenditures for instruction,
          research, extension and public service, which increased from
          $40 million in 1990 to $61 million last year;
        * A dramatic upgrade in campus technology during the period,
          with all residence hall rooms, classrooms and offices now
          directly wired into the campus network-a network that last
          year received the national CAUSE Excellence in Networking
          Award; and
        * A rise in faculty compensation during the past five years to
          above the median of 24 doctoral degree-granting universities
          in the mid-Atlantic region, with comparable gains for
          professional and salaried staff members, enabling the
          University to retain and attract highly qualified employees.

     Kirkpatrick also listed several major construction projects
either completed or under way in the Roselle administration, including
the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, the Student Services
Building now a model for other universities, the Lammot du Pont
Laboratory, the addition to Colburn Laboratory, the soon-to-be-opened
student center, the significant expansion of facilities for the
College of Business and Economics and the new classroom building on
the Mall.
     In addition, he talked of campus beautification projects,
including enhanced walkways, benches, outdoor lighting and plantings.
     "Roselle management indeed touches every part of the campus and
campus life," Kirkpatrick said, who also praised the couple's
hospitality. "The thousands of guests who come to their house each
year are all treated to the Roselles' special style, making everyone
feel welcome and appreciated," he said.