UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 33, Page 1
May 23, 1996
Building names honor leaders and benefactors
At its semiannual meeting May 21, the University of Delaware
Board of Trustees gave special recognition to three well-known
Delawareans and to MBNA America.
The just opened University Center near Main Street and South
College Avenue has been named the E. Arthur Trabant University Center,
in honor of the former UD president, who served from 1968 until his
retirement in 1987 and was interim president from 1988-90. Trabant now
is president emeritus.
The athletic complex he helped develop on the University's south
campus has been named the David M. Nelson Athletic Complex, in
recognition of the late Blue Hen head football coach, athletic
director and dean of the College of Physical Education, Athletics and
Recreation.
The trustees named the biotechnology laboratory now under
construction on the University farm in Newark the Charles C. Allen Jr.
Biotechnology Laboratory, in honor of the 1940 alumnus who is a
pioneer in the development of the poultry industry in Delaware and who
has been a generous benefactor to the University, including $1 million
over the next several years for the new laboratory.
And, the new building for the College of Business and Economics
was officially named MBNA America Hall, in recognition of the
financial services giant that employs many UD alumni and students and
whose many generous gifts to the University include $2.5 million
toward the construction of the business facility, as well as support
of the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center and special
scholarships and professorships.
At the meeting, University President David P. Roselle spoke to
the trustees about the academic health of the institution, saying "the
University is doing very well" and that he is proud of the many people
who are making that happen.
Among the indicators for gauging academic health, he said, are
demand, selectivity and credentials. The number of undergraduate
applications is up, the percent of applicants offered admission is
down, and the result is an increase in the quality of admitted
students, Roselle said.
For faculty, he said the University is increasingly being seen as
the place to come and teach. He noted that in 1995 and 1996, more than
95 percent of tenure-track searchers were filled by the first or
second choice candidates, from applicant pools as large as 400.
Educational strategies for the University, Roselle said, include
a continuing emphasis on student mentoring by senior faculty, emphasis
on discovery-oriented learning, maintaining strong ties between
research and education, strengthening the general education
curriculum, encouraging faculty to teach "smarter" with technology and
providing deans with the opportunity to plan and manage resources.
In his remarks, Roselle also praised Kenneth R. Biederman, who is
stepping down as dean of the College of Business and Economics. Citing
some of the accomplishments during his tenure as dean, Roselle said to
Biederman, "I want to congratulate and thank you. You've done what
we're all supposed to do.You've made it a lot easier to recruit a
worthy successor to you in the College of Business and Economics."
In other action, the board approved resolutions:
* granting permanent status to the Ph.D. in Economics, the
Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages and Literatures, and
the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre offered by the
Professional Theatre Training Program;
* calling for an average increase in dining plan rates of 3.9
percent and an average increase in residence hall rate of
3.8 percent;
* authorizing the administration to proceed with MBNA America
Hall; Gore Hall, the new, state-of-the-art classroom
building to be built on the University Mall and made
possible by a generous gift from Genevieve, Bob and Sarah
Gore; as well as several renovation projects across the
campus, all subject to available sources of funds;
* increasing the Student Health Service fee by $7 per semester
to $130, the Winter Session health fee by $2 to $37 and
other health fees by 5.7 percent, with the Summer Session
fee remaining unchanged at $50;
* establishing the Thomas O. Calhoun Memorial Fund, with
income to support awards for graduate students;
* calling for replacement of trees on the Mall by mixed
species of trees and for development by the trustees'
Landscape Visiting Committee of a general plan for the
replacement, when needed, of those trees; and
* authorizing the president to confer degrees at Commencement
on May 25.
The trustees also re-elected the officers-Andrew B. Kirkpatrick
Jr., chairman; Howard E. Cosgrove, vice chairman; and John E. Burris,
secretary-treasurer-to one-year terms and voted for an additional one-
year term for Maria Barriocanal, the recent graduate trustee.
Trabant, the University's 22nd and 24th president, led the campus
during a period of tremendous growth, both of the student body and the
University physical plant, and one marked by numerous initiatives,
including those designed to promote the interests of women and
minorities.
During Trabant's tenure, new departments, programs and colleges
were founded, such as the College of Marine Studies, Winter Session,
the University Honors Program and the University Parallel Program, as
well as a number of new research programs, including the Institute of
Energy Conversion, the Center for Composite Materials and the Center
for Catalytic Science and Technology.
The institution's first capital campaign also was completed,
raising $6 million for the renovation and expansion of the Morris
Library and $1 million to endow the scholarship program.
Campus physical plant additions included Clayton Hall, the
Pencader and Christiana highrise residence halls, Colburn, Spencer and
McKinly laboratories, Worrilow, Kirkbride and Ewing halls, the Amy E.
du Pont Music Building, the University Bookstore and the College of
Marine Studies in Lewes.
The Trabant University Center opened April 29, bringing a broad
range of services and offerings.
One of the highlights is Daugherty Hall, an 1868 structure
incorporated into the building. The upper level has been partially
restored, featuring original stained glass windows, plaster moldings
and light fixtures.
The $21.3 million building was designed by Venturi, Scott Brown &
Associates.
Mr. Nelson, who came to Delaware in 1951, served as athletic
director from 1951-84, head football coach from 1951-66 and dean of
the college from 1980 until his retirement in 1989. He died in 1991.
Considered the foremost authority on collegiate football rules,
Mr. Nelson was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) Football Rules Committee since 1957 and was
secretary and editor of the committee from 1962 until his death.
In honor of his contributions to college football, he was
inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and to the
Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. He received the National
Football Foundation and Hall of Fame's Distinguished American Award in
1984.
Mr. Nelson was responsible, while head football coach, for the
innovative Wing-T offense, still used in Delaware game plans. Known as
"The Admiral," Mr. Nelson helped develop the women's intercollegiate
athletic program.
The Nelson Sports Complex includes the Bob Carpenter
Sports/Convocation Center, Delaware Stadium, Delaware Diamond, the
Delaware Field House and the Blue and Gold ice arenas, along with
numerous playing fields.