NSU Works Together To Chart Second Century

TAHLEQUAH As Northeastern State University prepares to mark 100 years as a state institution this spring, President Dr. Don Betz urged faculty and staff to continue working together to create an unforgettable education experience for students.

This is the time to think where we have been, where we are and where we are going, Betz said while addressing members of the NSU faculty and staff at the Spring 2009 Opening Meeting on Monday. Its our turn to step up as we chart the course of our Second Century. Its not going to be easy, but we have a responsibility, we have a duty to our students and we will do this together, because there is no other way to do this.

Everyone on campus, from the top down, has the opportunity to impact the lives of NSU students in a positive way, Betz stressed.

Think of the lives you will touch over the semester, said Betz. Think What did we do today to change a life, to make a difference? These very ideas have been woven thought the history of this great institution since its very first days.

Creating a positive college experience for students is just one of the over-arching goals laid out as part of a comprehensive plan being developed by the Enrollment Task Force, which was tasked by Betz to create a plan to increase enrollment at NSU.

We have a good overview of where we are, but theres work to be done, said Betz. We cant just accept students. We cant just wait for them to pull into the drive and sign up for classes. We have people on campus whose mission is to recruit students every day. We have to trumpet that message every day.

The Enrollment Task Force, headed by College of Business and Technology Dean Dr. John Schleede, is addressing the needs of todays students and developing a comprehensive recruitment and marketing plan for the university.

Under the direction of Dr. David Kerns, Betz has also created the University Planning Group to refine the universitys strategic plan to provide specific implementations plans and ways to measure the success to the ideas laid out in the plan. The group will begin meeting during the spring semester to layout their specific goals, plans and timeline for completion.

With a tentative review date for the 2011-2012 school year, Northeastern is also preparing for reaffirmation of accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association of Colleges in Schools. The university last underwent review in 2002.

Dr. Dalton Bigbee, vice president for Academic Affairs, has tasked Dr. Joe Dillsaver, professor of Criminal Justice, Dr. Tom Jackson, dean of Graduate Studies and Research, and Dr. Janet Bahr, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, to lead the steering committee for the re-accreditation process.

This is an essential step as we move towards re-accreditation, said Bigbee. We must respond with evidence that we are doing what we need to do to meet the re-accreditation requirements. This process involves the entire institution as we look at our practices and determine how we are meeting these goals.

Getting parents involved in the institution is also a new program being developed at NSU this spring, Bigbee reported. Suzanne Myers, director of Transfer and Parent Programs, has developed a program to engage the families of NSU students with activities on campus.

Our goal here is not to create helicopter parents, but to give parents an outlet to get involved in what we do here and understand what their children are doing here, said Bigbee. Ultimately, we will have more committed groups of students and parents who are actively engaged on campus.

Improvement projects funded by the Higher Education Capital Bond are continuing across both the Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses, Vice President for Administration Kim Cherry reported.

Work on the Education Building has been completed, with faculty moved back into their offices. The Business and Technology Building has been shut down, with faculty moved to temporary offices in Haskell Hall, for infrastructure work. Interior work is continuing on the Enrollment Management Center, with a tentative completion date later this spring. Bids for construction on the Fine Arts Building have been sent out for re-bid.

In Broken Arrow, work is nearly complete on the Auditorium and Food Court, both located in Building A. Cherry expected both projects to be complete by the middle of the semester.

Other construction projects on campus include Extreme Housing Makeover in Wyly Hall, and the creation of Centennial Plaza just south of Seminary Hall.

A week of activities is being planned as part of the Inauguration of NSUs 17th President from April 27-May 1, reported Vice President for University Relations Mark Kinders. Events will be planned on each campus, and will be capped with the Investiture Ceremony on May 1.

As the university moves forward toward the Centennial Celebration, which launches on Founders Day, March 6, Betz reminded all faculty and staff that everything from this moment on will carry NSU into the next 100 years.

We need to look back on the past, to embrace, to squeeze it for all of the knowledge, all of the insight that we can, said Betz. As we chart our Second Century, we not required to finish the work, but woe are we to neglect it.

1/13/2009

Published: 2009-01-13 00:00:00