President’s Advisory Team
Minutes
September 20, 2012
President’s Advisory Team Members in attendance:
Diane Allen, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Aaron Basko, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management
Eric Berkheimer, Associate VP for Administration and Finance, Capital Planning and Construction
J. Craig Clarke, President, Faculty Senate
Betty Crockett, Vice President, Administration and Finance
Richard Culver, Director, Media Relations
Jason Curtin, Assistant Director, Salisbury University Foundation
Janet Dudley-Eshbach, President
Dane Foust, Vice President of Student Affairs
Lubi Manova for Julia Glanz, President, Graduate Student Council
Clifton Griffin, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
Martha Zimmerman for Bea Hardy, Dean, Libraries and Instructional Resources
Amy Hasson, Chief of Staff to the President
John Hickman, President, Staff Senate
Ken Kundell, Interim Chief Information Officer
Paul Land, Director, Auxiliary Services
Ed Lashley, Chief, Salisbury University Police
Jerrad Pawar for Katherine Mooney, President, SGA
Karen Olmstead, Dean, Henson School of Science and Technology
Maarten Pereboom, Dean, Fulton School of Liberal Arts
Melanie Perreault, Associate Provost
Marvin Pyles, Associate Vice President Administration and Finance, Human Resources
Robert Sheehan, Interim Director for Government Relations
Jen Palancia Shipp, University General Council
Kara Siegert, Director, University Analysis, Reporting & Assessment
Brian Stiegler, Director, International Education
Bob Wood, Dean, Perdue School of Business
Carol Wood, Interim Dean, Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies
1.
Welcoming and Opening Remarks – President Janet Dudley-Eshbach
o
Beth Skoglund, the new Director of Admissions, was introduced at the meeting.
Jerrad Pawar and Lubi Manova were welcomed as reporting members for the
Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Council. John
Hickman and Dr. Craig Clarke were welcomed as the representatives of the Staff
and Faculty Senate. And Dr. Carol Wood is serving on this team representing the
Seidel School as Interim Dean.
o
President Dudley-Eshbach reported on operating budget highlights. She is
currently serving on a workgroup through the Maryland Higher Education
Commission to develop a Framework for Performance Based Funding. She is
PAT Meeting
September 20, 2012
Page 2
hopeful that additional funding based on performance outcomes would increase
SU’s State support funding.
2.
o
In capital budget highlights, the Academic Commons building is becoming a
reality. The demolition of Caruthers Hall will take place the spring and summer of
2013. Groundbreaking for the new building will take place the summer of 2014
with the expectation for completion of the new building to take place the summer
of 2016.
o
The President held Open Office hours on Tuesday, September 18 in the Henson
School first floor lounge. This is an opportunity for the campus community to
speak directly with the President without an appointment.
o
For the 14th consecutive year, Salisbury University was ranked one of The 377
Best Colleges by The Princeton Review. For the 16th consecutive year, SU was
named one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top Public Universities in the North,
one of the highest-placing public master’s-level universities in Maryland.
o
Due to the increase of fair practice issues, and the legal issues that arise from these
types of complaints, a new fair practices officer has been hired. Humberto
Aristizabal will begin work on campus on October 1, and will report to Human
Resources. He will also be charged with sexual harassment training, as well as
taking on Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity functions.
o
The search for a new Vice President for External Affairs and Advancement is
underway. Candidates have been evaluated and vetted by the search firm, and then
interviewed via Skype by a few campus members. A finalist has been scheduled to
visit campus on October 8 and 9, 2012.
o
The President updated the Team concerning Delmarva Public Radio. As the
Caruthers Building is to be torn down the summer of 2013, much conversation has
taken place about the future of WSCL/WSDL Radio. The Salisbury University
Foundation, which owns the license for WSCL and WSDL, has hired a consultant
to analyze the ongoing business model for the operation of Delmarva Public
Radio. Recommendations have been submitted to the Foundation Board
describing the feasibility of multiple strategic planning scenarios. At some time in
the future, there will be an opportunity for the public to offer input.
University Governance
o
Student Government Association (SGA) – Jerrad Pawar
i. Jerrad Pawar, webmaster for SGA, provided an update on behalf of Katherine
Mooney, the President of SGA.

Homecoming is the focus for this year’s SGA agenda. The goal is to
create an atmosphere that would increase student spirit. Efforts are
underway to increase attendance at football and other sporting events.
Freshman in particular are being targeted.
PAT Meeting
September 20, 2012
Page 3
o
Faculty Senate – Dr. J. Craig Clarke
i. Only one meeting has been held to date. Upcoming areas of focus are:
o

Issues surrounding Fall Fusion.

Changes to the Faculty Handbook concerning the Honors Program
director.

Review of the Fair Practices, Sexual Harassment policy.

Examination of the Faculty Salary Survey.
Staff Senate – John Hickman
i. The new Staff Senate has a full slate of senators, including five employees
serving for the first time on this committee. The SU Police Department has a
representative.
ii. The focus so far this year includes wellness issues and more involvement
with CUSS.
o
Graduate Student Council – Lubi Manova
i. Lubi Manova reported on behalf of Julia Glanz, President.
ii. The Graduate Student Council (GSC) held their first orientation this semester
which included campus tours and Gull Net 101. The GSC is requesting that
departments which have an impact on graduate students please contact their
office to be included in next semester’s orientation.
iii. The GSC is reaching out to other university graduate programs to do initial
research on stipend amounts and schedules.
iv. This semester the GSC will participate in the “I Love Salisbury” clean up
drive and the construction of a wheelchair ramp in a local community.
3.
Fall 2012 Enrollment – Aaron Basko
o
Applications for the fall semester 2012 have increased. For incoming freshman,
there were a total of 8800, and 2500 for transfer students.
o
While not looking to grow the numbers for our incoming freshman, there is an
increase in the numbers due to measured growth as part of retention. The numbers
for the fall 2012 semester are:
i.
ii.
iii.
There are 1232 freshman and 918 transfer students.
There is an increase of 50 FTE students for a total of 8027, and the total
headcount is 8657.
Diversity among freshman is up 5% and the SAT profile is up 13 percentage
PAT Meeting
September 20, 2012
Page 4
iv.
o
4.
points. The consultant firm Noel Levitz remarked that they have not seen this
type of continuous increase in SAT percentage points over a several year
time period.
The overall diversity headcount was up by 4% and added 80 students to the
total number of diverse students. The SU diverse student population is now
21.7% of the total student body.
Brian Stiegler, the director of the Center for International Education, provided an
update on the number of international students. The English Learning Institute
(ELI) currently has 57 students, compared to only 5 students in 2010. The ELI has
grown to be self-sufficient and has financed faculty travel to countries in an effort
to increase the number of international students at Salisbury University.
Fulton School/PACE – Maarten Pereboom
o
The Fulton School has a new department – Environmental Studies, and has hired their
first scientist – Biologist Dr. Tami S. Ransom. Tom Horton, an environmentalist as
well as a former longtime writer for The Baltimore Sun and the author of six books
about the Chesapeake Bay, is also teaching in Environmental Studies.
o
Semester abroad programs have proliferated; SU now has 18 students this semester
studying at universities overseas. The Fulton School is increasing the study of
foreign languages, adding Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic and sign language to the
curriculum.
o
The Presidential Citizen’s Scholars have been very active this semester with issues
involving the upcoming election. In conjunction with Student Affairs, a college
student voting drive is underway, with the goal of registering 100% students. Two
SU students interned this year at the Republican and Democratic National
Conventions. A discussion of their experiences will be presented on October 9, 2012
in room TETC 153 at 7 p.m.
o
PACE is also sponsoring two forums to highlight views on two current issues:
i.
Question 1 – A discussion on The Dream Act, October 3, 2012 at 7 p.m. in
the Wicomico Room.
ii.
Question 6 – A discussion on Gay Marriage, October 15, 2012 at 7 p.m. also
in the Wicomico Room.
PAT Meeting
September 20, 2012
Page 5
5.
Wellness @ SU – Amy Hasson
o
6.
A focus on wellness was a topic of interest brought out of a campus consortium
meeting held last November. As a result, Wellness@SU has been created that
provides information on activities that stimulate physical, intellectual, and emotional
well-being. The launch of this new program will be held on October 24 in front of the
Maggs Physical Activities Center. The rain date is October 26. A kick off walk,
wellness stations, demonstrations, healthy prize raffles, free T-shirts, and a chance to
win an iPad are some of the activities available during this event.
International and Graduate Summits – Diane Allen
o
Recorder: Tracy Hajir
Two summits were scheduled this semester to begin University-wide discussions on
current issues facing faculty and staff, and to brainstorm ideas, to formulate
questions, and to raise issues related to graduate and international education to
determine goals and action steps. This information will be used to inform the next
strategic plan and direct future growth in infrastructure, recruitment, support and the
development of programs.