Winter 2008
Winter 2007
Winter 2006
Winter 2005
Winter 2004

HIHE ALUMNI NEW YEAR'S RECEPTIONS

MLE 01	James E. Burton, Middle Tennessee State University
1. Professional goal: top challenge is assessment and accountability 2. Personal goal: continuing to raise the academic bar for students and faculty
NP 06	Cynthia Zane, Hilbert College (NY)
1. Professional goal: The most pressing issue for the institution is attrition. Today's "Generation Me" students, especially if are members of our 38% first generation cohort, are experiencing significant difficulties in making the transition from high school to college. Hilbert has enjoyed retention rates of 80–85% for years. Yet, without any changes in curriculum, advising, etc.—our rate declined to 65% last year (class entering in 2006). Given our level of tuition dependence, the rate is unsustainable. What is more troubling is that we admitted our largest freshmen class in fall 2006 and the entry level characteristics (SAT, rank, gpa, etc) were not statistically different from prior years. 2. Personal goal: My top professional goal is to hire a Vice President for Enrollment Management. This will be a new position for Hilbert. I've spend the last 18 months since arriving assessing the admission, retention, financial aid systems which have been operating in silos. As long as enrollment was strong, the system worked. However, with the attrition issues as well as this upcoming 7 years of 18 year old student drought (2008–2015) nationally, we need to have leadership at the Cabinet level that will leverage the synergies among the three silos.
IEM 02	Tom Dougan, University of Rhode Island
1. Professional goal: Clearly, declining state support is a pressing challenge and our ability to increase enrollment and to increase the retention of our students is a must if we are to stay fiscally solvent 2. Personal goal: Over sees the successful renovation of our old dining hall into a first class student wellness and recreation center.
MDP 07	Christopher J. Bosso, Northeastern University (MA)
1. Professional goal: Maintaining momentum on growth in institutional quality while implementing a new strategic plan and adjusting to major changes in top level leadership. 2. Personal goal: Improve time management so that I can better balance administrative duties and still important research projects.
MDP 01	John M. Beehler, Northern Kentucky University
The biggest challenge facing my current university is "funding." As a young state university, it is growing rapidly but is not getting sufficient resources for the state to allow it to grow and to reach its potential and the economic potential of the region. We are doing a big campaign to educate the legislators how an investment in our university will provide a significantly higher ROI than investing at all the established universities. The additional tax revenue alone will justify the investment. My biggest professional goal for the upcoming year is to get our business school named and endowed and to leverage the gift with a new building. With our growth, we currently do not have any offices for the faculty we are hiring. The university is more than 30% underbuilt.
MLE 98	Jeanne Gerlach, University of Texas, Arlington
1. Professional goal: We are a state university with less than 25% support from the state. We have outstanding students and faculty who are both critical and creative thinkers. However, we do not have the infrastructures (business, technology, academic) that we need to do the job we are being asked to do in regard to serving the students of the state. We are also an emerging research university, so most of the dollars are going to STEM while liberal arts and the professional schools are once again doing without. 2. Personal goal: I want to rethink where I would be able to do the most good during the remaining 10 years of my career.
MDP 03	Leslie Sturdivant Ennis, Samford University (AL)
1. Personal goal: My most pressing challenge and top professional goal for '08 is to catch up to the proliferation of all the various technologies available for pedagogy in the classroom and in use by my students. It seems just as I think I am about to get close to current, I hear or see a new use that makes me start over again. It is both frustrating and intellectually challenging!
MLE 02	Nancy Krogh, University of Idaho
1. Professional goal: The ability to enable the institution to recognize that change is needed. The time and support to train staff and faculty to deal with continual change. The ability to and time to deal with the very entrenched resistance to change. The means to develop the vision on campus to anticipate and prepare for change. 2. Personal goal: To find a better way to manage and track the multiple projects and demands of my position. Email is burying me. There is no time to read and respond to everything that comes in, but I ignore email at my peril. An email that is not addressed becomes permission for the sender. Email seems like an administrative nuisance, but I hear a similar concern from colleagues that the volume of email is keeping us from planning and thinking about the future.
MDP 99	Nancy B. Rapoport, University of Las Vegas (NV)
1. Professional goal: Short-sighted budget cuts by the state—not just for higher education but also for K–12. There are only two things in life that people need to be successful: health and education. Cutting into those areas, when there's a rainy-day fund just made for tapping into when tax revenues are low, strikes me as dangerous. Nevada is near the bottom of the list in paying for health and education, and there's a chasm between the haves and have-nots that will continue to worsen over time. 2. Personal goal: Getting caught up on all of the projects that I said "yes" to when I thought I'd have more time, now that I'm a professor again. I'm woefully behind on articles, book chapters, and books, and I don't have the excuse of being in a bunch of meetings any more as the reason for saying that I'm behind.
ACRL 99	Sue Martin
I'm partially retired now, and my professional goal for the year is to be fully retired by September!
IEM 2000	Nirund Jivasantikarn, Yonok University (Thailand)
The year 2007 saw a major change in my role to assume the ceremonial role as founder and president emeritus of Yonok University. I have since devoted full time to the affairs of Yonok Foundation which serves the needs of Thailand mostly in Lampang Northern Thailand in education, health, and rural development. Our challenge for 2008 is to provide more opportunity for American university students, graduates, and professors to teach in Thai schools and universities and for students and teachers of Thai schools and universities to study in American universities.
MDP 07	Everett Peralta, American Indian College (AZ)
1. Professional goal: The institution's most pressing problem is our future financial status and recruitment/retention of students—two sides of the same coin. The mission of the institution is too narrow and our niche in the market place of student recruitment is too small a population (born-again, Pentecostal, Christian, seeking ministries in business, in education, in church missions), overly challenged with competitors (native American higher education with strong and expanding recruitment and retention) and increasing tuitions and expenses with at-risk and high intensity education. For 50 years from 1958 to 2008 we were the only college that saw a need and tried to fill it; today we may celebrate the end of our mission and goals if we can not turn this phase in our corporate life. We need a stable student body of 150 Native Americans over a 3 year period with an additional 50 plus minority students over same time and place. 2. Personal goal: Seeking to find that position of service, professionalism and responsibility which meets the demands of our religious commitment, personal needs, and an economic opportunity for economic opportunities. As of this spring and continuing into summer, I am seeking a position where I can prove myself in terms of knowledge, skills, training and record of achievement. The economic perspective is gray and negative. I am not sure of my contribution much less my abilities to turn the corner on this history. I have great hope and faith in my Lord God and will continue to work with fullest effort and will sacrifice to greatest extend.
IEM 06	Glen Sharfman, Manchester College (IN)
1. Professional goal: Enrollment. We need more students. 2. Personal goal: What is your top professional goal for the coming year? To try to help usher in general education reform.
MLE 06	Andrew W. Safyer, Adelphi University (NY)
1. Professional goal: Most pressing challenge for Institution: continued growth without available space; possible change in leadership; challenges from union 2. Personal goal: My top processional goal(s) increase in development activity; faculty and administration "buy in" to accreditation process
NP 07	Donna Randall, Albion College (MI)
1. Professional goal: We need to complete a strategic plan by the end of 2008. The plan needs to build upon Albion's traditional strengths while setting a bold and inspiring vision to take Albion to 2015. 2. Personal goal: My top professional goal is to develop a deeper understanding of Albion's culture. I want to be able to reach to its core and understand why "Albion, Dear Albion" has been so special to so many for over 172 years. Over the coming year, I am looking forward to seeing Albion through the lens of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members.
IEM 07	Sue Henderson, Queens College (NY)
At Queens College we will be facing the issue of hiring new faculty in strategic areas as well as improving our aging facilities. In addition, as we improve our campus community for students, faculty and staff with increased programming and staff development, we are also finalizing plans for our first residence hall in the college's history. With our diverse college community we always look for ways to celebrate and understand the myriad of cultural perspectives that our largely immigrant student population brings to the college experience.
IEM 02	Penelope H. Wills, Northeast Iowa Community College
1. Professional goal: For our community college, it is developing/changing our college culture to one of philanthropy. 2. Personal goal: Creating a comprehensive institutional advancement department (phase 1 of a three-phase project.)
MLE 07	Rick Miranda, Colorado State University
1. Professional goal: Our institution's most pressing challenge this coming year will be to start a capital campaign well (our first ever). If done well, we could position ourselves for many years to come to reap the benefits, not only financially but also in maintaining the good will of our citizens and upgrading the reputation of the campus both inside the state and out. If done badly we'll also be feeling the effects for a long time! 2. Personal goal: We currently have four major building projects in various stages of construction and planning in our College, and my top goal this year is to make sure that each of these are significantly further along by next Christmas. Capital construction is an important component of any planning, but many factors are outside of a Dean's control; however I do have a significant role to play in advocating for appropriate and useful space for our faculty and students, and I hope that all of these projects move ahead swiftly.
MDP 06	Lisa Garcia-Hanson, Central Washington University
1. Professional goal: As an Admission Director, my focus is always on the enrollment numbers. My institution is facing a dramatic change in state demographics that is already changing the way we will recruit students in the future. We must work smarter and harder to meet our enrollment targets in the coming year. 2. Personal goal: My top professional goal is to finish my Masters degree and expand my employment horizons. I've been at the same institution for many years, and I'd like to experience new challenges in a different part of the US.
IEM 06	Patricia Draves, Mount Union College (OH)
1. Professional goal: Our most pressing issue is to develop a curriculum for the future. This will take some Academic Affairs restructuring and tapping into our most valuable resource, our faculty and staff in new ways that we are working on developing. 2. Personal goal: To work on implementing our first Master's degree. My own professional development is to learn more about leadership and how to become more effective in this area.
MLE 05	Laura Huenneke, Northern Arizona University
1. Professional goal: Maintaining momentum in rebuilding and a few modest new initiatives at a time when state budget has taken a sharp turn downwards. 2. Personal goal: Balancing immediate demands of position with the importance and opportunity of using position as a point of leverage for larger-scale positive changes (in institution and in community).
NP 08	Pat Stanley, United States Department of Education
1. Professional goal: Completing activities to meet the goals and objectives in the Plan for Serving Community Colleges developed a year ago in support of the Secretary's Plan for Higher Education. 2. Personal goal: Providing successful leadership for Community College initiatives and projects from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education in the United States Department of Education.
NP 07	John F. Schwaller, State University of New York, Potsdam
1. Professional goal: Securing stable and predictable funding from the State of New York, along with the growth of our own endowment. 2. Personal goal: I hope to remain active in my scholarship and research. It helps remain grounded.
MLE 06	Beth Tyson Lofquist, Western Carolina University (NC)
1. Professional goal: The most pressing challenge I have for 2008 is working with academic departments to revise their annual faculty evaluation and tenure/promotion criteria. Western Carolina University has extended the definition of scholarship to allow all areas of Ernest Boyer's model. 2. Personal goal: My top professional goal is to work with the faculty senate to create official institutional policies and procedures concerning the student assessment of instruction process. There are few policies and many varied practices across campus. Moving to an on-line course evaluation system has brought out the need to identify these guidelines.
NP 07	Sharon Hahs, Northeastern Illinois University
1. Professional goal: Dealing with the given that state resources are not going to increase (i.e. education is less and less considered a public good and more and more a personal good). 2. Personal goal: Staying on top of everything… conducting strategic planning efforts to produce a workable plan.
MLE 03	Janice G. Brewington, North Carolina A&T State University
1. Professional goal: One of the top challenges for the institution as we move into 2008 is execution of strategies to increase enrollment and increase retention and graduation rates. 2. Personal goal: One of my professional goals is to attend the Tavistock Conference on Leadership and Change in England or Paris.
NP 03	Bob Antonucci, Fitchburg State College (MA)
1. Professional goal: Our most pressing need to secure funding and begin construction of anew, modern academic building for science, mathematics and computer science. It is close to a $75 million project. 2. Personal goal: To continue to work with the faculty to strengthen academic programs to ensure students acquire the skills, competencies, and knowledge to succeed in their respective field of study. In today's competitive environment, this is a must.
MDP 05	Stéphan Bourcieu, Burgundy School of Business (France)
1. Professional goal: My Business School (Burgundy School of Business) has to implement in 2008 an international alliance with a British Business School to reinforce its resources and market position. The main challenge will concern the definition of a common future and the intercultural relationships between French and British academics. 2. Personal goal: To be able to transfer School's strategic vision (defined into a strategic plan) into managerial actions of the staff and the faculty.
MLE 04	Fred Hurst, Northern Arizona University
1. Professional goal: Protecting state budget from the legislature who over-committed on the strength of the economy prior to the residential real estate decline. Also, responding to increasing pressure for accountability from state and national public policy makers. 2. Personal goal: Finishing my PhD...and staying sane in the process.
MDP 99	Walt Mauldin, Lee University (TN)
1. Professional goal: Since our institution is largely tuition driven, every dollar that is utilized for building projects must be raised from outside sources. Our President, Dr. Paul Conn, has done an outstanding job in recruiting new donors for our campus development. Over the last 20 years, eighteen new buildings have been erected. However, now that we are increasing student enrollment each year, we need more buildings to accommodate the growth. Presently we are building two new facilities: a new School of Religion and a Science and Mathematics Building. Creating a larger donor base for a tuition driven university is our largest concerns for this year. 2. Personal goal: My top professional goal for the coming year is to find better ways to develop the staff in the area of Student Life concerns. I am looking for developmental conferences that will not only inspire them but would also provide diverse training for these student life professionals. Finding the right mix is arduous at best.

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