Finished plowing through the transcript of the meeting.
Recognizing that there will be repetition of previous posts, I'm going to post in chronological order the parts that I felt were of most importance or interest:
The annual giving day "Power of Purple" will be February 25.
We are among the top 5 in alumni participation giving.
Prior Performing Arts Center will formally open in December.
Vince had a 3 day retreat with the Board 2 weeks prior so they could all get to know him better.
Discussion about the "characteristics of Jesuit Higher education" and referenced this site:
www.ajcunet.edu/ and encouraged all to go to it for better understanding.
Dr. Helen Boucher '86 will succeed Rick Patterson as Board Chair (she is current Vice Chair and has been on the Board 8 years). She'll assume the Chair in July.
This spring semester, 1st week was virtual; 2nd was hybrid; now fully back to in-person learning.
Holy Cross was ranked #1 for long-term study abroad programs.
4 recent grads named Fulbright scholars
Wallet Hub named HC #12 for overall career outcomes
HC a "Best Value" college according to Kiplinger and Money Magazine
HC #5 in alumni giving percentage and #33 in USN&WR ranking
Tied for #1 in student-athlete graduation rate at 99%
3rd straight PL football title, 1st ever NCAA post-season football win. Bob Chesney has new 5 year contract.
Listed as a "Top Green" college by Princeton Review for 12th consecutive year.
Accepted an invitation to join Questbridge, a consortium of 48 elite colleges and universities who pledge to enroll students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These institutions must meet full financial need and provide exemplary academic programs and outstanding student support services. [Here's the link I found for more information:
www.questbridge.org/scholars ]
Hope & Access campaign has created 60 new scholarships
Endowment has reached $1 Billion for first time
Held 160 conversations/listening sessions across the College's constituencies for feedback to help "inform our plans."
Focusing strategic efforts on 2 things: academic and residential experiences
Four things to be worked on:
1. Governance - eliminate confusion over governance and create a shared understanding so all operating under the same assumptions about roles & responsibilities
2. Communications - transparency, which was the one word that came out clearly among the 160 conversations. Will try to embrace candor and clarity about why changes or decisions are made.
3. Workforce - massive workforce changes with more than 100 positions to fill. To rebuild the workforce with a focus on reclaiming our reputation as a liberal arts undergraduate "jewel."
4. Campus Master Plan - Engaged Sasaki to help. "They know us and our mission" and they've brought in new experts into their team to help us think creatively and boldly. Vince: "I told the Board that we are now tackling the elephants in the room, head on no side stepping or shortcuts."
Will be developing strategic plan with the process of listening, planning and collaborating . . . . using "collective talwents for recommitting to and reclaiming our competitive position . . . as one of the finest liberal arts institutions in the world."
Must fund new student housing and modern academic buildings.
Must continue to make Holy Cross accessible and affordable while providing exceptional research, co-curricular, spiritual wellness and study abroad experiences.
Must continue to invest in our athletics program a model of balance in an increasingly unbalanced NCAA.
Were once top 25 in USN&WR rankings and believe we can return because "we believe rankings are very important to our key audiences." and "we deserve to be there."
President's Council in person Worcester meeting will be November 5th and 6th.
Must broaden and deepen our selection of students away from the relatively narrow North as fewer and fewerpeople of college age there. "We want our story to be out more broad."
Repeat about Questbridge and reasons for that.
Housing: Need to create "swing space" as it takes a year or more to close one hill dorm and renovate it. Don't know if we'll renovate or build new ones where those spots are. Need 250 beds of swing space.
Could be some construction as early as Fall 2023 for some new housing but probably a bit later.
44 bedroom in Ciampi might provide space for 100 students but not until Jesuits move out but "we are not giving them the rush by any stretch."
No big, giant dorms. Think townhouses likely, more "senior style."
Discussion of green space.The future may include some housing in Worcester -"we're trying to keep our mind open."
The days of forced triples are behind us. More students going abroad for junior year; NY and DC semester could relieve substantial amount of housing pressure.
Endowment: It takes awhile for those dollars to flow to the budget "the way our financials work." 4.5% of the endowment goes into the operating budget but that's a 3 year rolling average after a one year lag. We are "generally averse to dipping into principal for anything."
For the master plan, the hope is Sasaki will give us something "that we can live with for at least 10 year time scope, maybe 15 years" because it'll take that long to construct buildings. Timeframe for enhanced academic reputation probably 5 years.
HoJo lot need to keep an open mind on how it'll be used. May be green space and may not build anything there to enhance the image to that approach to the campus.
Hogan presents "a lot of opportunities." "Ripe for reimagination."
Hoping Sasaki will look at Hogan and see the opportunity it presents. "We want to think carefully about how we create an integrated campus on top to bottom and not an isolated top."
If we broaden our applicant pool and if our reputation rises we will be in a much better position for the kind of aid we offer, because we will have a more diverse pool of students. You want a good mix of full-time students as students with need.
We've endowed 60 new funds as part of Hope & Access campaign.
Discussions with Colby. We have a lot of advantages they do not share. We have location which is more appealing to a broader cross-section of applicants but they have been smart owning their location in a relatively isolated part of Maine. They have focused a lot on academic quality. Colby president is Worcester native. Vince and wife have friends from Wife's college who are on Colby faculty.
OK. That's it! Whew!