PRESIDENT’S REPORT

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

JANUARY 26, 2004

 

 

CAPITAL PROJECTS

Chimney Peak

The City, County Commission, and the University have agreed to complete the remaining paving of the roadway to Mountain Avenue. The Calhoun County Commission has issued a contract to Mc Cartney Construction for the paving and the cost will be divided three ways.

Chimney Peak Observatory

The site location for the Chimney Peak observatory has been selected adjacent to the new antenna location. The construction documents for the observatory are in the development phase but we will not begin construction until the vandalism issues have been resolved.

 

Ayers Hall Renovation

Chorba Contracting has completed approximately 31% of the Ayers Hall renovation. The project is scheduled to be finished November 2004.

Roof Replacement 2002

This project included roofing for five University buildings and is complete with the exception of Stephenson Hall, which is still having problems with roof leaks. The contractor, Standard Roofing is resolving the leaking ceilings.

Roof Replacement 2003

Alabama Roofing & Sheet Metal Company has been very efficient and cooperative in completing its roofing projects. The project is 90% complete with work remaining on the bell tower of Bibb Graves and some capstone work. In addition to Bibb Graves this project included Daugette Hall and the flat roof portions of  Crow, Dixon, Curtiss and Fitzpatrick Halls.

McClellan Building 3181

Dawson Building Contractors, Inc., of Rainbow City, is progressing well with approximately 25% completed. The project is on schedule for completion Fall Semester 2004.

 

Multi-Purpose Building

Tom Roberts Construction is making progress on this project which is approximately 50% complete. The project is scheduled to be completed by August, 2004 but is approximately four weeks behind schedule.

 

Field House Renovations

The Field House construction documents have been developed by the architect for the bid process. The projects scope is being re-evaluated to optimize the Athletic Department's use.

Library Elevator and Interior Improvements

Hudak and Dawson is making very noticeable improvements to the Library's interior with new carpet and interior painting. New elevators installation has begun and will greatly improve the operation of the building. The project is approximately 45% complete and is on schedule. 

Little River Canyon Field School

Preliminary environmental studies have been completed for the Field School site. The scope of the project and construction documents are being developed.

UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES

SACS Reaffirmation

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmed the University’s accreditation at its December meeting. This will end the three year process of  self-study and continue the University’s accreditation for another ten years. Once again I want to express appreciation to Dr. Martha Lavender, Chair of our self-study, Dr. Louise Clark, co-chair , the Self-study Steering Committee and all faculty, staff, and students who contributed to this very important process.

Spring Enrollment Report

Our Spring Semester 2004 enrollment at the end of registration was 102 less than Spring Semester 2003. This headcount enrollment represents 8,346 students (undergraduates and graduates). Credit hour production totaled 95,096 semester hours which was 330 semester hours less than last Spring '03.

Housing Report

University Housing reported residence hall occupancy to be 1, 301residents of a total capacity of 1,490 available residencies. This is an 87.32 % occupancy rate. Our apartments have a total number of 267 apartment units; 17 are currently offline and in renovation for a total occupancy rate of 84%. There are 13 houses owned by the University; one is currently not suitable to rent.  Nine of the twelve available houses are occupied for a 75% occupancy rate.

Athletics

When we joined the Ohio Valley Conference, one of our goals in the athletic department set was winning the conference 's All-Sports Trophy.  Our Gamecocks have done very well toward that goal by winning the OVC football title and posting high regular season finishes in volleyball and soccer. We offer our congratulations to Coach Crowe for a great season and his first OVC championship. We also congratulate our volleyball team and Coach Nold for its highest percentage winning season ever and finishing second in the OVC final standings. We are also proud of our soccer team and coach Howe for third place in the OVC final standings.

Based on their grades of the fall semester, our student athletes may be in the running for the Academic Achievement Banner. Fourteen of the Gamecocks’ 16 athletic teams had cumulative team grade point averages of 3.0 or better — up from eight at the end of last year — giving the overall program a mean GPA of 3.09. A total of 115 athletes posted 3.0 or better averages, including 17 in 11 sports with perfect 4.0s.

This is not just a one year accomplishment, as last year JSU was honored by USA Today for having one of the best graduation-rate improvements in Division I.  We were also proud to announce that 63 percent of athletes enrolling as freshmen in the 1996-97 school year have received degrees. That’s one point higher than the national average and tops among four-year public institutions in Alabama.

Last year, a total of 97 Jacksonville State athletes received post-season Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic honors. That total is likely to rise this year with the release of the latest athletic grade reports for the Fall 2003 semester.

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

Little River Canyon

Promised federal money finally became a reality Thursday when the Senate finally passed an overdue $373 billion bill. Senators approved the measure 65-28 a month after House passage.  Included in the bill was $1 million that will go toward construction of Jacksonville State University’s Little River Canyon Field School on the DeKalb-Cherokee county line at Highway 35. We are grateful to Alabama's Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Bud Cramer, Mike Rogers and Congressman Bill Young, of Florida, in addition to our Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions all of whom worked very hard to support this legislation.                                                            

It is expected that President Bush will sign the bill in the next few weeks. I also want to express a special note of appreciation to Mr. Pete Conroy for his persistence in pursuing these funds; also to our Trustee Randy Owen and his wife Kelly--both have this project close to their hearts and have opened their home and made trips to Washington D.C. to lobby for this funding; and to Red Etheredge for his time and political savvy in Washington.

Governors Education Spending Commission

Alabama could lose more than $900 million a year if it quits offering out-of-state students from counties near its borders in-state tuition rates for colleges and universities and triples tuition as recommended by the Governor's Education Spending Commission in its final report and recommendations. A report prepared by JSU's Dr. William T. Fielding, Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration  outlined the economic impact on the state economy from out-of-state and international students.

 About 32,000 out-of-state and foreign students are enrolled in Alabama’s two-and four-year institutions, contributing some $910 million to the state’s economy, according to Dr. Fielding's study. That translates into an estimated 13,622 jobs and $86.4 million in sales and income taxes for the Education Trust Fund. The impact of Jacksonville State University's Fall 2003 enrollment of out-of-state and international students would be a loss of $26,541,499.

SPECIAL REPORTS

JSU Fact Book 2003-2004

In your materials you will find the 2003-2004 Fall Edition of the JSU Fact Book. This is an excellent resource manual for all statistical aspects of the University. We are indebted to Mr. Tim Smith and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness for producing this document.

College of Education and Professional Studies

We are very pleased to present a copy of "Passport to Success"--the report of the College of Education and Professional Studies activities for 2003.

University Master Plan

I am very pleased to ask Mr. Julian Jenkins of Jenkins, Munroe and Jenkins to present the draft of the University's master plan through year 2025.

 Institutional Advancement Report

We are pleased to have the J. F. Smith Group, Inc. working with us in conducting an advancement audit and feasibility study in preparation for our proposed capital campaign. They have been working hard interviewing board members, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the University to produce recommendations for our fund-raising efforts. I would now like to introduce Jerry F. Smith of the Smith Group and Julia O'Neil who will present their recommendations.