University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 6, No. 1/1996 Recognition: A Special Report UD trustees honor the Roselles for their first five years at Delaware The University of Delaware Board of Trustees began the 1995-96 academic year with the surprise announcement of its unprecedented action to recognize and celebrate the leadership,service and contributions of President David P. Roselle and hiswife, Louise, during their first five years at Delaware. Board Chairman Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr. used the occasion of the New Student Convocation on Aug. 28 to-"in a very public way"-recognize President and Mrs. Roselle for their successes since coming to the UD in 1990. "For the past five years, every possible opportunity has been seized for this University as a result of the Roselle administration. In this, a remarkable-really unparalleled- ability has been demonstrated...in the leadership of higher education, David and Louise Roselle are 'the top'!" Kirkpatrick said, alluding to the Cole Porter standard. The Roselles "have enhanced all aspects of life at the University of Delaware," he said, "and they have done this with a keen sense of the University's rich past and an unwavering optimism about its future." To make the fifth-year anniversary recognition especially meaningful, the board chose to focus on scholarship and campus beautification-two areas of special interest and accomplishment for the Roselles, Kirkpatrick said. In the area of scholarship, he said, all incoming Honors Program students whose application essays receive an A grade from the faculty evaluating committee will be called Presidential Scholars, in honor of the president's commitment to attract student scholars. For campus beautification, the trustees chose the area bordered by Alison Hall, the library, the tennis and basketball courts and the Perkins Student Center, to receive a major upgrade in landscaping, lighting and walkways-financed by a private source. Applying objective measures to the Roselles' first five years, Kirkpatrick said, the "caliber of the Roselle administration becomes strikingly clear." For example, he said, University and private funds for undergraduate scholarship aid have increased by 80 percent, going from $10.5 million to $18.9 million. More than 50 percent of this year's incoming freshmen are receiving some of this increased support, Kirkpatrick said. "Gift income to the University has seen an equally impressive increase," the chairman said, "going from $12.5 million in 1990 to $22.8 million last year, providing precious enhancements for this institution." Kirkpatrick also cited: * An increase in combined grant expenditures for instruction, research, extension and public service, which increased from $40 million in 1990 to $61 million last year; * A dramatic upgrade in campus technology during the period, with all residence hall rooms, classrooms and offices now directly wired into the campus network-a network that last year received the national CAUSE Excellence in Networking Award; and * A rise in faculty compensation during the past five years to above the median of 24 doctoral degree- granting universities in the mid-Atlantic region, with comparable gains for professional and salaried staff members, enabling the University to retain and attract highly qualified employees. Kirkpatrick also listed several major construction projects either completed or under way in the Roselle adminintration, including the Bob Carpenter Sports/ Convocation Center; the Student Services Building, now a model for other universities; the Lammot du Pont Laboratory; the addition to Colburn Laboratory; the soon-to-be-opened student center; the significant expansion of facilities for the College of Business and Economics; and the new classroom building on the Mall, made possible by a generous gift from the Gore family of Newark. In addition, Kirkpatrick talked of campus beautification projects, including enhanced walkways, benches, outdoor lighting and plantings. "Roselle management, indeed, touches every part of the campus and campus life," said Kirkpatrick, who also praised the couple's hospitality. "The thousands of guests who come to their house each year are all treated to the Roselles' special style, making everyone feel welcome and appreciated," he said.