4:49 p.m., April 13, 2007--UD President David P. Roselle looked both backward and forward in his final address to the faculty at the semiannual General Faculty Meeting Monday, April 9.
Noting that the University had received the 2006-07 Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education, presented March 30 by the Institute of International Education, Roselle said the number of graduating seniors who have participated in international programs has increased in recent years from 11 percent to 43 percent. “We should be at 50 percent in short order,” Roselle said, “and we are looking for additional scholarships to increase participation.”
Roselle said that named professorships now number 110, roughly one-third of the full professors. Endowments for what Roselle calls the “fourth rank” of professorship now exceed $80 million. Another credit he gave to the faculty is that grants and contracts received by faculty have increased from $39.8 million to $160 million, he said.
Roselle said that that 107 faculty at UD in sciences, math and engineering have received Presidential Young Investigators and Early Career Awards from the federal government
The year 2006 was a banner year for minority faculty hiring, Roselle said. Of the 55 new faculty members hired for the 2006-07 academic year, nine were African-American, three were of Hispanic heritage and two were of Asian-American heritage. Since 1985, the number of women faculty has increased by 49.3 percent to a total of 424. All faculty at the University total 1,117.
Undergraduate applicants for the Class of 2011 exceeded 23,000, with more than 20,000 from out of state, Roselle said. These application numbers are clear indication of the University's popularity, he pointed out.
Construction of a new two-story enrollment services building, to be located at the corner of South College and Winslow Road, is expected to begin in May, the president said. The new Georgian-style building, designed by Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore, will house undergraduate admissions, financial aid and the registrar's office.
A new 600-bed residence hall to be completed in July 2008 will complete the Laird Campus Residence Hall Complex, Roselle said. The finished complex, which already includes George Read, McKean and Smith residence halls, will include the additional residence hall and a 4,000 square-foot fitness center and an artificial-turf recreation field.
The $28 million renovation of Brown Laboratory is expected to be completed by December 2007. The building houses biochemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) laboratories, classrooms, a research library and an auditorium.
“Another project--an undergraduate science building--is on our wish list for the next administration,” Roselle said. The new building, which would be located across from Colburn and Pearson Hall, would provide laboratory space for undergraduate studies in biology, chemistry and physics and would free up the present laboratory space for faculty research.
Roselle said that a national search is on for a new vice president for student life, a position the president took over himself five years ago when the previous position was vacated by retirement. It involves oversight of campus life, career services, counseling, health services, judicial affairs, multicultural programs, residence life, student centers and student wellness.
A new vice president for finance, Robert M. Specter, was appointed in February, Roselle said, noting in conclusion that the biggest personnel change will occur July 1 when Patrick T. Harker, dean of Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, will become UD's 26th president.
The faculty gave the president a standing ovation at the end of his remarks.
Memorial tributes for three faculty members were presented at the semiannual General Faculty Meeting and the text of the tributes are available online. Pam Butler, associate professor of nursing, presented a tribute for Mary Ann Miller, professor emeritus of nursing; Wendy Bellion, assistant professor of art history, read a tribute written by David M. Stone, associate professor of art history for Maurice E. Cope, professor emeritus of art history; and Gladys Ilarregui, assistant professor of Spanish, read a tribute to Judy McInnis, professor of foreign languages and literatures.
Article by Cornelia Weil
