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­ Chancellor's Message

­ Academic Spotlight:Leadership andProfessionalDevelopment Program

­ Items of Interest

Click here toprint/download thisnewsletter

Board of TrusteesSeptember 18­19

ECU FoundationOctober 3

Women's RoundtableBoard of DirectorsOctober 3

Chancellor's MessageEnrollment and Student Success

Administrators at ECU are frequently asked whether we are "anaccess university" or do we have selective admissions...underthe assumption that a public university should be one or theother. Our philosophy is that they are two sides to the samecoin and we call that coin Student Success.

Our mission is to be a national model of student success,public service and regional transformation, so both access andquality are required if we are to deliver on that promise.Perhaps it is an obvious point, but if qualified students ineastern North Carolina cannot get into an institution of highereducation (preferably ours), then academic success becomes challenged. Plus, we have been anessential avenue for opportunity and social mobility for thousands. Our vision is simple... "todeliver on the promise of opportunity."

Our approach to enrollment is therefore essential to the access part of student success. We havegrown by over 20% since 2004; we will educate over 27,000 students this year. Plus, we areproud that we are a state leader in internet based education (aka distance education) becausethis provides access to our programs by people who cannot be residential students. Most of ourdistance education students are employed but they realize they need more skills, morecompetencies, or advanced degrees for their future opportunities. We have just begun our second"Enrollment Management Task Force" to ensure that we are being strategic and responsive to ourregion regarding freshmen admissions, transfer students, serving military students, andenhancing graduate enrollments.

But, access without quality is no bargain. The second half of our commitment to student successis to provide programs that really make a difference for their future and to ensure that nocompromises are made regarding academic quality. While "quality education" has manycomponents, we believe it must start with excellence in the classroom, include challengingopportunities for community engagement and service learning, and give every studentopportunities for leadership development. If our students are taught by great faculty, havepractical experiences in problem solving, and learn how to be tomorrow's leaders, we believe wehave delivered on the promise of opportunity.

One excellent example of access and quality is the growth of our health science division and ourcommitment to creating a School of Public Health. Soon, we will educate over 3,500 students infive schools in the health sciences. Virtually every one of these students is prepared for excellentjobs at good salaries. Similarly, we are focusing on quality throughout our academic programs.The College of Business has developed an excellent reputation in entrepreneurship, leadership,

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accounting, management, and finance. Our Honors College has over 400 students. We will growour Engineering College to over 1,000 undergraduates. We are creating a School of the Coastbecause of the excellence of our faculty in coastal studies and the importance of this resource toNorth Carolina.

Dozens of other examples could be mentioned in which ECU is successful at both access andquality. That's who we are. Tomorrow starts here.

Academic Spotlight: Leadership and Professional DevelopmentProgram, College of Business

By building on a solid foundation, theCollege of Business is now doing evenmore to provide an engaging learningenvironment to the leaders of today andtomorrow while expanding businessknowledge and serving our communities.

"For decades, we've done an excellent jobteaching students the technical materialnecessary for success in the businessworld," Dr. Stan Eakins, dean of theCollege of Business, said. "In today'seconomy, though, that is no longerenough. A revamped curriculum for

undergraduate students now emphasizes leadership, professionalism, and communication skills."

The new Leadership and Professional Development Program teaches students how to think, value,communicate, and lead regardless of their job title or position. The bar is set high, withpersonalized support coming from a network of mentors, advisors, and coaches. It is agroundbreaking program ­ the first of its kind.

Now throughout a student's four years, specialized leadership courses give important insight intotoday's business world and the skills needed to be competitive. The freshman course, StrategyFirst, touches on all areas of business by using Business Week magazine as the course textbook.Thanks to a generous endowment from RBC Bank, Strategy First course materials are providedfree of charge to students.

Subsequent hands­on leadership courses instill valuable teamwork and communication skills,enhance professional development, and hone leadership abilities ­ all critical to success in the21st century. Students also create an ePortfolio that showcases their personal leadershipdevelopment and their achievements, and it becomes a valuable job application tool.

For more than 75 years, the College of Business has enjoyed a rich tradition. It is one of only twoinstitutions in North Carolina ­ and 120 worldwide ­ that has been continuously AACSB­accreditedsince 1967. More students are enrolled in the ECU College of Business than in any other businessschool in the state. Learn more.

Convocations kick off new academic year

Faculty and new student convocations were held on campus the day before classes began for thefall semester.

In addition to SGA President Michael King, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy,Athletics Director Jeff Compher and Chancellor Ballard, new students were addressed by formerECU football standout Carlester Crumpler, Jr., who also played for the Seattle Seahawks andMinnesota Vikings and is currently a Bank of America VP.

Continuing the university's academic quality and the commitment to our strategic priorities weretwo of the themes included in the remarks at the faculty convocation by the Chancellor andFaculty Senate Chair Andrew Morehead.

Attendees of new faculty convocation were given a handout that focuses on our threecommitments as defined by our new strategic plan that is being finalized. Read the documenthere.

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"Work hard, have fun, and if you can,have fun while working hard. . . .alwaystry to be positive and look toward theoutcome of your hard work."

ECU selected as member of Lead Initiative

East Carolina University will be a part of a group of nearly 100 institutions dedicated to promotingcivic learning and democratic engagement as a core function of the Division of Student Affairs.ECU was recently selected as a member of the Lead Initiative through the National Association ofStudent Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Over the past several years, Student Affairs hasengaged in a divisional inventory process to monitor and measure civic learning activities acrossthe division.

For more information about the NASPA Lead Initiative and ECU's response to promoting civiclearning and democratic engagement, please contact Virginia Hardy (hardyv@ecu.edu; 328­6541).

ECU to partner on coastal restoration research

East Carolina University will have a leadership role researching ways to rebuild North Carolina'scherished coastline, thanks to a prestigious $200,000 federal grant and partnership.

In a two­year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management(BOEM), ECU is partnering to evaluate sand resources for coastal resilience and restorationplanning through the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute (UNC CSI).

Scientists from ECU and the UNC CSI will work with the North Carolina Division of CoastalManagement and Geodynamics, an oceanography contractor, on the $200,000 project. Theresearch will assist coastal communities recovering from Hurricane Sandy and to restore habitatsalong the beaches of North Carolina. Read more

ECU geology professor and coastal science researcher J.P. Walsh, left, is working on a project toevaluate coastal resources to help communities rebuild following damage from coastal storms.Walsh is pictured with Ahn Lee, data manager for the NOAA ship Pisces, as they tested oceaniccore samples. (Photo courtesy of Liz Crapo, NOAA)

Fall athletics begin in a new conference

East Carolina opened a new era in athletics competition this fall as the Pirates began their questfor championships in the American Conference. The football, women's soccer, cross country and

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volleyball programs all have started their respective seasons.

Ruffin McNeill's Pirates kicked off the footballcampaign in impressive fashion by defeating NorthCarolina Central 52­7 at Dowdy­Ficklen Stadium.Watch the new video here.

The Pirates' first official American competition willtake place Thursday, Sept. 25 and Friday, Sept. 26when ECU hosts Connecticut for soccer andvolleyball action at Johnson Stadium and MingesColiseum, respectively. East Carolina will also playits inaugural AAC football game at home when itwelcomes SMU to Greenville on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The American Conference, which featured a BCS Bowl win, men's and women's basketballnational championships and a College World Series participant during the 2013­14 campaign,hopes for an encore performance this year by current members Cincinnati, Connecticut, EastCarolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF and USF.

Items of InterestVelde to be named member of Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship Dr. Beth Velde, professor of occupational therapy in the College of Allied Health Sciences, will benamed an inaugural member of the Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (ACES)during an induction ceremony on October 7, 2014 at the Engagement Scholarship Consortium.Velde was nominated and selected by peers for her accomplishments in engagement and willwork to address policy issues of value to universities, communities and engagement associationsthrough her work with ACES.

ECU producing most nurses in North Carolina East Carolina University's College of Nursing continues to produce the most registered nurses inNorth Carolina and its graduates pass the state nursing exam at a rate above the state average,according to data in a report prepared for the UNC Board of Governors. Read More

ECU collaboration expands STEM program targeting military families ECU's College of Education will lead a key expansion of a STEM program that targets andsupports military families in eastern N.C., in partnership with AmeriCorp, military family supportnetworks, veterans, community colleges and public schools. Operation LINK is an AmeriCorpsschool­based science, technology, engineering and mathematics pilot summer mentoringprogram for elementary and middle grades students in Wayne County. It will become part of theregular school day for students this fall, extending the support and learning opportunities to moremilitary families in the region.

ECU program grows media coordinators for underserved communities Thirty students, many of whom already teach in economically disadvantaged North Carolinacommunities, have enrolled in an East Carolina University master's program to become mediacoordinators in underserved schools.

In April, the library science degree program in the College of Education at ECU received nearly$500,000 through a 2014 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Grant from the Institute of Museumand Library Services. ECU will provide $165,045 in non­federal matching funds, bringing the totalto $657,369. The grant funding pays full tuition, university fees and a book stipend for each ofthe graduate students in the online program. Membership in the North Carolina School LibraryMedia Association and a travel stipend to attend an association conference also will be included.Read More

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