president's february 2013 message

7/29/2019 President's February 2013 Message

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February 27, 2013

TO: SLU Trustees, Faculty, Staff, Students, Parents and Benefactors

FROM: Lawrence Biondi, S.J., President

Over the past weeks and months, I have spent a considerable amount of timereflecting on the issues that have divided us during this academic year. I haveprayed for guidance and wisdom. I have talked to many people, and I have receivedadvice from many corners.

I am acutely aware that the past several months have been difficult for all of us inthe SLU community. I admit that some of the things that have been said have hurtme personally, but even more have hurt our wonderful University. I say this not to

point fingers of blame, but to acknowledge reality. All of us, including me, mustfind new ways to move forward in more collaborative and conciliatory ways. AsPresident, I should lead that effort, and I am.

To those of you who have been critical of my leadership, I have listened. While I donot agree with everything that has been said, my reflection leads me to see that itcant be business as usual going forward. I am committed to being part of thesolution; to working more closely with those around our campus who say that theirvoices are not being heard. I cant promise that well always agree, but I canpromise a sincere desire to rebuild the bridges that have been damaged and to

move our University forward. OUR University.

I have never viewed the progress SLU has made during the past 25 years as my owndoing. Rather, SLU has progressed because of all of us, including our wonderfulstudents who have graduated and gone on to do great things in our world. Ouralumni make us proud, and they tell the world who we truly are at Saint LouisUniversity.

Office of the President

One Grand BoulevardSt. Louis, MO 63103Phone: 314-977-7777Fax: 314-977-7105

www.slu.edu


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I love SLU. I know that each of you loves SLU, too. I ask only that we find a way touse this love that binds us to take us to better days. With Gods help and acommitment from all of us, there are no limits to what we can achieve.

Now, I would like to share some University updates.

COMPENSATIONIn my Fiscal Year 2014 budget message I indicated that we had established a 4-percent ($9.8 million) compensation pool in the operating educational budget forfaculty and staff salaries and benefits.

Today, I am pleased to report that the FY14 compensation pool is being increased byapproximately $3.6 million, for a total compensation pool of 5.5 percent or $13.4million.

This pool will be used to fund performance-based merit increases, minimum salarygrade adjustments for staff, and faculty promotions. In addition, faculty salarycompression issues will be addressed.

With the assistance of an external consultant, the Human Resources Divisionrecently completed a market analysis of staff positions at the University. Findingsfrom this study were presented to the Presidents Coordinating Council and thedeans. Effective immediately, we have adopted a new salary structure and salaryguidelines for staff that are based on market data and input from the vicepresidents and deans.

In addition, the Academic Affairs Division has completed a preliminary analysis offaculty compensation using discipline-specific data obtained from various sources,including the deans. The Faculty Senate Compensation and Benefits Committee isengaged with Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Ellen Harshman and VicePresident for Human Resources Ken Fleischmann to begin reviewing parameters forcompleting the study, which is expected to be finished in late April or early May.

Going forward, we plan to conduct salary reviews and market analyses on an annualbasis, which will help inform our compensation planning in the future.

As I wrote previously, compensation was a top priority for the PresidentsCoordinating Council and the deans during our FY14 budget planning. Increasing ourcompensation pool to approximately $13.4 million reflects our commitment toattracting and retaining the very best faculty and staff to serve our students, ourpatients and our University.


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Providing merit-based compensation increases and comparative market analysis offaculty and staff salaries are very important. Equally important are controlling costsand finding new creative, effective and efficient ways of using our annual operatingbudgets to better serve our students and care for our patients.

Although the economic climate in our country is slowly improving, we must all without fear think outside of the box to create new, academically viableprograms, as well as inter- and intra-disciplinary programs. Reasonable controlledcosts and high quality academic curricula and programs go hand in glove.

Keeping our eyes always focused on our Jesuit Mission and our Vision of becomingthe finest Catholic, Jesuit University in the United States is paramount to all of ourcoordinated and communal efforts.

SEARCHES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS

In the academic division of the University we have interim leadership positions thatare in various stages of resolution. The search for the new dean for the School ofLaw is nearing its conclusion. Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs EllenHarshman and I have met with the search committee and have received theirreport.

There are interim deans at the Doisy College of Health Sciences and the College ofEducation and Public Service, and we have an interim University Librarian. Dr.Harshman will move forward with broad-based stakeholder involvement to identifycandidates for these units as quickly as is reasonably possible.

Regarding the College of Education and Public Service, you will recall that theSchool of Social Work joined the School of Public Health to form a new college theCollegeforPublic Health and Social Justice so Education faculty members areworking on a reorganization and redefinition of their area.

In addition, a search committee will be formed soon for the vice president foracademic affairs position. All of the search committees for these positions will beappointed before May 1, 2013, and will include representation from the FacultySenate, Student Government Association and Staff Advisory Committee, as well as

other representatives from around the University.

Finally, the search committee has been formed for the vice president and chiefinformation officer position and will hold its first meeting this week.

SHARED GOVERNANCE INITIATIVESI wish to update you about the progress on the six initiatives that were agreed to bythe Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate. The initiatives are designed to


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continue to increase and enhance collaboration among the faculty, students, staff,trustees and administration. The following are status reports on the six initiatives:

1. The president of the Faculty Senate will appear before the Board of Trusteesannually to share the facultys perspectives, insights and concerns with the

Board.

Update: During the Board of Trustees meeting on February 9, 2013, President-Electof the Faculty Senate Jane Turner spoke to the Board to present the facultysconcerns. There was spirited, but polite, discussion between trustees and Dr. Turnerfollowing her remarks. While the trustees do not agree with all of the FacultySenates perspectives, as presented by Dr. Turner, there was agreement thatongoing collaboration on the six initiatives should continue.

Related to this initiative, the president of the Student Government Association will

make a presentation on the students interests and concerns during the Boards May4, 2013, meeting. In addition, the chair of the Staff Advisory Committee will presentstaff members interests and concerns during the Board meeting in May.

2. Representatives of the Board and the administration will meet annually withthe Faculty Senate to report on the state of the University.

Update: The chairman of the Board, Thomas Brouster, and I along with theUniversitys senior leaders will make a presentation during the April 2013 meetingof the Faculty Senate.

3. The Board will review the current roles of the faculty, student and staffrepresentatives on Board Committees to assure effective participation.

Update: In an effort led by Trustee Kathy Osborn, who is a member of the task forceof the Boards Executive Committee, a review has been made of representation byfaculty, staff and students on the committees of the Board of Trustees.

Below is Trustee Osborns report on that review in its entirety:

TO: Tom Brouster, Chairman of the St. Louis University Board of Trustees

FROM: Kathy Osborn, Trustee and member of the Executive Committee

DATE: February 19, 2013

The Charge:

Chairman Brouster asked me to: review the roles of faculty, student, and staff representatives

on standing Board committees to establish and assure effective participation in future


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meetings. The chairs of Board Committees will consult with Kathy Osborn, a member of the

Executive Committee, in this matter. Guidelines for Board Committee meetings including the

level of involvement of faculty, staff and student representatives will be defined and discussed

with the chairs and with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.

Background:The Bylaws of Saint Louis University, after providing for an Executive Committee in Article

II, Section 7, continues in Section 8: The Board of Trustees shall create and establish such

other committees, boards, and councils as the management of the affairs of the University as

the Board shall, from time to time, determine. It goes on to say that the Board can discontinue

such committees as need determines. Further the board determines the duties and functions of

those committees.

Currently there are the following Board Committees:

Academic Affairs Committee Audit Committee Buildings and Grounds

Committee

Clinical Affairs Committee Development and CommunityAffairs Committee

Executive Committee

Finance Committee Human Resources Committee Investment Committee

Legal and Legislative AffairsCommittee

Marketing and BrandingCommittee

Mission and MinistryCommittee

Nominating Committee Research Committee Student DevelopmentCommittee

I asked Committee Chairs to give me feedback on the actual representation on their committees

and the level of participation of the representatives. I also discussed with committee chairs the

climate of the committee in terms of encouraging participation and then actually having

participation. In addition I asked for their recommendations to improve the committees.

General Findings:

Most committees have representation from the Faculty Senate, Staff and Student Associations.However, there was some confusion about who represents what group. Often the

administrative liaison to the committee was thought to be the representative of one of the 3

groups. A few committees have more limited representation and a few committees currently

have no representation: Audit, Nominating, Marketing and Branding, and Legal and Legislative

Affairs. The Marketing and Branding Committee is a new committee, and the committee chair

has already requested that the administrative liaison solicit representation from the three


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University constituencies. The Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee has not had

representation because the majority of the committee meeting focuses on matters that are

confidential in the attorney-client relationship. The Research Committee has one administrative

liaison the Vice president for Research - and two faculty representatives and although the

committee initially limited representation, it would now welcome staff and student association

members; it currently does not have a trustee chair because of a relocation of the former

committee chair.

Trustees who chair the committees with constituent representation reported that participants

attend meetings and are actively engaged in the work of the committees. Many trustees

reported a collegial relationship that has developed between the representatives and the trustee

members of the committees. All committee chairs welcomed involvement and gave

suggestions for how to work more collaboratively. It should be noted that only a few

committees, on rare occasions, have called for executive sessions for trustees only. In those

limited cases, it was to discuss confidential matters.

In most cases, trustees reported that the administrative liaison developed the agenda, but in

some cases the committee chairs were consulted in advance as to the agenda. All committee

chairs welcomed committee members bringing up items to consider, but in some cases had not

routinely asked for such suggestions. Evidently some representatives felt they could not talk to

the trustee chair directly and needed to go through the administrative liaison. Although that

practice in most cases makes sense, trustee chairs welcomed dialogue directly with committee

members. Further, committee chairs wanted their work to be open and transparent, except in

confidential matters.

The current system has many positive components and seems to have allowed for faculty, staffand students input for Committee decisions. It appears though that there is an opportunity to

use this structure to more thoughtfully enlist input and encourage dialogue on pressing issues.1

Recommendations:

1. Continue to support the current practice of Faculty Senate, Staff and StudentAssociation representation on committees.

2. Define for committee chairs the role of the Administrative liaison vs. faculty, staff orstudent representatives.

3. Identify representatives for the Marketing and Branding Committee.4. Identify a staff representative for the Buildings and Grounds Committee.

1 A November 2012 survey of AJCU institutions for which 23 institutions responded indicates thatSLU has among the most University constituent-inclusive trustee committee structure of all therespondents.


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5. Identify staff and student representatives for the Research Committee. Identify a trusteechair for the committee.

6. Administrative liaisons to Board Committees should work collaboratively with trusteechairs on the meeting agendas.

7. All committees have an administrative liaison assigned to staff the committee. Theadministrative liaison is a member of the Administration. Their responsibilities in

staffing the committees include management of the logistical details of the meetings,

preparing the agenda and providing for the minutes of the meeting. Currently, faculty,

staff or student representatives are encouraged to go through that liaison to talk to the

trustee chairs outside of the meetings. Going forward for most of the work of the

committee, this arrangement makes sense, but board committee chairs recommended

that the faculty, staff and student representatives contact them directly if so desired.

8. Trustee chairs will continue to elicit committee members input on agendas andencourage members to be open in their comments, even on tough or controversial

matters.

9. Faculty Senate, Staff Advisory Committee and Student Government Associationrepresentatives should annually give updates or reports from their associations on

matters pertinent to the committees charge.

10.The staff, faculty and student representatives should be routinely reporting back to theirgroups on the matters that came to the committee that are not deemed to be confidential

as determined by the chair. This is an ideal vehicle to more broadly communicate to the

Staff Advisory Committee, the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Associationthe work of the Board of Trustees and the committees.

11.Trustee chairs are encouraged when issues in committees arise to report those issues tothe Executive Committee for consideration.

12.Certain topics as determined in the discretion of the committee chair may be appropriatefor an executive session of the committee with the session to include those persons

designated by the chair at that time.

13.Trustees have a fiduciary responsibility for the governance of the University and valuethe input of non-trustee committee members; therefore when votes are called for in

committee proceedings, non-trustees will be invited to provide input concerning the

matter and that input will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting, but shall not vote.

14.The Nominating Committee should remain a trustee-only committee.Summary:In summary, trustee chairs report a high level of rapport and openness on Board Committees

and are open to further develop that easy exchange of ideas. In all instances where


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representation was lacking, the committee chairs were open to more representation. With

regard to legal, financial or other confidential matters, some further due diligence will be

needed because of significant confidentiality challenges. The Board Committees are theprimary vehicle for the Board to oversee and to engage in the life of the University. The chairs

of the committees time and time again reported that their committees were working well and

that they will strive to be even more open and transparent with committee participants.

Given this excellent report by Ms. Osborn, the following committees of the Boardwill welcome representatives of the faculty, staff and students:

Buildings and Grounds Committee: One staff member to join the faculty andstudents already appointed to this committee.

Marketing and Branding Committee: One faculty, one staff member and onestudent to join this committee.

Research Committee: One staff member and one student to join the two

faculty already appointed to this committee.

If you are interested in serving as a representative on these committees, pleasecontact the following individuals:

Faculty Senate President Mark Knuepfer for faculty representatives SAC Chair Sue Stevens for staff representatives SGA President Blake Exline for student representatives

It should be noted that the trustees have welcomed faculty, staff and studentrepresentation on various standing committees of the Board for more than 15 years.

4. The Faculty Senate will support and participate in development of an annualassessment of the University community, conducted by an external andindependent organization. The purpose of this process is to provide the Boardwith a holistic understanding of the interests and concerns of the faculty, staffand student communities within the University.

Update: This effort is being led by Trustee Patrick Sly. He is chairing a task forcecomprised of representatives of the Faculty Senate, SGA, SAC and theAdministration: Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Ellen Harshman, SGA

President Blake Exline, Vice President for Human Resources Ken Fleischmann,General Counsel Bill Kauffman, Faculty Senate President Mark Knuepfer, AssociateProfessor of Nursing Gerlyn Meyer, SAC Chair Sue Stevens and Professor of EducationDouglas Rush. The committee held its first meeting on February 25 to beginorganizing the project. You may expect to hear more about this effort in the comingmonths.


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5. The Board and the Faculty Senate will support the ongoing work of theFaculty Manual Revision Task Force.

Update: The task force members are current Faculty Senate leaders Mark Knuepferand Jane Turner; past Senate leaders John Griesbach, Miriam Joseph, Joanne

Langan and Ian Redmount; General Counsel Bill Kauffman; and Vice President forHuman Resources Ken Fleischmann. This group has met four times since theDecember Board of Trustees meeting, and as of this week, is moving to weeklymeetings. The focus of these collaborative discussions has been on sharedgovernance and how to improve its effectiveness at the University. Various modelsfrom other universities have been reviewed, and efforts are under way to developprinciples of shared governance to be used to guide future work.

6. The Faculty Senate and the Board will explore opportunities to develop aprocess to affirm support for effective shared governance and address long-term

trends affecting the academic life of the University.

Update: Action on this point will be determined by the results of the climate survey.

It is important to note that our Board of Trustees has undertaken all six of theseinitiatives with the best interests of the University in mind. And it will continue todo so in the months ahead. As President, I look forward to this important work incollaboration with the vice presidents and deans, along with the leaders of theFaculty Senate, Student Government Association and the Staff Advisory Committee.

SHARED GOVERNANCE AT OTHER JESUIT INSTITUTIONSAs we continue to work collaboratively and constructively to enhance sharedgovernance at all levels across the University, it seems worthwhile to examine howstudents, faculty and staff are involved in the governance of our sister Jesuitcolleges and universities.

As noted in Trustee Osborns report, in November 2012, Paul Stark, S.J., VicePresident for Mission and Ministry, reached out to the 27 other Jesuit institutions inthe United States and asked to share the level of student, faculty and staffparticipation in shared governance matters, including representation on their boards

of trustees.

Father Stark learned that at none of our fellow Jesuit colleges or universities dostudents, faculty or staff members serve as trustees. Five of the Jesuit schoolsreported that the leadership of the faculty and students may attend full boardmeetings, but only as observers.


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Among the respondents, 15 institutions indicated that faculty, staff and students siton certain board committees or are allowed to attend committee meetings. None ofthese representatives are permitted to vote. In a couple of instances, only facultyare invited to participate.

While it is important that faculty, staff members and students serve on committees,it is just as critical that those representatives report to their constituencies on thediscussions that take place during the meetings. Sharing this information to enhancethe process of shared governance at all levels across the University is criticallyimportant to provide a clearer picture of our operations.

JOE AND LORETTA SCOTT LAW CENTERRenovations are well under way at the future home of our School of Law the Joeand Loretta Scott Law Center in downtown St. Louis at the corner of Tucker andMarket boulevards.

When completed, the Scott Law Center will feature technology-centric classrooms,a two-level library, the John K. Pruellage Courtroom, the Anheuser-Busch StudentCommons, enclosed parking, and a rooftop patio with views of the St. Louis Arch.

Clayco Inc. is currently working on interior finishes, including ductwork, sprinklerlines, electrical materials, drywall, doorframes, ceilings, painting and tileinstallation in the restrooms. Construction is about two weeks ahead of schedule.

We have also added a 12th floor originally constructed in 1965, the building was

built to accommodate additional structural levels. Crews have installed the exteriorsteel and have moved on to installing a curtain wall system, a non-load bearingelement that features an aluminum-framed wall containing in-fills of glass andmetal panels.

Situated in the heart of the citys legal and civic community, this optimal locationwill offer our students many new opportunities to enhance their educationalexperience, especially working with the various judiciaries in the downtown area.

The new location also will help strengthen the services we provide to the

community through our Legal Clinics. Every year, our Law faculty and studentsgenerously contribute 53,000 hours of legal services, worth an estimated $7.2million. Many of the Clinics clients already travel downtown to access governmentservices and other assistance programs, so this new location will be moreconvenient.

The move also continues to be lauded by local civic and business leaders. The St.Louis Business Journal recently ran a front-page story about our Law School project.


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In the article, Professor of Law Michael Wolff, chairman of the Law Schools buildingcommittee, discussed the many positive aspects of the move. Moreover, a numberof local developers expressed their excitement that more than 1,100 SLU Lawstudents, faculty and staff are heading downtown. I would like to share just a few oftheir comments:

When the SLU announcement came, it was a glorious day, said developerPete Rothschild.

The law school just supercharged everything, said Steve Smith, Presidentand CEO of the Lawrence Group.

Theres a halo effect thats occurring related to SLU, said Scott Miller, adowntown building owner and President of Marketing Matters.

Although the primary reason for the move is to create a space that truly reflects theoutstanding teaching and scholarship taking place in our Law School, it is hearteningthat we can once again inspire economic development in our metropolitancommunity through our progress. It is one of the reasons we have remained an urbanuniversity for nearly 200 years.

The $30 million Scott Law Center renovation project is expected to be completed byJuly 2013.

CENTER FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Renovations are also under way for our Center for Global Citizenship project.McCarthy Building Companies Inc. is renovating 70,000 square feet in our Bauman-Eberhardt Building formerly the West Pine Gym.

When completed, the Center will feature a large student commons, a 1,000-seat,high-tech auditorium, state-of-the-art conference rooms that have worldwideteleconferencing abilities, a classroom dedicated to supporting internationalteaching, and a caf-style restaurant that will feature international cuisine.

A high-tech bridge with a video screen comprised of 25 separate LCDs and a

retracting curtain has been located at the former half court, dividing the space intwo. Construction crews have completed the steel work for the bridge, and havepoured the concrete for stairs and a ramp. New windows also have been installed,and painting has been completed.

I should note that our own Billiken Construction Crew is working on the supportoffice suites located in the facility, including installing drywall, door frames andceiling materials.


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The $8 million Center for Global Citizenship renovation projected is scheduled to becompleted by May 2013.

BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT PROGRAMOn February 12, 2013, we signed a definitive agreement with SLU Hospital, which is

the final step in our organizations new Bone Marrow Transplant Program.

The program was launched by the SLU Hospital-Tenet Healthcare in December, withSLUCare providing the professional and medical directorship services. The programis housed in the $3 million Center for Blood and Marrow Transplantation that islocated within our SLU Cancer Center.

The agreement that we signed outlines the joint direction of the program and thefinancial relationship between our organizations. It also includes specificperformance expectations relative to patient care, service levels and quality.

I would like to thank the many SLU physicians and administrators who have workedon this important effort.

SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY COUNCILOur Sustainability Advisory Council has met twice since being formed last fall. TheCouncil is co-chaired by Diana Carlin, Associate Vice President for GraduateEducation and Interim Director of the Center for Sustainability; and Kathleen Brady,Vice President for Facilities Services and Civic Affairs.

Other members include:

Elizabeth Alberty (SGA) Kathy Barbeau (Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology) Clayton Berry (Marketing and Communications) Evelyn Shields-Benford (Student Development) David Grabe (Financial Planning and Budget) Keith Hacke (Information Technology Services) David Heimburger (Business and Finance) Stacey Harrington (Academic Affairs) Jeff Hovey (Business Services) Melena Abi Jaoude (Student, John Cook School of Business) Ed Kidd (Event Services) Kelley Krejnik (Graduate Student, Center for Sustainability) Sheila Manion (University Development) Yvonne McCool (School of Nursing) Lynda Morrison (Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)


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Paul Stark, S.J. (Mission and Ministry) Caeden Sweet (Graduate Student, Center for Sustainability) Brandon Verhoff (Service Operations) Josh Walehwa (Housing and Residence Life) Peg Weathers (Community Relations) Doug Williams (School of Law)

Modeled after a successful effort at the University of Kansas, SLUs SustainabilityAdvisory Council is charged with helping increase sustainability awareness at theUniversity. The group is also examining ways to improve our ratings from theAssociation for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). SLUcurrently has a Bronze rating through the associations Sustainability, Tracking,Assessment and Rating System program, more commonly known as STARS.

Related to the Council, collaboration between Facilities Services and the Center forSustainability continues to strengthen. SLU recently placed single-stream recyclingreceptacles by outdoor trash cans throughout the St. Louis campus.

As a reminder, single-stream recycling means that you can deposit all paper, metal,plastic and glass recyclables in the same receptacle. This includes all itemscontaining no more than 5 percent of food debris and all plastics numbered 1 thru 7.

To learn more about SLUs efforts to enhance recycling and reduce waste, visithttp://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction.

And dont forget SLU is currently competing in Recyclemania 2013. Now throughthe end of March, we are striving to collect more single-stream and e-wasterecycling than any other college or university in the nation. To learn more, visithttp://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction/recyclemania/recyclemania-2013.

NATIONAL HONORS FOR CAMPUS TREE PROGRAMSLU has been recognized as a 2012 Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation.Launched in 2008, the national program honors colleges and universities and their

leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit ofconservation.

To obtain this distinction, we met the five core standards for sustainable campusforestry required by Tree Campus USA, including establishing a tree advisorycommittee and sponsoring student service-learning projects. As part of this effort,111 new trees were planted on the St. Louis campus in 2012.
http://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reductionhttp://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reductionhttp://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reductionhttp://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction/recyclemania/recyclemania-2013http://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction/recyclemania/recyclemania-2013http://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction/recyclemania/recyclemania-2013http://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction/recyclemania/recyclemania-2013http://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction/recyclemania/recyclemania-2013http://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reductionhttp://www.slu.edu/facilities-services-home/slustainability/recycling-and-waste-reduction


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Members of our SLU Tree Advisory Team are:

Jim Anthony (Grounds Services) Mildred Mattfeldt-Berman (Nutrition and Dietetics) Jeff Macko (Grounds Services) Darion Mayhorn (SGA) Keith McCune (Facilities Management) Allison Miller (Biology) Shawn Nordell (Biology) Charlotte Royeen (Doisy College) Clint Tucker (Grounds Services) Tyler Yess (SGA)

I would like to thank these individuals for providing valuable input on the care and

improvement of our campus landscape, particularly the health of our treepopulation. I would also like to acknowledge Jim Morrison, an urban forester withthe City of St. Louis Forestry Division, for his assistance in this endeavor.

SUMMER AT SLUWe have launched a new initiative designed to build community awareness of themany activities occurring on the St. Louis campus between May and August.

Summer At SLU will highlight our numerous camps and academic opportunities forK-12 students; encourage high school and college students to take advantage ofsummer course offerings; and promote SLU as a destination for national and localconferences and events.

The goal of the effort is to increase the number of visitors to our St. Louis campus,the amount of revenue generated through summer activities and the level ofcommunity engagement with our University. We also hope many future Billikens willhave an opportunity to experience our beautiful Midtown campus, including ourclassrooms, labs, libraries, museums, athletic facilities and meeting spaces.

In addition to all of the planned summer camps, academies, conferences, courses,events, programs and workshops, new offerings are being added to appeal to awider audience.

Troy P. Turnipseed (Director of Summer At SLU) and William Perkins (ProgramDirector for Pre-College and Access Programs) are working together to bring all ofour summer activities in St. Louis under one umbrella. If you or your departmenthave an idea for a summer program and/or are interested in developing one,contact Troy at 314-977-7779 or [email protected].
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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A comprehensive, 30-page Summer At SLU program guide is being mailed to22,000 families across Metro St. Louis. In addition, 2,500 copies are being providedto area elementary, middle and high schools.

For more information about this new initiative, visithttp://www.slu.edu/summer.

ADMITTED STUDENT AND ALUMNI MASS AND RECEPTION PROGRAMAs I mentioned in my FY14 Budget Message, student recruitment is a responsibilitywe all share. There may be no greater selling point for our prospective studentsthan to meet our successful alumni.

For several years, our Office of Alumni Relations has partnered with our Division ofEnrollment and Retention Management to assist in student recruitment. One of ourmost recent successes is our Admitted Student and Alumni Mass and Reception

program.

Hosted in cities across the country, these events provide an opportunity for formerand future students to come together in prayer and fellowship. Graduates are ableto reconnect with friends and former classmates, while admitted students and theirfamilies see firsthand the supportive SLU community that awaits them. Attendancehas been very strong. Our Chicago program drew more than 300 attendees, whileevents in Houston and Denver drew 110 and 75 attendees respectively.

Our next Admitted Student and Alumni Mass and Reception event will be on March

16, 2013, at Creighton Preparatory School in in Omaha, Nebraska.

CHAIFETZ ARENAChaifetz Arena was second-busiest university-owned arena in the world during the2012 calendar year, according to the concert industry publication Pollstar Magazine.Our arena was No. 87 overall.

Patrons purchased 137,996 tickets during 2012. Only the 14,883-seat Save MartCenter on the campus of Fresno State University sold more tickets during the pastyear. It should be noted that tickets sold to Billiken basketball games and other

sporting events were not included in Pollstars rankings.

Chaifetz Arena attracted a wide range of successful events during 2012. The yearwas highlighted by several major music concerts, including Blake Shelton, the BlackKeys and Phish. The Arena also hosted popular family events, such as Disney on IcePresents Treasure Trove, Cirque du Soleil: Quidam, and Batman Live.
http://www.slu.edu/summerhttp://www.slu.edu/summerhttp://www.slu.edu/summerhttp://www.slu.edu/summer


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Although it has been open for less than five years, Chaifetz Arena has become oneof the premier university facilities in the world. It is gratifying that the arena hasbeen embraced by our St. Louis Metropolitan community in such a significant way.

HOTEL IGNACIO

According to year-end numbers, the occupancy levels at Hotel Ignacio have doubledfrom 2011 to 2012, while the Average Daily Rate remained steady. (ADR iscalculated by dividing room revenue by the number of rooms sold.) Both areimportant indicators of success.

Named one of 2012s Best New Romantic Hotels by About.com, Hotel Ignacio alsohas tripled its wedding business during the first quarter of 2013 compared to thesame period two years ago.

In addition, we recently renovated a meeting room on the ground floor complete

with state-of-the-art technology and flexible furnishings that has alreadyattracted additional local and national corporate business.

DID YOU KNOW?It goes without saying that strong presence on the web is absolutely essential topromoting the University across the globe. With that in mind, here are someimpressive figures about SLUs digital footprint.

There are more than 50,000 pages on the SLU website. There were 21,912,202 page views of slu.edu in 2012.

There were 2,325,407 unique visitors to slu.edu in 2012. There are more than 250 official University social media accounts. SLUs official Facebook account (www.facebook.com/SaintLouisU) has more

than 13,800 likes which is a nearly 75-percent increase over the sameperiod last year.

There were 2,961 visits to BeABilliken.com from January 1 to 7, 2013,eclipsing the previous record (1,990) set during our NCAA Tournamentappearances in 2012.

There are 283 users affiliated with the Universitys Content ManagementSystem (CMS).

MISSION AND MINISTRY

I would like to take a few moments to reflect on the outstanding efforts of ourDivision of Mission and Ministry to strengthen our Catholic, Jesuit identity and ourUniversity Mission.
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Mission and Ministry participates in the monthly new employee orientations, SLU 101programming for new students and their families, and presentations in the fall andspring for new faculty. The division publishes a weekly Mission Matters column inthe SLU Newslink email, reflecting on a wide variety of topics. There is also aMission and Ministry presence on many University-wide committees and panels.

Through daily dedicated care at the Saint Louis University Hospital,Pastoral Carechaplains not only work directly with patients and their families, but also withphysicians and other health care professionals at the hospital and in our School ofMedicine to provide comprehensive care that reflects our Mission, our identity andour care for the whole person.

Pastoral Care also trains and educates chaplains, seminarians and lay theologystudents to serve in other medical facilities in, and beyond, St. Louis. Pastoral Careserves as a training base for medical students, and deacon-aspirants in the

Archdiocese of St. Louis.

In addition, the division oversees theClinical Pastoral Educationprogram, whichdevelops skills for pastoral care for people in parish work, chaplaincy, lay ecclesialministry, teaching, counseling and other forms of ministry.

Through direct student contact, presentations and programs, theDepartment ofCampus Ministryserves and supports a broad variety of SLU students Catholic,Christian and other faith traditions.

Ongoing Campus Ministry activities include the weekly student Mass in St. FrancisXavier College Church, Mass in the residence halls, the Mass of the Holy Spirit andthe Baccalaureate Mass.

The department also oversees the Christian Life Communities with more than 200student participants, Bible study groups, spring break immersion trips and GreeksRooted in Prayer. In addition, Campus Ministry hosts numerous retreats, includingthe Urban Plunge program, which provides hands-on experience related to therealities affecting the poor and marginalized in St. Louis. Campus Ministry alsoprovides a year-long internship program for four students, designed to prepare them

for ministry in a church/faith community.

Reaching beyond traditional programming, Campus Ministry sponsors a well-subscribed Social Justice and Advocacy Training Series, developing students tobecome real agents for change in the Jesuit tradition, regardless of their faithtraditions. The Eckelkamp Center for Campus Ministry in Wuller Hall is also home toInterfaith Alliance as well as many affiliate ministers representing faith traditions inthe St. Louis metropolitan area.
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To reach even more students and to respond to their needs, Campus Ministry hastaken to using social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to provide additionalresources and information about its programming.

In a concerted effort to pursue truth for the greater glory of God and for the

service of humanity the Universitys mission and to promote the service of faithand the promotion of justice arguably the Jesuit mission the Division of Missionand Ministry works to touch the lives of students, faculty, staff, patients andalumni, on and off campus.

And while the Division of Mission and Ministry takes a leading role in this vital effort,it does not do it alone. Our Catholic, Jesuit identity is clearly the foundation of whowe are as a university. All of us share the responsibility to understand, to practiceand to participate in making that foundation even stronger.

JESUIT AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONIn 1987, when I arrived at Saint Louis University, I noted that we needed tostrengthen the Jesuit presence on campus to better promote the UniversitysMission, especially in the area of social justice.

Two years later, in 1989, we launched the Jesuit Affirmative Action program. Sincethen, we have attracted more than 83 Jesuits from around the United States andthe world. These men have come to Saint Louis University to use their God-giventalents to enhance our Mission and to preserve our Jesuit character and identity.

Over the years, these Jesuits have also mentored and motivated our lay faculty andstaff so they, too, can embrace our Jesuit tradition and carry on the educationallegacy of St. Ignatius and his vision of serving God by helping others.

BILLIKEN BASKETBALLIt is certainly an exciting time to be a mens basketball fan. The energy insideChaifetz Arena has been electric, with capacity crowds. I have been particularlypleased to see our special student section so full. (And so vocal!)

And speaking of our student fans, the SLUnatics received a message from a Butler

fan following last Fridays game in Indiana. I thought I would share it with you.

I attended the Butler/St Louis game on Friday night and was sitting justbehind your student body. When I saw the volume of students at the game Iwas worried that it would turn into another ugly scene. Not only was yourstudent body polite and respectful, they actually made the game moreenjoyable with their chants and cheers. Being in the rafters at Hinkle,listening to both student bodies yell and scream for their team was a


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wonderful experience. You should be proud of the students and staff thatmade the trip over. So many times we hear about how bad students can getat these games. Last Friday was not one of those times. Good luck the rest ofthe year.

I, like so many Billiken fans, could not agree more. As of this writing, the team hasgone on a thrilling nine-game winning streak, and is No. 1 in the Atlantic 10Conference and No. 18 in the nation. But any great sports story is about much morethan victories and rankings; its about overcoming adversity.

On December 1, 2012, the team lost Head Coach Rick Majerus, who had been onleave while battling major health issues. The players grief was clearly evidentduring the moving memorial service we held for Rick on December 8, 2012, inChaifetz Pavilion.

But rather than succumbing to their grief, our players rallied around each other andtheir Interim Head Coach Jim Crews. And the Billiken nation here in St. Louis andaround the world rallied around them too.

As we continue to cheer on the Billikens and hope to see them in post-season play,let us be inspired by their ability to face adversity and to triumph.

Some of the teams resolve is surely attributable to the guidance and support ofTeam Chaplain Eugene Grollmes, S.J. For 23 years, Father Grollmes has helpedmentor hundreds of our student-athletes by offering counseling, assisting in their

academic development and providing a Jesuit presence in the Department ofAthletics. Father Grollmes was honored during halftime of the February 16, 2013,game against Charlotte. I know I join countless Billiken fans in thanking him for hisdedication.

IN CLOSINGNow that we have entered the holy season of Lent, I know that many of you havegiven something up. Sacrifice is important because it connects us with the veryreason for Lent preparing for Christs resurrection.

But rather than only giving something up, I also encourage you to join the growingnumber of Christians who take on and give back something that challengesthem or improves their spirits. This is a great way to honor Lents call for self-examination and renewal.

In addition, I hope you are reading the spiritual reflections from our Universitycommunity that are being shared each day in the SLU Newslink Daily Update. You


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can read all of the Lenten Reflections and access other Lenten resources by visitinghttp://www.slu.edu/blogs/lent/.

Whatever you do during these holy days, I hope you will spend this Lent preparingyour heart for the joy of Easter.

May God continue bless you and your loved ones.
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president's february 2013 message

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