At 11 a.m. on Aug. 26, President Joseph Sheley made his annual address to a crowd of faculty members, board members, alumni, staff and a few students about where California State University, Stanislaus will be focusing during the academic 2013-14 year.
“I think it is hugely important for everyone to realize how much support this university has in our region,” Sheley said.
Sheley began his address with 10 minutes of introductions and acknowledgments of those present, stressing that the university needs advocates for its stories of student successes, as well as to focus on doing more for the advocates they have.
This is a story which focuses on student success, as well as partnering with the region in social and economic development, focusing on undergraduate education, providing students with a strong foundational education and giving students a memorable experience outside of classrooms and degrees.
Sheley also expressed a desire for greater commitment to student success, as well as taking a more active role in the region.
“We at the university can do way more to extend the tremendous contribution our region’s agricultural industry has made, continues to make, to the state’s economy,” Sheley said.
“We can support local businesses. In turn, businesses can offer our students valuable internships.”
According to Sheley, these partnerships will enable CSU Stanislaus to further what Sheley called, “our primary goal: student success.”
Sheley specifically asked that faculty, staff and alumni figuratively “adopt” a student this year for whom they can take under their wing.
“Reach out to at least one student. Be there for him or her,” Sheley said.
“Nothing too tricky, no special training required, just proactively be there for someone. It really could be that simple.”
This, along with a more committed focus on critical writing skills and strengthening the ties of our local businesses with CSU Stanislaus, are Sheley’s main focuses for the university this academic year.
As for this year’s budget, Sheley was optimistic.
“I’m happy to report that we’ve been funded to increase our enrollment by 2.4 percent this year,” Sheley said.
“Our budget for the new fiscal year will permit us to begin to address some of our more significant needs, most of which, no surprise, involve hiring.
We are doing this systematically and strategically- neither getting ahead of the state’s pace of recovery nor lagging behind it.”
The president also reports that a new plan in the handling of university priorities is being addressed.
“Our new strategic plan will be developed consultatively. I am asking Provost Strong to chair our strategic planning effort,” Sheley said.
This will be the first time the current plan will have been addressed since it was written in 2008, which, President Sheley reminds us, was when, “the fiscal condition of the state and university was much different.”
Throughout the president’s address, the resounding message was for faculty, students, staff and alumni to share the story of our university.
“We cannot afford to wait for others to discover what we do well,” Sheley said, asking the crowd to help share this story and widen our advocacy.
“I can’t believe how little people brag and how much they have to brag about. We can talk publicly about our accomplishments and the difference our graduates make in their communities.”