Trustees Focus on Evaluation, Fiscal Issues

Restoring facilities and suppressing underage drinking were major objectives discussed by the Board of Trustees this week. They met at the University to self-assess their performance and discuss critical issues affecting the campus community, said trustees in an exclusive interview with the Tower.

“In a position of authority, it is important to sit back and assess your own ways of working and thinking about where the University has to go and our role in bringing it forward,” said Sister Margaret Fitzpatrick, trustee and president of St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkhill, New York.

She is also a commissioner on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The University recently initiated a period of self-evaluation in preparation of its ten-year accreditation review. The board hopes that this comprehensive pre-assessment will bolster the University’s final results.

Making sure that the University is successfully pursuing its mission will be a priority for the commission, according to Cardinal Seán O’Malley, another trustee.

The official mission statement says that the University is “committed to being a comprehensive Catholic and American institution of higher learning, faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

“With the past ten years under [Rev. David M. O’Connell], the Catholic mission has been sharpened considerably,” said O’Malley. “Beyond that, with the increase in enrollment and new buildings, I think the last ten years have been a very impressive time in the history of the University.”

Additionally, the board is very pleased that new students enrolling in the University have higher SAT scores and grades than in the past.

“The last ten years have been the golden age,” said O’Malley. “I would be shocked if we did not get a wonderful assessment from Middle States.”

Trustees stressed that they have become increasingly alarmed about underage students drinking alcohol.

O’Connell, president of the University, wrote a letter to undergraduate students last week saying he has “become slightly alarmed…at the number of incidences of underage alcohol consumption.”

Several trustees expressed concerns regarding the lack of weekly recurrent activities and student programs on nights that typically promote underage drinking.

They were upset about the lack of regular programming in the student center. Other local universities have utilized the construction of bowling allies, billiard rooms, small cinemas and other amenities to provide options for students Thursday through Sunday. The only amenity for students available during late night hours at the University is dining in the student restaurant.

“We hope that the development on the South Campus is going to help give a focus on social life,” said O’Malley.

The trustees expressed confidence in the leadership of O’Connell and said that he, along with the entire administration, will steer students on the right path with that issue.

“A board is just as good as its president,” said Ray Hillenbrand, a trustee. He added that many of his colleagues are on the board solely because of O’Connell.

“He has made a difference in the direction and focus of this University,” said Andrea Roane, a trustee and news anchor for the local CBS affiliate. Her first year as a trustee was in 1998, the year O’Connell was chosen to be president, an ex officio position on the board itself.

While rumors have surrounded O’Connell for the past few years regarding a possible promotion within the Church, O’Malley said trustees have discussed the topic in meetings and a succession plan exists. He noted that although ten years in a position may seem like a long time, it is not unusual for a university president to serve much longer than that.

The trustees stated that in addition to O’Connell, they believe the entire board is on track and the University has bright days ahead.

“The greatest accomplishment I’ve seen is the passion this board has for the University,” said O’Malley. “They really want the University to be everything it can and should be.”

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