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By Dr. Jeffrey R. Docking, Adrian College President

(Introduction: Gary Valade, Chair of the Adrian College Board of Trustees)

Thank you, Gary. Before I begin I want to say a brief word about Gary Valade.

On May 12 Gary Valade will chair his last meeting as Chairman of the Adrian College Board of Trustees. Although Gary will remain on the Board, we will miss his leadership.

During his 15 years on the Board he has overseen construction of the library, the Caine Student Center, the Multisport Performance Stadium, and numerous other projects on campus. Gary and his wife Margaret have given of their time, talents, and resources at a level unprecedented in modern Adrian College history.

And yet to know him as I do is to see that his generosity is eclipsed only by his humility. Gary is the ultimate unsung hero at Adrian College – impressed by neither his title as Chief Financial Officer of Daimler/Chrysler or his many other personal and professional accomplishments throughout his life.

Gary simply comes to campus, wanting to improve Adrian College, wanting to enhance the educational experience of our students, wanting to make a positive difference in this little corner of the world.

To the students in the room, I encourage you to meet Gary Valade after the speech.

Through your associations with people like Gary, you too will learn the enduring qualities of character, integrity, honesty, humility, and honor that define all great human beings who make a positive difference in our world. Let’s give Gary a round of applause.

I also want to introduce someone you may or may not know, my wife Beth Docking. We’ve been married 20 years and have four children; three still at home. Thanks, Beth, for sitting through yet one more of my speeches.

In the life of every institution it is wise to pause from time to time to:

• Celebrate successes
• Learn from failures
• Identify future challenges, which include rearticulating our institution’s vision and goals so we can continue to purposefully guide our daily actions to achieving them.

This speech will attempt to accomplish these three tasks.

In order to do this it probably makes sense to begin this speech on August 22, 2005. It was on this day that faculty, staff, and some trustees truly met each other for the first time in a large conference room on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

We went on a retreat together to engage in two intense days of dialogue. Our goal: to answer two questions critical to the future of this institution: where are we at, and where are we going?

“Where are we at?” included severely decreasing enrollment, outdated facilities, technology deficiencies, continuous budget cuts, and low morale. Those at the retreat made it clear where they wanted to go - especially the faculty.

They wanted more students. They wanted more academically qualified students. They wanted more “engaged” students.

They wanted better academic facilities, better technology, more resources to enhance the academic experience on campus. They wanted more fund raising, more support from foundations, and better housing.

And they wanted more transparency.

These desires came together – congealed, if you will – in the strategic plan written only three months after the retreat.

Despite the length of this wish-list, one challenge towered above all others: ENROLLMENT! I noted this in my inaugural address eight months later when I said: “Enrollment is the single greatest challenge that we face and it will determine, more than any other variable, the quality and future stature of Adrian College.”

By pulling together over the past 18 months and making the changes necessary to make our campus more attractive to prospective students, we have experienced extraordinary – yes, even mind-boggling – advances in enrollment that, to the best of my knowledge, have been replicated nowhere else in our great country.

On this date in 2005, we had received 955 applications. As of this date in 2007, we have received 3,471. In 2005, we had 750 admitted students. In 2007, there are 2,255. Then, we had denied admission to 30 students. Now it is 585. In the fall of 2005, the freshman class consisted of 263 students. Next fall, we are preparing for a class of over 400. Deposits have climbed from 59 to this year’s preliminary number of 140. In addition, we have seen a marked increase in international applications and diversity of the student body.

You will be hard-pressed to find another college or university in this country that has seen quality indicators and academic performance rocket upward as ours have. And everyone on this campus has played a role in making this happen.

Frankly, it is I who should be applauding you today for the effort you have made to lead Adrian in a new direction. Rick Creehan, Carolyn Quinlan, Lisa Napierala and the admissions staff, combined with the coaches, and supported by active recruiters in the faculty, deserve much of the credit for these extraordinary changes.

But I know Carolyn, Rick, and Lisa would be uncomfortable taking all the credit for this surge.

It is Johnnie Johnston and the plant crew, building, renovating, or beautifying nearly every corner of campus to enhance our curb appeal to prospective students. It is Sodexho Dining Services under the leadership of Scott Vogel providing outstanding service and menus in the Ritchie Marketplace each and every day by serving 960 meals.

It is the publications office under the leadership of Brad and Mellissa producing more thoughtful and attractive publications, and timely press releases. It is the coaches and interns living under the daily pressure of Rick Creehan and Mike Duffy to “fill the funnel” with new students.

(I should add that some of those students are here with us today as ushers. Some members of the men’s two-time reigning MIAA Championship Baseball Team served as your ushers today. Let’s give them a round of applause. Thank you, gentlemen, for your help today.)

It is the faculty who has begun the arduous process of re-imagining a new academic experience at Adrian through our Renaissance II process, while at the same time supporting the changes taking place and patiently waiting for comparable upgrades in our academic facilities.

I hope the faculty knows that I recognize their patience and forbearance during this time of transition.

I want to interject one important piece of news that occurred late yesterday: the administration and the faculty union leadership reached a tentative agreement - to extend their current contract for another two years. It will, of course, have to be voted upon by the faculty but we are pleased with this progress.

Having said that, let us now turn to academics. To clarify for our visitors, Renaissance II is an effort on campus to strengthen our academic program. Ren II, combined with the hiring of Dr. Dale Nesbary, give Adrian College a platform for academic renewal seldom seen on college campuses.

The energy, enthusiasm, and spirited debate currently taking place in these committees has the potential to make more dramatic, important, and enduring changes on this campus than the Renaissance I facilities campaign that led to the stadium, ice arena, marching band, and new housing.

This is how it should be. After all, Renaissance II addresses the academic needs at the College. I know change is difficult and I applaud the discussions and bold ideas currently being bantered about.

We all know that Renaissance II is truly a work in progress and it would be premature for me to announce changes now. Nonetheless, this college and this faculty have never asked me to lead from the middle or to simply be a windsock with respect to public opinion. With this in mind I would encourage the Renaissance II committees to keep the following thoughts in mind as they submit proposals to me and, when appropriate, to the faculty for approval.

First, the greatest risk brings the greatest reward. The best example of this is the risk we took in Renaissance I. We risked significant borrowing but we have been rewarded with admissions numbers that even the most optimistic among us thought impossible. We need to be bold and strong and incredibly creative in mapping our academic future. Neither fear of failure, lack of effort, or unwillingness to imagine new horizons for our College should curtail the exciting changes we have the opportunity to implement.

Eighteen months ago no one thought it was possible to go from 955 applications to 3,471 applications, but we have done it. Ten months ago few thought it was possible to raise over $10.2 million for campus improvements, but we have done it.

We have learned that the very difficult can be achieved with great effort, and the impossible takes just a little more work.

The United States of America enjoys the greatest higher education system in the history of humankind because we have dared to risk. This is the American way and we should not shy away from experimenting with exciting and dramatic changes in how we deliver classes. I confess that one of the frustrations I have encountered here at Adrian is that, often, people at this College don’t recognize how talented they are and the potential that lies within them. We are as good and as capable as any school I know and the improvements we seek should be embraced without apology or fear of failure.

With this in mind, let me turn to four areas of Renaissance II that are critical, in my opinion, to its overall success. First is January Term. We must have the institutional humility to admit that our current May term is failing our students. Ten years ago only 126 students enrolled in May term. Today that number has fallen to 38 students. Out of the 1,007 students on campus less than 4 percent currently enroll in May term.

When you compare this number against the nearly 1,000 students that would enroll in January term you can see the difference in quality potential. Adrian needs a J-term.

For those in our audience who do not know what a J-term is, let me explain: J-term allows students to take only one class in January for three to four weeks. This is an intensive course that encourages students and professors to travel widely around the world, or participate in class activities, things like scuba diving, mountain climbing, or short internships in Washington, D.C., or overseas.

Professors are encouraged to create and offer new courses that students would not otherwise take in a regular sixteen-week semester. The possibilities are endless. One of the professors developing a proposal for J-Term is Professor James Hanley, who recently wrote to me in an email that J-term offers students, among other things, a greater likelihood to graduate on time, and a better chance to study abroad.

Second, I am very hopeful that faculty will endorse a curriculum that teaches through experiential learning. Experiential learning is, as described by one of our competitor schools, “a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill, and value from direct experiences.” It is “broadly defined as education through study, action, and reflection of a ‘hands-on’ experience.”

It is active learning that strives for personal relevance. We have some great examples of this in recent years: Judith Hammerle’s work with students and the Catherine Cobb Domestic Violence Shelter; Bill Tregea’s work with students and the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility; and Agnes Caldwell’s work with students through the Cambios program.

But we can do better. Just as we endorse writing across the curriculum, so too every class should include a component of experiential learning. Nearly every piece of literature available on pedagogy insists that the worst way to learn is in lecture-style format. We can do better.

If the faculty will work through curricular revision in the Renaissance II process to include experiential learning, I pledge to raise the money required to supplement non-traditional learning experiences.

Third, the “State of the College” with respect to publishing should be strengthened in future years. I encourage the faculty to expand their commitment to publishing. While we will always be a “teaching first college,” higher education professors remain current and on the cutting edge of their disciplines through research and writing.

This is not to suggest that we don’t have accomplished writers in our midst. Professor Deborah Fields recently wrote a book “Private Life and Community Morality in Khrushchev’s Russia.”

Professor Tom Hodgman and his wife Colleen Conway recently co-authored: “Handbook for the Beginning Music Teacher.”

Professor George Aichele has published many books and articles as has Professor Dick Koch. In order to reach our full potential as a College we must take the lead of these and many others on campus.

Finally, the Renaissance II committees must tackle the thorny issue of resource distribution within the Academic Affairs area of the College. May term is but one example, but other programs, especially those that no longer have any students in majors, or are inconsistent with our institutional mission, or have become a financial drain on the College, may not make the cut. Other new emerging programs should take their place. We owe it to this institution, to our students and benefactors, and to ourselves, to make the difficult choices that are required to move forward.

Before I leave this portion of the speech devoted to academics, it is worthy to note the improvements Jane McCloskey reports on our “at risk” students. Last year our enrichment program retention from fall to spring was 44 percent. This year it was 93 percent. Our students with disabilities retained at 91 percent. Our low-income, first-generation students retained at 93 percent.

Two summers ago our first-year football players retained at 38 percent from first to second semester. This year we retained at 89 percent, thanks in large part to better prepared students and Reality Camp.

But I also know that there is a difference between the easily measurable and the educationally significant. In the broader sense, what these numbers show is that those who fear that the new Adrian is primarily interested in wealthy, majority students, is not true. These numbers tell a different story. They illustrate that all students matter at Adrian, that all can find success in the new Adrian College.

Now I want to turn to student affairs. Adrian College boasts a long history of being student-centered. In recent years, however, I believe we have been slow in providing adequate housing, an inviting dining hall, a wide array of extracurricular activities, and appealing alternatives outside the classroom that makes kids want to stay here on weekends.

I have tried to change this situation with the support of the trustees to take some risks in hiring new professionals, significantly upgrading our housing options, remaking the dining hall with a $2 million gift from Sodexho, and generally encouraging Dean Maxwell and the student life staff to take students to unique and distant activities.

Kristi and her staff have responded extremely well and are moving forward aggressively. They have been the impetus behind many of the housing changes, including the additional purchase of houses on the periphery of campus and expanding the new apartments from two to four bedrooms.

They pushed us to hire students to paint and recarpet the old halls and she is currently engaged in seeking student opinions on the amenities that we should add to a re-opened and rejuvenated Cargo Hall and Pellowe Hall.

As a part of welcome week in August, the student life staff will take the entire freshmen class to Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City for a one-night, two-day excursion to explore Michigan, bond with their peers, and start their college years with a memorable experience. I encourage a few faculty members to join this group in order to see the possible learning opportunities it may offer in future years.

Dean Maxwell also understands that an important part of our institutional identity is service to community. To that end, we are joined today by the SAE Fraternity. I invited this group of young men because of an email I recently received from the executive director of the Hope Community Center. The group initiated and spent time with members for a lock-in event. They served admirably and selflessly. The author of this email is Jessica Hanna, a 1994 graduate of Adrian College. Let’s give the SAE’s and Jessica a round of applause.

Our mutual, long-term goal for student affairs is a more seamless experience between academic life and student life on campus and to provide experiences outside the classroom that support the increasing rigor that will be required inside the classroom.

In the years ahead I trust that additional ideas will flourish in student affairs. For example, how terrific it would be to offer student activities that highlight and/or complement a class project or paper that a group of students is pursuing: to study physics at Cedar Point Amusement Park; to contemplate the psychology of competition through the spring Mudbowl football game.

How nice it would be to offer a Faculty Meals program in which any student could host a faculty member for free in the dining hall if their discussion involved academic matters. How nice it would be to offer a faculty-in-residence program whereby new professors could live in a residence hall apartment for free if they agreed to provide a specific amount of student help or tutoring each week.

The possibilities are endless, constrained only by our imaginations, but I am confident that we have the right student affairs staff, the right academic affairs staff and faculty to move forward aggressively.

In the spirit of transparency, I would now like to turn to the finances of Adrian College. I am certainly aware that we have spent a lot of money at Adrian during my presidential tenure. Perhaps this more than any other point has felt like a sea change in how we do business at our small school.

But I have experienced that the old adage is true that you must spend money to make money. To this end, nearly every expenditure thus far is devoted to the two problems we identified to solve at our opening retreat: enrollment growth, and raising money – in other words, development.

With respect to enrollment growth, we have outlined our successes and they are extraordinary.

With respect to development, as I said earlier we have raised well over $10 million in the past 10 months. We’ve received several large gifts: $3 million for the ice arena; $1.2 million undesignated; $900,000 for the baseball complex; $500,000 undesignated; $25,000 for the music department stage extension; $15,000 for the art department to spend where needed; $55,000 for the chapel; $30,000 for the business department board room; $60,000 for the Admissions House; and $25,000 for new seating for the Downs Hall Theater.

We received gifts to completely re-do the Adrian Tobias Room at $375,000; the dining hall at $2 million; the Michigan Avenue apartments at $200,000; and many others.

Despite these successes, make no mistake in understanding that the greatest urgency I feel at this institution today is to complete the $15 million Renaissance I campaign. I want to draw it to a close, get our facilities built, and move on to the most important work at hand: raising money to enhance the academic experience.

While it is true that we will remain in a deficit situation for several more months until we can grow our way out, our financial position is strong and I would suggest we’re in a strategically stronger position than two years ago. The administration, the Board of Trustees and our bankers are closely monitoring our financial health as it pertains to cash flow and our long-term viability and they are comfortable with our position.

The worst thing we could have done during my early months on the job is to do nothing and to continue to hope for bigger classes. We needed to spend money to make money and many of you and the trustees have given generously.

With respect to giving, I am proud to say that participation of our Alumni Board is 100 percent; participation of senior staff is 100 percent; trustee participation is 100 percent; and our overall campus rate of giving is 68 percent. I thank all of you who have donated to this campaign so far by giving a little bit back to the institution that has taken care of us so well through the years.

The one very clear caution that the trustees have given me and therefore I give to all of you is that we have a five-year financial plan. This is the plan we must meet. If we diverge from this plan financially it will be a problem and I fully understand this reality.

Therefore, if departments or other areas of the college have large requests that we cannot currently undertake it is because it diverges too far from where we need to be in this plan and we will just need to patiently wait until we grow the College or raise more money.

Finally, before I close, I would like to say a few words about our relationship with the Adrian community. Adrian College continues to seek to be a wonderful and positive neighbor in our town. This is illustrated most clearly in the 2,094 hours that our students volunteered last year.

On top of that, the College paid over $100,000 in fees to the city for campus construction. And we opened our facilities to Addison and Onsted high schools when they needed our new field during the football playoffs. Many other high schools have used them as well.

Nearly all of our coaches are offering community sports camps, including football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse. Professor Benio and various other professors provide community activities for youth such as the Youth Art Summer Camp. Our special speaker convocation series is open to the community.

We continue to house the Adrian Symphony Orchestra. Our theatre productions are open to the public. Our ice arena will be open to the public. Our track and field complex and pool will be open to the public. And I very much hope the Loft Housing Agreement for downtown Adrian can become a reality.

On this day of the 148th anniversary of Adrian College – Founders Day, as we have come to call it – we see that the perplexities of our forbearers remain ours today.

To create an educational experience that truly stretches the mind and reaches into the hearts of our students.

To develop the entire person – not just the intellect, but also the spiritual, physical, and emotional.

To produce knowledge, not simply regurgitate it.

To built a campus community that mirrors the society we hope our students will build, one founded on compassion, freedom, love, and respect for all people.

Like the flags around me that represent each state and country from which our 1,007 students hail, we too stand together as human beings, sharing the same elements in our DNA and separated only by life experiences, circumstances, misunderstandings and imaginary humanly constructed borders.

Like our forbearers, our mission and our dream is to continue to work with future generations to instill this respect for knowledge and human life.

But perhaps the most important lesson of all was taught to us by a person who could not be here with us today.

Professor Cindy Bosio was a beautiful, 53-year-old woman, who taught here for 25 years, with a loving husband, David, and two children, Gregory and Anne Marie. On Jan.15, Cindy succumbed to ovarian cancer.

A few days before she passed into her next life Cindy came to my office to say that she wanted to teach this semester, at least one or two classes, to be with the students, to free her mind from all that was happening inside of her.

She was dignified, she was gracious, she was thinking about the students, and she carried herself with all the class and kindness that defined her life.

As we know, Cindy would not have the opportunity to teach another class. But being the consummate professor that she was, she would want us to learn from her misfortune, to find some meaning in it for our own lives, to find truth amidst despair.

And so, I end with a few ideas that touched me when I learned of her death, ideas that will perhaps cause you to pause for a brief moment.

Cindy would want us to know that while the work we do is important, we should not sweat the little stuff. Most of what we get anxious and upset about isn’t terrifically important compared to love, and life, and time with our loved ones.

She would want us to know to be kind to each other. We are here together on this campus for only a short time, and whether it is through chance, or fate, or God’s divine intervention, we should seek first to find the good in each other before highlighting the bad.

And finally, appreciate the life that we have been given. It’s all such a mystery and we understand such a small slice of the universe and our place in it.

But we do know that Cindy’s fate is our own and our time is brief and we have the power within us to experience a rich and meaningful existence each and every day if we will cling to all that is good and do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Let us take these lessons, build a campus, a campus that makes a difference in the lives of these young adults, and, in the process, change the world for the better for Cindy’s children and for our own.

Thank you for continuing to provide me with the honor of being your President.