Delta State University President Dr. John M. Hilpert delivered his final State of the University address during opening convocation held today in the Bologna Performing Arts Center on campus. Delta State’s seventh president announced his retirement in May after nine years of service.
Hilpert opened his address by welcoming the faculty and staff to the 87th academic year and stating, “Ten times now I have stood in this spot at this occasion to talk about this university – its mission, its opportunities, its challenges, and its accomplishments. This one last time seems somehow momentous in my mind, but I know it is just because of the life change coming for Pat and me. What is one last time for me is just another time for the university where changes happen all the time. People come and go. Technologies come and go quickly, while buildings come and go at a more leisurely pace. Even the basic capital of our enterprise – knowledge – comes and goes, or at least evolves. This progression is the human experience, and it is what makes a career in higher education so engaging,”
Reflecting on his service to Delta State, Hilpert said, “By the time we reach the actual day of my retirement – defined by the governing board as the end of the calendar year or whenever after January 1 the new president arrives – many of us in this room will have spent nearly a decade of our professional lives together. That’s not a particularly long time as contrasted with the three Delta State presidents who spent more years in this office, but it is long enough that we’ve gotten to know one another. We’ve had enough time to get things done, and highlights of those things will be a principal focus of this address. We’re going to look back together and celebrate our significant accomplishments one last time.”
Before delving into that list of accomplishments, Hilpert offered his gratitude to the faculty and staff for their efforts during his time on campus. “Most importantly, since 2003 we have awarded 8,259 degrees. Seventy percent of those degrees have gone to undergraduate students and 30 percent to graduate students. Few other regional universities – none in Mississippi – have that percentage of graduate activity, and it is both a mark of the quality of this institution and a pillar of the academic strength of our curriculum. A goal has been to award over 800 degrees each year, and the average has been 826, a performance that shows the commitment of the faculty and the staff to the success of our students. Thank you, and congratulations on making a difference in so many lives.” he said.
Hilpert’s address was accompanied by a presentation of photos depicting achievements over the years. He noted that despite the economic woes of the nation and the state, the university has seen significant changes in the bricks-and-mortar of the campus. Providing a list of new facilities completed over the last nine years as well as facility renovations and ongoing projects, Hilpert stated the campus is significantly different and more accommodating than it was in 2003.
“What else have we done together?” asked Hilpert. He then addressed numerous university accomplishments presenting photos to convey accomplishments including:
· Becoming the eighth host site for Teach For America’s Summer Training Institutes
· Surpassing a $35 million capital fund drive goal in 2005, and according to DSU Foundation figures, since 2005 the external fund raising from private and public sources, including all gifts and grants, topped $80 million. Annual grant amounts grew from $3 million in 2000 to more than $13.6 million in 2010.
· Serving more than two dozen K-12 school districts with upper division instruction from e-learning studios on our campus, a project supported and funded annually by the Mississippi Legislature.
· Development of an existing cohort-based educational leadership program named by Stanford University as one of eight programs of excellence across the nation. Also, the United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, cited it in a speech as an outstanding program in an unexpected location.
· Establishment of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. The Delta Center for Culture and Learning identified the opportunity in 2003 and led the drive to craft legislation passed the United States Congress designating these 18-counties as the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. Now the United States Department of Interior recognizes this as a unique location with a significant history contributing to the cultural legacy of our nation.
· Attracting the Grammy Museum to Cleveland, a result of partnerships within the community and across the Delta. Delta State’s participation – particularly through the Delta Music Institute – is important to the success of the project.
Hilpert went on to discuss achievements in the fields of academics, diversity, development, and athletics before proclaiming the 2012/13 academic year as the “Year of Service” continuing a tradition of celebrating a theme each academic year that began in 2005. “This year, our programming will focus on service to the university and service by the university, including emphases on voluntarism, financial support, and special service project opportunities. Over the years, each theme has given focus to annual programming. We have had opportunities to present awards keyed to the themes to people on the campus and in the region. We have even seen creative developments from one or another of our yearly celebration that have become part of the ongoing life of the campus. Thanks to everyone who has made this idea so successful,” he said.
In closing, Hilpert stated. “I feel obliged to convey what has been my annual message: the state of Delta State University is sound. The institution was delivered to me in good condition in 2003, and as we reach 2013, I will pass a healthy university to my successor. We’ve faced challenges, seized opportunities, and made gains. Have we reached the goal we set for ourselves of becoming the Best Regional University in America? I’ll leave that question for each of you to answer. You have borne the burden and moved Delta State University forward, accomplishing all that time and circumstances would allow. Thank you. It has been and continues to be my privilege to work with each and every one of you.”
