He thanked colleagues \u201cfor applying creativity and ingenuity to keeping this university open and functional, and to making our academic processes work for our students during this challenging time.\u201d That meant online instruction for the spring and summer terms. The DSU family \u201cnavigated unchartered territory \u2026 to keep the ship of state afloat,\u201d amid new modes of teaching and working; building closures; event cancellations\/postponements; and more. The fall term, starting Monday, Aug. 17, brings hybrid instruction\u2014primarily online, reinforced with strategic face-to-face sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we stripped away many of the traditional accoutrements and everyday activities of a normally functioning university campus, and were left with the basic core of our key mission\u2014teaching and learning\u2014what did we learn in the process?\u201d he asked. \u201cAnd, how will those lessons prepare us for this semester and beyond?\u201d The inquiry, President LaForge said, is all about the \u201cconcept and virtue of caring.\u201d In the COVID-19 pandemic, caring \u201chas taken on new and heightened meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coronavirus outbreak signifies both a \u201cblack swan\u201d and a \u201csilver lining,\u201d he said, with changes likely permanent as well as temporary\u2014and DSU must heed accordingly. \u201cFor example, the move to all online instruction, at minimum, provided us with a backup system to teach our classes, and one that has morphed into our frontline delivery system. But, it also demonstrated opportunities for expanded ways of doing business, with many possible variations. What\u2019s the right balance among online, hybrid, and face-to-face classes? We are on the cusp of finding out this semester.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cThe answer may still be evolving, and it behooves us to give careful thought to what an ideal mix looks like. Online courses are more in vogue for some, and in today\u2019s climate, more necessary than ever.\u201d Still, \u201cFace classes have been our bread and butter underpinning of a fully engaged teaching-learning experience, and our students are clearly on record as preferring face-to-face instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
The test becomes finding \u201cthe right academic mix that will serve our students best in the short-term and over the next decade and beyond.\u201d This will be \u201ca learning experience for all,\u201d requiring \u201cdedication to our mission\u201d and \u201cpatience with our processes.\u201d<\/p>\n
This also mandates protecting campus as much as possible, he explained. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors must wear masks in public areas and in classes; practice social distancing; and take uniform symptom and temperature screening daily. Additional safeguards include hand sanitizing stations in all buildings; crowd limitations; access to COVID-19 testing; increased mental health counseling availability; immediate response procedures for actual or suspected positive cases, including quarantine and isolation facilities; plus others.<\/p>\n
DSU has distributed and will continue to distribute federal CARES Act funding for coronavirus pandemic. Delta State also hired a COVID-19 response coordinator.<\/p>\n
President LaForge summarized other tough roads traveled in 2019-20. Budget challenges spanned enduring another reduction in state funding; trimming $3.2 million from the operating budget ($1.7 million in permanent cuts and $1.5 million in temporary cuts); adding \u201ccreative\u201d revenue streams; and bumping up tuition 6 percent. DSU \u201clooked deeply inward to ensure that our budget reflects and supports our university goals and priorities,\u201d he said. The result is \u201cthe most accurate and priority-reflective budget in place that we have likely seen in any recent year\u201d\u2014with \u201cno major personnel cuts.\u201d Bottom line, he said: \u201cWe are entering this new academic year with a realistic and balanced budget.\u201d<\/p>\n
That being said, \u201cEverything is dependent on final enrollment numbers, the effect of the current pandemic on our budget, as well as the financial health of the state. We shall see.\u201d<\/p>\n
President LaForge stressed enrollment unknowns. \u201cLike many colleges and universities, we anticipate a downturn in enrollment this fall due to the pandemic. Many potential students will take a \u2018gap\u2019 year, attend a community college, or decide on another path for themselves.\u201d But, \u201cWe have built in several contingencies that will \u2018cushion\u2019 the blow if we have a decreased number of students.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He also emphasized many positive developments the past year. Facilities improvements included new roofing on the Wright Art Building, Blansett Hall, and Sillers Coliseum; repairs to lighting around the football stadium and adjacent facilities; and refurbishment of residence halls. The food court in the H.L. Nowell Union is undergoing a $2 million renovation that, when finished, will contain a full-menu Chick-fil-A, a Firehouse Subs, an expanded Burrito Bowl, along with the popular Starbucks. LED lighting was installed across campus and funded through hundreds of thousands of dollars of Entergy grants. Delta State also secured $3 million in bond funding for additional building repairs and renovations.<\/p>\n
Other 2019-20 highlights:<\/p>\n
- \n
- The Statesman\u2019s Shelf food pantry for current students opened, thanks to the Office of Student Affairs and generous donors.<\/li>\n
- Delta State became the first undergraduate degree program to achieve collegiate accreditation from the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.<\/li>\n
- Faculty and students in the Division of Social Sciences and History were instrumental in producing the \u201c1969 Black Student Sit-In Oral History Project,\u201d a documentary that received the Elbert R. Hilliard Oral History Award from the Mississippi Historical Society.<\/li>\n
- As a direct result of the 2019 Child Safety Summit held on campus, the Department of Social Work developed the inter-professional Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST) Certificate Program that educates students how to advocate for children and families experiencing abuse, neglect, and family violence.<\/li>\n
- The College of Education and Human Sciences\u2019 Teacher Education Unit was one of the three Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning programs to partner with the Mississippi Department of Education and the University of Florida on the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform.<\/li>\n
- The Student Success Center received a five-year $400,000 grant from the Woodward Hines Education Foundation for the IMPACT initiative that focuses on increasing graduation rates of historically underserved and underrepresented students.<\/li>\n
- The Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) celebrated its 25th anniversary.<\/li>\n
- BPAC\u2019s Arts Education Department served more than 10,000 K-12 students and teachers and distributed 2,800 books as part of its initiative to connect literacy with the performing arts.<\/li>\n
- Zach Zediker earned NCAA Division II Golf\u2019s highest honor: the Jack Nicklaus Award.<\/li>\n
- The Office of Information Technology provided Delta State with access to all Internet2 features, outfitted 25 classrooms with new technology that provides hyflex capabilities for teaching on-campus and remote students, ordered 200 new laptops to replace aging faculty and staff computers, ordered 200 computers to upgrade computer labs, and ordered 100 computers to start a computer loan program for students lacking means to purchase adequate technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
President LaForge reiterated: \u201cOperationally and financially at this moment, we are steady and prepared for the challenges ahead. Because we remain a slim-margin budget, due to near total dependence on state funds and student tuition for our revenue, our budget plans are conservative and flexible. Our academic foundation as a regional teaching university is sound. Our academic accreditations are in order.\u201d Remember, he said, \u201cUncertainty arises from forces mostly beyond our control, such as possible future budget cuts and possible enrollment decline due to COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n
DSU is \u201cprepared as much as possible for the COVID-19-related challenges that face us this year. But, frankly, we all share a bit of concern and uncertainty\u2014even anxiety\u2014about the health and safety of our university family. To mitigate that concern\u2014and not merely to make ourselves feel better or more confident\u2014we are following the advice of national, state, and local health and medical experts.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded, \u201cAs we continue to face the challenges of the pandemic, we will stay the course of offering the best possible education for our students, while ensuring the safest possible environment on campus. As we commence this challenging and uncertain year, I ask you to join me in continuing to demonstrate what it means to be part of the caring culture for Delta State and our students. Not only is special caring important in this moment, it is a fitting legacy for all of us to leave to this university.\u201d<\/p>\n
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