Did You Know? • WMU's Largest Total Enroll- Ment Was Recorded During the Fall Semester of 1991, When 27,90 I Students Enrolled at the Univer- Sity
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WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSllY Volume 25, Number 2 www.wmich.edu/wmu/news September 17, 1998 President Floyd pledges support for faculty efforts Board to meet Friday President Floyd pledged a presidency goal that is attainable with the dedication student advisory board. The Board of Trustees wiU meet of vigor, vision and passion in his first and commitment of our faculty, students "It is important for me to keep my finger at 10:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18, in the remarks to the Faculty Senate Sept. 10, and staff. We are fortunate that WMU's on the pulse of this institution," he said. "I Connable Board Room of the declaring that he will support the work of situation is not one of exigency, but of want to have open, frank and active dia- Bernhard Center. the faculty and the primacy of the aspiration. logue about the critical issues facing the Agenda items will include gift, University's academic mission. "The University is fiscally sound, and University." grant and personnel reports as well "Yes, there are challenges before us," with the continuing commitment of the Floyd then addressed a series of mat- as consideration of an investment he told senators, who had warmly wel- Legislature, our situation will improve as ters, including: policy for annuity and life income comed him to the podium in Kirsch Audi- we seek additional resources to support our funds. torium of the Fetzer Center with an ex- emerging Research I status," Floyd said. MLKDay Committee meeting will precede tended round of applause. He assumed the "In doing so, we will not abandon our He applauded past efforts of the Uni- the full board meeting in 204 presidency Aug. I. fundamental obligation to high quality versity community to celebrate the birth- Bernhard Center. Times are: Bud- "But there also are immense opportuni- undergraduate and graduate teaching." day of the late Martin Luther King Jr., get and Finance Committee, 9:45 ties," he stressed. "We need to celebrate Floyd issued what he described as a call announced a $15,000 commitment for this a.m.; and Academic and Student WMU and we need to talk about its excel- to action to the University community. "I year's observance and declared the day Affairs Committee, 10: 15 a.m. All lence and commitment. And so, as a presi- invite all members of the faculty and the would be a University holiday. meetings are open to the public. dent who will lead with vigor, thoughtful- greater University community to partici- (Continued on page four) ness, decisiveness, passion and vision, it is pate in an active process to assess our clear to me that the primacy of this institu- strengths, to understand better our weak- tion is its academic mission. nesses and to map a course for the future." Enrollment tally shows largestfall count since 1992 "I will do everything I can to support He announced that he would name three At 26,575 students Western Michigan as well as freshman-level transfer students. your teaching, your research, your service, broad-based committees to develop what University's fall semester enrollment is up One of Michigan's leading graduate- and your scholarly and creative activities," he called "A 21st Century Framework for 1.7 percent, making it the largest fall count intensive universities, the University has Floyd told senators. "That is my role. That Western Michigan University." Each is to since 1992. 5,929 graduate students this fall. The fig- is my responsibility. I take it very seri- include representatives offaculty, staff and Fueling the increase was a 12.5 percent ure includes 507 doctoral students, only ously. And if I'm nothing else, I'm very students. jump in beginning freshmen, from 3,341 one less than the record 508 enrolled last passionate about it." The committees, each headed by a vice students in fall 1997 to a record 3,758 year. The number of master's degree stu- He also asked for the support of faculty president, are: planning, assessment and students this fall. This is the fourth con- dents increased to 3,660 for a 3 percent members as well as that of the University program review, headed by Provost Timo- secuti ve year that the size of the beginning gain. community at large. ''I'm very clear about thy Light; infrastructure master-plan de- freshman class has increased. In addition, on-campus enrollment is up the direction I want to take this Univer- velopment, headed by Robert M. Beam, "There are many reasons for this year's 2 percent to 23,321 students. Off-campus sity," he said, "and I can only do that with vice president for business and finance; increase in beginning freshmen," said John enrollment, through WMU's 30-commu- your support, your assistance and your best and capital campaign, headed by Keith A. Fraire, admissions and orientation. "The nity continuing education network, was efforts." Pretty, vice president for external affairs. most basic reasons are that students want down less than I percent to 3,254 students. To that end, Floyd said, the next year "I am intently committed to make sure to attend WMU because we provide a qual- It appears that international enrollment will be one of assessment and planning, a that this is an open, collaborative process ity education at a fair price, our graduates is down by about 150 students due to eco- process "made more timely by my arrival involving all of us," Floyd said. "I am are successful and employable, and we do nomic instability overseas, particularly in and the culmination of an extraordinary relying on our best minds and thinking as all of this in a safe and welcoming environ- Asia, from which the University attracts chapter in the history of the University, we look at the challenges ahead." ment." many of its international students. For the marked by Dr. Diether Haenicke's retire- The president said he already has begun The 1998 fall semester also saw in- past several years, WMU has enrolled the ment. a wide ranging collaborative process in creases in the numbers of master's degree largest number of undergraduate interna- "Even more compelling is the growing which he has had or will have dinner with students, sophomores and juniors and in tional students among Michigan's public realization that new social, political and leadership groups among faculty, staff and the number of total freshmen, which in- universities. economic forces in higher education re- students, including a newly established cludes beginning and returning freshmen quire universities to reexamine and signifi- (Continued on page four) cantly, if not radically, change the way we conduct our business," he continued. "Our University must be responsive to this cultural transformation and position A WMU welcome -Waldo Stadium style • • • itself to lead the pace of change," he said. "If we fail to do so, we will be in the unacceptable circumstance of being fol- by day lowers rather than leaders. And we must be leaders. Waldo Stadium was the site of Western "I believe that wecan become the model Welcome Week activities from the start to of a premier student-centered research uni- finish of the week. At right, members of this versity," the president declared. "This is a year's record class took the field Aug. 30 during "Gold Rush," an event designed to help them get to know one another and learn the traditions of the University. Did you know? • WMU's largest total enroll- ment was recorded during the fall semester of 1991, when 27,90 I students enrolled at the Univer- sity. This fall's count is the high- est since 1992, when 27 ,399 were enrolled. • The 1998 beginning freshman class of 3,758 is the largest ever, beating the previous record class of 3,451, set in 1967, by 307 stu- dents. Other large beginning fresh- man classes and the years in which they were recorded were 1989 by night (3,375), 1974 (3,448) and 1970 By week's end, Waldo was the (3,430). sight of a Mid-American Confer- • The largest numbers of doc- ence attendance record as 35,107 toral students studying at WMU fans filled the stands to watch have been recorded in the past two football and fireworks during years, with 508 enrolled in fall CommUniverCity Night Sept. 3. 1997 and 507 this fall. (Photos by Neil Rankin) Two September 17,1998 Western News Federal funds for fellowships designed to Around the campus boost number of math doctoral students Federal funds awarded to WMU will be toral programs," Meyer says. Arnway leader to launch Visiting physicist to talk used to set up six annual doctoral fellow- One priority of the program, she says, is 1998-99 Haworth series about star mass concept to attract students who are interested in ships to address the serious national short- DickDe Vos, president of the Amway The unifying concept that helped obtaining doctoral degrees in mathematics age of American students earning advanced Corp. of Ada, will launch this year's the scientific world understand the ter- education. Doctoral programs in that area degrees in mathematics. Haworth College of Business Distin- minal stages of stars will be the topic of usually require that applicants have class- The U.S. Department of Education has guished Speaker Series with a presenta- a free public lecture by a guest physi- room teaching experience at the K-12level. awarded $126, I 10 to the Department of tion Tuesday, Sept. 22. cist Tuesday, Sept. 22, as part of the The GAANN grants should make graduate Mathematics and Statistics for the first He will speak on "Am way: The Visiting Scholars and Artists Program.