President's Annual Report
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F A L L 2 0 0 6 FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA UT PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT Contents Vol. XXII, No. 1 Fall 2006 About the Cover Features A montage of images shows “then and now” glimpses of The University of Tampa. Concept by Ana Montalvo and Anne Rowland; design by Ana Montalvo. President’s Annual Report. President Ronald 1 L. Vaughn reveals the latest in University Duplicate Mailings progress with deference to the institution’s 75- Please help us cut down on mailing costs. If your year history and its potentially limitless future. household is receiving more than one copy of the UT Journal, send us the address labels from each copy. We will review our records and correct any duplication. The First of Many. Of the thousands of people 7 Send your labels to who have studied at UT in three quarters of a The University of Tampa Office of Alumni Relations century, only one could be the first to leave with Box H diploma in hand. This is his story. 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33606-1490 UT—The Early Years. The first of three 16-page Address changes also can be made online by clicking on ut.edu/alumni/updateaddress.html. special sections relives the creation of The University of Tampa, telling in words and pictures the story of the school from 1931-56. Local writer and history buff Melvin “Buddy” Baker conducted extensive research into UT’s founding and history, and authored the text for SYMBOL OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE the special anniversary sections that appear in this and the next two issues of the UT Journal. UT Departments The Front Burner....................................................... 11 The University of Tampa Journal is published three times a year–fall, winter, spring–by The University of Beyond the Lectern .................................................. 15 Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606-1490. Third-class postage paid at Tampa, FL. Opinions ex- pressed in the Journal do not necessarily represent Spartan Sportsbag ...................................................20 those of the faculty, administration or students. Grant Donaldson ................................... Executive Editor Muezzin ................................................................... 25 David Brothers ............................................ Editor/Writer Anne Rowland .................................................... Designer Contributing Writers: Class Acts ................................................................. 26 Tracy Edwards Frye, Thomas R. Giddens, Ph.D., Thomas Kolbe, D. Todd Marrs, Natalie D. Preston Leaving a Legacy .................................................... 36 Contributing Photographers: Dr. Kevin Beach, Lee Burgess, Grant Donaldson, Marvin Gentry, Jay Hardwick, D. Todd Marrs, Cliff Spartan Dollars and Sense ..................................... 38 McBride, Alex McKnight, Karen Shaw, Bob Thompson, Brian Vandervliet Donor Honor Roll .....................................................40 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal, The University of Tampa, Box H, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606-1490. The University of Tampa is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Minaret Moments.................................................... 64 A Remarkable WORK in PROGRESS AN ANNUAL MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT RONALD L. VAUGHN 2 0 0 5 - 0 6 nniversaries mark the return of a A date or a time that is deemed remarkable. UT’s beginning—in fact, its entire history—provides rich examples Great Urgency and Big Hurdles of how private education is an Frederic Spaulding felt great urgency to start a university. At the time of exceptional enterprise, FUT’s beginning, there were no Florida universities in or south of Tampa, and responding with resiliency and only two U.S. cities with populations exceeding 100,000 lacked a college or university—and they were Jacksonville and Tampa. As principal of creativity to meet societal Hillsborough High School, Spaulding experienced firsthand the educational needs. Indeed, when the needs of Tampa and the possibilities for a population that largely could not afford to travel and relocate for further educational opportunities. depression economy of the The creation of the University was remarkable in every way. It is 1930s made postsecondary difficult to imagine the enormity of that challenge, particularly when viewed within the historical context of the United States in the 1930s. President education unattainable for Spaulding provided a glimpse of these hurdles in his personal records. He most, the University’s founding noted that: •There was no chance of significant local or state financial support, and was a response to serve the without assets, no loans could be secured. Tampa community—and the •In 1933, when UT moved from offering its classes at Hillsborough High beginning of a remarkable School, Plant Hall was in serious disrepair. Spaulding described his loneliness, work in progress. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FALL 2006 1 MESSAGE FROM 2005-06THE PRESIDENT A Commencement rehearsal at Falk Theatre in 1948 (left) and 2006 Commencement exercises at the St. Pete Times Forum. “I am probably as well as the enormous responsibility he felt for Visualization to an optimist, but I the deteriorating hotel. Imagine the efforts to Realization equip, repair and replace when there was no have a vision And what a vision it was. By 1936, money; Spaulding noted that he and the custo- ASpaulding had fulfilled his legacy in creating dian took tar buckets to patch the roof, and the foundation for the UT we know. He an- wherein I see together they boarded up broken windows. nounced his resignation that year at the University’s first Commencement, after five [UT] grown into a •Creditors demanded payments as years of service plus three years of unpaid Spaulding struggled to pay for phone, water, effort in planning the UT launch. The stress of fine four-year light, printing and other bills. limited funds, dealing with creditors and fac- ulty pay concerns finally had taken their toll. •Spaulding commented that the Tampa college, not large The vision of President Spaulding set a Tribune printed the first bulletin cover. This course for a remarkable future. Today we in numbers, but document, which described course offerings, enroll 5,300 students, half from this area, with holding to the schedules and costs, was mimeographed by the all 50 states and 100 countries represented. In Chamber of Commerce. The $16 cost was contrast to Spaulding’s 12 faculty members charged to his personal account, but the Tribune who taught 30 classes, we have more than 400 highest ideals faculty and offer almost 3,000 classes a year. never billed him for the expense. academically and Consequently, today’s UT is larger than 90 •The first student registration in 1931 was percent of all independent universities and 45 scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. No one arrived at percent of the public universities. While there spiritually.” are about 6,000 colleges and universities in the appointed time, adding to the tension that this country, only a few dozen comprehensive —Frederic Spaulding Spaulding and his colleagues must have felt. At independent universities exist of our size, di- in 1931 7:40 p.m., our first student, Miss Ann Carey, mensionality and stature. arrived, followed by 50 other students who reg- UT’s great story continued this year, when istered that evening, paying the annual tuition of our institutional accreditation from the South- $116, including fees. ern Association of Colleges and Schools was reaffirmed. The University received much Despite these daily trials, Spaulding per- positive feedback for our Quality Enhancement sisted. He wrote of his dreams in 1931: “I am Project; the accreditors noted that it was a probably an optimist, but I have a vision national model for improving international wherein I see [UT] grown into a fine four-year competency of students. college, not large in numbers, but holding to Eight new degree programs were added the highest ideals academically and spiritually. this year, including MS degrees in accounting, I can see it filling a much needed place in finance and marketing, a master’s in teaching Tampa through the years, free to work out a (math and science), and four new bachelor’s great future unencumbered, progressive, alert, degrees: biology, theatre, advertising/public and endowed with a spirit of service applied in relations and financial services operations/ a practical and efficient manner.” 2 UT JOURNAL MESSAGE FROM 2005-06THE PRESIDENT Today’s UT is larger than 90 Students enjoy a clean, efficient workout with modern equipment in the percent of all McNiff Fitness Center weight room. independent systems. UT now offers more than 100 pro- services by college students nationally, UT universities and grams of study. increased counseling services and added Stu- National searches were completed, and a dents of Concern, a program to identify indi- 45 percent of new dean of graduate studies and provost/vice viduals needing help prior to reaching crisis president for academic affairs were appointed. level. Alcohol use continued to be a concern, the public A new associate dean for international studies both here and nationally, and new initiatives position also was filled. Twenty new fulltime were put into place, judicial procedures and universities. faculty positions were added last fall, with a policies were reviewed, and a new comprehen- similar number of additional new fulltime fac- sive plan finalized to reduce alcohol problems, ulty positions