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President’s Forum Highlights – Fall 2016

October 27, 2016

At the first President’s Forum of the 2016-2017 academic year, President Stephen Sundborg, S.J., addressed a number of issues and topics.

  1. Acknowledgments | President Sundborg acknowledged a number of people who have been critical in successfully launching the 2016-2017 year, including Interim Provost Bob Dullea. He also shared that the celebration of the university’s 125th anniversary has thus far exceeded his expectations and his hope that the milestone will continue to heighten awareness and appreciation the university throughout the wider community.
  2. Enrollment and Budget | The president noted that SU enrolled 68 students more than last year. He shared encouraging news in terms of retention while pointing out some challenges, many of which reflect national trends. He reported that the university has been able to balance the budget for FY17 while making some additional investments in the areas of disabilities services, international student admissions and inclusive excellence.
  3. Response to Bias Incidents | Father Steve addressed the swastikas that were recently written on a white board in Bellarmine Hall. He added that the university is looking at ways to expedite the communication on these sorts of incidents to members of the campus community.
  4. NLRB Jurisdiction | The president discussed the university’s decision to seek court review of the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board in regards to a request to bargain that was made by a union representing some of our faculty.
  5. Code of Conduct | A recent revision to the Code of Student Conduct related to campus disruptions was addressed by the president as was the possibility of finding new ways to engage students in the process regarding future changes.

Watch the video of the forum.