On Friday, February 21, President Christine Wiseman gave the State of the University Address for 2014.
According to President Wiseman Saint Xavier developed a communication strategy that begins first with the leadership retreat in July and then with faculty communication in August. The second step, the August communication with faculty, allows for the faculty of Saint Xavier to be the first learn the strategic thinking for that upcoming school year.
Later during the Fall semester President Wiseman schedules two “town hall meetings” that can be attended by the whole Saint Xavier community, including staff, faculty, and students. These two meetings occur each fall semester on alternate dates to give everyone an opportunity to attend.
Saint Xavier’s communication plan as a whole culminates in February with the State of the University Address.
The State of the University Address looks back at what has been accomplished during the first semester, while looking forward to the information Saint Xavier will build on in the upcoming academic year. There was a lot to share during this year’s State of the University Address.
Each of Saint Xavier’s academic schools had a lot of good news, but there were a couple instances that President Wiseman touched on in particular. One such instance was the School of Nursing’s online Graduate program being ranked number one in the nation.
Another dealt with the Graham School of Management. President Wiseman stated, “After one of the most positive site evaluations I’ve witnessed in my career the Graham School of Management has been recommended for the AACSB accreditation, which is the highest in the nation.”
The application for the AACSB accreditation was a team effort that involved both full time and adjunct faculty, the students, and the staff of the Graham School of Management. According to President Wiseman the visitation team from the AASCB particularly commended each one of these groups.
There were many other prestigious accreditations featured including the School of the Arts and Sciences and the School of Education.
An additional topic that President Wiseman spoke about during the State of the University Address was the fact that Saint Xavier, who has never before rented a Billboard, has plans to rent an electronic Billboard next to the O’Hare Airport on the Tristate Toll way. Half a million people per week see this Billboard.
When asked about the State of the University Address President Wiseman stated, “I think it will be good for the university to see how highly and broadly accredited our schools and programs are.”
Another aspect that President Wiseman focused on during the Address was the fiscal year ’14 forecast that dealt with the budget as well as the fiscal year ’15.
The Address also talked about Saint Xavier’s economic and ethnic diversity, its job placement rates, and the academic success of student athletes (which, according to President Wiseman, is lead by Women’s Cross Country). Also, there was mention of the university’s retentions rates, which is the academic success of student fall to spring along with several other topics.
Finally, President Wiseman spoke about the success of the Gilbert innovation. She read portions of a letter from the Saint Xavier Council to the students of SXU Gilbert Arizona and a congratulatory message from U.S. Senator John McCain of the state of Arizona.
The State of the University Address 2014 ended with two slides featuring a new marketing look for Saint Xavier. This campaign makes a play on the letter “X” which marks the intersection of tradition and innovation.
There is a lot going on for Saint Xavier’s upcoming academic year. The Address was videotaped and can be watched on my.sxu.edu.
Catlyn Hicks
Senior News Editor