On February 24, President Christine M. Wiseman gave her fifth annual State of the University address followed by a question and answer session. Faculty, staff, and students of Saint Xavier University were in attendance.
The main topics of Wiseman’s address included the university’s Vision 2017, which focuses on preparation for students of the 21st century, the financial needs of Saint Xavier’s population, the contribution of state capital funds for independent colleges that will benefit the school in the form of a new science building, hosting international exchange students within the near future and the university’s current financial status.
We at the Xavierite found many parts of the address to be encouraging. As students, we are always pleased to hear that our institution is making educating and meeting the needs of it’s students a priority.
It is evident that the faculty and staff at Saint Xavier recognize that the students of this university have unique needs. Many students come from low-income households and without the aide of the government and the university would not be able to afford higher education.
In addition, many Saint Xavier students are the first generation college students, which presents a different set of challenges. It is reassuring to know that the administration of Saint Xavier recognizes the challenges students face and makes strong effort to assist students, especially financially.
One moment that struck a chord with members of our staff is when Wiseman spoke about going out and achieving what it is that a person may want to achieve. “You’re not sitting out there waiting for circumstances to act on you,” Wiseman said.
There will never be a perfect moment for a person to go out and capture their dreams. If you want something in life you have to go out and get it yourself. In terms of Saint Xavier’s upcoming initiatives like the recruiting of international students and the new science building, we find those ideas to be exciting and beneficial but maybe a bit ambitious.
As Wiseman mentioned in her address, in terms of the science building, there is still a long way to go in terms of fund raising. Without the entirety of the funds raised and no date set for groundbreaking, the end result is difficult to visualize at this point.
To clarify, we do not mean that it is difficult to visualize in the sense that we do not see this project coming to fruition. Rather, this project seems so far away that it is hard for us to wrap our minds what this building will actually be like and what its construction will entail.
Likewise, it seems that the plan to have international students on campus is still in its very early stages. With one delayed attempt already, we are cautiously optimistic that this will become a reality.
Within The Xavierite’s Q& A with Wiseman (see pages 1 and 3 ) in response to the address, she shared with us sentiments of continuing to interact with students as well as the staff. “Leadership has to be transparent these days. Every single constituency is involved in the sustainability of our educational institutions, and now more than ever,” Wiseman said.
This interaction between the higher-ups of education and the student body is becoming more and more valuable. The more that an administration interacts with those for whom it is responsible the more receptive it becomes to constructive criticism as well as positive feedback.
Generally speaking, reflecting on the State of the University address, the members of the Xavierite felt generally positive about the things that had been said. As always, we look forward to seeing how many of these plans come to fruition and what does not.
We hope that the university is successful in achieving its goals. After all, if a university is not successful, odds are its students will not be either. However, we must say that we are glad that that the university is responding to the needs of students and is addressing concerns that they have in terms of their finances as well as their interactions with the people in charge of their education.
The Xavierite Editorial Board
About Post Author
