Fulfilling the Dream: How WVU is Inspiring Greatness Today,
and Building Greatness for the Future

State of the Campus—September 11, 2000
Delivered by David C. Hardesty Jr., President, West Virginia University

Members of our boards, colleagues and friends of the University:

Welcome to the annual State of the Campus address, in which the WVU president speaks to issues related primarily to the main campus here in Morgantown ?the historic center of public higher education in West Virginia. Later this year I will speak to issues regarding the entire University, including our regional campuses.

I find it difficult to limit the scope of my remarks today because our University is doing so many great things in so many areas of engagement.

West Virginia University continues to gain national recognition for the depth and breadth of its work. As an institution we are strong and growing stronger.

Only ten other state universities share the complexity of WVU’s mission as a land-grant, research-oriented, public university with a comprehensive health sciences center.

I submit to you that not one of these universities plays such a critical role in the future development of its state, region, and the nation as WVU does, and none does it with a more balanced approach.

Within the state that gives its name to us, within this Appalachian region long beset by poverty and hard living, we remain a rare bright ray of hope.

WVU is a place where the future will be even brighter if only we can reach even more of our citizens, if only we can find a way to share our amazing resources with more of them, if only we will remain there for them, strong and nurturing, to help them realize their potential now and in the future.

Since the founding of our nation, it has been recognized in American society that education is the means of developing people’s potential.

John F. Kennedy aptly summed it up when he said that in each of us there is a dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and even greater strength for our nation.

President Kennedy’s words remind us that everyone has unlimited potential for greatness, and that individual successes, magnified and multiplied, create a greater society.

Universities like WVU can be considered great institutions when they truly nurture the potential of everyone they serve, and of those whom they employ.

I believe that WVU is poised for greatness because of many attributes, but utmost among these is the high quality of its faculty and staff.

I thank you? each and every one of you?for your hard work and dedicated service, and for creating an atmosphere in which human potential can be fulfilled.

In the year 2000, expectations have never been higher for WVU. We are charged by those we serve to provide a superior-value education, offer services in every county of the state, and address a multitude of societal challenges?all while contributing to the universal body of knowledge and transmitting knowledge to the next generation.

Thankfully, our vision remains clear, guiding our plans and actions: ?WVU is a student-centered learning community meeting the changing needs of West Virginia and the nation through teaching, research, service, and technology.?

We derive strength from addressing each aspect of our mission in balance, and with excellence as our goal. Because of our broad mission, no institution in our state is more critical to the state’s well-being than WVU, West Virginia’s flagship university.

We have always been highly valued by the people of our state, and rightly so.

Now, we need to show the nation what a great state university ought to be?an institution that encourages greatness among everyone we serve: our students, our alumni, our partners, clients and patients, and yes, even ourselves.

When people around the country think of a university that best serves its state, we want WVU to be the name that comes to mind.

This is, I know, a marvelous dream. To make it real, we must dedicate ourselves to three goals.

First, we must stay close to the people of West Virginia.

Second, we must believe that greatness is an achievable objective.

And, third, we must support WVU’s upcoming capital campaign.

Our first goal: Stay close to West Virginia.

West Virginia and WVU must move forward together. Statistically, West Virginia is one of the nation’s poorer states:

  • Per capita income at the end of the 1990s was just under $19,000 annually, compared to a national average of over $25,000.
  • Some 20 percent of our state’s population lives in poverty.
  • It is not surprising that we are 49th of the 50 states in the number of citizens with a high-school education.
  • Too often, those who do finish high school or college in West Virginia leave the state to find better job opportunities.

However, the current landscape should not block the view of what can most certainly be a brighter future.

For a university like ours, such a challenge can be a tremendous incentive to work toward a better life. It is a test of character and a test of will. West Virginians have that strong character and that strong will. They want to improve their prospects economically, socially, and educationally, and we must help them.

Our progress must be a stimulus to the progress of the state. We must be vigilant in searching for better ways to teach. We must be vigilant in moving our state forward economically, especially through research. We must be vigilant in delivering our services, connecting to the needs and hopes of our communities.

The dream of a prosperous, healthy, and progressive West Virginia cannot be deferred any longer. To make it real, West Virginia needs all of its higher education institutions ? especially WVU ? as never before. And we need to get behind West Virginia as never before.

We must help our elected state representatives understand the benefits of nurturing a nationally-recognized university. The state legislature has clearly acknowledged that post-secondary education is vital to West Virginia’s future. As Senate Bill 653 states, our state ?must have a system ? which is competitive in the changing and global environment, is affordable within the fiscal constraints of the state and for the state’s residents to participate, and has the capacity to deliver the programs and services necessary to meet regional and state needs.?

Let us compete on behalf of West Virginia, not with it.

WVU’s growing reputation as a model state university means that we can attract more jobs and capital to West Virginia. As we grow, so too does our state. Together, we grow toward greatness. Together, we advance in the 21 st century.

Our second goal: We must believe in ourselves.

I believe that if we but will it, WVU can emerge in the 21st century as a great state university. We can be a model state university, one that is:

  • a center of high quality undergraduate education;
  • comprehensive and engaged in significant research work, including medical research, and graduate education;
  • a multi-campus public institution, with off-campus sites and extension offices in every county of the state; and
  • an institution that is uniformly recognized nationwide for its excellence.

Right now?today, not tomorrow?we must take advantage of the opportunity before us to fulfill the dream of national prominence for WVU.

Why shouldn’t we dare to be great? There are many indicators of our great potential.

First, we have a distinguished history of providing national leaders through outstanding undergraduate education. Since 1867 we have taught and taught well. It is not by luck that WVU has provided the world with 25 Rhodes, 19 Goldwater, 14 Truman, and two British Marshall scholars. And, we have supplied the nation with leaders. Today, eight WVU graduates are senior executives at Fortune 500 companies.

WVU has always been a student-centered university, and we have sought to be more so in recent years. Several national reports underscore that offering a high quality undergraduate education is a hallmark of great research universities.

Second, WVU is a valued member of the land-grant movement. The latest report by the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, Renewing the Covenant, challenges us to ?renew the faith of Justin Morrill and Abraham Lincoln, the fathers of American public higher education, that our institutions would truly be the ?public’s universities.’?

Decade by decade, program by program, through challenging times and prosperity alike, WVU has been faithful to its land-grant mission. It has steadfastly assisted West Virginia and its citizens. Our regional campuses, off-campus education units, Charleston Division of Health Sciences, distance learning locations and extension offices give WVU a statewide presence.

As a land-grant university, WVU has formed a unique partnership with the people of West Virginia. Our locations around the state support our mission and enable us to serve where we are most needed.

WVU’s significance in the land-grant movement has been recognized by the appointment of many on campus to serve on national committees.

Peter Magrath, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, indicated during his visit to our campus last year that WVU has the stuff ? ?the right stuff?? of high-value land-grant education. The ethos and practical commitments of WVU and all our campuses are ?wonderfully close,? he said, to the latest national recommendations for engaged institutions.

Third, our research enterprise is well positioned. In addition to the achievements of individual researchers and scholars, WVU’s centers of excellence bring us national recognition. The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, the National Research Center for Coal and Energy, the World Music Center, the Geographic Information Systems Center, the Regional Research Institute, and numerous others identify us as a national player.

Throughout our campus-wide research efforts, you will find focus, collaboration, innovation, and effectiveness ? all critical to great research universities. And, as WVU’s basic and applied research efforts produce new knowledge, the state’s economy, job-base, environment, health, and cultural climate stand to improve.

When last calculated two years ago, the direct economic impact of WVU was 1.3 billion dollars annually. That’s money in the bank?and in the pockets of many West Virginians?that wouldn’t be here without WVU.

Fourth, we have invested heavily in technology and infrastructure in recent years. These investments, which include integration of our campuses statewide, position us to act more rapidly and be more innovative in our delivery.

The new computer lab in White Hall, the renovation of the Evansdale Library, and the off-site library storage facility are all completed. By the spring, our state-of-the-art recreation center will be opened. Our new technology center at One Waterfront Place on the Monongahela River will be finished by summer.

Likewise, the new downtown library complex and new Life Sciences Building will be completed in the next fiscal year or shortly thereafter, adding sorely needed space and teaching and research enhancements.

These new buildings open the opportunity to renovate other academic buildings and classrooms.

Last year, I said that we would see a lot of dirt flying this year. Anyone who’s walked down along Campus Drive recently knows this is true. We have tried to minimize the distractions, but certainly there have been some frustrations. I offer kudos to the facilities staff for managing this enormous undertaking exceptionally well, and I thank everyone on campus for being patient as we invest in our future.

In making facility investments, the University has also maintained a commitment to safety. The Coliseum project will be completed this fall, on schedule. The bricks on the Engineering Tower are being replaced. Various infrastructure investments totaling millions of dollars have been made in electrical and chiller upgrades. Phase two of the blue-light safety phone project ? suggested by students ? will be funded according to schedule this fall.

Note that all of these capital investments have been made without diminishing our operating budgets. In fact, our capital improvements should yield growth in our operating funds, as this modern infrastructure supports our research and teaching activities.

We are set, therefore, to complete the first phase of the master plan.

These projects, along with others being addressed in the upcoming capital campaign, provide the physical framework for performing WVU’s mission?and they provide better resources for achieving our dream of greatness.

Fifth, exceptional people support us, internally and externally.

William James once wrote that the best use of life is to invest it in something which will outlast life itself. WVU has built an enviable reputation because of the dedication of its employees and friends. People respect what each of you contributes to this organization.

Our faculty comes from 100 countries to excel in teaching and research at WVU. Our classified staff is among the finest in the nation. Our administrative team offers experience, leadership, and innovation. Our Alumni Board, WVU Foundation Board, and superb new governing boards ensure volunteer support, so vital to our continued success.

The diversity among these groups, and among our students, builds understanding and respect. That respect, in turn, builds the trust, the collegiality, that distinguishes excellent institutions of higher learning.

Consider these recent examples of excellence at WVU:

  • Our new designation as a ?Doctoral/Research University?Extensive? by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching puts us in select company.

As I noted earlier, we are one of 11 similar universities so designated. The others in our exclusive group are: Ohio State, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Texas A&M, Michigan State, the University of Florida, the University of Arizona, the University of Missouri at Columbia, the University of Kentucky, the University of Minnesota?Twin Cities, and the University of Nevada?Reno.

One reason we are among this elite company is the number and quality of our graduate programs. Eight of our graduate programs are listed in America’s Best Graduate Schools 2001 , published by U. S. News and World Report: the College of Law, the School of Medicine’s rural health and community health programs, the College of Human Resources and Education’s rehabilitation counseling and speech pathology programs, the College of Creative Arts’ master’s degree in music program, and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ public administration and doctorate in psychology programs. We are especially pleased that the Woman’s Guide to Law Schools ranks the College of Law as the number one place for American women to earn a law degree.

  • Excellence in research is a hallmark of WVU’s stature.

As just one example among dozens I could cite: this summer, our FutureTruck team, led by Professor Chris Atkinson of mechanical and aerospace engineering, returned from Arizona with a first place finish in a national competition to create the most fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly sport utility vehicle. What a perfect example of WVU’s excellence in applied research!

  • Altogether during the 1999-2000 fiscal year, WVU received $78 million in outside funding for sponsored projects.

We formed several new research partnerships, including one with the National Guard and several corporations to support a Virtual Medical Campus that helps agencies respond to terrorist acts; one with Auburn University to develop anti-terrorism programs; and another with Carnegie Mellon University, the Pittsburgh Computing Center, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory to create the Supercomputing Consortium.

  • WVU continues to be the state’s premier center for medical research and its main provider of state-of-the-art healthcare services.

For example, the state’s first and only stroke center opened at WVU on August first ? good news in a state that has one of the nation’s highest incidences of stroke and related diseases. And Dr. Daniel Alkon, a world-renowned scientist, is leading the efforts of the new Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, focusing particularly on the terrible, debilitating illness called Alzheimer’s disease.

West Virginians and their families are going to benefit tremendously from these efforts and the many others by the faculty, staff, and students of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at WVU.

  • We attract distinguished faculty members, professionals, and leaders.

Welcome to those of you who are among us for the first time. We are glad to have you with us on our journey, and we look forward to a long, productive relationship. I would like to note especially the arrival or promotion of several new leaders: Erik Bitterbaum, president of WVU at Parkersburg and regional vice-president of WVU; Bernie Schultz, dean of the College of Creative Arts; Chris Martin, dean of the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism; Cameron Hackney, dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences; and Dr. Eddie Reed, director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center.

  • These exceptional people and all the rest of us are part of a family that cares deeply about the well-being of its youngest members: its students

Here on the Morgantown campus our freshman class this fall has about 3,580 students. That number includes a record high number of first-time West Virginia students. Compelling evidence, I would say, of WVU’s vigilance in providing educational opportunity to the people of the state.

  • WVU is an exceptional value.

For the fourth consecutive year, WVU has been named one of America’s Best College Buys due to the high quality of education we offer at costs below the national average.

One list I am pleased to report that WVU did not make again is The Princeton Review’s party school list. However, we are cited in The Templeton Guide for our outstanding work in the area of character development.

As a matter of fact, The Golden Key chapter at WVU just won the association’s Founder’s Award ? its highest honor for promoting academic achievement and volunteerism.

WVU is doing an exemplary job with the resources at hand, and our successes are a marvelous portent of what we will become in the future with the help of our friends and supporters around the state and the nation.

Accomplishments like these create a spirit of excellence. People value us, identify with us, cherish us. They believe in us, and we must believe in ourselves. greatness rises up within people who believe in themselves?when they find meaning in their work, when they determine that they want to be the best.

Viktor Frankl writes in Man’s Search for Meaning about the special purpose that motivates each human being ? that special meaning we can find in our own lives, if we but seek it. Frankl asserts that if we find the ?why? in our lives, the ?how? will take care of itself.

Greatness is contagious: When people are energized and involved, when they truly believe in a vision and work toward it, others with whom they interact are equally energized. They join in the effort to get the job done well.

All of you know how you would respond to the bright young person who comes to you filled with enthusiasm for a particular subject or career path. You would encourage that person, offer your knowledge and advice, offer to get more information, and support her in achieving her goals.

It is the same way with institutions ? as soon as we are pointed in the right direction, and we are working toward a clear objective, people are eager to help us reach our goals.

Greatness is the product of hard work. Our advantages do not mean we can succeed easily.

To ensure greatness, we must control student costs; we must attract more highly qualified students to join those already here; we must be more innovative in our teaching and service; we must be truly excellent in our research; and we must act faster when change is required.

I submit that the men and women of WVU are working hard. We will become what we believe we can become, and what we believe we can achieve .

As our third goal, let us dedicate ourselves to an all-out effort to support the upcoming campaign to supplement the state and federal resources we receive. Together, state appropriations and tuition and fees total $279 million, or 57 percent, of WVU’s total revenue budget. State appropriations alone account for 38 percent.

Clearly, we need state support to remain viable in the competitive field of research universities. But, the demands on state funds far exceed revenues. Already, the citizens of West Virginia dedicate more than the national average of their taxes to education. And we are committed to keeping student tuition and fee increases within the inflation rate.

So, where will the money come from to support WVU’s climb to greatness?

If we are to answer the call to prominence and successfully fulfill our mission, WVU, like every major public university in America, must raise substantial funds and resources from private sources.

Private funds do not displace a state’s responsibility of meeting basic budgetary needs of the institution. They do ensure ? and enhance ? the quality of teaching, research, and service demanded of us by the constituencies we serve.

There probably is not a square inch on any of our campuses where philanthropy has not made a difference. Think for a moment. Each of you can recall a student who was able to come to the University and excel, thanks to a scholarship.

Support for students ? scholarships, graduate fellowships, internships ? is at the core of our upcoming campaign because it is the bedrock of a truly great student-centered university. On financial support, great futures are built.

Note that the typical WVU undergraduate student can expect to owe nearly $16,000 upon graduation, and future debt for graduate students can be much higher.

When scarce dollars are the missing link between an accomplished student and an excellent university, each loses the benefit offered by the other, and the state loses twice over.

When our departments lose graduate students to other institutions because of more competitive offers, a great research university is diminished.

This is true for faculty recruitment and development as well. Thanks to the generosity of donors, our University can offer prestigious academic positions?such as the George B. Berry Chair in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources; the Eberly Family Professor of Anthropology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences; the James H. and June Harless Professor of Law; and the N. LeRoy Lapp Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care?to attract and retain the most accomplished faculty.

Truly, faculty create and sustain the University’s competitive posture. Private funding is necessary to support your work.

Look at the Chemistry Department as one example among many to see the impact of private giving. The Bennett Family gift has increased stipends to graduate students. It provides resources for the library so that first-rate chemistry materials will always be available. Flexible funds open opportunities to support faculty research and to buy necessary instruments. The gift also makes possible better and safer laboratories for chemistry students.

Two other benefits , the life-extending work of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center and the lessons of forest stewardship derived from the Westvaco Natural Resources Center, are possible only because of collaborative endeavors with the private sector.

Each of you can point to similar examples in your college, school, department, or division where private giving has strengthened learning and, in many cases, your public service and outreach.

Private giving will enable WVU to step up to a higher level of prominence, just as it has helped us achieve our current excellence.

The WVU Foundation assists us in building the public-private partnership that helps us rise above the ordinary. Under the leadership of Duke Perry, the Foundation had an extraordinary fiscal year in 1999-2000, once again proving its ability to lead us in the upcoming campaign.

The Foundation disbursed a record $27.2 million in private funding for such purposes as student scholarships and fellowships, academic program development, faculty positions and research, facilities and equipment, and libraries.

Nearly 21,000 private donors contributed $53 million in support of WVU last year, helping increase our endowment by 18 percent to an all-time high of $323 million. Currently, the Foundation’s assets total some $400 million.

When you consider that we had a ratio of about one contribution from a private donor for every student we enrolled last year, the extent of donor support for WVU is truly fantastic. Join me, please, in applauding these donors for their extraordinary generosity.

On November 11, under the Foundation’s leadership, WVU will announce an ambitious campaign to increase our effectiveness in every aspect of our mission. Some of the nation’s greatest successes, our WVU alumni and friends, will play important roles.

You will hear more details then, including specific objectives in the areas of student scholarships and fellowships; faculty chairs, professorships and development; University library enrichment; academic research and initiatives; and campus development and technology.

As that time approaches, I urge you to target ways that you can individually, and collectively, support this endeavor. Take the extra time to personally thank someone who has contributed to the success of a student or faculty member. Share the stories of those whose success testifies to the value of your school’s degrees. Celebrate those who contribute in ways large and small. Help your students understand the value of a sincere thank-you.

I would like to give special thanks to Ray Lane, who has agreed to chair the national campaign committee for the upcoming capital campaign.

On behalf of a proud University, I applaud you, Ray, for your tremendous leadership in the technology field. We thank you and your wife Stephanie for your generous five million dollar contribution to the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Yours is the largest gift ever made to the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

Your success and support are a catalyst for others to recognize the value of WVU and our home state. Your words express well the goal we have in common: ?To bring people back not only to West Virginia University, but to West Virginia.?

To summarize my remarks today: This year, I encourage everyone at WVU to focus on three goals:

  • work hard to stay close to the people of West Virginia;
  • foster the attitude that we are a high quality, fast-rising, superior state university;
  • and vigorously join in the effort to achieve the campaign goals.

As our state’s premier higher education institution, we must pledge to do our part as the flagship University meeting the needs of West Virginia. We call upon our private donors and partners to do their part, for no institution in West Virginia is more worthy of personal financial sacrifice. And we trust that our state government will do its part, for no institution is being asked to do more for West Virginia, this region, and, in some cases, the nation.

Acting together from our position as a national land-grant, research university, we can achieve the prominence that must always be associated with WVU and with West Virginia. Moreover, we can achieve a better way of life for ourselves and for those we serve.

WVU’s best days lie ahead. Ladies and gentlemen, our work at WVU is noble work. Let us all, each and every one, individually and collectively, respond to its call for greatness.