Thank you, Chairman Sidlik. Good afternoon, everyone.

The University witnessed a historical milestone when the Board of Regents voted unanimously May 14 to name Dr. Susan Martin as the next University president.  There have been uniformly positive responses from campus constituents and eager anticipation for her official arrival on July 7.  President Martin has already been involved in several University activities.

Approximately 1,900 students participated in EMU’s spring commencement ceremonies
April 27.  Alumnus Michael Morris, chairman, president and CEO of American Electric Power Company and former member of the EMU Board of Regents, was the commencement speaker for both ceremonies.  In addition, the University was the beneficiary of a $500,000 gift from the American Electric Power Foundation to help meet the $1M Kresge Challenge Grant and fund an endowment for the maintenance of laboratory equipment purchased for EMU’s science programs.

In February and April, I had the opportunity to testify before the Senate and House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittees.  In addition to appealing to the State to continue to invest in education, the presentation emphasized the University’s contributions to our community and the state through economic development activities, academic programs, faculty research and creative activities, and student involvement.

There are four other areas that I would like to update today:  safety and security, academic excellence, student achievement, and outreach and engagement.

Safety and Security

EMU’s first Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, began training twenty employees on June 11.  The employees, representing all areas of the University, are being trained to serve as first responders should an emergency occur on campus.  Future training programs are scheduled for the fall semester.

Academic Excellence

Dr. Hedeel Evans, associate professor of chemistry, has been awarded a Fulbright Research Award to work with the head of the department of cell biology at the Institute Curie in Paris.  Dr. Evans will be studying the role that CAD, a multi-functional protein, plays in cell division.  Her work may lead to a better understanding of cancer and have implications for improved methodologies.

Dr. Ted Ligibel, director of EMU’s Historic Preservation program in the department of geography and geology, has received $20,905 from the National Park Service to research and document the boundaries of the Raisin River Battlefield.  The project covers the routes taken by American and British armies and allies during the War of 1812.

The Linguist List, a unit within EMU’s Institute for Information and Technology, recently raised its target amount of $60,000 from subscribers and sponsors to support graduate assistantships.  The linguist program also won a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for its Lexicon Enhancement via the GOLD Ontology program or LEGO.  The project involves making 16 lexicons of endangered languages interoperable and searchable through a single software interface.

The National Association for Children of Alcoholics honored Dr. Pamela Lemerand, assistant professor of occupational therapy, for her innovative treatment program that addresses the mental health needs of primary and middle school children of alcoholics.

The Herrick Foundation has awarded $158,000 to the College of Health and Human Services for phase I of a community project that focuses on autism.  The project is headed by Pamela Lemerand (School of Health Sciences).  The Autism Collaborative Center is a community-based initiative developed through a partnership between Eastern Michigan University and St. Joseph Mercy Health System.  The program will provide treatment, outpatient services and support systems for persons with autism and their families.  The interdisciplinary project will include nursing, social work, health sciences, special education, psychology, speech and language pathology, and potentially construction management and interior design.

The 2007 winners of the Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Awards were announced at the 31st Faculty Awards Ceremony on March 26.  Each winner was given a plaque and a $3,500 award.  The award winners in the various categories were: Teaching I - Deanna Mihaly (Foreign Languages & Bilingual Studies), Teaching II - Megan Endres (Management), Research I - Kyung Hee Kim (Teacher Ed), Research II - John Texter (Engineering Technology), Creative Activity - Beili Liu (Art), Service to the University - Richard Stahler-Sholk (Political Science), and Kathleen Stacey (Communication and Theater Arts).  Dr. Duane Castanier (Teacher Education) won the Lecturer's Outstanding Teaching Award.  Dr. Castanier has taught Reading and Social Foundations courses as a full-time lecturer at EMU for the past eight years.

The first-ever Faculty Colloquium took place March 26 in the Student Center.  Faculty and lecturers presented their research, and creative and scholarly activity, and served as role models for undergraduate and graduate students who attended the Colloquium.  Ten faculty members gave oral presentations and four displayed posters.

Student Achievement

A team of School of Engineering Technology students, under the direction of Dr. Harvey Lyons, has designed a special therapy walker for use by patients at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System Medical Center.  The walker can be easily folder and carried.  It also can hold an oxygen tank, an IV holder and a blood oxygen pulse monitor mount.  Technicians at the VA will now construct a prototype for testing on patients.

The Eastern Echo has won two national awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia University.  Cartoon editor Brandon Neel won a certificate of merit for editorial cartoons, and former Echo ad designer Kari McLeod won second place for color multi-page ad design.

EMU’s nationally-known forensics team kept its winning streak alive as the only team to place in the top 10 nationally for 38 consecutive years and had a least one student participate in the championship final round.

Students from the Office of Nutrition Services have been working with Executive Chef Tom Murray and his staff to explore ways to improve healthy eating and nutrition in the dining halls.   

The College of Education Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi, has won the international Chapter Award for Professional Development and the Kappa Delta Pi Foundation’s Chapter Award for Commitment to Philanthropy.

EMU athletics captured the Reese Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top overall men’s athletic program in the Mid-American Conference.  EMU also followed up last year’s eight MAC championships with four league regular-season titles in men’s golf, men’s cross country, men’s indoor track, and men’s swimming, and one MAC tournament crown in baseball in 2007-08.   The women’s program also turned in a fifth-place finish in the battle for the Jacoby Trophy.   This is the best overall men’s and women’s combined finish in athletics since 1990-91.   The success of these student athletes doesn’t occur without tremendous guidance from their coaches.   Six EMU head coaches were named MAC Coach of the Year.  They are Jake Boss, baseball; John Goodridge, cross country; Peter Linn, swimming; Bruce Cunningham, golf; Brad Fairchild, indoor track; and Loren Smith, diving.

Eastern Michigan University's Model UN team garnered six awards at the Midwest Model United Nations Conference in St. Louis.  Model UN students learn about international organizations, current world issues, conflict resolution, negotiation skills, comparative foreign policy, the United Nations and effective persuasive speaking and communication.

Outreach and Engagement

EMU Day in Lansing also took place May 14 and attracted 55 participants, including 13 faculty members and 15 alumni.  Appointments were made with 46 strategically important lawmakers to discuss policy and budget concerns.  Three primary issues were the Pray-Harrold renovation, the proposed increase in appropriations to higher education, and the start-up funding necessary to launch EMU’s new Ph.D. program in nursing education.

The College of Education is preparing for the Second Annual Educational Summit entitled “Nurturing Our Future as African American Women in Michigan,” scheduled September 26.  The first conference, “The State of African American Males in Michigan: A Courageous Conversation,” resulted in a scholarly edited manuscript, which is being published by Michigan State University Press.

EMU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is waving some new flags and helping visitors and first-time students find their way around more easily at the same time.  In an effort to improve branding and building signage identification, EMU has placed 354 full-color vinyl banners on light posts through main campus and along several main city streets.  Banners identify buildings in easy-to-read white letters and include large color photographs of the building and the EMU logo and tagline, “Education First.”  Around the Convocation Center, there is one banner dedicated to each of the 21 sports at EMU with the name of the sport and color photos of student-athletes.

EMU’s Counseling Clinic in the College of Education is offering free short-term counseling services to veterans and civilian support staff who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Advanced graduate students provide the counseling with supervision from experienced faculty who are licensed professional counselors and psychologists.  Services include counseling to help veterans and support staff return to civilian life, obtain career counseling and assessments, handle adjustment to the workplace, and cope with depression and anxiety.

Finally, Eastern Michigan University was named to the second annual President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  The national award recognizes students, faculty, staff and alumni for helping to build a culture of service and civic engagement in our nation.

In conclusion, this is my last report to the Board of Regents while sitting in this chair during this transition period.   It has been a privilege and honor.  I’d like to thank members of the Board for your support.   In addition, I’d like to thank the many EMU faculty, staff, and administrators who have worked tirelessly to serve our students and move the institution forward.  It is the people of this institution that give me optimism and confidence about the University’s future, and I am grateful to all of you for all that you do.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my remarks.  Thank you.