On Tuesday, May 6, at 1:30 p.m. in the SUB Ballroom, President Gamble delivered a State of the Campus address to the campus and public communities. The address preceded a University Planning and Budget Analysis Committee open forum. Below is an outline of the president's comments.

Welcome. Glad to have you all here.

I. We are very proud of this university and all the accomplishments of the past year. All of you in this room and across campus have contributed greatly.

1. Of particular note are those who have participated in Shared Governance and effectively articulated concerns and issues for their constituencies.
   1. Rich Howard - Faculty Council
   2. Leslie Schmidt - Professional Council
   3. Rich Stafford - CEPAC
   4. Trevor Blyth - ASMSU
      
      
2. Admissions and New Student Services started the year off with a bang.
   1. Fall 2002 Enrollment growth of resident (7%) and non-resident (35%) freshman. Overall Freshman class had a 12% increase.
   2. High quality freshman class had an average HS GPA of 3.3
      
      
3. Strong commitment by faculty and staff to support student success.
   1. When Web-Banner went down at fall registration, staff across campus helped hundreds of students register for classes in various department offices. Many faculty added sections or raised caps
   2. Employees from janitors to department heads and Bozeman community members helped with Move-In Day, Catapalooza and other events to welcome students to campus.
   3. In March, Sara Young, Director of the American Indian Research Opportunities program, was honored for her dedication to students with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) given by the National Science Foundation to only ten educators (K-12 to Graduate Student) nationwide.
   4. John Christopher, associate professor of counseling, was honored by the American Psychological Association with the 2003 Sigmund Koch Early Career Award. This honor is given to only one scholar nationwide for outstanding work in Theoretical Psychology.
   5. Bonita Peterson, associate professor of accounting, is the 2003 recipient of the Montana Society of CPA's Jack J. Kempner Outstanding Educator Award. Bonita was recognized for excellence in teaching, leadership in curriculum development and significant contribution to the accounting profession.
   6. Associate Professor Daniel Glenn was the recipient of three Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture awards for his work in designing the campus plan for Little Big Horn College and developing a four-part strategy toward Native American awareness, recruitment and retention in the School of Architecture.
   7. Clarann Weinert, nursing professor, won the Anna M. Shannon Mentorship Award given by the Western Institute of Nursing for her efforts to support and promote the professional growth of nurses in the West.
      
      
4. It comes as no surprise that our students have been extraordinarily successful as well.
   1. Katie Conner of Great Falls, a junior majoring in English literature, was selected as one of 76 students nationwide to receive a Truman Scholarship, one of the country's most highly esteemed undergraduate awards. Katie credits her instructors in saying, "The education here has been so personal, challenging and evolving. The professors at MSU are phenomenal."
   2. Bonnie Kirkpatrick, a computer science major from Dillon, received the coveted Goldwater Scholarship for her work in using computers to model proteins and predict protein structures. Bonnie is the 41st MSU student to win this scholarship given for excellence in science and math. MSU ranks in the top ten institutions in the country for the number of Goldwater Scholars.
   3. Chad Diehl, a history major and Michelle Yearous, a German Language and Studies major with a minor in international business, each received prestigious Fulbright Fellowships for a year of advanced academic study abroad.
   4. Ryan Johnson, MSU's all time leading rusher and arguably the most decorated Bobcat ever, graduated in December with a 3.99 GPA in Physical Therapy. In January, Ryan received the NCAA Today Top VIII Award given to only eight student-athletes from all collegiate divisions in all sports in the nation for excellence in academics, achievement in athletics and strong character and leadership.
   5. Athletic successes were many:
      1. Big Sky Champions in Men's Cross Country Track, Football (yes we beat the Grizzlies) and Women's Basketball
      2. Cumulative GPA of all student athletes for Fall semester was 3.13
      3. Last Fall, MSU was the only Division 1 school in the nation (includes Notre Dame, UCLA etc.) to have two first team Academic All-American Football players -- Ryan Johnson and Jon Montoya.
         
         
5. Many Academic and outreach accomplishments in the past year as well. Some are in direct response to the needs of the state of Montana. I'd like to mention a couple of these -- keeping in mind that there are many other examples just as worthy.
   1. College of Nursing introduced two new initiatives designed to increase the number of health care providers in rural areas
      1. Rural North Central Montana Initiative - General education and some first year nursing courses are now offered to 20 place-bound students in Shelby who want to be nurses. This solid partnership in which Bozeman works with MSU-Northern, MSU-Great Falls COT, and health care providers in a six county region in rural North Central Montana.
      2. Kalispell Initiative allows MSU to offer the entire nursing program in Kalispell to place-bound students from the Flathead Valley. Students will complete associate degree at FVCC, including four sophomore level nursing courses. Clinical level instruction will be delivered by MSU Nursing faculty from Missoula.
   2. College of Education, Health and Human Development introduced two new programs to help address the critical need for teachers in rural areas
      1. Northern Plains Transition to Teaching: Provides compact, rigorous and diverse training to individuals choosing to move into teaching from other professions. This program focuses on those seeking to teach math, science, music or special needs.
      2. E-Mentoring for Student Success: Utilizing $3 million in National Science Foundation funding from 2002-2007: Provides mentoring for beginning teachers in 90 rural, reservation and urban districts in the state. Research indicates that mentoring is a key factor in the retention of beginning teachers.
   3. New Academic Initiatives
      1. PhD in Earth Sciences
      2. Undergraduate minor in Global Studies
      3. Graduate Program Certificate in Complex Biological Systems
   4. Ag Experiment Stations
      1. New research on products ranging from bio-diesel fuels and heart-healthy cooking oils to plant-based horse care products and gluten-free flour
      2. Researchers are studying risks and prevention strategies of West Nile Disease and other mosquito borne diseases.
   5. Extension Service
      1. Native TRACS - "Tracking Risks of Asthma through our Communities Kids" Grant through HUD for $326,000 to work with Montana's seven reservations to teach kids and families about controlling asthma. Native American children suffer from asthma at a rate almost twice that of the general US population.
      2. Lewis and Clark After School and Summer Program - Partnership with Glasgow and Frazer school districts and other community groups -- uses a $690,000 federal grant from the US Department of Education to provide an after school development program for kids to learn about the cultural heritage of their community.
         
         
6. Research and Development on campus is thriving
   1. Projected expenditures for this year are $80 million - up 20% from last year's record
   2. The results include increased opportunities for undergraduates, newly renovated labs, and equipment upgrades.

II. All the successes from the last year will help us to meet the challenges that we will face in the next year.

1. The 2003 Legislature had the very difficult assignment of putting together a budget for the next biennium. Appreciate the efforts of all legislators who worked so hard to best serve our state and respond to priority needs of Montanans. Results for MUS -- at executive budget level for MUS as a whole and our agencies. Campus budgets slightly below ($500K) and student assistance above. Leaves us as a system $40 million below Present Law.
   1. Nearly all of the states in the nation are facing budget deficits.
   2. As a result, many universities are seeking revenue from sources other than state funding.
      
      
2. MSU, and many other universities, will raise tuition. Necessary to ensure that students who make the commitment to come to MSU, will receive the high quality education they expect.
   
   
3. We will increase fundraising efforts to protect access
   1. Took a big step toward protecting access by initiating MSU's largest ever fund drive for scholarships. The "Putting Students First" Scholarship campaign has a goal of raising $18 million for scholarships. Over $10 million has already been raised.
   2. MSU has been successful in obtaining major donations for specific colleges and departments and will continue to look for private donations
   3. Klein and Karen Gilhousen - $5 million to the College of Engineering's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. ($1 million each year from 2001 through 2006)
   4. Gary K. Bracken Endowment for Excellence in Undergraduate Business Education - $3 million from friends and family of Gary K. Bracken.
   5. We are grateful for the generosity of these and the many other donors who are contributing to Montana State University. We will continue to solicit outside monies to protect the quality and affordability of education that our students deserve.
      
      
4. Continuing to focus on recruitment of quality resident and non-resident students. We are encouraged by applications for Fall 2003. Resident Freshman applications are strong and pretty even with last year, while non-resident applications are up considerably.

III. In closing, MSU has a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to. We will face the next year with continued emphasis on supporting student success and fundraising. I would like to thank you all for coming and for your continued dedication to Montana State University. I would also like to give a special thanks to the University Planning, Budget and Analysis Committee. This group has put in countless hours to develop a budget proposal for 2004. We are grateful to them for their expertise and thoughtfulness in working through this process. That said, I'd like to introduce Provost Dave Dooley, chairman of UPBAC.