KU PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
F. Javier Cevallos
December 2010

Dear Kutztown University Community,

            As the 2010 fall semester comes to a close and the holidays approach, we have many reasons for joy and celebration.

            One of the biggest events to celebrate at KU is winter graduation.  The commencement ceremony will be held this Saturday, December 18 at 9 a.m. at Keystone Field House, and more than 600 undergraduate and graduate students will celebrate their achievement.  I hope you will join me in congratulating our graduates.  It will certainly be a special day.

Faculty Recognition & Achievement Ceremony
            On Wednesday, December 8, we conducted the annual Faculty Recognition & Achievement Ceremony.  As usual, it was a great event and was a true testament to the outstanding faculty we have at KU. 
           
The highlights of the event were the Chambliss Faculty Research Awards presented to Matthew Daub, Department of Fine Arts, and Dr. Patricia Kelleher, Department of History,as well as the John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning to Dean Ballas, Department of Communication Design.
           
 In addition, the event featured the recognition of KU faculty receiving tenure and promotion.  My congratulations to all of our honorees.

Fall Sports Memories
           
What an ending for Golden Bear football and fall sports teams in general.  They gave us one of the most memorable athletic seasons in school history. 
           
We were privileged to host our first-ever NCAA football playoff game.  Despite being held on Thanksgiving weekend, the stadium was packed with fans who saw another great effort by our team.  Shepherd, which went on to win the region, escaped with a 41-34 win, ending our season with a 10-2 record.  The game and overall success of the team created outstanding attention for our university.  Congratulations to head coach Raymond Monica, who was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division and American Football Coaches Association Super Region One Coach of the Year, and tothe entire team. 
           
Also, kudos to our women’s cross country team, which finished a best-ever 13th in the nation, and to women’s soccer and volleyball for advancing to post season.

Institutional Effectiveness
We have been working hard on a plan for the assessment of institutional effectiveness. Our Implementation Team for Institutional Effectiveness serves as an advisory committee to Cabinet and is headed by Dr. Carole Wells, vice provost, and Gil Clary, director of assessment.  The committee includes representatives from each of our five divisions and my office.  The primary role of the committee is to coordinate and facilitate assessment efforts taking place within programs and divisions across the university. 
           
The committee has developed an evaluation instrument that is being completed for the current year by the various division heads, and is working on improving measurement tools for non-instructional units.  This plan is vitally important for our Middle States continued accreditation and to our overall improvement efforts.  Thanks to everyone on the committee for their commitment to this endeavor.

KU Online Winter Session
We are excited to be conducting an online winter session for the first time.  The session will run from December 18 until January 11.  We are offering 29 courses in various disciplines.  As of today we have 416 students reserving 477 seats.  I want to thank all of the faculty and the Provost’s Office for making this a success.

Cyber Bullying
In recent months, the topic of cyber bullying has received a great deal of attention in the news.  Our campus is certainly not immune to bullying and harassment, and we need to be vigilant in our prevention efforts.
           
Kutztown University will not tolerate harassment of any kind --- whether it is in person, over the phone or online.  We have policies in place that reflect this and represent the standards our campus community truly values.  These policies can be found on our Social Equity website.  The student handbook, The Key, also addresses harassment under its student conduct and regulations sections.  In addition, our Department of Information Technology specifies proper usage of the university’s computer network and computers under its acceptable use policy.
           
Any member of the campus community who feels he/she has been harassed is strongly encouraged to report the incident.  Students should report such incidents to any academic department chair or dean, any member of the Student Services and Campus Life staff, or directly to the Department of Public Safety and Police Services.  Employees should report any incidents to their supervisor and/or the Human Resources or Social Equity offices.
           
As members of the Kutztown University community, we have vital roles in maintaining a welcoming environment, which includes respect for every member of our community.  Let us all commit ourselves to eliminating harassment in all forms and ensuring a safe living, learning and working environment for our students, faculty and staff.
           
In closing, I want to thank you for your support and hard work during the past year.  As we prepare for finals week and the holiday break, I hope you will enjoy this time of reflection and celebration close to family and friends.  I look forward to working with you again in 2011.

Happy Holidays,  

F. Javier Cevallos
President