Thank you, Jacqui, and good afternoon, everyone.
I hope exams are going well as we come to the end of a very eventful semester. With Commencement only four days away, I look forward to seeing many faculty on Friday as we celebrate the perseverance our graduating students have shown throughout their academic careers. Many began their time here during a global pandemic and ended it shortly after enduring one of the worst natural disasters in our history. Thank you for supporting and mentoring this uniquely challenged class, even as you were navigating your own.
Today’s remarks will be brief as I have two key updates I want to highlight: on faculty merit raises and student retention.
In her Nov. 22nd newsletter, Chancellor Norris noted that since the summer, we have been working to provide merit-based raises to faculty. This fall, we have designated $1 million to provide merit raises to full-time faculty of up to 3% of base salaries, retroactive to July 2024. I have been working with the deans and department chairs to build and implement a raise process. As the Chancellor indicated, the goal is to complete this process and provide these raises by the March payroll.
I will continue to provide updates in future meetings, and while I don’t expect we will have to make any adjustments to this timeline, I will be sure to keep you updated as we work toward this important step in recognizing the contributions of our faculty.
Last month, I reported our post-census withdrawal numbers and our point-in-time enrollment for Spring.
This year’s withdrawal numbers were lower than fall 2023 withdrawals, thanks to your dedication and commitment to ensuring our students stay on track.
Our point-in-time enrollment for Spring, however, remains behind last year’s numbers. It’s possible that students may be delaying their registration because of personal recovery efforts. So, as we finish this semester, faculty advisors and others in Academic Affairs are continuing to reach out to those students who haven’t registered to check in with them, emphasize the importance of registering for classes next semester, and see what we can do to help them. We will continue these efforts, as well as other strategies to bolster retention as we move into the new calendar year.
With a well-deserved holiday break just days away, I wish for you the opportunity to rest, recharge and reconnect. When we return, a new semester, a new year and new classes will offer more opportunities to engage with our colleagues and students; explore new ideas, creativity and innovation in our scholarship; and work collaboratively to meet the challenges before us.
I look forward to seeing you all on Friday at Commencement, and to continuing our work together.
Thank you — this concludes my remarks.