Now that Founders Week is past, much of the snow has melted and spring break is just around the corner, there are some things to share with you.

I begin with a note of appreciation for your participation in the Founders Week events. I was gratified by the response to my Convocation address, deeply moved by the "Women in Ministry to the Poor" celebration, and impressed by the women and men honored in various events across campus.

CONGRATULATIONS to the School of Medicine for its recent accreditation for an eight year term by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education!

ENROLLMENT
Enrollment for the spring semester is 4.6% ahead of last spring. Solid retention, increased mid-term transfers, and a larger freshman class contributed to this growth. On the Admissions scene for August 2004, we are on target for enrolling 950 first time freshmen (a 1.5% increase over last year). Deposits, as of March 1, are running 24.6% ahead of last year to date. Admitted students are 6.4% higher than 2003. We have started a "wait list" for the first time ever. I am happy to report that the quality of the entire pool - accepted and deposited students - is higher than any recent year! Thanks to all of you who assist our Admissions team in this effort.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
At the March 1 Board of Directors' meeting two new members were welcomed: Mr. Ike Evans, President and CEO of Union Pacific Railroad and Mr. Dan Neary, newly appointed President of Mutual of Omaha. At the same meeting, Mr. Dan Burkey noted we have expended some $200,000 in excess of budget on snow removal, nonetheless, he forecasted a positive end of year budget due mainly to the improved enrollment picture.

FINANCES
The Board also approved a tuition differential reflective of school/college needs, with a 3% increase for the Medical School, 5% for the Law School and 6% for all other units. The financial aid pool will be adjusted accordingly.

A salary merit pool of 3.25% was approved for faculty and staff. At the same time, we will continue with the faculty adjustment strategy initiated in Arts and Sciences last year as well as addressing needs in Dentistry and continuing the staff adjustment program initiated several years ago.

To date the 2004-05 budget is projected to be balanced. Contained in that budget are new program and staff positions, security enhancements, support of technology infrastructure, an increased operating reserve, as well as the staff and faculty salary adjustment programs mentioned earlier and increases associated with employee benefits.

CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION
On the construction scene, the student town house project is progressing nicely. The buildings are nearly closed in and the brickwork is going well. The design of this project has been positively reviewed for the quality and aesthetics of the buildings. The town homes will be finished in mid-summer and ready for occupancy in August.

Finally, as reported in The Creightonian, the summer will see a lot of activity on the construction and deferred maintenance front.

• In late spring, the Board Room in the Administration Building will be renovated and brought into the technical age, transforming it into a "smart" room. Upon completion of the renovation, the Board Room will be used on a "restricted" basis with new guidelines and restrictions for scheduled uses.
• In June, the roof of the Mutual of Omaha Ballroom in the Skutt Student Center will be resealed. This project will entail the digging up of part of the Kiewit Center lawn and prevent significant landscaping until after the project is completed.
• Because of the disruption of the Student Center entrance and lawn, it was determined that the time has come for a reconstruction of the mall. The first phase of this project will go from the St. John fountain plaza to Kiewit Hall. Primary funding for this project will come from unrestricted reserves and campaign gifts.
• At the same time the Skutt Center is expected to undergo a renovation and reconfiguration. This project will be funded primarily by Sodexo.
• Work is also expected to continue through the summer and early fall on the stadium portion of the soccer site, with a completion date of fall 2004.
• Just this week the City Council approved Creighton’s redevelopment plan for work on Cuming Street, Burt Street, 30th Street and the North Freeway entrance ramp currently located on Burt. This project will result in dramatic improvements in traffic movement in and around campus, improve the safety of pedestrians and motorists and facilitate progress on the Campus Master Plan. More to come later!

Just thinking about all of this activity suggests a month long vacation AWAY from campus might be a good idea for this summer!

Finally, I am pleased to announce the first UNIVERSITY-WIDE JOINT ACADEMIC FORUM hosted by the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs and Health Sciences. As announced in my Convocation address in February, this initiative is intended to bring together faculty from all divisions within the University for the purpose of sharing academic interests and research agenda. The following notice provides the specifics for this unique academic gathering. I encourage our faculty to participate in what I believe will be a most meaningful and productive exercise in academic collegiality. Enjoy the coming of spring!

The Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Health Sciences take great pride in announcing the FIRST Joint Academic Forum:

When: Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Where: Creighton Law School Commons
(parking available immediately east of the Law School)
Time: 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Who: All interested faculty
What: Beverages and full complement of hors d’oeuvres
Followed by roundtable discussions with faculty colleagues

NOTE
Tables will be arranged not by discipline, but by topic, in order to generate collaborative interest and discussion among all faculty. For this purpose, interested faculty are asked to suggest topics for discussion. The following topics have been suggested (to name but a few): Patriot Act, terrorism, campus privacy, environmental health, neighborhood service, creative writing among health professionals. Please submit YOUR suggestions to christine.wiseman@creighton.edu. If you are willing to serve as a discussion leader, please note that as well. This is a terrific opportunity; we look forward to joining our many talented faculty.

John P. Schlegel, S.J.
President