Reflections on a Season of Giving

As we rush toward winter break each year, I like to take a few moments to reflect on the many highlights of the fall semester and anticipate the holiday season.

For Robbie and me and our institution’s many donors and friends, a high point of the semester was the series of events to kick off the public phase of It’s Personal: The Campaign for Bloomsburg University.

Over the course of 10 days in October, we joined with members of the campus community for a rally on the Quad and celebrated at launch events here and in Philadelphia.

The gifts we have received and continue to receive as we head toward our $50 million goal will enhance our students’ experiences today and in the future. To all who have a personal connection with our outstanding university, I say “thank you."

Another fall highlight occurred very late in the semester when we welcomed our new director of external and government relations, Dan Knorr ’07. Most recently, Dan was the Borough of Danville’s administrator of government affairs, but many will remember him from his term as mayor of Bloomsburg.

In his new position, Dan is monitoring legislation and public policy, seeking opportunities for state and federal funding and economic development, and building relationships. He fills a vacancy created by Jim Hollister’s retirement.

Then there is the highlight still to come for all of us: gathering with family and friends at this special time of year for rest, relaxation and renewal. Robbie and I wish you peace and happiness during this festive season and in the year ahead.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

We are well on our way

I have been traveling over the past few weeks – to Austin, Los Angeles and, most recently, to Philadelphia.

One week, I was away from campus to attend the annual meeting of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Austin. I serve on the AASCU board and was just appointed to the executive committee. I ended that trip in Los A
ngeles, where I spent a long weekend with my mom, who turns 94 this week.

This weekend I attended the annual fall meeting of the Pennsylvania Council of Trustees (PACT) at the State System Center City campus in Philadelphia. Bloomsburg will begin offering degree programs in this centrally located facility with state-of-the-art classrooms in summer 2016.

Back on campus and in Philadelphia, we marked a major accomplishment for Bloomsburg University, the launch of the public phase of It’s Personal: The Campaign for Bloomsburg University.

Events were held on the Quad, in a beautifully transformed Nelson Field House, and at the Benjamin Franklin Institute to celebrate our great university and the milestone of raising more than $37 million of our $50 million goal. Over 400 donors and friends of Bloomsburg University enjoyed outstanding and meaningful performances by our Concert Choir and a group of current students and alumni from our theater program.

We are well on our way to meeting our $50 million goal to support our students through academic and athletic scholarships, to recruit and retain our great teacher-scholar faculty, to provide experiential and career-focused learning experience through Professional U, and to take advantage of emerging opportunities to enhance our university, such as the Greenly Center.

This week I look forward to meeting with the CGA Senate and having dinner with the CGA Executive Committee at Buckalew.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

It's Homecoming Week!

Much of my time last week was focused on the quarterly Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors meeting at the Dixon Center in Harrisburg. Although Bloomsburg University had no programs on the agenda, our proposal for the renovation of the McCormick Center was included in the five-year capital budget request.

The Board of Governors approved per-credit tuition pilot programs for Shippensburg and Mansfield, who will join Bloomsburg, Indiana and Millersville universities in various per-credit tuition plans in 2016-17. The board also asked the governor and General Assembly to invest $521.2 million in the State System universities in 2016-17 to make up for some of the decreases in funding over the past five years.

This week is a very exciting and meaningful time for Bloomsburg University.

It is Homecoming Week with all of the associated celebrations and activities, including:

• the king and queen contest
• parade with legendary football coach, Danny Hale, as grand marshal
• Alumni Association Tent Party
• 50-year reunion for the Class of 1965
• and home athletic competitions for most of our fall sports teams

The Zeigler Institute for Professional Development’s business conference will again coincide with homecoming, the College of Science and Technology is hosting Career Day, and mass communications alumni will return to campus for a roundtable discussion.

These and similar events throughout the year in all four colleges share the goal of bringing successful alumni and friends to campus to present career advice and network with students.

Most exciting and unique of all events this week will be the announcement of the public phase of It’s Personal: The Campaign for Bloomsburg to the campus community on Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. on the Academic Quad.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

A renewal of our public higher education mission

The well-attended inauguration of Jody Harpster, the 16th president of Shippensburg University, was a highlight of last week for me. These celebrations of the academy are a wonderful mixture of the present and the past, along with a renewal of our mission in public higher education.

I also enjoyed meeting with about 25 students, nearly equal numbers of freshmen and continuing students, who attended my first fireside chat of the fall semester with the Presidential Leadership Program (PLP). We had an interesting discussion of each student’s best and most challenging experience during the fall semester or, for the returning students, during their time at Bloomsburg.

They told me most of their best experiences came from interactions with dedicated faculty members, followed by opportunities to become involved in many clubs and organizations. Many continuing students said their best experiences have grown from the ability to make strong lasting friendships, often with other PLP students. The challenges include homesickness, too many one-day-a-week night classes, and parking.

At last week’s retreat at Bald Eagle State Park, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Executive Committee reviewed a draft policy on background checks for all team sports officials. The commissioner and our PSAC attorney developed the policy, which is based on the State System policy, and the president will vote electronically this week to approve the slightly edited policy. The goal is to have all officials complete the background check before officiating winter sports. I serve as chair of the board, which is composed of the presidents of the 18 universities in the conference.

Much of my effort this week will be focused on the quarterly State System Board of Governors meeting to be held at the Dixon Center in Harrisburg on Wednesday and Thursday. I am also looking forward to the annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet and induction on Friday evening and the retirement dinner for Dr. Irv Wright on Saturday evening. Robbie and I also look forward to attending Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello as part of our Celebrity Artist Series on Sunday.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

A pleasant and productive summer

Summer 2015 was pleasant and productive for Bloomsburg University and for me as president. Significant university accomplishments included:

• three successful summer sessions with enrollment equal to summer 2014
• the arrival of Dr. Robert Aronstam, dean of the College of Science and Technology, and Dr. Jeffery Krug, dean of the College of Business
• completion of the first Bloomsburg University Action Plan, which I presented to the State System Board of Governors
• successful projects completed by six undergraduates under the guidance of faculty mentors and support of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (URSCA) grants
• and the State System Board of Governors’ approval of a new major in Supply Chain Management

The summer’s personal highlight for Robbie and me was spending a week with all three of our children and all seven grandchildren at our home in a beautiful canyon in northcentral Washington.

Unfortunately, the fall semester did not begin as smoothly for me. I was involved in a significant vehicle accident, caused by severe anaphylactic shock in response to multiple yellow jacket stings. Luckily, no one was injured, including me.

However, I spent the weekend in Geisinger Medical Center in Danville due to the severity of the anaphylactic shock. I am now completely back to full health.

In addition to my day-to-day activities on campus, the fall semester started with meetings with special groups and other opportunities to represent our university. These included:

• hosting new and continuing members of the Presidential Leadership Program (PLP) at Buckalew
• meeting with students during the third annual Meet the President Day on the Academic Quad, sponsored by CGA
• focusing on enrollment management and the university budget in these trying fiscal times during the fall retreat and meeting of the Council of Trustees
• participating in insider campaign training for our It’s Personal comprehensive capital campaign
• taking part in a presidents’ breakfast meeting and town hall meeting in Harrisburg on proposed changes in the Middle States Accreditation Process
• and representing Bloomsburg on a panel with five other university presidents on Small Schools, Big Medicine: Working Together and Opportunities for Collaboration as part of Geisinger’s Centennial Celebration conference on A Century of Transformation and Innovation

During the coming week I will host the fall retreat for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Board of Directors at Bald Eagle State Park with Steve Murray, commissioner. I serve as chair of the board, which is composed of the presidents of the 18 universities in the conference.

Also this week, Robbie and I will host a reception for the recently tenured and promoted faculty at Buckalew, I will hold my first “Fireside Chat” with the new and continuing members of the Presidential Leadership Program and, on Friday, I will participate in the inauguration of Dr. G.F. “Jody” Harpster as Shippensburg University’s 16th president.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

Welcome back Huskies!

It's good to have everyone back on campus. We are beginning a new academic year with exciting new programs, but also many challenges.

Our enrollment is slightly down again, in spite of our increased focus on recruitment and retention. We know the pool of prospective students is smaller, but we believe that is not the entire picture. So, we have joined the Student Success Collaborative, a new advising platform, to help us learn about roadblocks to scheduling and patterns contributing to high attrition rates in some programs.

Most important, the SSC will help us to better serve and support all of our students.

Decreased enrollment affects our budget. We expect a gap of approximately $5 million dollars between revenue and expenditures for the 2015 - 2016 academic year. The 3.5 percent increase in tuition helps narrow the gap. We continue to make sure every expenditure aligns with our mission to provide a high-quality, affordable education for our students.

One way we align our mission with the needs of the commonwealth is by introducing new high-demand programs. We now have a major in Supply Chain Management and minors in Aging Studies and Gerontology, and Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems.

We received approval for the College of Education’s undergraduate Online Instruction Program Endorsement, the first in the state. These exemplify the progressive thinking of our faculty and their dedication to our students.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

Celebrating achievement, community involvement

Last week was very busy, yet exciting and uplifting, as I participated in many end-of-the-academic-year celebrations of student achievement and community involvement. The week’s events culminated with Alumni Weekend and the annual Alumni Awards Dinner on Saturday, where we honored eight graduates for significant contributions to their professions or the university.

The celebration continues this week, starting with Sunday’s annual Scholarship Luncheon. Dozens of our best students had the opportunity to personally meet and thank the benefactors who provided their scholarships. It is a wonderful event where alumni and friends of BU can see firsthand how their scholarships make it possible for our students to pursue degrees that lead to professional and personal success.

There are so many opportunities to congratulate and celebrate with our high-achieving students that Provost Ira Blake and I coordinate our schedules to ensure at least one of us attends each event.

 After all, student achievement is at the heart of all we do, and neither of us wants to miss the chance to applaud our successful students.

This week, I will participate in the following:

• Board of Governors Scholars Dinner for Seniors
• Dinner at Buckalew Place with outgoing and new members of the CGA Executive Committee
• Scholar-Athlete Luncheon
• Husky Awards Ceremony
• Presidential Leadership Program End-of-the-Year Banquet
• TRiO Upward Bound Summer Academy Orientation
• Spring Open House for High School Juniors
• College of Education Awards Ceremony
• College of Liberal Arts Awards Ceremony

And next week, after finals are completed, we will continue to celebrate with graduate commencement Friday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, and undergraduate commencement Saturday, May 9, at 8:30 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m. on the Academic Quad.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

Advocacy Day at the Capitol

I was off campus for part of the past two weeks due to the death of my father-in-law. George Hauk had a great life of 93 years. A Pearl Harbor survivor, he spent the rest of World War II on a destroyer in the South Pacific after recovering from flash burns and shrapnel wounds. He was an engineer for the phone company in Southern California and had one child, Robbie, my wonderful wife and partner for almost 40 years.

After returning to the area, I spent most of last week in Harrisburg. Wednesday was Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Advocacy Day at the Capitol. Our group, which included six students and three alumni, visited 16 legislators or staffers in their offices and many others informally.

Chancellor Frank Brogan, a Slippery Rock student and I participated in a press conference in the lower rotunda to announce the results of the State System economic impact study. The study highlights the tremendous economic impact each of our 14 universities has on its region, as well as the State System’s overall impact on the economy of the commonwealth.

On Thursday and Friday I participated in the semi-annual conference of the Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees. This meeting is a valuable opportunity for our Trustees to interact with their colleagues, presidents from the other State System universities, the chancellor, the State System staff and national experts on higher education policies, purposes and innovations.

The week culminated with the dedication of Steph Pettit Stadium and our first All-Athletic Alumni Day, including the spring maroon and gold football game, doubleheaders in softball and baseball and a lacrosse game. Springfest, the university’s alternative to Block Party, was well attended on the upper campus.

This week begins my favorite time of the academic year as we celebrate student achievement leading up to our commencements on May 8 and 9. Some of this week’s events and activities include:

• Phi Kappa Phi, the national all-disciplines honor society, which initiated its largest undergraduate cohort on Sunday
• Honors student scholarly presentations, which continue all week
• College of Science and Technology Spring Honors Symposium
• Community Government Association end-of-the year banquet
• Provost’s award dinner
• Health Science Symposium

Alumni Weekend completes the week, with the Alumni Awards reception and dinner on Saturday and the annual scholarship luncheon on Sunday.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

Open letter to Bloomsburg University community

Dear students,

As spring semester nears its end, many Bloomsburg University students and outsiders will take part in the annual event known as Block Party.

Although this is not a university-sanctioned event, most Huskies engage in this informal social event safely and peacefully. However, each year visitors and a small number of students engage in destructive behavior, disregard the safety of themselves and others and damage property.

Many also post inappropriate photos on social media pages. In doing so, they embarrass themselves and our university.

Social events are an integral part of college life and often plant the seeds of lifelong friendships. Unfortunately, when they go beyond reasonable boundaries of safe and responsible behavior, the consequences can be physically harmful or legally damaging.

The Bloomsburg Town Council recently adopted a new ordinance to further restrict Block Party. I encourage you to become familiar with the ordinance and know you will likely be prosecuted if you violate it.

All Huskies should enjoy and respect their home away from home as well as other residents of the Town of Bloomsburg. We continue to explore a safe substitute for Block Party, including hosting an alternative large gathering on campus or at the fairgrounds.

As president of Bloomsburg University, my main concerns are the quality of education you receive and the quality of life you enjoy on our campus and in the community. I urge you to be careful, respectful and responsible and to obey the laws of the Commonwealth and the Town at all times, especially during Block Party.

Connecting with local, regional and state leaders

This past week included several opportunities for me to address the role of Bloomsburg University in the region and the commonwealth. I made a State of the University presentation at our annual Community Leadership Breakfast that was attended by more than 70 regional business, industry and government leaders. This is a wonderful way to inform our stakeholders of all of the great things happening at Bloomsburg University.

I was delighted to attend a small private luncheon meeting to recognize retiring Geisinger Health System CEO Glenn Steele. During the luncheon, we had the opportunity to discuss ways to further expand partnerships between our university and Geisinger to advance education and health care in our region.

Another meeting brought together Gov. Tom Wolf and the State System presidents and chancellor. We had a candid conversation about the relationship between the governor’s budget proposal for a $45.3 million increase in the State System allocation, the first proposed increase in seven years, and his requested tuition freeze.

Events this week, April 6 to 12:

• Tuesday – I will engage in an Emergency Tabletop Exercise on campus, along with other senior administrators. A tabletop exercise is held regularly to test and enhance emergency preparedness at the university.
• Wednesday and Thursday – I will represent BU and participate in the quarterly State System Board of Governors meeting at the Dixon Center in Harrisburg.
• Thursday evening and Friday – As a newly elected member, I will participate in the spring meeting of the board of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
• Saturday – I will welcome admitted students at our second spring open house and participate in the Lavender Graduation.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

A social media crisis

This past week, March 22 to 29, has been quite a busy, even hectic, one. It actually started on Saturday morning, March 21, when I learned of the terribly inappropriate tweet about Mo’ne Davis by our baseball player, Joey Casselberry.

By the end of the day, I had over 50 tweets of outrage over his statement. The university put out a response that evening and I re-tweeted it. No university wants that kind of negative national publicity, but I am pleased with our swift response and effective crisis communications.

On Monday I had a periodic meeting with the CGA Senate where I addressed the tweet about Mo’ne Davis, our response and the high risk of inappropriate use of social media for individuals and institutions. We also discussed the per-credit tuition pilot.

On Tuesday I went to the BU Student Veterans Association cookout on the Warren Student Services Center Patio and talked with members, but did not go through the long line for the popular burgers.

On Thursday I had the pleasure of recognizing 149 BU employees who have contributed 10 to 40 years to our university for a total of 2,370 years of service.

On Thursday evening I was delighted to meet more than 20 BU alumni from the Pittsburgh area at the home of BU Trustee, Judge Mary Jane Bowes, and her husband Jerry Morgan ’71. It was a great opportunity to meet and reconnect alumni to their alma mater.

And yesterday, I attended the annual dinner for donors who are members of Golden Dome Society and/or Henry Carver Scholars.

Events this week, March 30-April 2:

• Monday — Lunch meeting with the Mayor of the Town of Bloomsburg, Sandy Davis
• Tuesday — Community Leadership Breakfast, my annual update on our university to over 75 business, government and political leaders from the area
• Wednesday — Comprehensive Capital Campaign Cabinet, semi-annual meeting with leaders in our major fundraising campaign
• Thursday — Meeting with Governor Tom Wolf, a meeting of the 14 State System presidents, Chancellor Brogan, and members of Pennsylvania’s State System Board of Governors with the governor at his request to discuss funding for the State System

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

A landmark day reveals a brighter future

We recently celebrated a day that will long be remembered as a milestone in the history of Bloomsburg University when we announced our very first endowed professorship, thanks to the generosity of Ed and Julie Breiner and their gift of $1.9 million dollars.

Ed and Julie, both members of the Class of 1977, have shown how much they value the education they received here by giving back, both through this endowed professorship for the Department of Nursing and through a scholarship established two years ago in tribute to the degrees they earned in accounting and biology.

For Bloomsburg University, there is no stronger endorsement of our mission and the lifelong impact we have on our students than the support of our alumni. Ed and Julie Breiner exemplify the devoted alumni who give back to our institution as both a way of saying “thanks” and a way of looking to the future.

Why an endowed professorship is so important?

It is no secret recent economic conditions have had a long-lasting effect on the operating budgets of colleges and universities … especially public universities, like Bloomsburg. It also is no secret talented, experienced professionals can command a much higher salary in the private sector than we can pay them as faculty.

An endowed professorship levels the playing field so we can attract highly qualified professionals to share their knowledge and expertise with today’s students … the next generation of professionals in their field. Ed and Julie’s endowed professorship supports the Department of Nursing and a new senior faculty position. Our goal as a university is to recruit and retain the very best faculty to teach and mentor our students. Ask any alumnus: “Who had the strongest impact on you during the college years?” Without a doubt, you will hear the name of a beloved faculty member … someone who challenged them to reach further, to dream bigger, to accomplish more than they ever dreamed. That is the impact of Ed and Julie’s gift.

With the changing health care environment, the need for talented, well-trained nursing professionals has reached an all-time high. This professorship will enable us to create a new senior faculty position and, with the commitment of funding from the Bloomsburg University Foundation, to support that faculty member’s work outside the classroom in areas such as research, conference attendance and participation, specialized equipment and other agreed-upon expenses that otherwise would not be covered.

An endowed professorship, quite simply, allows our institution to compete successfully for the best and the brightest … so they can teach and mentor our best and brightest.

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity

Building momentum for a great year

It’s always good to end a year on a high note, and Bloomsburg University did just that in 2014 with several fundamental accomplishments in addition to conferring more than 2,000 degrees.

Just before the fall semester ended, we got word our College of Business had been reaccredited for the second time by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, known as AACSB International. Initially accredited in December 2004 and reaccredited in 2010, the College of Business is one of 716 business schools in 48 countries and territories — less than 5 percent of the world’s business programs — with AACSB accreditation.

A few weeks before, we received good news about another reaccreditation. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education accepted our Periodic Review Report and reaffirmed accreditation. Middle States is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association dedicated to quality assurance and improvement through accreditation via peer evaluation. Its accreditation instills public confidence in institutional mission, goals, performance and resources through its rigorous accreditation standards and their enforcement.

Momentum continued into the New Year as BU was notified that we were honored with a Carnegie Classification for the first time. We were one of 240 U.S. colleges and universities awarded the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s 2015 Community Engagement Classification, which demonstrates an institutional commitment to volunteerism and community involvement. More than 350 colleges and universities have attained the designation.

Further illustrating our commitment to civic engagement, we were also named to the President’s Higher Education Honor Roll for Community Service for the fifth consecutive year. The honor roll recognizes institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes as they place students on a lifelong path of civic engagement and help solve community problems.

As we begin a new spring semester, I look forward to celebrating many more accomplishments – a few of which, I suspect, will be aided by Presidential Strategic Planning Grants. I recently approved grants through the Strategic Planning and Resource Council (SPARC) to the following six projects totaling $169,500:

• A real-time water quality monitoring station for Fishing Creek, Steve Rier
• A model program to attract quality STEM transfer students from community colleges, Toni Bell
• BU Institute for Liberal Arts: Educating for Life, Phase 1, James Brown
• Center for Leadership and Engagement, Ed Valovage
• Sports Leadership Academy, Stephanie Anderson and Susan Kocher
• Center for Visual and Performing Arts, Steve Clickard

We’re off to a great start in 2015!

#CollaborativeLearning #CoCurricularLearning #SenseOfCommunity

Ensuring a safe place to learn, live and work

As with any new year, changes come.

Bloomsburg University and all of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education remain committed to ensuring our campuses are safe places for learning, living and working. Recent laws passed by the Pennsylvania legislature and a policy passed by the Board of Governors further enhance that commitment in the following ways:

Protection of Minors on Campus

In a situation of suspected child abuse involving individuals under the age of 18, all university employees are considered “mandated reporters” and have or will receive training from Bloomsburg University regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse.

In the meantime, if there is a situation of suspected child abuse employees must immediately make an oral report to Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS)—formerly named the Department of Public Welfare —by calling 1-800-932-0313. If an oral report is made, a written report must be made within 48 hours to DHS or the Columbia County Children and Youth Services. Immediately following the report to DHS, employees must notify the Officer-In-Charge at the University Police Department —the designated person in charge here at Bloomsburg University who will assume responsibility for facilitating the institution’s cooperation with the investigation of the report.

Arrest and Conviction Disclosure

Related to the protection of minors on campus, all current employees will be required to report to the Bloomsburg University if they have been arrested or convicted of crimes enumerated in the Child Protective Services Law, 23 Pa.C.S. §6344(c).

Beginning Dec. 31, 2014, employees must contact our human resources office if they have been

1. arrested for or convicted of a reportable offense or if you have been 
2. founded or indicated as a perpetrator in a report of child abuse. 

Employees must provide such written notice within 72 hours of the arrest, conviction, or notification that you have been listed as a perpetrator in the statewide database. Failure to make a written notification as required by law could be a misdemeanor of the third degree and could subject employees to discipline up to and including termination.

Background Checks

All current and prospective employees and volunteers will be required to have the following background clearance checks:

• A criminal history record check or statement from the Pennsylvania State Police indicating the individual has not been convicted of a reportable offense;
• Certification from the Department of Human Services as to whether the individual is named in the Statewide Database as a perpetrator in a pending child abuse investigation, a founded report, or an indicated report of child abuse; and
• A federal criminal history record information, including fingerprinting and review by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of verifying the identity of the individual and obtaining a current record of any criminal arrests and convictions.

These are the same background clearance checks that are routinely required of all K-12 teachers in Pennsylvania as well as others who have regular contact with minors, including those who volunteer with churches and other community organizations.

Employees may be asked to obtain the above background checks immediately if Bloomsburg University has reason to believe they were arrested or convicted of one of the crimes enumerated in the new law. Otherwise the timing of the checks will depend on whether they have ever had background certifications in the past in accordance with the following:

• If you have had certifications and the certifications are more than 36 months old you will need to have new certifications by Dec. 31, 2015.
• If your certifications are less than 36 months old, you will have to have new certifications within 36 months of the date of your last certifications.
• If you have never had certifications, you will have to have them by December 31, 2017 and every three years thereafter.

The University will fully review the results of the background checks and act pursuant to both Board policy and the law. Details regarding the process for obtaining the certifications will be provided in a separate communication.

We appreciate everyone's continued commitment to keep our campus a safe and productive environment for learning and discovery. We look forward to 2015 as another remarkable year for our students, faculty, staff, and the community we serve.