NAU enjoys recent success,
faces challenges, Haeger says
Northern Arizona University has turned a corner and is a stronger institution in every respect, President John Haeger told the campus Wednesday.

Citing an upward trend in enrollment, a stronger budget, the start of a campus makeover and improved morale that is beginning to resonate throughout the institution, Haeger said faculty, staff and administration have become strong partners in developing NAU.

"I want to thank the deans and chairs, the vice presidents, the faculty and staff who came together to fix many of the problems," Haeger told a campuswide forum at Cline Library. "Everyone has worked harder and smarter."

Haeger also joked, "We can now see that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train, but a light bulb."

With an increase in enrollment and the elimination of a structural budget deficit, NAU is in "better financial shape now than in any time in the recent past."

The president also pointed to several "points of pride," including a survey showing the satisfaction rate of sophomores and graduating seniors. Most notably, the survey shows a marked increase in satisfaction with advising.

He also pointed to capital improvement projects that are either under way or planned as a path to improving the NAU educational experience. "With all the construction, our parking is difficult and traffic is slower, but these are great problems to have." Haeger reminded the campus that funds for capital projects are designated by the Legislature and cannot be used for other purposes.

"Not only have we turned the corner, but we know what our mission is," Haeger said. "We are a unique alternative for an undergraduate university; we are a very good doctoral research intensive university, and we are one of the best distance learning institutions in the country."

Despite the recent successes, Haeger added that some challenges remain, and the campus has to remain united in the future. In order, his priorities are: people, buildings, technology.

Faculty and staff retention through increased salaries is "our very top priority," he said.

"Our salaries have fallen to the very bottom of our peers and are below market," Haeger said. "And we live in one of the highest cost of living areas in the state."

Adopting an integrated budget for the university—which pools all unrestricted funds to strategically direct money to priorities—could be a step toward pay equity by allowing NAU to develop a fair compensation system that is not based on a department's financial status.

With the growth of Distance Learning, it's also clear that NAU must continue to improve its already strong programs. One of NAU's missions is to bring educational opportunities to rural communities, and Haeger displayed a chart showing how popular Distance Learning programs in urban areas are able to support the programs in rural areas.

Responding to a question from one of the 150 people attending, Fred Hurst, interim vice president of extended programs, and Provost Liz Grobsmith assured the campus that the quality of the Distance Learning courses is maintained through departmental supervision. It's the departments that hire distance faculty and it's the department faculty that develops the curriculum, Grobsmith said.

Hurst also noted that Distance Learning can meet future capacity needs in Arizona higher education through the program's ability to "expand on demand."

Haeger cited the university system redesign as a challenge and an opportunity, both in terms of NAU's direction and the state's higher education future.

Haeger emphasized, however, that neither he nor the Arizona Board of Regents is advocating a change in NAU's status. "Listen to the members of ABOR," he said. "Gary Stuart (ABOR president) has said NAU's mission will not change. And (former ABOR president) Chris Herstam was quoted in the Arizona Daily Star as saying NAU's mission will not change."

Haeger also announced the formation of the Graduate Education and Research Task Force, which will comprise deans, chairs, Faculty Senate members and others. The task force will develop proposals of where NAU's graduate education and research should be 10 years from now.

Another challenge facing the university will be federal and state accountability measures. "If the federal government determines that a baccalaureate-level education is a 'need,' then they must hold the universities responsible for that education, and we need to graduate larger numbers of students," Haeger said. "It is simply not acceptable to do otherwise."

The challenge, Haeger said, is keeping a quality university education while still helping students, some of whom may be unprepared, graduate in greater numbers.

Another audience member implored the administration to avoid a "market driven" institution where the real value of education is lost.

Haeger responded that while he agrees with the value of education, NAU must remain conscious of the market and move toward that direction. "It allows us to do all the other things on campus," he said.

He added that the nursing program recently received a $1 million investment from the state, all because of market conditions. "And we're going to see more and more of that."

Haeger also pointed to the need to greater diversify the campus. Though minority registration is the highest in university history, it still needs to reflect the makeup of Arizona if NAU is going to be successful in recruiting more students, he explained.

He added that recruiting trips to Asia, including his scheduled visit to Beijing in late October, can help diversify the campus even further. He hopes to increase NAU's international student body from 300 to 1,000.

"We need to be moving on the diversity issue aggressively," Haeger said.

Haeger told members of the audience that NAU's increased enrollment is small enough that it will not affect the institution's student-faculty ratios, one of NAU's strong points. "Right now the numbers are up just a tiny amount, but if we are up 500 or 1,000 students five years from now, we'll have an issue," Haeger said.