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President Lieberman predicts hurdles in State of the University address

President Devorah Lieberman presented the State of the University address to a packed Campus Center Ballroom crowd Wednesday. Lieberman covered a variety of topics, including enrollment predictions, progress with the 2020 strategic vision, and the recent proposal for increased tuition, a source of much controversy around the campus./Photo by Daniel Torres
President Devorah Lieberman presented the State of the University address to a packed Campus Center Ballroom crowd Wednesday. Lieberman covered a variety of topics, including enrollment predictions, progress with the 2020 strategic vision, and the recent proposal for increased tuition, a source of much controversy around the campus. / photo by Daniel Torres

Des Delgadillo
Podcast Producer

University administrators highlighted key concerns and emphasized a need for “nimbleness” at the biannual State of the University address Wednesday in the Campus Center.

President Devorah Lieberman’s presentation took up most of the hour, followed by corroborating presentations from Vice President of Strategic Enrollment Management and Communications Homa Shabahang and Provost Jonathan Reed.

The remainder of the hour was dedicated to audience questions.

“I thought it was a great way of reaching out to the entire staff at the University and tell them these are the things we want to highlight and underscore,” said Kevin Doody, assistant vice president for major and annual gifts.

Lieberman talked extensively about some of the internal and external pressures on ULV.

“There are national and regional challenges, and we cannot keep our heads in the sand, we have to beware of those,” Lieberman said.

Foremost among the address’s key points was enrollment and retention, with this year seeing a decline in incoming freshmen.

The expected number of freshmen for next year is 585, Lieberman said, confident that the university would meet the quota.

Despite a lower number of freshmen than in past years, Lieberman anticipated stable numbers in the future for traditional undergraduates because of the university’s high retention rate.

Main campus graduate programs were also down this year.

“We’re looking to turn that around, but there are reasons and there are challenges,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman’s presentation continually called for “nimbleness” as ULV adapts to an increasingly competitive college market.

Some of her key examples included some California State universities developing doctoral programs while also amending unit requirements for several different majors and ramping up online programs.

“We really need to look at building quality hybrid online programs that are pedagogically sound, that reach students that we serve, meet them where they are and help support them through matriculation,” said Sammy Elzarka, director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence.

Funding and Cal Grants also played a big part in the presentation, with an impending 11 percent reduction in the grants slated to take place later this year.

This year the University put $42 million worth of scholarships toward covering the Cal Grant disparity, but an 11 percent decrease would make covering next year more difficult, Lieberman said.
“If that happens, we will feel it dramatically,” she said.

Next year’s 4.9 percent tuition increase should amount to $8.2 million, with $5 million going toward employee compensation and benefits, $2 million going toward financial aid and $1 million going into the operating budget for projects like the 2020 Vision and Master Plan.

Virtually every faculty group was represented, including members of the Adjunct Compensation Task Force, who are currently seeking a wage increase.

“Three years ago we said we are going to make a commitment to have the faculty, staff, and adjunct salaries at the median level for the country and like institutions, and we are getting there,” Lieberman said.

Des Delgadillo can be reached at desmond.delgadillo@laverne.edu.

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