President Sullivan Hosts Reception for D.C. Area Alumni
By Denise Chiang ’05
U.Va. President Teresa Sullivan hosted two receptions for alumni in the Washington D.C. area in early October, addressing future plans and challenges facing the University.
Sullivan first focused on the University’s distinctive qualities, from its unique architecture with historical relevance to its long lasting Jeffersonian values including “honor, ethics, public service, accountability and leadership.” She emphasized that these important values are “carried into careers and are ingrained in every aspect of life” and that employers often recognize U.Va. graduates distinctively for their leadership and integrity.
President Sullivan announced a new university-wide strategic planning effort beginning this fall involving the input of University stakeholders such as faculty, alumni, students, parents, staff members and donors. Although the process will be “deliberate and thoughtful,” Sullivan said that there will be a draft document in place by the end of the academic year.
Sullivan emphasized that there are three urgent priorities already. First is renewing its imminently retiring faculty. About 200 faculty members are expected to be hired in the next five to seven years. A major aim is to increase the average faculty salary.
Secondly, Sullivan spoke of reinventing the liberal arts curriculum in order to “meet the evolving demands of the 21st century.” This involves a so-called “hybrid challenge” to incorporate both technology-enhanced teaching tools with face-to-face teaching. Another huge opportunity that has not escaped national news is the introduction of several free U.Va. online classes starting in 2013, but will be devoid of credit or a grade. As of early October, enrollment was already up past 101,000 as people registered for the science, philosophy, history, and business courses.
The last priority discussed by the President was about the importance of research. As many state budgets are being cut for institutions of higher learning, the University must find new ways to generate funding and to focus on “certain areas in which to develop the [areas] of expertise.”
Sullivan closed remarks by emphasizing the importance of standing strong in a tough economy, especially in light of state funding cuts for public research universities. “In the next few years, people will watch us to see if a notion of a great public university is sustainable in our day. That means that all of us have the opportunity to create a model for how a university advances and even thrives in these challenges.”
AAPAAN asked Sullivan about any specific initiatives to engage the Asian and Asian Pacific American community. “I don’t think there’s anything especially targeted, but there are a lot of opportunities for the Asian American community for engagement … particularly because we are going to be hiring a lot of new faculty and both the effort to find the right faculty and to attract them to U.Va. is what we’re working on. And I would suspect that there would be at least some Asian American faculty included that we bring in,” Sullivan said.