Nurturing Intellectual and Artistic Passion

For faculty and staff assembled in Wilde Auditorium for University President Walter Harrison's semiannual semester kickoff on Feb. 1, the address they heard was one of the most optimistic in some time.

Among the good-news items:

• the arrival of Provost Donna Randall, who, Harrison said, has brought "great enthusiasm, great charm, and breathtaking analytical skills to her position"
• Moody's Investors Service's upgrade of the University's bond rating, a signal, the president said, "that Wall Street recognizes both our improved economic status and our bright prospects for the future"
• the conclusion of the third academic year in a row with a budget surplus
• the University's endowment at an all-time high

Arnold C. Greenberg

The news that drew the most sustained applause from the overflow audience, however, was the announcement of a gift from the chairman of the board of regents, Arnold C. Greenberg, and his wife, Beverly, to the University's Campaign of Commitment. Why such an enthusiastic response? The $1 million gift is for faculty development. Moreover, it will initially go to untenured, tenure-track faculty.

In a subsequent interview with The Observer, Greenberg said he thought the time had come to recognize those whom he deems the "unsung heroes of the University": its faculty. "We consider this an absolutely vital investment in the future of the University," he said. "It keeps us competitive with our peer institutions and enables us to attract and retain promising young faculty."

Although there are many priorities that require funding in the campaign, Greenberg believes that none ranks higher than providing for the faculty. "They are the lifeblood of our wonderful University," he said, "and their scholarship and dedication to teaching will always determine how well we are judged as an institution."

During each of the first two years of the Greenberg Junior Faculty Research Grant Program, a minimum of two research grants of up to $7,500 each will be awarded. Proposals have already been submitted for the two grants to be awarded this year and are being reviewed by a five-person committee of tenured faculty, chaired by Diane Prusank, assistant provost for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies.

President Harrison, in announcing the gift, said that he hoped it would "signal clearly to our junior faculty that the University of Hartford is a place that not only values great teachers but also encourages the pursuit of the intellectual or artistic passion that first propelled them into academic life."

For the Greenbergs, the most outstanding characteristic of University of Hartford faculty members is the time and attention that they give to their students. "Even during the difficult economic times of the 1990s," Arnold Greenberg said, "when faculty compensation had fallen to the bottom 25 percent of institutions in the University's peer groups, that dedication to students did not diminish. Now that the University's economic picture is so much brighter, it is time to catch up," he said, "not only with deferred maintenance but with the deferred needs of faculty members as well."

Beverly Greenberg, a 12-year member of the Connecticut state board of education and former chairman of the West Hartford board of education, shares her husband's belief that faculty don't always get the recognition they deserve. "They are the ones in the trenches, and rewarding them for the critical role they play is vitally important," she said.

Provost Randall is particularly pleased at the "outpouring of gratitude from faculty to Arnold and Beverly for their generosity. We know that junior faculty development will allow us to sustain quality academic programs and that this gift is truly an investment in our future."

Leo T. Smith, associate professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the Faculty Senate, said the gift is "a most welcome addition to faculty development opportunities at the University." The grants will provide tenure-track faculty with "the precious gift of time during the academic year in which to pursue scholarly and creative development by releasing them from some of their class obligations," he said. "For those who are awarded a Greenberg grant, it will mean that they do not have to relegate all of this important part of their professional development to summer and vacation break periods. They can grow intellectually and artistically during the year right along with their students."

This is the Greenbergs' second gift of $1 million to the University. In 1985, their first $1 million gift established The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies (named in memory of Arnold's father), as well as the endowed Greenberg Professorship in Judaic Studies.

This most recent gift from the Greenbergs is part of the University's 10-year, $175 million Campaign of Commitment. Their commitment brings the total raised by the campaign to more than $54 million. Previous gifts to this campaign from the Greenbergs total $325,000: $275,000 for the continued endowment of the Center for Judaic Studies and $50,000 for the University's Hillel organization.

A University on the Move

Moody's Investors Service has upgraded the University's bond rating to the investment grade of Baa3 from Ba1, a move, according to University President Walter Harrison, that reflects "Wall Street's view that we are a university on the move."

Terming the University's financial outlook "stable," Moody's cited four reasons for the upgrade: likelihood of continued, balanced financial operations, supported by conservative budget practices; improvement in student-market position and stabilization of tuition discounting; gradual growth in financial resources from current levels; and moderate reliance on debt in future capital plans.

"A new financial management team has revamped budgeting practices, instituting very conservative expense budgeting and strong controls, leading to three consecutive years of balanced operations," noted the Moody's report. "As a result of this commitment to fiscal discipline, as well as the comparatively robust market position [of the institution], the University now has a much greater capacity to make expense adjustments if it enters another period where revenues fall behind projections," the report said.

Moody's had lowered the University's bond rating in January 1997. The University's financial position had been negatively affected by the economic recession of the early 1990s and by demographic declines in the college-age population. In addition, the University's endowment was not at the level of other, older institutions of higher education that were better able to weather the economic recession.

The University has begun a 10-year, $175 million Campaign of Commitment. Now in its fourth year, the campaign has generated more than $54 million in gifts and donations.

The report also noted that "the University enjoys an improving market position for full-time undergraduates, albeit in a highly competitive market environment." Moody's said that undergraduate selectivity at the University is at its strongest level in recent years, and that the recent accreditation of the Barney School of Business by AACSB - The International Association for Management Education should enhance the profile of the undergraduate and graduate business programs at the University.

Barney Accreditation
Faculty, staff, and students of the Barney School of Business have much to celebrate this year, as the School joins the elite group of 398 programs accredited by the AACSB.

Of the 398 accredited programs, 385 are in North America, seven in Europe, three in Asia, one in Central America, and two in South America. There are more than 2,000 higher education business schools in the United States.

Official announcement of AACSB's accreditation of Barney's undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, taxation, accounting, and health-care administration was made in December.

An excited Barney Dean Corine T. Norgaard attributed the accreditation success to "the many changes we made..., such as developing an undergraduate curriculum with a 'career-ready' focus, participating in an ongoing assessment program that includes national programs that test our seniors' subject-matter knowledge and measure their satisfaction, and raising admission standards for our graduate programs."

The not-for-profit AACSB is made up of more than 800 educational organizations and corporations. Its mission is excellence in management education in colleges and universities. Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., AACSB is the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools.

"Earning AACSB accreditation is a testament to the quality of the Barney School's programs, faculty, and students," said President Harrison. "This designation is a strong marker of the distinctiveness of the University of Hartford."