Summary of the September meeting
of The Citadel Board of Visitors
Following is an unofficial summary of The Citadel Board of
Visitors meeting prepared because of the board’s interest
in providing more timely information to the Citadel family. The
minutes will continue to be the official record of The Citadel
Board of Visitors meetings. Minutes of the 18 September meeting
will be released after they have been approved by the board at
its next meeting on 5 February 2005.
Report from the president
Major General John Grinalds presented The State of The Citadel
report highlighting some significant trends that have developed
in recent years including:
· Vision
– A campus-wide campaign focuses on the vision statement
and core values adopted by the board of visitors in 2002. The
vision statement is “Achieving excellence in the education
of principled leaders.” The core values adopted by the board
include academics, duty, honor, morality, discipline and diversity.
· Financial
developments – The president noted a $5 million
drop in state funding to The Citadel between FY 01-02 and FY 04-05.
Reorganization of The Citadel’s fundraising entities has
paid off with increased donations. Gifts to the college totaled
$8.4 million from January to mid-September 2004. The Citadel Foundation
has raised more than $47 million toward the capital campaign goal
of $100 million.
· Facilities – The bulk of improvements
to the campus have been paid for from other sources than state
funding. Those improvements coming from other sources include
the rebuilding of Watts Barracks, Murray Barracks, PT Barracks,
the Holliday Alumni Center, Hollings Hall, The Altman Center,
the Women’s Athletic Center and The Citadel/SCNG Marksmanship
Center.
· Admissions – The college has experienced
three straight record breaking years in applications for admissions.
Enrollment for this fall is almost 2,000 cadets. The Class of
2008 includes about 6 percent females and nearly 8 percent African-Americans.
· Academic reorganization – Academic departments
have been reorganized into schools in a way that enhances both
the fundraising potential of the schools and the ability of the
college to compete more effectively for funding and programs at
the state level.
· Accreditation – The college has recently
undergone an accreditation review by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Results of the review, known as
an affirmation, should be available by December.
· Fourth Class performance – Several initiatives
have improved the academic performance of the Fourth Class. Primary
among those initiatives is the new focus on leadership training
made possible by the Krause Initiative in Leadership and Ethics.
· Graduation rates – The Citadel still leads
peer colleges in its four-year graduation rate of 59.6%. The college
ranks near the top for the six-year graduation rate in the latest
available data which shows Clemson has a graduation rate of 72
percent in six years compared to The Citadel’s six-year
rate of 71.9%.
· Commissioning data – The Class of 2004
had 36% of the graduates receive commissions in the armed forces.
This number does not include those non-ROTC commissionees from
the National Guard, PLC and similar programs.
Law Barracks replacement
Original plans to begin demolition of Law Barracks in October have
been put on hold because the estimated cost for replacing Law Barracks
has risen from $18 million to approximately $23 million. Steep increases
in the cost of steel and concrete are major factors in the higher
bids. As The Citadel explores financing options, Colonel Holland
noted that the project could be financed using either a wrap-around
loan or borrowing the money for a longer period of time.
Infirmary repairs
The ceiling in the north wing of the Mary B. Murray Memorial Infirmary
has caved in and may require extensive remodeling to the building.
While repairs are underway, the infirmary will have reduced bed
space.
Education issues
Brigadier General Donald Steven is focusing on the search for deans
for the School of Education and the School of Science and Mathematics
in his responsibilities as provost. In a report to the education
committee, he outlined his goals as building faculty excellence,
raising admissions standards, improving freshmen retention and lowering
faculty/student ratios.
Building and grounds
The board agreed to a priority list for the capital improvement
plan that includes renovations or expansions to buildings with the
following rankings:
1. Capers Hall
2. Daniel Library
3. Jenkins Hall
4. Bond Hall Annex
5. Deas Hall
Capers Hall, which was built in 1949 and is the most heavily used
building on campus, suffers from inadequate systems, overcrowding
and deterioration. The renovation and expansion of Daniel Library
has been moved to a high priority in the capital campaign.
The football stadium
After a lengthy discussion, the board identified Stoney Field, which
is adjacent to Riley Park, as the site for a new stadium. The resolution
passed by the BOV directed the administration to establish a stadium
project team to be responsible for negotiating with governmental
authorities, estimating the project cost and taking the lead in
fundraising. The stadium project team will present sufficient information
and commitments in writing to the board by 30 January 2005 in order
for the BOV to decide whether or not to proceed at Stoney Field.
BOV Chairman Col. William E. Jenkinson III discontinued the previous
football stadium ad-hoc committee and named the following individuals
to the stadium project team: Citadel President Major General John
Grinalds, chairman; Col. Harry B. Limehouse, Jr.; Thomas McQueeney;
Charles Eiserhardt and Col. Curtice Holland. Col. Jenkinson and
Col. Julian G. Frasier III will serve as ad hoc members from the
board of visitors.
The BOV is committed to having a stadium ready for the fall 2006
season.
Columbarium in the Thomas Howie Memorial Bell Tower
The board approved a proposal presented by members of the Class
of 1957 to renovate the Thomas Howie Memorial Bell Tower pending
approval of the design and approval by the state for a columbarium
that will be part of the project. The columbarium will contain niches
to hold cremated remains. All money raised through the sale of the
niches will be used for maintaining the bell tower and carillon
and for scholarships to train cadets to play the carillon.
Citadel Alumni Association
CAA President William C. Mills reported that The Citadel Alumni
Association is gaining new members including 140 new life members
from the Class of 2004. Alumni association directories will be mailed
out this fall.
The Citadel Brigadier Foundation
The Citadel Brigadier Foundation had another record-breaking year
for fundraising according to TCBF President Donald Dease. The memorial
fund received over $500,000 in new money and the organization raised
over $2 million total for the 2003-2004 year. Of that amount, more
than $1 million went to the athletic department for scholarships.
The Citadel Foundation
The Citadel Foundation is assessing its progress as it approaches
the halfway point in the tentative campaign goal of $100 million.
TCF President L. William Krause said the foundation’s goals
for the future are:
- achieve excellence in the management of The Citadel Foundation,
and
- broaden financial support to the college.
He noted that the foundation is currently providing 10 percent
of the college’s budget and hopes to get to the point where
it can provide 20 percent of the budget during the next five years.
