Dear Southwestern community members,
I want to take a moment to pause and reflect on the challenging events of last week. For those of you who went days without power or water or who experienced damage to your homes, please know that you are in my thoughts. Staff and faculty, if you are feeling emotionally distressed or in need of extra support, our Employee Assistance Program is available for counseling. Students, please contact our on-campus counselors should you need additional support. I also recommend reaching out to one another and the greater Southwestern University community. I have quickly learned that this is a powerfully united community and we all stand in support of one another.
Our campus has not been immune to the impact of these events. Both our beautiful grounds and nearly every building on campus were affected by this once-in-a-lifetime storm. Over the past week, fire suppression systems across campus leaked due to the freezing cold. Ceilings in some residence halls and fraternity houses fell due to bursting pipes, and a small number of classrooms were damaged. Many of our beloved live oaks and other trees shattered, and branches broke from the weight of the ice. The McCombs Center, Fine Arts Center, F.W. Olin Building, and Athletics Field House all have flood damage to varying degrees. Due to power loss and interruptions, three out of our four generators failed, core network equipment was damaged, and additional hardware failures occurred. The data center lost power, which meant the internet, Moodle, and our website all were down for most of the week.
All events, meetings, and classes were cancelled, as were all athletic events across our conferences. Due to the storm, athletics had a total of 39 weather-related postponements and cancellations. Each of these missed games will be evaluated to determine if they can be rescheduled.
Our collective response to this catastrophe will also go down in history. Mark Twain once said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Well, Twain was wrong this time. Our staff did everything, including leaving their homes and families to come to campus, remaining on campus night after night, and working around the clock to make sure that our students would be kept safe and that food and potable water would be plentiful.
All network services were restored by the end of day Thursday. We are grateful to our partners Apogee, Dell, Sodexo, and Doleva for their service and determination as we worked together to return critical services, clear exteriors, and maintain supplies. Our staff sanded pathways, drained water lines, cleared snow and ice, moved fallen branches, worked on our IT infrastructure, removed debris out of rooms, and relocated affected students into safe and dry rooms. They were on our campus working while many of them did not have electricity, drinking water, or heat at home.
I would like to recognize the following individuals in particular for their outstanding work and dedication over the past week. We tried to include everyone, but please accept apologies if your name has been missed.
FACILITIES STAFF
The following individuals have been working and sleeping on campus throughout the duration of this event:
- Rick Martinez, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
- James Garcia, Supervisor of Central Plant
- Eddie Trevino, Central Plant Operator
- Mike Sedwick, Logistical Services Assistant
- Ben Nava, Lead - Landscape Services
- Bruce Bales, Preventive Maintenance Mechanic
- Brandon Quintanilla, Supervisor of Maintenance Services
- Juan Garza, Supervisor of Custodial Services
The following individuals drove in on one or more days during very hazardous conditions to support our campus:
- Richard Dabbs (every day), Lead - Grounds Services
- Randy Shiller (every day), Senior Preventive Maintenance Mechanic
- Roger Castillo, Logistical Services Assistant
- Randy Castillo, Temp On-Call Groundskeeper
- Ryan Palmer, Temp On-Call Groundskeeper
- Severo Castillo, Temp On-Call Groundskeeper
- Carmello Ceballos, Custodian II
- Maria Rojas Ruiz, Custodian
- Felicita (Joyce) Mendoza, Lead - Custodial Services
- Magali Tapia, Custodian
- Trinidad Fajardo, Lead - Custodial Services
- Rodrigo Belman Vera, Custodian
- Fatima Juarez-Flores, Custodian
- Nora Juarez, Custodian
- Jose (Armando) Guerrero, Custodian
- Elvira Palacios, Custodian
- Maria Elena Tijerina, Custodian
- Amable Turuno Arce, Custodian
IT STAFF
- Daryl Tschoepe, Director of Technology Systems and Service
- Paul Ford, Systems and Network Administrator
- Traci Willis, Systems and Network Administrator
- Dave Wilmot, Pirate Card and Telecommunications Coordinator
- Todd Watson, Associate Vice President for Information Technology
STUDENT LIFE STAFF
- Allison Everett, Resident Director, housing and on-site
- Leslie Nobles, Assistant Director of Residence Life, housing and on-site
- Chief Brad Dunn, slept on campus
- Officer Adams
- Officer Klepac
- Sgt. Murray
- Officer Ribar
- Assistant Chief Seals
- Joe Watkins, Director of Housing Operations and Staffing, housing and off-site
- Glenn Schwab, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
UNIVERSITY RELATIONS AND MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Grace Pyka
- Kristen Paxson
- Ed Hillis
UNIVERSITY OPERATORS
- Angela Labenski
- Jim Parslow
- Mary Washman
- Mary Miranda
- Barbara Breitschopf
- Annette Witherspoon
I also want to thank the senior staff, including Scarlett Moss, Jaime Woody, Patricia Witt, Tom Delahunt, Craig Erwin, Alisa Gaunder, and Paul Secord, for their calm in the eye of the storm, steadfast efforts, and quick and effective decision-making. We are now well into the recovery stage and will apply for federal assistance and work with our insurance carriers for expense coverage. We also will be reviewing our practices and policies in order to ensure we are prepared for future natural disasters and network interruptions.
Last week I had prepared a very different letter to send to all of you about admissions, fundraising, our Sam Taylor Fellowship awardees (congratulations to Steve Alexander, Cody Crosby, Saroj Dhital, Gabriela Flores, Ron Geibel, Sara Massey, Aaron Prevots, and Jennifer Stokes) and COVID expenses to date. I will include that information now.
We have a record spring enrollment. Last year’s total student count was 1,430, and the full-time equivalent (FTE) was 1,414. This year’s student count is 1,439, and the FTE is 1,426. I account for this growth in a few ways: first, the continuing good work by Tom Delahunt and the admissions staff; second, the dedication of our faculty and the fact that the majority of our classes were held in person this fall, unlike those of many other schools; and third, the increased marketing that Scarlett Moss and the Marketing and Communications team have done, particularly the Board of Trustees’ announcement in November that had a print reach of nearly half a million people and a digital reach of 1.5 million.
Regarding fall enrollment, we are doing very well. Last year was our second largest enrollment in history, and we are slightly ahead in applications this year. We have increases in the top 10%, top 25%, and top 33% as compared to last year as well as a significant increase in applications outside of Texas. Right now, we are in a strong position to have a successful recruiting season that has been conducted almost entirely online.
The university’s budget remains in good shape, and we are still predicting a surplus for this year. Southwestern made the decision last spring that no staff positions would be lost and there would be no furloughs. Faculty and staff benefits were not reduced nor was financial aid for students. Due to the pandemic, there were savings realized in travel for all areas, as conferences were cancelled or went online and entertainment budgets were left unspent, along with other realized savings. Thanks to the latest round of funding awarded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, Southwestern has received approximately $1.8 million in additional funding. However, after that additional funding has been applied, our total expenses and revenues lost to COVID to date total nearly $5.7 million. Maintaining our savings to the budget and remaining on course for the rest of the semester will give us a balanced budget and a surplus that will be used in part to fund some of the proposals that the Tactical Planning Committee has received. Of course, a surplus budget feels a bit like an uphill trek after last week’s crisis, but with each passing day I am increasingly confident we will be fine.
Our fundraising continues to widen the pace set last year. Paul Secord and our University Relations team have been innovative in their outreach toward our donor community, and their efforts have been well received. As of January 31, we have 1,730 alumni donors, the highest number of alumni donors (and highest alumni participation by percentage) in our history. The same date in 2020 saw 1,232 alumni donors. We have raised over $6,000,000 in cash in the first seven months of the fiscal year, which also outpaces the last few years.
We are already working hard on fundraising for the full renovation of the historic Mood-Bridwell Hall, with the goal of beginning that project within 24 months. We anticipate a total project cost of approximately $10,000,000, with 100% of that coming from generous donors to the university. We are also closing in on fully funding the transformational advising and retention project that also represents the university’s Enhancement Project (QEP) as a key component of our accreditation plan for the next five years. Success with this endeavor is a crucial part of our retention efforts to date, and it is imperative we retain, mentor, and graduate all of our students. We are planning to pursue a major Mellon Foundation grant working with faculty within their new Monuments Project, which is allocating $250 million over the next five years to support colleges and universities as they recontextualize and memorialize their complex histories.
Southwestern’s Third Annual Giving Day is slated to run from noon to noon on April 13–14 in the middle of our Virtual Homecoming Week. Last year, we set a new record despite being in the throes of the pandemic, and we are working hard to exceed those results this year.
On the academic side of the house, under Dean Alisa Gaunder’s stewardship, we are fully into our recruiting season for faculty, and I believe we have five more searches to complete by the end of the semester. If all goes well, in yet another first—this has been a year of firsts—we will be welcoming seven new faculty in the fall who have never been on a campus visit or met any of us in person. Despite the unusual nature of these engagements, I have enjoyed meeting all of our candidates to date through RingCentral.
Regarding our management of COVID-19 and the safety of our community, we are maintaining the policies and practices that were created in the fall and have significantly increased our testing protocols. At the recommendation of our Health and Safety committee we are also asking the community to double mask for the remainder of the semester. Additional masks will be available for students, staff, and faculty who need them. We now conduct approximately 600 randomized tests a week, and our athletes who are in competition fall under NCAA protocols that require regular testing. We have added an additional layer of testing on top of the NCAA requirements. Because of the protocols we have put into place and our constant testing, our positivity rate on campus remains very low. However, due to the current positivity rates in the surrounding community, which remains in the red phase indicative of uncontrolled community spread, and with guidance from our faculty experts and senior staff, we will continue our “no spectators” policy at athletic events for the remainder of the spring, with the possible exception of senior nights for only the parents of senior student-athletes. Our coaches and Glenn Schwab have worked extremely hard to hold competitive play for all of our sports during the spring season. Because of our COVID-19 protocols, we have not had to cancel any athletic competitions. However, eight opposing teams have cancelled events due to infections among their student-athletes.
On the facilities front, the following projects will be undertaken over the summers of 2021 and 2022:
- Moody Shearn and Herman Brown Residence Halls – Major renovations
- McCombs Residential Center – Fire suppression piping replacement
- A. Frank Smith Library – Outdoor decking
- Prothro Center for Lifelong Learning – Computer room air conditioning
- Track – Resurfacing
- Marvin Henderson, Sr. Tennis Center – Lockers and HVAC
- Corbin J. Robertson Center – Office lobby updates
Summer 2022
- A. Frank Smith Library – Foundation releveling begins
Additional improvements include:
- Fall prevention/safety – Rooftop access
- Brown Challenge Memorial Fountain – Slip and trip hazard
- “Lake Mabee” – Engineering and design
The Tactical Planning Committee continues to meet, and we hope to share a draft plan with faculty by the end of the first week of March. In the simplest of terms, the tactical plan creates a roadmap for the implementation of the university’s Thinking First Campaign, various strategic plans, the campus master plan, and campus priorities. They will all flow together, like the tributaries forming the Mississippi, to form the final plan.
The expectation is that in this process, the committee’s work will reflect the mission and most visionary expression of Southwestern’s institutional priorities. Once the plan is approved by the Board of Trustees, it will be posted on the institution’s intranet and measured actively, with categories, goals, projected annual costs, totals of how much has been spent to date, and the percentage that has been funded.
In closing, it is my great hope that there will be no more reports as eventful as this one for the remainder of the year. Thank you for your ongoing support and adaptability during these most unusual times.
Sincerely,
