Dear Southwestern Community, 

In lieu of sharing my remarks at the faculty meeting that I mistakenly had scheduled today, I thought it would be appropriate to share them before the week passes. 

These are days of grief and fear and the awful knowledge that there will be more deaths in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Words fail to try and describe what the future may bring. When we no longer see humans we lose our common humanity. Holding on to Southwestern’s core values, fostering diverse perspectives, respecting the worth and dignity of persons, and encouraging activism in the pursuit of justice and the common good is essential in this hardest of times. 

I want to express my gratitude to you for caring for each other and for our students. I am thankful for the Community Conversation that Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life Ron Swain and Dean of Faculty Sergio Costola organized last week, for the “Teach-In on Palestine” that took place today, and the “Panel on the Middle East” that will take place tomorrow. We have never been more fragile as humans and as a community, and our ability to listen and to learn while feeling safe to express divergent views has never been more important. As a liberal arts University we denounce anti-semitism and Islamophobia.

I also want to express my appreciation to our student life professionals, our Counseling Center staff, and our Director of Spiritual Life. Over the past week, we have increased security on campus, due to concerns that outside hate groups might possibly return as occurred last year, and all the security cameras we have installed on campus have been thoroughly checked and are functional. Residence Life is also offering additional training for our RAs to refresh their counseling skills. 

I would like to take this opportunity to proactively share some other important updates with the entire campus community.  

Southwestern is currently in the process of reviewing our communication policies. Presently, our official communications are distributed through email via our official faculty, staff, and student listservs. These updates are also prominently featured under the "Important Updates" tile within the SU app, and push notifications are sent via the SU app.

In addition to these official channels, unofficial listservs are available for faculty and staff to engage in open email communications among their peers. I have reached out to Vice President for Student Life Brit Katz with a proposal to assemble a task force to explore the possibility of creating an unofficial listserv exclusively for students, fostering a platform for peer-to-peer communication.

You might be wondering about the distinction between an official and unofficial listserv. Official listservs mandate that messages undergo approval by the listserv owner before dissemination to the entire campus community. In contrast, unofficial listservs do not necessitate approval and you may opt-out to discontinue receiving communications.

Interim Vice President for Integrated Communications Dinah Ritchie will provide you with updates as our review process unfolds with the goal of identifying the most optimal means of communicating with our campus community.

I would also like to address concerns that have been brought to my attention regarding trustees possibly requesting Southwestern University to disseminate politically charged messages. This is not the case. The Board of Trustees has never asked or suggested either collectively or individually that I do so.

Southwestern offers various avenues for in-person communication avenues for our campus community. Last fall, I initiated the President’s Corner Conversations which have been held consistently over the past year. These discussions take place in the evenings to ensure no class scheduling conflicts, and they are open to all members of our campus community.  Questions can either be posed directly or be passed to moderators at the event.  The senior staff has been in attendance this year to provide answers to detailed inquiries. Forthcoming conversations will be announced via email, the app, and digital signage.

On October 3, Associate Vice President for Human Resources Kirk Walker convened a meeting aimed at facilitating open and productive conversations with all faculty members. If there is expressed interest, Kirk is pleased to host additional sessions for faculty, staff and students. Please contact him at kirkwalker@southwestern.edu.

The search committee for the Vice President for Equity, Accountability, and Inclusive Excellence comprised of Associate Professor Alicia Moore, Professor of Chemistry Maha-Zewail Foote, Vice President for Student Life Brit Katz, Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life Ron Swain, Dean of Financial Aid James Gaeta, Dara Adebayo ’24 and alumna and trustee Dr. Elizabeth Medina held their initial meeting last week for a review of the prospectus and timeline. Three firms were interviewed, and Lindauer Global was again selected to lead this search. The search team hopes to have the candidate pool developed during the next two months with the expectation of holding the first interviews as early as December.

The search for the Vice President for University Relations (VPUR) is well underway. After interviewing four search firms, Lindauer Global was selected to build the candidate pool and manage the search process. The prospectus for VPUR has been posted in Inside Higher Ed, Linkedin, Lindauer Global’s website, and our own website. To date,13 applications have been received from across Texas and nationally, representing state systems, private colleges, and community colleges. Serving on the search committee are trustees Chris Cragg, Lorri White, Elizabeth Yeager, Frank Krasovec, Jean Janssen, and Vice President for Finance and Administration Lenora Chapman.

All projects are proceeding on schedule, with increased budgets (due to being located in a geographical location where construction costs have increased 14% last year) to maintain a high quality. Mood-Bridwell Hall is scheduled for completion by February 2025 and construction for three more buildings will start in March 2024.

Last week, Facilities Management held a meeting with concerned students to address the barriers that were obstructing the ADA-compliant walkway to the McCombs Campus Center. I am pleased to report that these obstructions have been promptly removed, and in addition to this, we are actively working on enhancing accessibility in various areas, including Mundy, Olin, Fine Arts, campus building door panels, and the Mabee Residence Hall.

At the request of the McCombs family, the Americana Frontier collection has been returned to the Foundation in San Antonio. The collection was displayed on the second floor of the McCombs Campus Center.  Student Life and a student-led task force will determine the future use of the display cases.

Speaking of McCombs Campus Center, we are gathering responses to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new bookstore vendor. Plans call for the bookstore to be housed on the first floor of McCombs, allowing us to expand the JEDI Center on the second floor and remodel the Student Life offices.

Please refer to the Constructions Projects webpage to stay up to date on all campus building and renovation projects, parking, and ADA-accessible project updates.

Southwestern has been honored with the distinction as a Fulbright HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institution) Leader for 2023. Annually, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) acknowledges the significant commitment of select HSIs to the Fulbright Program, the United States government's premier international academic exchange initiative. Fulbright HSI Leaders are distinguished by their remarkable support for Fulbright exchange participants and their active promotion of Fulbright program opportunities within the academic community.

This initiative serves as an encouragement for administrators, faculty, and students at HSIs to engage with the Fulbright program, shedding light on the academic excellence of HSIs as sought-after destinations for international students and scholars. The recognized institutions include just five Baccalaureate Colleges.

This achievement will be publicly unveiled on FulbrightProgram.org on October 30 at 10:00 a.m. national conference of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

Thank you for your dedication and unity during this trying time. Together, we will continue to shape Southwestern as a place where all voices are heard.

Sincerely,

Laura Skandera Trombley
President, Southwestern University