Reflections Magazine Issue #70 - Fall 2009 | Page 2

Column from the president Raising the Profile of Siena Heights First of all, I would like to wish you a happy 90th anniversary! During the 2009-10 academic year we are planning to celebrate this special occasion on many different levels. I hope you are able to join us in recognizing the history and tradition of Siena Heights in this extraordinary time. Can you keep a secret? OK, it really isn’t much of a secret. It’s more like a low-key plan at this point. Over the summer our Board of Trustees approved moving forward with a capital fundraising campaign that will target a couple of specific facility needs for the University. One of these needs is a new outdoor athletic field and track facility that is long overdue for this campus. The other is a new “university center” concept that will serve as a student union and more for our students. Both of these concepts rose to the top of the “need” list that was developed over the past 2 ½ years or so as part of a master planning process for the university. You will be hearing much, much more about this campaign in the coming months. But as I tell our faculty, staff and students, I like to operate in a spirit of transparency, and that includes our alumni and friends as well. That being said, let’s talk a little more about the present. I recently celebrated my three-year anniversary as President, and as I stare out my office window, I reflect on my time here at Siena Heights with pride. I think I’ve been proactive in dealing with some of the challenges the University has faced. Despite tough economic times, we’ve managed to upgrade our campus facilities, expand our academic and athletic offerings and cement 2 Reflections Fall ’09 our status as a community partner and leader. To see a prime example of this progress, all you have to do is look a little ways down Siena Heights Drive to our Nursing Building. Three years ago, a nursing program was nothing more than an ambitious goal. Now, it is close to reality. Last fall, our RN to BSN degree completion program began its first classes, and we should hear very soon if our four-year program has been accredited. In the meantime, SHU nursing has received two separate federal grants. Within the last six months we’ve had both of Michigan’s U.S. senators (Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow) as well as our local U.S. Representative Mark Schauer on our campus to tour the nursing facility. Through this and other initiatives, we are raising the profile of Siena Heights, and that is a good thing. Three words a college or university president does not want to hear about his or her institution is that we are a “best-kept secret.” In this case, secrets are meant to be shared. I can’t tell you the amount of positive feedback I’ve received from the community about our efforts as an overall institution. As we venture into a new academic year – and our 90th anniversary year as well – my hopes for the future couldn’t be higher. Siena Heights University is poised for greatness—and that’s no secret! May God continue to bless us in bountiful ways! Peace, Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD President