President Collins recently held a Campus Update to inform faculty and staff of new projects and concerns of the college that are to be addressed or have been addressed in the recent past. The Campus Update is delivered twice a semester in order to convey the messages from the Board of Regents, emphasize plans underway, speak openly about the budget and mention any new accolades the college or its students have received in the recent months, such as the placement of LCTV and The Lorian at the state awards as well as events for Mock Trial or the choral ensemble.
Of this particular Update, held during Common Time on Feb. 10th, President Jim Collins commented that it was “probably the largest crowd that I’ve spoken to in my six years as president.” Why the particular interest this time around? Maybe it had something to do with the state of the economy and the issues with budgets for all schools and programs across the country. That is the theory that Jim Collins is running with, and it is also the reason that for the last 18 months, he says he has been focusing in on the budget and economy with special attention given to what people at the college are most interested in ensuring—their own jobs and the college’s stability and prosperity.
There were no salary increases from last year to this year, but Collins says, “Faculty and Staff aren’t complaining. They’ve been very helpful and grateful.” He went on to say that part of the commitment Loras made last year was that it would not put out a hiring freeze but instead work towards assuring that the programs we had were being maintained and sustained. That is, not to say that there were not regrettable cuts in certain programs and funding, but it was with the most cautious approach that anything was eliminated. Faculty and staff, as well as students and alumni, “were relieved,” says Collins, at the news there would not be eliminations of positions or a block on new hires because that is when one starts to wonder about the long-term possibility of commitment to the mission of the college. A great part of the reason no freeze was required for hiring was the students that continue to seek out an institution such as Loras. “This is the largest first-year class we’ve had in 17 years, and next year’s promises to be equally bright or brighter and maybe even bigger.”
In terms of what has changed from last year when Collins gave another update to this year, Collins says that the board and everyone has been working overtime to contribute their expertise. He says, “It’s not like we’re going to be reporting a surplus, but it is the eighth straight year with a balanced budget,” which shows discipline and control by the Administration over the college’s inner-workings. The Campus Updates are meant to deliver a clear picture of what is going on at the college while allowing time if anyone desires to ask questions and get a look at “what goes on at those meetings” with the Board.
“Three years ago, the median income was $50,000—today it’s $45,000. We’re trying to do what’s appropriate.” That is why Collins has been working with the team in Keane and across campus to ensure that tuition only rises 3.25%, which is lower than the vast majority of other institutions and far below what the public schools have been raising their tuition each year.
As part of the commitment to growing and improving the college, President Jim Collins says the college is working on several different things, among them being: hiring Pam Gerard for Institutional Advancement; moving forward with the plans of the new apartment complex, currently known also as the Oak Apartments; meeting with the City to discuss Cox Street and necessary improvements as Collins calls for an improvement in look and function as the street is “both ugly and dysfunctional” and “creates a problem”; restoring the Iowa Tuition Grant that took a hit over this past year; and looking at the Pell Grants and be a part of the network of private colleges which are in “desperate support” of President Obama’s proposal to bring the system up to speed.
