Remarks by Thomas W. Ross

September 12, 2009

Good morning, and welcome back home!

I am Tom Ross, and after 774 days on the job, I can report that I am still employed and still honored and proud to be able to serve you and this remarkable institution.

Since this talk is billed as a "State of the College," I want to get right to my report. The state of the college is excellent. Thank you!

Allow me give you some snapshots of why I believe this to be true.

Between the time it was announced I would be returning to Davidson as president and the time I started work at the college, the question I was asked most often was, "What is your vision for Davidson?" My answer was always the same. "It matters little what is my vision. What matters is the joint vision of the Davidson family." Thus, as you know, we began a strategic assessment process my first day on the job. Our goal was to develop a plan that includes a vision of what we all hope the state of the college will be in 2020. For the past two years we have worked to build that vision, with input from thousands of alumni, faculty, students, trustees and staff, including many of you. It incorporates survey and group discussion feedback, input from working groups, and analysis of internal and external factors that will influence the college in the coming decades. I am grateful to the many wonderful people, on and off campus, whose ideas helped shape and strengthen our plan.

The trustees reviewed a draft at their meeting last spring, and now the revised final plan will go to the board in October for their approval. Once the Trustees vote to adopt the plan, we'll be posting the plan to the Web so that you can see what our priorities will be for the next several years, as well as the strategies for accomplishing those priorities.

Now, you might ask, what's in this draft? Since the trustees haven't yet approved it, I won't go into detail. But I can tell you that, among other things, the plan is full of exciting curricular developments-building on the strong liberal arts curriculum we have-but also more deeply integrating who we are in the classroom with who we are as an institution. I can tell you, too, that the plan reinforces and strengthens our longstanding emphasis on honor and integrity; the value we place on service; the increasingly global community in which we live and work. There is lots more-I know you will find it interesting, and we will keep you posted once it moves from plan into action-which I expect will be soon.

I mentioned honor and integrity, which are key to every aspect of our community life. This year marks the 100th anniversary of a student-run honor system and the 50th year of an elected honor council, so throughout the year we will be enjoying a Celebration of Honor and Integrity. This celebration began with the first-year student book discussion of Old School, a novel that raises many issues about honor codes, and a visit from the author of the book, who spoke to an English W-course, delivered a public lecture and had dinner with a group of first-year students. The Celebration of Honor and Integrity will continue throughout the year with, among other things, the awarding of an honorary degree to John Kuykendall, the man who was the student body president in 1959 and proposed the elected honor council.

We just have welcomed the Class of 2013-491 students from 40 states and 12 other countries, including 95 students with legacy ties to the college and 54 direct legacies! This is the third class admitted under The Davidson Trust, and we can already see the benefits that this program provides. Only a handful of colleges can say that they are fully need blind, and we are one of them. So if you combine need-blind admission and our promise to meet 100 percent of financial aid with grants and campus jobs, but no loans, you have the top admission policy in the nation when it comes to accessibility.

And we can already see that The Davidson Trust is making a difference. The Davidson Trust is improving socioeconomic diversity, increasing access to the Davidson experience, attracting the most talented students from all backgrounds to come to Davidson, and allowing them to pursue their dreams, all while maintaining the exceptional academic profile of students admitted.

So far, we have raised $30.5 million in support of this program-but there is more to do. I will tell anyone who listens that sustaining The Davidson Trust is our highest priority-it goes right to the core of all that is best about Davidson and it has long been a part of our heritage. Just listen to the words from the minutes of the Board of Trustees in 1841:
we must keep "the cost of education within the reach of many in our land, who could not otherwise obtain it."
And, with the support of the college family, we are committed to raising the funds that will make The Davidson Trust a permanent reality in the life of this wonderful college.

Speaking of things that are wonderful, I have to say that you are wonderful. Of course, that is true in many ways, but I am talking particularly about the incredible loyalty of Davidson alumni. This loyalty takes many forms, among them this: more than 60.1 percent of alumni-for the SEVENTH year in a row-more than six out of 10 alumni made a gift to last year's Annual Fund. Not only are these dollars crucial to sustaining our educational mission, but they give still one more reason for our Wildcat pride: Davidson tied with Amherst for second in the country in alumni giving, with only Middlebury squeaking past us. The bottom line is that in the most challenging economy in 70 years, through the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends, Davidson's Annual Fund ended the 2009 fiscal year by raising $8.06 million-surpassing the goal of $7.8 million!

Which brings me to the budget....and the news here is pretty good, too. Last year was rough, to be sure, and we are not out of this yet. But with belt-tightening and terrific teamwork across our faculty and staff, we managed to finish the year in the black. This is good news, as the recession's impact on our endowment will be felt for several years to come. Through all of this, our top priority has been protecting the quality of our students' experience-and we are confident that our students now are getting the same high-quality education as they were before last year's economic crisis. And I want to thank all of you again for your help in making that happen. Your support really makes a difference in the lives of our students.

Speaking of the economy, we now have our very own economic engine in downtown Davidson-have you been to 'Cats on Main? We are very excited about this extension not only of our bookstore-but of our spirit, on Davidson's Main Street. For old timers like me, it's where the drugstore used to be back in the day; more recently, it has been the Tom Clark Museum, and you can still visit Tom's gnomes upstairs. But downstairs is 'Cats on Main, and my friends, it is very red and black. It's open until six tonight, so try to drop by and do your part to fuel the economic recovery!

And speaking of recovery, I imagine you have heard about some unwelcome campus visitors this year. Yes, I am talking about H1N1 flu bugs, which have already made their presence known at Davidson. Like campuses across the country, we expected the virus and, thanks to the wonderful and thoughtful planning of our staff, we were as ready as possible, with educational material distributed in a variety of ways to the entire college community, a faculty very willing to have sick students miss class until they recover, and a student health center well prepared to support them as they recover. So far, we have had about 53 cases at Davidson, and the good news is that these have been mild, lasting about three to five days. We'll have the vaccine for our students as soon as it is available, as well as the vaccine for the regular seasonal flu.

I am going to close with some truly wonderful news. Longtime friends of Davidson College, Carole and Marcus Weinstein, visited campus at the end of August. They have been talking to us over the past couple of years about ways to support Davidson. After a visit to campus a few weeks ago, the Weinsteins decided that they wanted to support the student experience at Davidson in a substantial way--$2.2 million substantial ways. I am so happy to tell you that the section of Duke Residence Hall that houses the Dean Rusk International Studies Program will now be known as the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Center. That's excellent news. But there is more. Within that building will be the Spencer Office Suite, named for none other than President Emeritus Samuel R. Spencer, Class of 1940. And there is still more. The lobby of Chambers Building, just inside the west entrance facing Chambers Lawn, that space will now be known as the Spencer Lobby! This is also in honor of Sam Spencer and his wife, Ava, who have been good friends of the Weinsteins for more than 25 years. You know, I was a student when Sam Spencer was president-and I could not be more delighted that the Weinsteins have chosen to recognize the Spencers in this way. It was a special Davidson moment when the Spencers were told of the gift and the naming of the lobby and office suite. Let me read you part of a letter I received from Sam. "To have our names (and I am especially glad Ava is included) assigned to the central entry of the college is a gift beyond any other."

My friends, the state of Davidson College is pretty darn good.