Spectrum - Volume 21 Issue 10 October 29, 1998 - Meszaros addresses Faculty Senate

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Meszaros addresses Faculty Senate

By John Ashby

Spectrum Volume 21 Issue 10 - October 29, 1998

Provost Peggy Meszaros presented an overview of the state of the university in regard to accountability and assessment at the October meeting of the Faculty Senate.
"These are two words being used more and more--a theme we're going to continue to hear," Meszaros said. "And I think we are well positioned in regard to outside auditing" of the university's institutional effectiveness.
"We are making good progress--we take accountability and accessibility seriously. We are doing extremely well here, and I want you to be feel proud of an extremely successful year."
She said each college at the university had been very successful in areas such as achieving capital-campaign goals, and recruiting and retaining students. Accomplishments by each of the university's colleges were compiled for a report to the Board of Visitors, Meszaros said.
University-wide accomplishments included the best-qualified freshman class, establishment of several new living-learning communities, and the completion of a campus-climate survey for the faculty.
Meszaros said an area of special concern for her was the declining number of resident graduate students enrolled at the university. "I have asked that we mount a very vigorous and thorough review of graduate education." She said an area of concern in the future for graduate education was the dwindling amount of federal research funding.
In other business, the senate endorsed a resolution from the Faculty Senate of Virginia which called for elected faculty members to be fully active members of the state's boards of visitors.