AU President Ben Ladner held his annual year-end cabinet meeting Tuesday morning and answered questions from University officials about new buildings on campus and new academic programs, including the University College program.
Members of Housing and Dining including Julie Weber, Rick Treter and Peter Schline (the voice of x1100 fame), as well as other faculty and staff, attended the meeting, which was open to the public, including undergraduate and graduate students.
"Here we are, dragging until the end of the year," Ladner said. "What a splendid year it was in so many aspects."
Ladner discussed former President Jimmy Carter's visit to campus on Monday and AU's record-setting admissions rates for the incoming Class of 2009.
"We received 13,500 applications and SAT scores were around 1285, setting new records for AU," Ladner said.
According to Provost Neil Kerwin, a member of the panel, which included all six deans and vice presidents, the number of applications received is 15 percent higher than last year.
Ladner gave an update on the new School of International Service building and the status of AU's work with a "well-known environmental architecture group from Maryland."
Academic updates around campus, such as developments to the SIS building and plans for the School of Communication to move to the McKinley Building, are in full swing, according to Ladner.
"Our alumni participating mark is at 20 percent," Kerwin said. "A few years ago it was in the single digits."
Bob Pastor, vice president of international affairs at AU, was also on the panel. Pastor gave an update on AU Abroad and the new Abroad at AU program.
"Abroad at AU will be the reverse of the AU Abroad program," Pastor said. "It will bring students from all over the world here to study for a semester or even a year."
The program will offer classes such as "What is America? A Look Beyond the Stereotypes," taught by School of Public Affairs professor Allan Lichtman.
Each dean then gave updates on their respective schools, including the College of Arts and Sciences' plan to offer two new languages on campus in the fall: Polish and Farsi.
Dean Larry Kirkman of SOC spoke about the school's new visual journalism program and a new faculty member who will specialize in graphic design.
Gail Hanson, vice president of campus life, spoke about AU's new University College program that will be offered next fall.
In the University College program, incoming freshman will have the opportunity to live in a residence hall with other members of a common seminar class, which will be shared by about 18 students, according to Hanson. AU will offer seven separate seminar classes in the fall, for four credits each.
Meg Smith, a freshman in CAS, said the University College program will be a success. "I think that freshmen will be better able to adjust to college life," Smith said. "I wish the program was offered when I was a freshman."
"An upperclassman will also interact with the freshmen and link what's going on in the classroom with the city," Hanson said. "We have a lot of enthusiastic learners interested in the program. ... It should be very powerful."
Dan Wenger, a sophomore in CAS, said he believes that the program will be bad because freshmen will "not be able to interact with other upperclassmen and gain other perspectives."
"Everyone that comes to visit AU finds everyone on campus to be friendly and genuinely helpful," Ladner said, ending the meeting. "That is a big selling point and a tribute to the community"
