Acting President Cornelius Kerwin addressed the concerns of Student Government representatives and
General Assembly members in a Wednesday night Q&A session, reassuring them of AU's financial and academic strength and sharing his ideas for change in the coming year.
Regarding President Ladner's suspension and the ongoing investigation by the Board of Trustees, Kerwin said he is doing "everything in my power to honor the boards' commitment to the process."
"The board is on their own schedule. I'm not influencing that or attempting to at all," Kerwin said, refusing to give any further details on the investigation.
Kerwin told the SG representatives that there will be no disruptions in the day-to-day operations of the university as a result of the probe.
"What propels this institution is the quality of the academic programs, and right now they're as healthy as they ever have been in my time here," he said.
Some of the areas Kerwin said he would like to focus on in the coming year include improving academic integrity, reinforcing the importance of teaching evaluations and encouraging more students to apply for prestigious scholarships, such as the Rhodes Scholarship.
Kerwin asked the SG representatives to help him address these issues and asked about elections for the General Assembly, which will take place Oct. 3, 4 and 5.
When asked about potential changes to fall break for the 2006-2007 academic year, Kerwin said he favors an earlier end to the semester and doesn't see the need for a break in mid-October.
"The notion of preservation of study days is important. But I think I'd be willing to give up a day of fall break if it means an earlier end to the semester," he said.
