President Edward M. Hundert said he faces a challenge in trying to describe the current state of Case Western Reserve University—because Case is in a state of change.

During his annual state of the university address to staff, Hundert told the near-capacity audience in Strosacker Auditorium that Case's transformation into the world's most powerful learning environment is in full swing. And all the action is, in essence, the continuation of an "absolutely brilliant plan" that started with the 1967 federation creating the university.

"When I think about action, I think about how much of what we are doing now is an effort to become a university," he said.

Among the visionary advancements that continue to bring the university together are undergraduate curriculum reforms that join liberal education with technical understanding, experiential learning with rigorous scholarship; research collaborations that are not just interdisciplinary but also interschool and inter-institutional; and a master plan that physically links the north and south portions of campus with a college town.

In addition to transforming educational and research programs and the campus environment, Hundert said Case also is moving forward with institutional advancements that include bold investments in its recruiting, development and marketing efforts.

"We have already made remarkable steps in this regard," Hundert said, referring to progress under way with undergraduate admission, philanthropy and the university's new branding campaign.

If he had to chose to highlight just one or two of the many significant developments over the past year, the president said the first would be Case coming together with the diverse Cleveland community through the university's new Supplier Diversity Initiative Council. Case and the council, which has helped the university generate $2 million a year in new business with women- and minority-owned enterprises, were honored with the Cleveland NAACP's Freedom Award.

"That . . . is easily the most proud and memorable moment for the university," he said.

Hundert smiled when he revealed another momentous achievement from the first year of his administration: the opening of the Silver Spartan diner. But he was serious when he talked about the value of creating a place on campus where students can go to "get a greasy burger" at all hours of the night.

"That is part of what we have to do to create a great college town," he said.

Though much of the university's removing of boundaries focuses on undergraduates and experiential learning, Hundert said the university is also making a point to build its graduate and professional programs and research infrastructure "to support the synergy" between teaching and research "to make sure it's not an either-or situation."

"Undergraduate programs are ultimately the defining program for any university . . . but these are higher education initiatives, not just undergraduate initiatives," he said.

Just as Case is fusing undergraduate and graduate and professional education, the humanities and technical sciences, the north and south portions of campus, Hundert said it is as important to bring faculty and students together with staff to form one complete university community.

"To not have a big split between the academic and nonacademic areas of the university is part
of thinking across boundaries," he said. "We have to be ready, all of us—even me—to be swept up in this culture of transformation."

The president noted the administration's growing partnership with Case's Staff Advisory Council, which helped initiate the recent campus-wide community service day. The council, along with Human Resources, also is working to improve employee empowerment throughout the university. Together, the two
co-sponsored the president's state of the university address to staff. Hundert also delivered a similar address to faculty.

"In every single draft of the vision statement, we talk about faculty, staff and students," Hundert said. "Staff are very much a part of this transformation."

Return to the online edition of the 10-16-03 Campus News.