Rich Payne, executive director for Housing and Residence Life, explained the university’s move toward keeping more freshmen and sophomores in on-campus housing and moving juniors and seniors toward other accommodations. Numerous studies have shown that students who live on campus the first two years of their collegiate life succeed at higher rates. Despite increasing on-campus housing by 1,500 beds in the last five years—and 328 more next fall—NAU is still feeling increased pressure for housing. Residence Life currently has about 8,500 students on campus, more than the universities of Arizona and Texas, Payne said.
Harvey Charles, vice provost for International Education, gave a presentation on the strength and importance of NAU’s global outreach, education and programming. Charles pointed out that international education encompasses far more than exchange programs and that NAU’s global commitment impact students and educators across campus. He also praised computer science professor Eck Doerry’s Global Science and Engineering Program as an example of NAU’s leadership in internationalization.
The Arizona Board of Regents’ recent “State of the Universities” was a well attended in downtown Phoenix, President John Haeger reported, adding that some legislators may remain skeptical about the universities’ budget request. The Legislature also “remains serious” about performance funding, he added.
President Haeger also announced that Robert Breunig, director of the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Jeff Trent, president and scientific director of Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, will receive honorary degrees at fall commencement on Dec. 19.
Astrid Klocke, associate professor of Humanities and president of the Faculty Senate, said the faculty have requested that the regents include their input on the search for new NAU president.