Good afternoon.

Welcome to the beginning of the 2007-2008 academic year, a time of promise and optimism for Kean University. I want to thank everyone in this room for contributing your time, your energy, your ideas and your talents to help make this University into one of the finest in the state of New Jersey.

One year ago, I expanded upon our vision for Kean University and asked for your help to make it a reality.

One year ago, I challenged you to lead our University from good to great. Well, my friends...I am happy to report that we have done a great job.

Yet there is still work left to do. As the great philosopher Aristotle once said:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

For all the work that we have done, for all that we have accomplished, we can never rest. Excellence must become a habit .

And for most you it already has.

Let me take a moment to introduce some people here today for whom
excellence IS a habit:

Board of Trustees Chair Robert Cockren
Board Members:
Ada Morell
Michael D'Agostino
and
Mayor of Elizabeth and a Kean alumnus, Chris Bollwage
Chairman of the Liberty Hall Foundation, Mr. John Kean

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to also recognize a very special friend of Kean University - someone whose strong and unwavering support for this University made many of our most spectacular achievements possible. He not only supports Kean University, but he has fought to make this a great one. So on behalf of a very grateful University, I want all of us to say thank you to Senator Raymond Lesniak.

Please also allow me also to express my appreciation to the members of the Board of Trustees for their support and confidence. And many thanks to foundation and alumni boards, the faculty senate, University planning Council, friends, alumni, faculty, staff and students who have helped make Kean University vigorously move forward.

Mr. Chairman, five years ago we began to lay a foundation that would prepare Kean University to fulfill its unlimited potential. And then the budget crisis of 2003, much severe than that of 2006, gave us a wake-up call like no other event in our recent history. We realized that we can no longer be one of many, offer programs as the others did, take our students for granted, teach and prepare our students the same way and above all, conduct our business like everyone else. We had to carefully assess every aspect of our operations and make a choice. Blame the state and continue limping along OR imagine our mission and become more competitive, more innovative, more efficient and above all more accountable to ourselves, to our students and to the public we serve. We refocused on our shared vision of opportunity and excellence. And we stayed with it.

With the passing of each year, we dared to exceed our grasp and reach for new heights. And last year we challenged ourselves to take Kean University from good to great by focusing on excellence in research, excellence in scholarship, excellence in teaching and excellence in service to our students and the community.

Ladies and gentleman, today, Kean University is stronger than before, academically more robust than we were, much more competitive than ever and no longer one of the many, but poised to become one of the best.

Let's see what we have done:

Knowing that more than 62 percent of parents make their decision about where to send their sons and daughters to college based on reputation and how the university looks and feels, we produced the most stunning campus in the state of New Jersey. We instilled our community with a sense of pride that is unrivaled. We built the magnificent Center for Academic Success, the unbelievable Harwood Arena and the fully renovated Kean Hall and the D'Angola complex.

And the end result of all this work?

The number of visits to our campus has more than quadrupled and the number of applications we receive has risen by approximately 40 percent.

I challenged a new generation of leaders at Kean to push the University forward, and they have done a great job.

Let's look at what happened:

This year, we welcome 45 new full-time faculty members to our ranks. Would you stand up so the rest of us can say hello?

I challenged the faculty at Kean to dare to be great. And the response was overwhelming. The scholarship being produced is setting a new standard among our peer institutions. Our faculty set the bar high - and then exceeded it.

Just this year, Dr. Michael Halper was part of a team that received a major National Institutes of Health grant generally reserved for R1 universities. The research of this 1.4 million dollar grant will impact health-care administration systems throughout the United States.

Less than a month ago, Dr. David Joiner and Dr. George Chang, were given a National Science Foundation award to build the fastest supercomputer in the Garden State. It will be used for research in astrophysics, DNA, stem cell, storm forecasting and more. The $420,000 grant will help purchase a cluster of processors capable of 6 trillion calculations per second.   That's a staggering number....so think about it this way:   If a person were to do 10 calculations per minute on a handheld calculator, it would take them more than 1 million years to do the work that this computer can do in just one second....That's pretty fast! In fact, I'm told it's the fastest academic supercomputer in all of New Jersey - even faster than the ones at Princeton University.

You may ask what was it that convinced the National Science Foundation to grant Kean these funds? Well, it was the potential our students. The NSF knows we need to involve diverse groups of students in the scientific future of America; it knows that the faces of OUR student population ARE the faces of America in a generation or so. That is the strength of diversity and of Kean. That is why we should cherish it and understand how it will help propel this university into the future. That was the case we made to the National Science Foundation. Thank you, once again, Dr. Joiner, Dr. Chang and Dr. Halper.

There is something else our faculty did this year--they produced the first ever Kean Review , a semi-annual journal featuring the works of writers and thinkers from around the world formulating new perspectives for a new century. Some, like Frank McCourt, come from across oceans, while others, like Paul Mulshine, are natives of New Jersey.

I want to thank Rose Gonnella and Bob Cirasa for a great job! This journal is truly a work of art and literature --something that all Kean faculty should be proud of...And did I mention they did it all without release time?

Where are Dean Kristie Reilly, Dr. Suzanne Bousquet, and Dr. Dennis Finger? These three campus leaders make excellence a habit everyday. I am proud to recognize their hard work and dedication as I announce that Kean University will begin accepting its first doctoral applications in Fall 2008. That's right, the University received final approval for its Doctorate of School Psychology program....a landmark accomplishment in our 152-year history.

This fall, also thanks to the hard work of Dean Reilly, the University will begin a program that moves some of our students from undergraduate school here at Kean directly into medical school. We will accept applicants for a new Bachelor of Science/M.D. program that combines the resources of our Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Program, Drexel Medical College and St. Peter's Hospital.   Our Sci-Tech students will learn biomedicine here and then be admitted to medical school at Drexel.   Thank you.

Not to be outdone by his brother, Professor Matt Halper received his second consecutive award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and Professor Marguerite Mayhall received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her research in modern Latin American art.

Also, Dr. Joseph McGill was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, and Dr. Frank Argote-Freyre's book: Batista: From Democrat to Dictator , was named an "Honor Book" by the New Jersey Council of Humanities . Dr. James Conyers of Africana Studies was featured by the Journal of Africological Studies and Drs. Thomas Shaw and Jennifer Chen published two new books.

With special thanks to Dr. David Shani, our Graduate College this year awarded degrees to its first Global MBA students, a group whose studies included work at Tsingua University in China.

Excellence in research by our faculty climbs way above the bar we set. Consider the achievements of Kathy Londino, Terry Golway, Tom Banit, Larry Tung, Carol Goodman, Dennis Klein, Don Lokuta, Lewis Kachur, Lily Chen-Hafteck, Allison Brewster Franzetti, Christopher Bellitto, James Connor, Alan Robbins, Frank Esposito, Mark Lender, Robin Landa, and Eric Hayat; they were profiled in the Star-Ledger's weekly Quest educational section.

Also, John Valentine, Xiaobo Yu, Thomas Lateano, and Rose Gonnella comprise a few recent recipients of our Teacher of the Year award.

And when it comes to service to our students, the dedication of most of our faculty and staff is always a source of pride to all of us. Just to mention a few names, all winners of the Presidential Excellence awards in service: Kathleen Neville, Jose Sanchez, Richard Palatini, Frances Priester, Rich Bakker, Elizabeth McGovern, Amy Castillo, Michael Gorman, Cosmore Harrell, Fred Wacker, and Marcos Wanton. Let's give these dedicated members of our Kean community a round of applause.

We neither can achieve greatness , nor can we sustain excellence without the dedication and drive of our students.  

Let's take a look at how they have answered the challenge:

This year, nearly 30 percent of our incoming freshmen students were designated as Merit Scholars in high school. That is a significant achievement for Kean; it shows that we continue to appeal to a broad base of high-achieving students.

Our students also are joining up with faculty to publish in nationally recognized journals, and more of them now go to graduate school...to medical school...to law school...and to jobs where they will change the world. Our biology and Sci-Tech students now publish in national scientific journals and our design students continue to win the lion's share of art directors' awards--three times as many as the first runner up, the College of New Jersey.

And there is more:

One of our students in the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Education was made a job offer by an elite private school to teach chemistry two years prior to graduating, and some of the this year's incoming Science and Technology students tip the SAT scale at 1370 out of a possible 1600.

I'm very proud of our students, not only because of their academic achievement, but also because of the culture of citizenship that they exhibit.

You must have heard about Kellye Miller? Kellye earned her bachelor's degree in May, with honors, but that isn't the only way she distinguished herself at Kean. Last January, Kellye donated a kidney to Morgan Johnson - a classmate - and someone she knew for just more than a year. Think about that - she gave the gift of life for no other reason than the fact that Morgan needed it. That is the Kean spirit and that is representative of how many Kean students behave.

And how about Journalism Student Natalie Pinero? Natalie this year published five articles in The Star-Ledger , New Jersey's largest newspaper, another first for Kean University.

Ladies and gentleman, because of our faculty and their accomplishments, because of our students and their success stories, because of your hard work, Kean University is changing. People throughout New Jersey and the world now see Kean University in a different light.

But remember....the work never ceases.

This year, we will continue to invest in building and maintaining the finest, state-of-the-art campus facilities in New Jersey - and we'll do it because our faculty and students NEED these facilities to take the next step in advancement in research, scholarship, teaching and service.

• I can begin by reporting that we have finally built the bridge over the Elizabeth River and our East Campus Link is now operational - only five minutes from here to there. For the first time in decades, our two campuses are linked. Our students, faculty and staff will no longer have to deal with the intersection of Morris and North Avenues. Thank you Mr. Gandhi from Department of Transportation and Mr. John Maso and Jim Hall of our Facilities and Planning Office for getting this job done under extremely difficult circumstances.

• Our Nathan Weiss Graduate College will finally have its own home in the completely renovated East Campus - the old Pingry School - in Fall 2008.

• Construction will begin on the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Education across Morris Avenue in 2008. This state of the art facility will be home to a program that will change the future of applied scientific research and education in New Jersey.

• Renovation of Wilkins Theatre and the Nancy Thompson Library - which will include the Institute for Human Rights - will start in the spring of 2008.

• Construction of two new residence halls for our students also will begin during the spring semester break.

• All of our residence halls will be equipped with wireless Internet services by the end of this month. At that point, with the exception of the small campus schools, the entire university will be fully wireless. You will be able to connect to the Internet from every bench, every classroom and every office.

• And the news many of you have been waiting for...And if this does not get applause, nothing will....Plans for our parking garage have been developed and will soon be submitted to the state for approval.

Safety also remains a top priority for our students and our faculty. Today, I encourage every one of you to register your cell phones or e-mail accounts with our new online Emergency Activation System. The system will allow the University to send all registered users an emergency alert if necessary. In light of the horrid tragedy at Virginia Tech, this is a very important step requiring your full cooperation.

Admission and recruitment efforts continue to excel here at Kean University - last October's Undergraduate Open House drew more than 5,000 prospective students - another new record. I remember in 2002, I spoke to just 800 Open House attendees in this very auditorium. Yet, due to resource limitations, the total number of students at Kean has remained roughly the same.

The Kean at Ocean County College program is growing rapidly. Over 500 students enrolled in our program at OCC, with another 250 in the pipeline.

On the global front, our reputation continues to expand. Our China initiative moves forward--albeit slower than anticipated--and we are developing a brand new relationship with Komomouto University in Japan. This year we also will receive a group of 15 graduate students from Poe University in France into our Global MBA program.

Mr. Ken Takanaga of the Komomouto Prefecture in Japan is here today. So welcome Ken. Komomouto is a beautiful province with eight magnificent historical shrines, and for those of you interested in a different type of spiritual experience, it also has over 80 golf courses including one inside the crater of a dormant volcano.

Our Nancy Thompson Library has a new director Luis Rodriguez and is set for dramatic improvement. This academic year, the Kean Foundation will provide almost one million dollars to further improve our Library and information delivery systems.

Our Department of Athletics and Kean University's student-athletes are also moving forward toward greatness. Our Athletics facilities are easily the very best Division III complex in New Jersey and among the best in the United States.

Last fall, our Football Team won its first championship since 1994 and went undefeated at home for the first time ever. Coach Dan Garrett, in his first year on the job, was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

You know, I remember standing here last year and challenging Coach Garrett to beat Montclair State on Homecoming. There was some laughter in the audience that day, but the team went out and did it... Hey, Coach Garrett, Homecoming is against Rowan this year, right? Well, you know the drill...

In the winter, our Women's Basketball Team had its best season in 20 years. Out of more than 400 teams, our Cougars made it all the way to the Elite 8. Almost all of those players are returning this season, so make sure you find your way to Harwood Arena this winter to see Coach Michelle Sharp and her team make history.

Things got even better in the spring. We knew we had a good baseball team. Coach Neil Ioviero's Cougars made it all the way to the National Championship game - which they won. So let me introduce you to the 2007 National Champions - the Number One college baseball team in Division III, the Kean University Cougars! Fellas, stand up and enjoy a big round of applause!

All of our teams raised the bar last year, but you can't do any better than a national championship. So Coach Ioviero, and I hate to say this: but this spring I will be OK with the status quo ?

Our success in academic advancement, athletics, our beautiful facilities, all of the major capital construction projects you have seen - they all help make Kean a great university. And most of this would not be possible without the generosity of our friends, our benefactors, our alumni and our donors.

Let's look at what happened:

Last year we talked about a capital campaign and we thought more about where we are headed, what we needed to do, and what it would take to go from good to great.

We developed the idea of Transforming Lives, the campaign for Kean University. We set a goal of raising 30 million dollars in the next two years. That's right - $30 million.

Now don't panic ... I want to tell you today that we are already halfway there.

We introduced the Transforming Lives campaign to our community at this year's Kean Gala in June, which, as always, was a smash hit among our alumni, donors and friends.

Our friends, alumni, donors and benefactors believe in our mission, and they believe in Kean University. That is why they have opened their wallets to provide opportunities for our students. Their generosity is why the Kean University Foundation now provides scholarships to four times as many students as it did five years ago.   Their generosity already funds six named professorships; soon, we're hoping to reach 20.

I'm asking everyone to become part of this drive - whether you donate 50 dollars or fifty-thousand dollars - it's your participation that counts. Now don't say, "Well, I can really only afford 50 dollars, and they won't miss that."   We will miss it, because those gifts add up. I'm asking you to give something to develop the culture of giving at the University, and believe me, it will give back to you many folds.

In conclusion, I want to bring to your attention one more event that took place this year on this University's march to greatness.

We were fortunate enough to be entrusted with a true national treasure - an asset that no other university in New Jersey can claim or equal. Ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about Liberty Hall.

The treasures of the past contained within Liberty hall will help transform Kean into a nationally known institution of higher education.

The new bridge that links our two campuses also links our nation's past with our University's present and provides a pathway to a glorious future for Kean. And for that reason, let me capture the momentous nature of this partnership by simply saying: Liberty Hall and Kean University: Perfect Together.

This great achievement simply would not have been possible without the generosity of Mr. John Kean and his family, the leadership of Mr. Robert Cockren, the chairman of our Board of Trustees, and the stewardship of a great friend of Kean University, our senior Senator Raymond Lesniak. May I ask Mr. Kean and Chairman Cockren to join me on stage to be recognized for this tremendous accomplishment?

Now, on behalf of Mr. John Kean, Chairman Cockren and Senator Lesniak let me invite all of you to walk or take the new shuttle over to the Liberty Hall Campus of Kean University. It is high time for some afternoon tea.