Three years ago, we defined a new vision for the future of The University of Alabama. This afternoon I would like to give you a brief progress report on our efforts to turn that vision into reality.

Our vision for the future of the University has three core elements – to be a university of choice for the best and brightest, to be a tier one research university and to be an academic community united in its commitment to serve the citizens of Alabama. This vision is wrapped in a growth plan that initially called for increasing the enrollment of the University by approximately 40 percent to 28,000 by the year 2013. The vision has not changed; the growth plan has. I am confident we will achieve our enrollment growth goal no later than 2010.

When we first laid out our vision for the future of the University and at the same time our growth plan, there were some who fairly questioned whether or not both goals were achievable. Could this university grow that much and grow with quality? I believe the results of last fall and this fall put those questions to rest. In fall 2005, we had a record enrollment of 21,750 and we had a record 10,700 applications for the freshman class. We enrolled approximately 3,700 freshmen, including 72 National Merit Scholars. That ranks The University of Alabama 13th in the country among public universities in terms of National Merit Scholars and 31st in the country counting all public and private universities. That freshman class included more than 600 young men and women who had a high school grade point average of 4.0 or higher.

This fall, our total enrollment reached 23,878, up 2,100 from the preceding fall. The preceding fall’s growth of 700 was by itself greater than the net enrollment growth of all the other public and private universities in the state of Alabama. This fall, we tripled last fall’s increase, and we did it while improving the quality of our student body. We enrolled more than 4,300 freshmen this fall, and that group included 83 National Merit Scholars. So, I am optimistic we will move up in the rankings on National Merit Scholars. Our fall 2006 freshman class included 749 young men and women with high school grade point averages of 4.0 or higher.

Honors College continues to be one of the major factors in attracting the best and brightest. Honors College opened its doors in 2004 with 564 freshmen. This fall, it enrolled 901 freshmen who averaged 30 on the ACT which is the 98th percentile. Stop and reflect on that number for just a moment -- The University of Alabama enrolled 900 young men and women who are in the top 2 percent nationally on the ACT and their high school grade point average exceeded 3.8.

Every indication is that next fall will be even better. Last night I was in Monroeville. Monroe Academy is graduating 32 seniors this spring, and 12 have declared already for The University of Alabama. The week before, we were in Dothan, Huntsville, and Scottsboro. More than 300 alumni, high school seniors and parents were in attendance in Scottsboro that evening. The University of Alabama was the overwhelming choice for the students who were present. Three weeks ago we were in Atlanta, where Coke hosted a reception at its corporate headquarters for high school seniors and their parents. There were more than 300 in attendance, and many of those young people indicated Alabama was their first choice.

The best and the brightest arrive with very high expectations. They expect outstanding academic programs, superior teaching, strong staff support, and first-class facilities. It is imperative as we attract these bright young people that we grow with balanced excellence, and that is exactly what we are doing. Honors College, the Blount Initiative and the honors programs in the various majors across the University’s colleges and schools are fully meeting the expectations of the best and brightest.

We have made significant progress in our ability to attract and retain outstanding faculty. If you look at the faculty merit raise pool over the last three years and take into account its basic components – the merit raise pool itself, merit-based equity adjustments that allow us to go back and recognize the work of colleagues who may have had a superior year at a time when there was little or no merit raise money, as well as the small pool of internally generated funds – those three sources taken together have provided a pool of 27 percent over the last three years. Our five-year goal is to reach 40 percent, and I am confident that goal will be reached when we have the salary figures that are announced for fall 2008.

While faculty salaries have been going up with a merit raise pool of 27 percent, staff salaries have followed closely with a pool of 23 percent. Let me put the salary structure adjustment in perspective. If you look at what The University of Alabama has invested in merit increases and in additional support for healthcare and retirement over the last three years, that figure exceeds $52 million. It is not enough to pay faculty well and to pay staff well, we have to have an adequate number of faculty and an appropriate number of staff. Under Provost Judy Bonner’s leadership, we are beginning this year a multi-year program to increase the number of faculty. This year we will add 30 to 35 full-time faculty members. Our staff will grow on an as needed basis.

In terms of facilities, this August we opened two new residence halls, bringing the total number of new residence halls to five in the last two years. We have broken ground on two additional residence halls that will open next August and our board already has approved another residence hall that will open in August 2008. Our new dining hall will open in February. Two new parking decks are preliminarily scheduled for fall 2008. Our renovation program is proceeding well. Shortly after Thanksgiving, the College of Education will be moving back into Graves Hall. Lloyd Hall is next on the list for renovation, and that project will begin on a staged basis in the relatively near future.

Our campus master plan is nearing completion. We expect to be able to present it to our board in the spring. Part of that campus master plan is a new landscaping plan that will make one of the most beautiful campuses in the country even more attractive. Next summer, we will launch our transportation program with the addition of 15 buses that will be used to reduce the amount of car traffic on campus.

Under the leadership of Vice President Tom Martz, Gary Creek (assistant vice president for marketing and communications) and Debbie Lane (executive director of public relations), the University is developing a comprehensive communication plan so that we can become more effective and efficient in telling The University of Alabama story because there is such a powerful story to be told.

Our capital campaign continues to make tremendous progress. We finished the month of September with more than $330 million in cash and pledges toward the $500 million goal. Last year, I announced that Alabama had had a record year in cash and pledges and had reached $100 million for the first time in the University’s history. The books are closed on the most recent fiscal year. Our development office team reached a total of $108 million in cash and pledges. You have heard me say before that the two most important reasons supporters provide funds for a university are pride and confidence. As I travel around the state and the country meeting with our constituents, I can assure you that people are proud of what they see at the University, and they have confidence in our ability to continue to make progress.

The second element of our vision for the future is to be a tier one research university. This past year our faculty, supported by dedicated staff, increased the level of grant and contract activity on campus by 20 percent, and that increase excludes federal dollars for construction. The new travel award program that provides resources for faculty members to explore opportunities for federal funding in Washington was used by several faculty members for the first time. Those faculty members brought back $2.9 million in federal funding.

In the area of service, we continue to make significant contributions to the well being of the citizens of Alabama. Stephen Black’s new Initiative for Ethics and Social Responsibility has implemented several outreach programs. One of the most important is a partnership between the University, the city of Tuscaloosa, and the board of education that will use our campus resources to work toward the goal of every kindergarten student in Tuscaloosa being prepared to function on grade level when they enter kindergarten. A chilling statistic is that in our city, which is better than most in the state, 54 percent of our children are not prepared when they enter kindergarten. I believe this university is in a position to make a lasting and a significant contribution to the well being of our community. We continue to reach out in a variety of ways providing health care assistance across the state and mentoring assistance in other schools in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Three years ago as an academic community, we committed ourselves to a new vision for the future of the University, and today on a daily basis we are reminded of our progress. Our progress is the product of good decisions and careful planning. It is the product of a systematic execution of plans. It is the product of an enhanced level of accountability and, very importantly, it is the product of a continuing sense of urgency. Last spring when I had the privilege of addressing you, I made the statement that The University of Alabama is in control of its own destiny because we have a clear shared vision. We have a plan for turning that vision into a reality, and we are executing that plan successfully. We have a business plan for the University that is generating the financial resources that we need to continue to make progress. As long as we stay focused on that vision and plan, as long as we maintain our intensity and sense of urgency, we will continue to be successful in the future. There is a very important difference between where we stood three years ago and where we stand today. Three years ago, we thought we could be successful. Today, we are certain we can.