President Cecilia McCormick and members of the senior leadership team were present at the weekly Student Senate meeting Thursday, Nov. 12 at 3:45 p.m. It was the first meeting with the senior leadership team since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The senior leadership team consists of Vice President for Finance and Strategy Jerry Silberman, Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Betty Rider, Special Assistant to the President Ryan Riley, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Community Relations David Beidleman, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Keri Straub, Vice President for Enrollment Management John Champoli and Vice President for Student Life Celestino Limas.
This article will be covering McCormick’s answers and comments on any questions asked and concerns raised by students present at the senate meeting. For more coverage of the meeting, check out news writer and President of Class of 2022 Student Senate Jess Freels’ senate column.
The meeting was structured around four central themes: COVID-19 policies, involvement and engagement on campus, residential renewal and the future of Elizabethtown College. Different members of the senior leadership team gave short presentations for each theme, and after the presentation students attending had the opportunity to ask questions. Sophomore Andrew Furman moderated the Q&A portions of the meeting.
McCormick started the COVID-19 presentation by thanking everyone for following Etown’s COVID-19 policies. The senior leadership team is preparing for the best and worst case scenarios for the spring semester, but they cannot anticipate what exactly the semester plan will look like. They plan to communicate with students regularly leading up to the spring semester. Silberman then discussed the COVID-19 budget, health and safety measures and testing in the future. He took questions from the students after his presentation.
The next theme was involvement and engagement on campus. McCormick stressed that she wants to be visible and present during events on campus despite the pandemic. She listed student lunches and focus groups, one-on-one meetings and phone calls with students, the presidential intern program, dinners at the presidential house and food drives as some of the events that had her involvement. She wants to have more events next semester as long as they allow safe interactions.
Above all, McCormick “want[s] to have a student-centered culture.”
McCormick then spoke about residential renewal, or lack thereof. She stressed that at the moment the College does not plan on beginning any bigger projects due to the recent completion of the Bowers Center and the pandemic. The bigger projects in question are replacing Royer and renovating the Scheiber Quads, Ober and Schlosser, respectively.
There are several residential renewal projects happening on campus this semester. These projects include finishing the softball field this month, cleaning the tennis court and finishing fixing many paths on campus to be ADA compliant. Over winter break, the Leffler Chapel roof will be replaced and the interior may be renovated and new windows will be installed in the High Library. Decisions will be made about the houses adjacent to campus in regards to which will be renovated, sold or identified as SDLCs.
McCormick also mentioned that student feedback would be welcomed for future smaller renovation projects, such as renovations to academic buildings.
The last major theme discussed during the meeting was the future of Etown. McCormick introduced a strategic planning process that will involve the senior leadership team and students to create the vision for the College.
“My vision for the College is not just my vision, but all of our visions,” she said.
McCormick discussed two main points about Etown’s future. First, Etown plans to remain a college as the institution is not yet prepared to take the necessary steps to be designated as a university. Second, liberal arts is the foundation of Etown, and liberal arts will never go away from the institution.
McCormick concluded the meeting with a few closing statements. She thanked the students for their questions and hoped that everyone attending found the meeting productive.
“Thank you for your leadership and helping us figure out this strange time,” she said.
