De sales university

2011-2012 was another successful year for the DeSales athletic department. Academically and athletically our athletes performed at a high level. Our men’s soccer team won the Freedom Conference regular season championship, was selected to participate in the NCAA tournament, and, for the first time in their program’s history, advanced to the second round. Men’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, and baseball all participated in postseason playoff contests. Overall our teams won almost 54% of their contests and 57% of our conference games. And, we won playing and acting in a Salesian manner – both our men’s and women’s varsity athletic teams were awarded the 2011-2012 MAC sportsmanship trophy.

We had three coaches named conference “coach of the year” in their respective sports along with several All-Region players. We again had a Bulldog, Jon Balfour, named All-American soccer player.

Academically, 77 of our student-athletes were named to the MAC All-Academic team – 43% of our eligible athletes had a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. For the second consecutive year, an academic all-American soccer player Derek Long was honored after his senior season. And, for the second time in the last three years, a DeSales athlete has been awarded a prestigious NCAA post graduate scholarship. Baseball player Kenny Ridge was selected as just one of 29 male student-athletes on a spring sports team from across the country. This includes Division I, Division II, and Division III athletes. Kenny graduated from DeSales with a 3.75 cumulative GPA as a double major in marketing and sports management. On the baseball field, Kenny was selected 1^st team All-Conference, 3^rd team All-Region, and Academic All-Region. Starting in the fall, Kenny will be pursuing a law degree from Villanova University.

Service was again emphasized within the athletic department. Each varsity team performed at least one community service project; many teams participated in several. Overall, the athletic department was involved with 37 community service projects.

The athletic department is excited about the progress of the newly approved Athletics Master Plan (AMP). The following elements of athletic improvements were addressed in the AMP and implementation of such plan will depend on prioritization and funding:

1. 
   Construction of a new outdoor track and field venue with seating and storage on the former Oblate land
   
2. 
   Creation of two new grass practice and intramural fields on the former Oblate land
   
3. 
   Construction of two new turf fields with lighting, seating, and a storage facility behind Billera where the present track and field venue exists
   
4. 
   Construction of an outdoor storage facility for concessions, restrooms, and officials’ changing room
   
5. 
   As fundraising permits build the baseball stadium and softball stadium
   
6. 
   Conceptualize a long-range athletics facilities plan.
   

With anticipated construction of specific elements of the AMP to occur in the summer of 2013 or 2014, depending on funding and the need for additional student housing, we initiated a two staged request for qualifications/request for proposals from various architectural firms during May 2012. This important undertaking will provide us with conceptual and schematic designs that will allow us to effectively cost out a phased approach to field/land development, renovation and expansion of Billera Hall, and implementation of stadium development for baseball and softball. It is our expectation that we will present a final firm, selected with expertise in athletic programming sufficient with our needs, to the board of trustees at their September 2012 meeting.

CHEERLEADING (12 participants) WOMEN’S LACROSSE (20)

CYCLING (6) TENNIS (9)

FENCING (8) SWIMMING (28)

ICE HOCKEY (16) RUGBY (22)

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (20)

The periodic review process (PRR) serves as a retrospective, current, and prospective analysis of the major achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the institution between decennial self-study procedures. DeSales is required to file a completed PRR with the commission on higher education by June 2013. To accomplish this task, Fr. Peter Leonard, dean of graduate education, and Mr. Peter Rautzhan, associate vice president of administration and planning, were assigned to co-author and lead the process for the university.

They held information sessions with the academic oversight committee, planning committee, institutional outcomes assessment committee, president’s cabinet, full faculty, and strategic planning committee of the board to communicate both the intent of the PRR filing with Middle States and the timelines associated with accomplishing our task.

The main thrust of the report is to develop a tone that is sufficiently celebratory and self-critical as an institution, to convey that we have an appropriate sense of what our challenges are and how we face or plan to face them in achieving our mission. The PRR process is drastically different from the decennial self-study process, in that as an institution we are essentially limited to 50 pages of narrative to address six major components:

1) Executive Summary;

2) A summary of the institution’s response to recommendations from the

previous evaluation and to Commission actions;

3) A brief narrative identifying the institution’s major challenges

and/or current opportunities;

4) Analysis of enrollment and finance data for the period covered by

the institution’s strategic plan;

5) Evidence of SUSTAINED and ORGANIZED processes to assess

institutional effectiveness and student learning; and

6) Evidence that linked institutional planning and budgeting processes are in place.

One of the significant activities that we undertook this year in developing our approach to the PRR was to begin to document the major challenges and opportunities facing the institution. Again, the process to share and solicit feedback on the documented challenges and opportunities was widespread. A secondary activity was the initiation of data collection of the necessary enrollment and finance data for the period covered by the strategic plan during the spring 2012 semester. As we move into June and July, 2012, we will be working on the development of a first draft that will be shared widely with the campus community during fall 2012 for feedback.
b. Campus Master Plan: 2012-2022

The work of the university planning committee was essentially dedicated to one task, completing an update of the Campus Master Plan (CMP): 2012-2022. The planning committee undertook this task by kicking off the update process during the spring of 2011. The planning committee served as the internal entity that worked collaboratively with an external team of educational planner (Ken Brooks), landscape architect (Simone Collins), architect (Breslin Ridyard Fadero), and civil engineer (Barry Isett and Associates).

The output of the project was a masterfully crafted updated CMP including a detailed narrative and large scale drawings of the campus showing:

• 
  existing and planned buildings
  
• 
  existing and planned fields/courts/tracks
  
• 
  existing and planned parking
  
• 
  existing and planned pedestrian routes
  
• 
  existing and planned campus roadways
  
• 
  appropriate landscape features.
  

The university expects that some of the projects included in this CMP effort will be undertaken in the next year or two and others will be more than a decade away. The plan will also certainly include some tentative allocation of locations for facilities that will not occur until much later than 2022.

Planning Process
Following are the steps that were undertaken in the planning process:
Step One -- Updating Needs – Ken Brooks worked with campus leadership to review and update the campus planning goals.

Step Two -- Assessment of Existing Resources – Ken Brooks met with the other external planning team members, reviewed current needs, toured the existing campus including new facilities built since the beginning of the current CMP, considered projects already planned but not yet constructed, and brainstormed about the master planning process.

Step Four -- Documenting the Plan – Breslin Ridyard Fadero prepared drawings for the CMP and the educational planner drafted the narrative. The initial drafts of documents were shared with campus leadership beginning in December 2011. The external team then reviewed and refined updates to the plan as needed prior to sharing with the planning committee in January 2012.

Step Five -- Presenting the Draft Plan – The draft plan was presented to the planning committee first and then widely shared with the university community for review throughout the spring 2012 semester. The plan was presented in draft form to the board of trustees at their March 15, 2012, meeting. Based on these presentations and input received, the CMP was revised in minor format.
Step Six -- Presenting the CMP – The plan was presented to the board of trustees in final form for vote and formerly approved at the May 17, 2012, meeting.
Overall the elements expressed in the CMP affirmed 25 goals that guided the campus master planning effort a decade ago. Those goals remain relevant today at the macro level as a conceptual representation of what we expect to accomplish as the long range vision of the DeSales campus. In affirming the goal statements, we paid special attention to key elements within (#1) the academic and administrative zone, (#2) the residential zone, and (#3) the athletics zone of the campus that will drive our work for the next ten years or more.

(#1) Academic/administrative zone

Expand and Enhance Academic Spaces: The addition of the Gambet Center for Business and Healthcare Education will significantly expand and enhance the academic facilities on campus. As business and healthcare faculty move into the Gambet Center, we will seek to plan for the redeployment of the vacated spaces in Dooling Hall, offering the ability to house the liberal arts and social sciences faculty in higher quality spaces that will seek to create an identity of excellence for the division.

Expand Administrative Offices and Consider Their Locations: As Dooling Hall is repurposed primarily as an academic center, certain functions may be well suited to move into Brisson Hall or Chappuis Hall, including possibly the office of academic affairs, treasurer/ business office, institutional research, and certain information technology functions. Other administrative areas that relate closely with students and faculty could remain in Dooling Hall, including the offices of admission for undergraduate education, ACCESS and graduate programs, respectively.

Create a Permanent Home for the Salesian Center: Preliminary plans for the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture have been developed, but must be updated. The CMP details a new facility, which remains a high priority for the campus.

(#2) Residential zone

Create an Adequate Campus Center: The addition of the DeSales University Center (DUC) and food operations established within Dooling Hall, McShea Student Union, and the new Gambet Center have effectively addressed the dining needs of our growing student body. Additionally, the DUC has brought many new visitors to campus through conference activity. However, the student life needs of our growing student body will require a new student union. A careful study has been completed of the existing McShea Student Union and even with renovations accomplished in the last few years it has been determined that meeting student life needs through continued renovation of McShea is going to be difficult and that the building should be replaced. A significant feature of the long range vision for a new McShea Student Union is to expand the radius of DeSales Drive, creating space to construct the new student union facility offset from the campus mall area, while the existing McShea facility can continue to be used during construction. When the new building is completed, the existing McShea facility will be demolished expanding the campus mall area.

Offer a Continuum of High Quality Housing: As the institution grows towards 2,000 undergraduates, the goal is to have 80% of full-time undergraduate students in campus residence. Accommodating this future growth requires the addition of 600 beds to the existing housing inventory on campus and should be accomplished in a manner that expands the types of offerings available to students. Two key areas need to be addressed based on enrollment growth and student demand. One is approximately 360 beds in a village type complex that offers greater independence to upperclassmen students with apartment style accommodations with kitchens.

The second is graduate students for on-campus housing options. This interest is driven in part by the general lack of moderately priced housing in the immediate area and to accommodate the growing population of full-time graduate students in the business and healthcare programs of the university. Consideration for apartment style housing is identified on the plan along Station Avenue, as well as Landis Mill Road, and may be planned to accommodate single and married graduate students, as well as families with children.

(#3) Athletics zone

A separate planning exercise for athletics, recreation, and intramurals was accomplished in fiscal 2010, with the intention of including this newly created athletics master plan in the overall CMP for consideration and approval by the board of trustees. The university has identified areas to be addressed:

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  New Athletic fields and stadiums: The existing track utilized for track and field events is at the end of its useful life. During the athletics planning exercise, it was determined that land across Station Avenue from Billera Hall, formerly owned by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, would be well suited to relocate the track and field complex, as well as construct additional practice fields. The location of the existing track behind Billera Hall could then be repurposed to construct artificial turf fields. These fields are planned to be lighted and used for varsity competition in lacrosse, field hockey, and intramural programming. In addition, outside restrooms and concessions would be considered in this phase of the athletics improvement plan. Fundraising continues in order to raise resources to construct stadiums for the existing baseball and softball fields that will offer enhanced player and spectator experiences.
  

• 
  Expansion and Renovation of Billera Hall: The existing Billera Hall complex will need to be planned for phased expansion and renovation to meet the increased need for locker room and team room spaces; increased athletic training space for treatment and rehabilitation of student-athlete injuries; additional weight and fitness center activity; and the expansion of competition and recreation court space. The largest single element of this expansion and renovation will be a proposed new spectator arena tentatively sized at 2,500 seats. This facility may also be used for other university and community events, such as graduation exercises.
  

• 
  Future Natatorium: Future consideration of swimming activity at the university, at the intercollegiate, intramural, and recreational area has been given with the siting of a natatorium south of Billera Hall on the corner of Station Avenue and Landis Mill Road.
  

Pedestrian and Vehicular Routes: A central theme within the CMP is the safe and functional movement of students, faculty, staff, and visitors around the University’s campus. Throughout the CMP the goal to enhance a pedestrian culture on campus is emphasized.

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  Human resource planning assists departments in addressing the planned growth goals in student enrollment and directly relates to the operational efficiencies attained through technological improvements and cross functional collaborate.
  

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  Implementation of a structure of graded positions, job grades, and grade ranges for our administrative and professional non-faculty staff, supports employee development and organizational change.
  

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  Enhancement of employee training for new employees and ongoing training for supervisors focuses on mission, performance management, conflict resolution, harassment, and workplace safety.
  

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  Assessment of the need for diversity awareness /cultural competence training for employees.
  

3. Gambet Center for Business and Healthcare Education

1. 
   Reduce the use of paper and paper products on the campus: This initiative is moving forward with an electronic storage solution called ImageNow. The registrar’s office has implemented ImageNow with great success last fiscal year and the department of nursing has implemented ImageNow in fiscal 2012 and is also doing well with the system. The treasurer’s office and financial aid are scheduled next for implementation. Additional offices such as enrollment management, student life, and other academic areas are being considered for implementation. Significant cost savings and a more efficient operation will be realized as the university moves toward achieving that goal.
   

2. 
   Develop uniform email protocol to facilitate effective student/faculty/administration communication: During fiscal 2011, the university’s email system was completely migrated to Microsoft exchange with a dedicated exchange server, which is working well. This completely integrates faculty and staff email. In addition, student email was migrated to Google email, with a “desales” extension. Google email is of lower cost for the university to provide to students and it also offers the ability for students to utilize Google applications, while it gives the university the ability to efficiently administer lists, identification, passwords, etc., of users of such email.
   

3. 
   Expand the wireless computing network where needed across the Center Valley campus, academic spaces, and satellite locations as funding permits: The wireless computing network scheduled for implementation in the summer of 2011 and 2012, respectively, is underway and will be completed by the arrival of students in August 2012. The cost for this implementation was approximately $250,000. The university’s residence halls are the last major areas of campus that will be made wireless. The satellite campuses of Easton Area and Lansdale Area are wireless.
   

4. 
   Install a second ISP circuit with Frontier Communications. The university now has two internet service providers, PenTeleData and Frontier, with separate paths into campus, each with 100MB of bandwidth for a total bandwidth capacity of 200MB.
   
5. 
   Utilize iPad technology within the president’s cabinet in order to gain familiarity with
   

The growth of enrollment will directly impact the need and timing for additional student housing. Certainly as enrollment continues to grow, with full-time undergraduate enrollment projected to approach 1,600 students in the fall of 2012 and as residence usage approaches 95% capacity, the residence halls begin to feel very “tight”, since a perfect 50-50 male/female split is only theoretical. The residence hall usage was approximately 92% of capacity during fiscal 2012.

The vice president for administration, finance, and campus environment reviewed with the president and university’s cabinet, the lead time for planning, designing, approving, and constructing additional housing is approximately 20–24 months. Whether to provide, and how much, if any, housing for graduate students must also be considered. During fiscal 2012 the update of the university’s campus master plan was concluded and will be effective from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2022. The site location for upperclassmen village was verified during this planning process.

The university requested two construction firms, North Star Construction Management, Inc., and Valley Builders, LLC, who are familiar with such housing projects and often work under a design build concept to provide the university with schematics, renderings, and projected costs for such an upperclassmen village project. Valley Builders, LLC, generated the better concept and price point than North Star Construction Management, Inc., although both firms did an excellent job in responding to the university’s request. Significant discussion was engaged at the May 17, 2012, facilities and technology committee meeting regarding the project and the proposals for concept and cost that were evaluated.

1. 
   Constructed the St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal plazas, including the addition of approximately 1,600 lineal feet of additional sidewalk. The plazas were dedicated on June 18, 2012, in the presence of the Oblates of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province who were on campus for their convocation. They have affirmed a special statement of Salesian spirituality and strength on the campus.
   
2. 
   The university continues to assess and prioritize upgrades to its electric distribution infrastructure on campus, and again made significant improvements during fiscal 2012. The campus is approaching fifty years old and these systemic infrastructure systems require replacing to provide a reliable supply of electricity on campus.
   

3. 
   The Labuda Theatre has seen tremendous growth in the size of audiences since it was constructed. Act 1 and The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival sell approximately 30,000 tickets each during a season. Restroom facilities have been strained for women and the University requested Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects, who originally designed the facility, to offer some design schematics to expand facilities for women in Labuda. A schematic design was found to be acceptable and renovations were completed over Christmas break, concluding in January 2012. The renovations to the restroom facilities have been very well received by visitors to the facility.
   

4. 
   During fiscal 2012 cost containment and reduction initiatives continued to be identified and implemented. The Billera Hall lighting was converted to high efficiency, energy conserving fixtures. Overall, due to energy efficiency projects, the University used approximately 10% less electric in fiscal 2012 than in fiscal 2011, resulting in approximately $100,000 in savings.
   
5. 
   Campus environment is continuing its efforts to create a more energy efficient and sustainable campus by using benchmarking data to establish a plan to roll out the energy efficient lighting initiative to those buildings which are the least energy efficient. Additional buildings have been identified that will benefit the most from this program. Those buildings include the DeSales University Center (conference facilities), Hurd Science Center, Labuda Theatre, and Dooling Hall, respectively.
   
6. 
   Several buildings are planned to be added to the INET System for building control of HVAC Systems. The buildings are Labuda Theatre, Campbell Hall, and Billera Hall. These buildings either are not on the system or have outdated systems which limit our ability to control consumption at off use time. The INET System enables remote control and fine tuning of the HVAC Systems to ensure that the systems are operating efficiently and effectively.
   

Campus environment continues to adjust and revise the five-year capital projects plan (CPP), with input from the campus environment committee and the facilities and technology committee of the board of trustees, with an eye toward supporting and improving conditions for all constituents of the university. The executive director of campus environment and vice president for administration, finance, and campus environment meet regularly to discuss capital needs and make revisions as necessary. The overarching theme to prioritization begins with safety items and moves to other areas while factoring in cost, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.