Emporia State students head back to classrooms on Wednesday. President Michael Lane talks about the upcoming year.
Q How is Emporia State University getting ready for the new school year?
A Predominantly, we’re still trying to recruit students so that we make our enrollment and trying to help some of our students who are having difficulty financing their education find ways to do that so that they can come back. So we’re working pretty hard on that stuff right now.
Q How does enrollment stand right now?
A Enrollment is roughly flat. That’s as detailed as I’m permitted to get. I can’t talk much about it.
Q How is the school dealing with budget cuts?
A We’ve continued our planning process. We’ve temporarily shut down 32 positions, we’ve reduced operating budgets. We’re just being very careful on how to spend our money, and looking forward to see what we might still have to prepare for with additional cuts should state revenues not return to the predicted levels.
Q What will be some of the highlights of the upcoming semester?
A I think any time you start a new year, you’ve got a new group of freshmen coming in and a new group of graduate students coming in, and that always makes it a fun opportunity. Basically, we deal in making people’s dreams come true, and that’s the most fun we can have, is making sure that those kinds of things happen. So meeting the new students is always fun, but it’s equally fun having talking to the returning students and seeing what they’ve been doing over the summer and how they’ve matured, and it’s just kind of a fun time to be in higher education.
Q How is progress on the construction going on in front of Plumb Hall?
A As I understand it, the main driveway will be finished by the time classes start next week, but the sidewalks and lights will be a little further behind that, so probably middle of September, depending on good weather, and we’re just about finished with the work over in William Allen White Library, so that should be just about ready to go when we open.
Q Will the project to renovate the Memorial Union be starting soon?
A This spring. We’re still in the planning stages, finalizing the plans that we have with the architect. Now we’ve got to start the real architectural drawings that have all the lines for the contractor. We’re at least currently on schedule for a March ground-breaking for the Union, but it could be April if any schedules get pushed back.
Q Any advice for new students?
A Work hard, make friends and have some fun.