FU ll m& -0A9 the next century Preparin g for the 21st Ce ntur by Stephen D. Nadauld WSC President he changes that have occurred in our world since Weber State first began 100 years ago are truly amazing. Weber State was born ten years before the Stanley Steamer and the first Ford automobile. Orville “The decade of the nineties in Utah will be one in which we create our own opportunities.” and Wilbur Wright’s first flight was 14 Stephen D. Nadauld years in the future. The radio had not yet been invented—there were only 38 states in the Union—buffalo herds still roamed Ty Cobb had just been born, but not Jack Dempsy, Red Grange, Ben Hogan, or Babe Ruth. Basketball would not be invented for another two years, And the next 100 years? Who can see the images? Who knows even the words? Who can conceive what will transpire in the next SO or 100 years? Today, a century from our beginning, we stand in the midst of buildings, programs, and accomplishments that would fill our founders with a sense of awe and wonder. We have a record number of students and a record number of graduates. Our academic programs have never been stronger nor our achievements more notable. And true to our past, we also face an economic challenge that fills us with awe and wonder. , The mission of this institution as envisioned by its founders was to educate, in the best sense of that term, the men and women of our commu- the plains. Geronimo and Sitting Bull were both alive and well—so, also, were Casey Jones, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, and Calamity Jane. The President of the United States said—I quote—’’Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” J.P. Morgan, Edward Harriman, Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were in the height of their careers. And the state of medical science? I quote from an 1889 Encyclopedia, “To produce sweat, take one-half drachm of snakes head herb, one ounce each of saffron, camphor, snake root, senaca, and bark of sassafras root, one-half ounce each of ipecac, and opium: Put the above in three quarts of Holland gin and take a tablespoonful in catnip tea every few minutes till a sweat is produced.” nity. One hundred years later that mission has not changed. The world has grown smaller in ways that would be unbelievable to our forefathers. Consequently, our community has enlarged and we open our doors to students from every state and many foreign nations. But what will our students of the future expect to receive as an “education”? I belicve we are uniquely positioned to become preeminent in the state and in the West for the excellence of our undergraduate education. The ingredients are all in place—it is time for us to deliver on the promise and achieve the recognition our efforts deserve. A major part of that unique positioning and something that is lacking in many institutions, is our attitude about our students. We already bclieve that students should expect a quality education, be taught by professional and caring teachers who serve as role models, and have experience beyond the classroom in academic research, self governance, co-curricular activities, and community service. The most exciting point to me is that we have the pre-eminence I envision nearly in our grasp. faster than it can afford to meet the resulting need for public services seems finally to have reached a breaking point. Utah’s desire for isolation from a stagnating national economy is unfulfillable. But then, before lapsing into a full-blown jeremiad, I should recall the many other crises in the history of the college. And somehow we continue to maintain a productive atmosphere and The current campus covers 400 acres and includes over 60 buildings. earn their diplomas while simultaneously accumulating a year of general college credit, an interactive computer network which links junior high and high school mathematics teachers with the college’s mathematics department providing instant access to classroom demonstrations the teachers themselves have produced, an instructional program in English as a Second Language so effective it was adopted as a regular academic offering, design, construction, and deployment from the space shuttle of an earth satellite, and many others. This penchant for innovation also appropriately symbolizes Weber State’s evolution during the last decade of its first century which has been dominated by rising expectations on several fronts. Teachers are expected not only to know their subjects, but to remain up-to-date through professional contributions that maintain, interpret, or advance knowledge. Expectations for students have risen, as well. For qualitative im- tolerable morale in the face of all mathematics and English were added to degree requirements; entry standards to college-level classes were raised; and hefty tuition surcharges were attached to remedial classes. As positive incentives, a series of fouryear scholarships—the most lucrative in Utah—were established to attract outstanding students. Dramatic growth in a reinvigorated Honors Program has difficulties. New technology and new faces generate their own excitement, even in the direst of straits. While growth provided the opportunity for new ideas in the early part of the decade, retirements are now dominating college demography. Most of the long-time faculty and staff, who saw Weber State through its transition from junior to undergraduate college, have reached been particularly satisfying. the ends of their careers. Rising expectations have been reinforced by rapid introduction of the most significant new technological tool administration, a distinct majority of of our time—the digital computer. recruited from other states. Year- In Since the start of the Brady faculty and half the deans have been 1980 Weber State lagged seriously behind the modern world in hardware, in organization to deliver computing power, and in academic applications of computing; by 1984 accreditation reviewers commended us on our students’ unusually good access to computers. At this time of centennial celebration, our dominant environmental issue is Utahns’ limited ability to continue supporting education in the manner to provement in the longer term, mini- which they are accustomed. mum competency expectations in population’s bent to reproduce itself The Pres. Rodney H. Brady presents college objectives to Utah legislature. The decade of the nineties in Utah will be one in which we create our own opportunities. That will be just as true for us in education as in any other endeavor. As we begin our second century know that educational excellence is at the heart of our enterprise. We face no greater challenges than those faced by others who have come before. We will not be less successful in our mission of education than they. The grit and determination and innovation and cooperation that have characterized our past are in our genes. They are in our fabric and our heart. I believe we will rise to the challenge of this second hundred years with that same grit and determination. opening rituals and the weekly Open Hour seminars and convocations are bringing more visitors of national Stature to the campus. Under the very recent leadership of President Stephen Nadauld, strategic thinking occupies center stage. Faced with dwindling state resources, doing the right things, rather than merely doing things right, must be the guiding principle. Exactly how the shape of Weber State will change as it passes into the second century is gradually coming into focus. Appropriately, the entire campus community devoted the winter preceding the Centennial to a reexamination of the College’s mission. Building from existing strengths, our mission envisions Weber State as a recognized leader in welcoming the complete spectrum of students, in stimulating community economic development, and in helping to improve Utah’s pre-college education system. Change itself is inevitable. Equally inevitable are the successes of the people who are Weber State. I find it significant that few of my counterparts around the country obviously enjoy their work as much as I. In my first two years here I met more genuine human beings than in two decades of university life elsewhere. That strength of character, I believe, is what drives Weber State to persist and to thrive against all odds. It will guarantee a second century even more remarkable than the first. aa