By Aubrie Smith, Section Editor.
On Aug. 23, Delta College employees gathered to hear President Jean Goodnow give her State of the College address as faculty and staff enjoyed breakfast in the Pioneer Gym.
“I want to take a moment and welcome everyone to the 2016/2017 academic year,” she began. “This is the beginning of another academic year. A new year of excitement, challenge, opportunities, and the unknown.”
She went on to proudly state the awards Delta has gained in the last year. “Delta is third among mid-sized Community College winners of the 2016/2017 digital community college survey. This is the fourth consecutive year we have received this recognition. We are a tech savvy college and we are committed to a top quality educational experience in a state of the art environment for our students and our community.”
She also went on to praise the private sector in contributing to Delta. “In 2015, 4.7 million dollars was gained from the private sector. These private contributions matter,” she said. “They make faculty projects possible. We are truly grateful for your generosity.” The money also goes to QTV and Delta’s radio station Q90.1 FM. Next week they will kick off the annual employee solicitation campaign to accrue more money.
Goodnow was happy with all the advancements. “I think we should all be proud of our accomplishments. Let’s give ourselves a round of applause!”
However there were also challenges. Next Goodnow had to face two problems: enrollment and retention. “The enrollment picture at Delta College continues to be on that concerns all of us,” she stated. Student counts have also decreased within the last five years as well as credit hours, according to Dr. Goodnow. As of last week, 8,873 students had registered for Fall classes.
Another major concern is the population drop of both Bay County and Saginaw County. Because of this depletion, one in every 5 potential Delta Students is gone.
And it doesn’t end there. The biggest challenge, said Goodnow, was Delta’s retention rate. The retention rate for 2014 to 2015 is 53.2%. Almost half of Delta’s students are not completing a program of study.
However, Goodnow remains optimistic. “I refuse to believe that there is no hope and we should just simply accept the negatives. I think there are things we can do about our downward enrollment picture and our retention rate. I think it’s time for everyone to step up to the plate and take a serious look at some of our challenges.”
Answers to the problems include face-to-face orientations instead of online orientations. Also, they wanted to work more closely with first generation students.
Goodnow had more to say: “Will we be successful at turning our challenges into opportunities? I believe that we will. If everyone, and I mean everyone, steps forward and helps. No matter what role you may have at the college, you have a voice and a voice that matters. If you have ideas, we want to hear them. We especially want you to help us implement those ideas,” said Goodnow. “Furthermore, talk of the benefits of attending Delta College with your family, friends, and neighbors. Let them know about this wonderful college and how easy it is to enroll in classes here.”
Yet there is still more good news. The college has received a planning approval to build a new center in downtown Saginaw. This could significantly improve Delta’s presence in Saginaw.
Finally, Goodnow left the employees with some sage advice. “The road that everyone tells you to travel isn’t always the best choice. But sometimes you have to choose it to find out if it’s a successful path to follow or not.” She went on, “Believe in yourself and know that through any difficult journey there is always a positive end result.”
Reviews of the speech were mostly positive. “I thought it was good,” said Luke Goodnow, a student of marketing. “On a scale from 1-10, I’d give it an 8.” He expounded on his feelings when he said, “I think she does a good job. She’s very professional and genuinely cares about this college and its students and employees. I don’t have any complaints.” When asked if she talked about the subjects he wanted to hear about, he said yes. “I’m in the marketing department so a huge part of my job is focusing on enrollment so I like getting more insight on that and it’s always valuable. I think that it’s always in the conversation.”
Tony Khalin, employee at Delta College, gave her a 7. “I enjoyed the beginning of the speech where she talked about all the accomplishments from the previous year,” he said.
At the conclusion of the event, Andrew Huddy had this to say: “She was putting the data up there about the retention rates and the importance of that is what we have to focus on. She did well. I’d give her an 8.”
The rest of the event centered around the importance of teamwork through a packet that focused on “The Five Behaviors of a Team.” An announcer said, reading off the packet: “Being a team is a choice we make every day”. A sentiment, it is sure, that resonates with Jean Goodnow.
