Friday, May 6, 2011
President Mordechai Rozanski delivered his annual Town Hall address on April 29, declaring that the University is doing well and that despite the fiscal challenges of the Great Recession, Rider is poised to end the year with a balanced budget.
by Dan Higgins
To an audience of more than 350 faculty and staff in the Yvonne Theater and via simulcast to the Westminster Choir College campus, President Mordechai Rozanski delivered his annual Town Hall address on April 29, declaring that to date the University is doing well and that despite the fiscal challenges of the Great Recession, Rider is poised to end the year with a balanced budget. Moreover, Rider faculty and staff are developing and implementing creative and pragmatic strategies to successfully manage challenges to continue institutional progress.
As the state and the nation began to face economic crisis two years ago, Rider initiated the “Innovation Agenda” to manage costs and generate new and diverse sources of revenue to help sustain its institutional vitality. This effort includes initiatives in academic programs, recruitment, retention, student support programs, expenditure constraints, entrepreneurship and fundraising. Rozanski demonstrated how the continued success of the Innovation Agenda in developing and implementing new programs and activities is meeting academic and student needs as well as helping to generate additional revenues or savings for the operating budget, and raising capital for investment in facilities enhancements.
As for enrollment, Rozanski reported that while it is too early to predict results for fall 2011, new student enrollment remains on track. Similarly, fundraising results are currently running ahead of last year’s totals, date to date.
Rozanski concluded by proudly noting some of the remarkable individual and group achievements of Rider students such as the 2011 Relay for Life event that raised more than $57,000 for the American Cancer Society, the Model U.N. Team winning the Outstanding Delegation Award, and three student video productions winning first place at the National Broadcasters Society’s Electronic Media Competition. The president was also pleased to report that Rider placed 3rd in J & J's National Business Case Competition behind only University of Illinois and University of Florida, but ahead of Penn State, Bucknell, Florida International, Seton Hall, LaSalle, Rutgers Newark and Rutgers New Brunswick. This is Rider’s second top-three finish in three years.