President’s Page
Perpetual Optimism
By Joel Seligman
We have completed a terrific year at the University,
and another is beginning.
For the fifth straight year, College admissions
applications are up to a new record, with 11,678 applicants for the
Class of 2011. The new record follows a year in which our
University was listed as one of the 25 “New Ivies” by
Newsweek and the Times of London ranked the
University as 21st best in the United States.
Momentum at the Medical Center is building, with the
School of Medicine and Dentistry receiving one of 12 inaugural
Clinical and Translational Awards ($40 million over five years)
from the NIH to establish a new Clinical and Translational Sciences
Institute; and the NIH awarding the Medical Center a further $26
million grant to establish the New York Influenza Center of
Excellence.
The Eastman School has embarked on a dramatic
renovation and expansion of its facilities.
A Personal Message
I have been diagnosed with a treatable and curable form
of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Our excellent cancer specialists
at the Medical Center tell me that there should not be a
significant long-term impact on my ability to continue service to
the University. But this is a form of cancer, and I want to
communicate what I know about the disease, the diagnosis, the
prognosis, and the likely treatment.
The prognosis is very favorable. Dr. Richard Fisher,
director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, is treating me. A
national expert on lymphomas, he and others have collected data
that indicates the 5-year survival rate for a patient such as me is
approximately 90 percent.
The course of treatment, which began in late August, is
likely to occur over a four- to six-month period. I will need to
take a few days off for the treatment but otherwise should be able
to fulfill my responsibilities as president. There is a high
probability that the cancer will be “cured” within the
next several months.
While the term cancer is a scary one, this is a
treatable, beatable form of cancer.
My first priority will be to address my health. But I
am confident that I can address this disease and continue the
wonderful adventure we have begun together at the University.
The number of matriculants is up at the School of
Nursing. The Simon School also will enjoy increased enrollment in
the coming year, thanks in part to a redesigned executive program.
At the Warner School in 2006–07, there was a record 23
percent increase in applications compared to the previous year.
There has been burgeoning support from our alumni and
friends. Before the last academic year, the University had never
raised $70 million in annual support from its alumni and friends.
Last year we raised $83.9 million and received future commitments
of $22.5 million, up from $1.3 million the prior year.
On the investment front, our 2007 investment return is
expected to exceed 19 percent, outperforming our benchmark.
An impressive set of new facilities are being built,
including the Cardiovascular Research Institute to be completed
later this year; the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center scheduled to be
dedicated in May 2008; and a Clinical and Translational Sciences
Building for which design work has begun. Across the Genesee River,
the beginnings of a type of college town are taking shape with a
hotel under construction and the ground broken for a new 120-unit
apartment building for 400 University students.
What is most exciting about the University is its
future. As we proceed with strategic planning, it’s inspiring
to see plans emerging that effectively meld great existing academic
strengths with a willingness to analyze new programs that have the
potential to significantly strengthen our teaching, research, and
faculty.
Colin Powell, this year’s Meliora Weekend keynote
speaker, is fond of saying: “Perpetual optimism is a force
multiplier.” It is easy to be optimistic when you are
associated with a great University working as effectively as this
one is to make its future even brighter.
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