President prepares for annual address

January 29, 2007 —

President Eric R. Gilbertson will present his annual State of the University address Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts.Admission to the address is free of charge and open to faculty, staff, and students. It will present the audience with a bigger picture about what's happening with the institution as a whole.

Gilbertson stressed the importance of knowing how and what each aspect of SVSU is doing, not just what one person sees day-to- day.

The presentation this year will focus on the basics: people, money, and buildings. Like last year, enrollment trends will be discussed as well.

He will also speak on topics regarding the current state budget situation and the recently passed Proposal 2 which banned the use of affirmative action programs in Michigan's public institutions.

Unlike the president's open forums, the University address is more of a presentation rather than a conversation. Although Gilbertson will propose some new ideas for the University, most of the presentation will simply discuss what is going on at SVSU. A question-and-answer session is normally held after the address.

"I hang around hoping someone will talk to me," Gilbertson said.

The audiences each year usually consist mostly of faculty and staff but students are certainly encouraged to attend since the topics discussed affect everyone.

"I think students will have to decide for themselves if it's important," Gilbertson said. "If they're curious, it might be a change to see the University in a larger context. If they aren't curious then the soaps they might otherwise be watching would probably be more entertaining."

Gilbertson describes the University address as "pretty unceremonial" and lasting roughly 20 to 40 minutes.

He mentioned he tries to keep the presentations under 45 minutes, and that anything longer may be too hard to pay attention to.

Gilbertson says that he simply presents the information to the audience, but tries to make it interesting at the same time for those who choose to attend.

"I've never been booed off the stage - yet," he said.