Wishes for a new year
By Editorial
Three years into the new millennium and our state and our nation are facing some tough problems and changing times. Enter 2004 at center stage: a war with Iraq and a faltering economy on the national scene, a new government in Sacramento, which will have to make serious sacrifices in coming months to balance a massive $17 billion shortfall.
News from the start of the 2003-2004 academic year at Santa Clara didn't seem too promising, either. Word of a 216 freshman shortfall â€" the largest in nearly 10 years â€" and a shrinking budget, which could mean meager raises for faculty and staff, dwindled the prospect of a good year. It's hard to be very happy when dorm halls are sparse and faculty didn't have a little fatter paycheck to deposit at the bank around the holidays.
We like to be optimistic about the new year, though, and anticipate that things will get better. Resolutions of dieting and exercise aside, there are a few things we hope the university will keep in mind to ensure that this year will be more promising than 2003.
First off, that nasty financial problem. Budget Director Dennis Roberts summed it up best when he re-affirmed the "ongoing challenges" the university was hoping to fix this year. Most noticeable was a shortfall of incoming freshmen, which inarguably cost the university a large sum of revenue.
We can see that problems are seemingly getting fixed, now that the enrollment gap has been reduced to 90. An anomaly, as Roberts puts it, can be the case, but hedging against future problems and planning for such disasters is a year-to-year process. Administrators should look out for such gaffes each and every year.
The freshman shortfall was substantial and raised serious questions as to how the university should restructure its admissions department and find better ways to attract future Santa Clara broncos. Newly-appointed Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Charles Nolan laid out guidelines for attracting students at a meeting Wednesday, including online gimmicks and helpful insights from current Santa Clara students.
What he failed to specifically address, however, were more rudimentary problems about which no one could comment, such as exactly why there was a huge problem in the first place. The economy or Santa Clara's high price tag can't be the only things to blame. We hope Nolan can offer some serious leadership for a department which managed to lose one-fifth of an incoming class.
On a more light-hearted note, students and faculty are returning to campus following a long â€" and well-deserved â€" rest. Sitting around the hearth and spending time with the family (at least for those who were fortunate enough to do so) was a good time to reflect back on the year. Many, whether they lost their homes to California wildfires or are the homeless and downtrodden, didn't have such a happy holiday. They shouldn't be forgotten in the new year, either.
There are a little more than 11 months left until 2005. Time flies fast; let's make the best of it.