Accomplishments, challenges and a look to the future were the main messages in president Bob Fisher’s state of the university address Wednesday morning in Curb Event Center.
At the start of the opening convocation, a video presentation was shown to the audience as a lead-in to Fisher’s speech.
The presentation had various students, professors, coaches and staff answering what they were most proud of at Belmont, the biggest challenges the school faced and what their wildest dreams for the school were.
One of the main challenges the questioned group felt Belmont is currently facing is expanding campus diversity. Fisher shared the concerns and stated a greater focus on diversity must take place in the following years.
Moving forward, the university needs to address this issue and further emphasize it, said Fisher.
“I worry about us getting complacent,” he said.
From there, Fisher discussed construction on campus and how they have fit into school’s goals. With the completion of Randall and Sadie Baskin Law Center and Dickens Hall and construction beginning on the Wedgewood Academic Center, the building expansion goals of the Vision 2015 plan are nearly complete.
The Wedgewood Center will house the School of Religion and almost all of the College of Arts and Sciences. The facility should be completed in less than two years and is expected to cost $77 million.
Other Vision 2015 goals are also nearing compelteion, even though there are still more than two years left on the plan.
Current enrollment at Belmont for the fall 2012 semester is approximately 6,700 students. This is only 300 students shy of the 2015 target of a 7,000 student enrollment.
Average ACT scores are also on track to meet the 2015 goal, 0.6 points away from the 2015 goal of 27.0.
Even as most of these benchmarks are nearing completion, any potential Vision 2020 is not expected be drafted in the next year.
That doesn’t mean officials haven’t thought about where to go next.
The Vision 2020 plan, when created, will need to be even more collaborative and entrepreneurial, Fisher said.