President Davis, alongside the presidents of the Student Government Association (SGA), faculty senate and staff senate, gave updates about enrollment, fundraising, facilities and return on investment to UCA faculty and staff in the College of Business. 

President Davis said the March 16 talk was “a general operational update.”

Davis shared that of the last seven first-time freshmen cohorts, of the regional universities (excluding the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville), UCA’s share of the freshmen enrollment increased from 20 to 26 percent.

Davis said the increase does not reflect real growth, though. 

“I don’t care about head count, I care about student credit hours … Everybody loves to put things in the news releases that may or may not have anything to do with their real operation. Full-time equivalent and student credit hours are the only unit of analysis that makes any sense to compare where you are relative to past years,” Davis said.

Davis rejoiced that while the board had budgeted for a -4.2% change in student credit hours, UCA saw a -1.8% change in student credit hours.

“Rarely would you tell somebody to jump up and down over a -1.8, but when you are preparing for -4.2, that’s exciting,” Davis said. 

Davis said that transfer enrollment being up was a large factor in helping these numbers.

During the fundraising update, Davis shared he was proud to announce that the UCA Day of Giving broke the former record from 2020 and raised $1,295,497 from 1,894 unduplicated donors.

Fourteen months remain in the UCA Now $100,000,000 campaign, which has raised $93,923,574 of its $100,000,000 goal.

During the return on investment update, Davis spoke on the 2% cost-of-living adjustment for faculty and staff being built into the budget. 

Davis said that the $1.92 million being allocated toward the adjustment is primarily from ROI savings and a “modest amount of tuition increase.” 

“Remember, whatever tuition increases we’re applying to students is to a student credit hour pool that’s smaller next year than this year, so even with the tuition increase, we likely just have the same amount of total tuition,” Davis said.

“We largely are doing this finding it from within our resources and proud we’re able to do that … We have got to continue to pay attention to affordability. We can’t just make decisions about tuition as if students are ATM machines,” Davis said.

Davis said the Burdick renovations, which are happening because of the May 2022 fire, should be complete December 2024. 

Davis said that UCA is working with Stocks Mann Architects for the renovation design and that the amount of work covered by insurance is still being determined.

Due to frozen pipes rupturing over Christmas break in College Square, the campus will add insulation to prevent future pipe-freezing. Davis said that Nabholz Construction will start this project soon.

Farris Center, Mashburn and Math Tech will have two boilers replaced by the end of April. Boilers provide heating water for the HVAC systems.

Financial Aid will move back to Harrin Hall April 1, followed by Admissions in early April after Harrin Hall’s mold remediation and repairs project is completed. While mold remediation is complete and fan coil units were installed to dehumidify the air, flooring replacement and painting is still underway.

McAlister has two projects underway: the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) project and the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) project. 

The HEERF project involves the replacement of all fan coil units, insulating all the chilled water pipes and adding fresh air handling units. The ANCRC project involves building an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp, remodeling the first floor bathrooms and renovating the east and west lobbies.

The HEERF project is awaiting the shipment of air handling units, which are expected to arrive in the fall, and the ANCRC project is expected to be completed in August of this year.

Christian Cafeteria will have restroom renovations in May, which will involve replacing of sanitary sewer lines and flooring. An emergency generator is also being installed and should be completed by the end of March. 

Schichtl’s HEERF project, which would replace the building’s HVAC system, will not start until summer and should be completed December 2023. The complete renovations of the building to accommodate the Honors College and International Engagement will not be bid until early summer.

Short/Denney Hall, which will be demolished and converted into 80 parking spaces, will begin asbestos abatement immediately following the spring semester so demolition can follow.

Permanent lighting along Stone Dam Creek Trail was completed March 17, and a Stone Dam Creek Pedestrian Bridge connecting the Reynolds parking lot and south overflow parking lot is awaiting pricing.

Replacement of the HVAC system in the Student Success and Veterans Resource Center is 90% complete, and its renovation work will begin in early April and will be completed by fall.

The replacement of Torreyson Library’s lighting with LEDs is 60% complete.

The concert hall and music spaces within Windgate Center are scheduled for completion in early May. 

Kristin Dooley, faculty senate president, said the senate was currently calling for faculty nominations and that they will elect one representative from each college.

“Being a senator is really a great opportunity to meet and work with faculty from vastly different disciplines than yours. I’ve learned so much from colleagues who approach problems from a completely different angle than I do,” Dooley said. 

Dooley said the senate has two meetings a month and that commitment may also include homework in between meetings. A term on the faculty senate is three years.

Nominations are being collected until March 28 and voting will be held March 31 followed by the at-large election in April.

Dooley said that this year the senate worked on projects such as updating language in the faculty handbook so it’s easier to follow, passing a resolution to support faculty efforts to improve their teaching and passing a resolution aimed at serving new additions to faculty.

President of the staff senate, Carlos Herrera shared that the staff senate also has elections coming up.

Nominations for staff senate will be open from March 24-28 and elections will happen from April 17-28.

Herrera said that the staff senate plans to host a food truck fest and farmer’s market on campus on April 21.

SGA president Courtney Clawson shared SGA has funded to put a carved bear in the Ronnie Williams Student Center for students to take pictures with and to help boost morale, which she estimated would be finished in April. 

Clawson said SGA also got an additional 50 bikes for Campus Outdoor Pursuits and Activities and that they are looking to get oversized board games and outdoor furniture to help bring students outside on campus.