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Good morning. I will be making another presentation shortly, so I will keep my “Good News” report somewhat brief. I want to thank our Board of Trustees for taking part in our revamped UC Commencement. On June 10 we hosted two successful ceremonies that individually recognized our graduates. More than 2200 graduates marched across the stage at the Fifth Third Arena, and I am told that is almost double what it typically is. Since we graduate about 4,000 students, we expect a real barn-burner by December and June of next year.
On the enrollment front, all indicators look positive for fall freshman and transfer student enrollment at this point. We will find out for sure, of course, in September if our projections are as good as they seem to be. Orientation began yesterday for students and family, and they will be on our campus literally every day until school opens in September.
UC researchers have identified a medication effective for treating the side effects that result from chemotherapy and radiation treatments in breast and ovarian cancer patients. Patients who receive chemotherapy often develop something akin to chemo-brain, a condition that includes memory problems, confusion, and difficulty in concentrating. This new treatment is being developed by a team of researchers led by UC’s Elyse Lower, Professor of Internal Medicine and Oncology.
Our utilities operation in the Division of Administration and Business Services has won top honors from the International District Energy Association. We are going to have to get you a room just for plaques, Jim (James R. Tucker, Vice President for Administration and Business Services), for the awards in your efficiencies. This award, called the “System of the Year” award, is being presented today in St. Paul, Minnesota. UC was selected in part on an impressive record of campus energy infrastructure improvements over the past 10 years, resulting in a 40 percent reduction in energy use and total accrued savings of $44 million in energy costs.
We are also very happy to report that UC will be included for the first time in the Princeton Review of Best Colleges rankings, when the profile is updated on the Web later this summer. This listing is a result of a cooperative effort by Institutional Research, Administrative and Business Services, and Student Affairs and Services. We are pleased to be included.
A recent Associated Press article highlighted collaborations between businesses and innovative college design students, including University of Cincinnati students who have helped Bold Furniture, a small but mighty company in Michigan, develop a totally new product line.
The benchmark of success in journalism is being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and now a 1989 alumnus of our McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, Glenn Gamboa, knows what it feels like to achieve that distinction as head writer on a five-day series for Newsday. He was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.
Our College of Nursing, on which we will be briefed today by Andrea Lindell, has received a private donation worth more than $2 million, the largest financial gift in the history of the college. The donation, which will go towards the college’s Education Research Fund, comes from Mrs. Shirley Tashiro Burke, a 1948 graduate of the college who now lives in Pittsburgh.
Also, our College of Pharmacy is pleased to announce that it is the beneficiary of its largest gift ever, an anonymous donation of $10 million.
The UC College of Medicine is ranked 42nd among all medical schools for NIH funding. Our College of Medicine is ranked 19th out of the 73 public medical schools.
Also on the health front, a free open house on all aspects of cancer prevention, diagnosis, care, and research was held last Saturday at our Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center. This was the first event of its kind in the region to offer such a broad range of information to lay audiences. The UC Community Cancer Education Day, called Knowledge for Life, covered 16 different cancers, including childhood and uncommon cancers. It was hosted by the UC Cancer Center and the UC College of Medicine, in conjunction with University Hospital.
Before I conclude my remarks, I would like to make some final comments related to the university budget, which is on the agenda today. George Schaefer, at our Finance Committee meeting of June 13, asked some questions regarding UC’s efforts to increase efficiencies, advising that we make as much of our cost-cutting reductions as we do our ongoing expenditures. Good advice, as always, from George.
While this will become a standard for our budget reports going forward, here are just a few of our recent cost-reduction efforts. Our elimination of two colleges, Continuing Ed and Evening, and University College, and our consolidation of summer session into the appropriate colleges, has saved about a million dollars in expenses. Eliminating 169 instructional and administrative positions has saved an additional $12.6 million.
It remains to be seen exactly how much it will save, but we are in the process of replacing antiquated financial and human resources systems with high-tech SAP software. This new software will replace more time-consuming hand-fed systems and will result in more paperless processes and faster and more efficient reporting.
We also have converted other paper processes to electronics, such as student grades, billing, and registration for another savings of $150,000. Numerous contract negotiations have been saving thousands of dollars and creating even greater cost avoidance. We estimate that savings to be about $350,000.
Where possible, delayed hiring has created a one-time savings of about $4.3 million. The installation of our new co-generation plant has led to cost avoidance of $4.2 million, and you will recall, I noted earlier a national award for energy infrastructure improvements and those cost savings. In addition, our negotiation of a special electric contract with Cinergy has saved us $1.7 million. Our health insurance contract negotiations have allowed us to avoid costs of approximately $5.8 million.
This just begins to address Mr. Schaefer’s question. I want to assure you, George, that the University of Cincinnati is a good steward of its resources, and there are plans underway to be even more cost effective next year. This will become an ongoing part of the President’s Budget Committee and our reports to the Finance Committee.
We also have appointed an Academic Program Review Task Force, which will be led by our provost to help us manage the bottom — that is, eliminate under-performing programs and support performance program budgeting. Annual reallocation processes of 1 percent of the University General Funds Budget, based on performance and annually set goals, will equal $2.1 million in reinvestment for high-end programs.
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