Naturally, the future I have outlined here can only develop in the appropriate environment. The new buildings, the campus renaissance, is only the most visible aspect of this vision.

The foundation of the University of Cincinnati community is learning, and the University's role is to provide the resources needed for learning. On the physical side, we must provide a campus that is safe for pedestrians so diverse scholars can interact around the clock and throughout the calendar. We need spaces that encourage interaction, collaboration, and informal communication. We need open spaces to allow for open thought. And we need to celebrate innovation. We have developed a campus plan - about two-thirds implemented - to meet all of these requirements.

USA Today called the implementation of our plan "an unprecedented campus make-over." The New York Times said we had "one of the most architecturally dynamic campuses in America today."

Beyond the physical side, we must address a cultural and interpersonal dimension to community, as well. A university must, as noted, be centered on learning. To place learning at the center requires respect for learners, an atmosphere that supports inquiry and discussion, and commitment to shared values. While the campus gets a makeover, our community is also undergoing renovation through our Just Community initiative. This is not so much to institute radical change, but to identify consciously and promote the values that drive the university and to reinvigorate our ability to respect every human being regardless of differences. We celebrate shared values. We foster community in many ways.

According to Hispanic Outlook magazine, the University of Cincinnati is among the top 100 colleges and universities in the number of doctoral degrees conferred to Hispanics.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music remains a cultural powerhouse in the Cincinnati community, hosting 950 events during the 1996-97 academic year - even as construction proceeds to develop a new campus for the college. Events include 85 student ensemble concerts; 95 major productions in opera, musical theater and drama; and 38 faculty and visiting artist concerts.

The University of Cincinnati is the only university in the U.S. to have three winners in a national competition for summer fellowships aimed at improving rural health care. No other university had even two winners among the 12 picked by the National Rural Health Association. Winning students were from UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.

The University of Cincinnati's McMicken College of Arts & Sciences has launched two "learning communities" among its freshman class this year. Each group of 21 students will take classes together and study together outside class. The effort is directed toward building personal relationships within the universityís largest college and helping to retain students.

More than 80 Cincinnati-area school children took part in a summer Cybercamp at the University of Cincinnati. The goal was to train students who can assist their teachers in making use of instructional technology.

United Way agency executives will have the opportunity to gain management training that is often unattainable for nonprofit corporations through the Management Development cooperative of the University of Cincinnati College of Business Administration. UC has opened up five discounted spaces for United Way personnel in the 1997-98 program.

In an effort to bolster use of the neighborhood library, University of Cincinnati faculty are offering free adult education courses on African and African American culture through Cincinnati's Avondale Branch Library.

The Greater Cincinnati Center for Economic Education, housed in the University of Cincinnati's McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, marked its 20th anniversary in 1997. The Center works with area teachers to bring economic literacy to school children.

Good Housekeeping magazine named five faculty from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine among the nation's "best doctors for women." The five, all faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, are Robert Rebar, Paula Hillard, Marcelle Cedars, Tariq Siddiqi, and James Liu.

The University of Cincinnati College of Education shares advanced teaching techniques with local Sunday School superintendents through a new program. UC educators offered workshops in 1997 to superintendents from various denominations.

This is the environment that keeps the coals of our learning "fire" aglow.