For Release
October 13, 2004

 Stadium, Law Barracks and Bell Tower proposal highlight
September Board of Visitors meeting

           Following is an unofficial summary of The Citadel Board of Visitors meeting prepared because of the board’s interest in providing more timely information to the Citadel family. The minutes will continue to be the official record of The Citadel Board of Visitors meetings. Minutes of the 18 September meeting will be released after they have been approved by the board at its next meeting on 5 February 2005.

Report from the president
Major General John Grinalds presented The State of The Citadel report highlighting some significant trends that have developed in recent years including:

· Vision – A campus-wide campaign focuses on the vision statement and core values adopted by the board of visitors in 2002. The vision statement is “Achieving excellence in the education of principled leaders.” The core values adopted by the board include academics, duty, honor, morality, discipline and diversity.

· Financial developments – The president noted a $5 million drop in state funding to The Citadel between FY 01-02 and FY 04-05. Reorganization of The Citadel’s fundraising entities has paid off with increased donations. Gifts to the college totaled $8.4 million from January to mid-September 2004. The Citadel Foundation has raised more than $47 million toward the capital campaign goal of $100 million.

· Facilities – The bulk of improvements to the campus have been paid for from other sources than state funding. Those improvements coming from other sources include the rebuilding of Watts Barracks, Murray Barracks, PT Barracks, the Holliday Alumni Center, Hollings Hall, The Altman Center, the Women’s Athletic Center and The Citadel/SCNG Marksmanship Center.

· Admissions – The college has experienced three straight record breaking years in applications for admissions. Enrollment for this fall is almost 2,000 cadets. The Class of 2008 includes about 6 percent females and nearly 8 percent African-Americans.

· Academic reorganization – Academic departments have been reorganized into schools in a way that enhances both the fundraising potential of the schools and the ability of the college to compete more effectively for funding and programs at the state level.

· Accreditation – The college has recently undergone an accreditation review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Results of the review, known as an affirmation, should be available by December.

· Fourth Class performance – Several initiatives have improved the academic performance of the Fourth Class. Primary among those initiatives is the new focus on leadership training made possible by the Krause Initiative in Leadership and Ethics.

· Graduation rates – The Citadel still leads peer colleges in its four-year graduation rate of 59.6%. The college ranks near the top for the six-year graduation rate in the latest available data which shows Clemson has a graduation rate of 72 percent in six years compared to The Citadel’s six-year rate of 71.9%.

· Commissioning data – The Class of 2004 had 36% of the graduates receive commissions in the armed forces. This number does not include those non-ROTC commissionees from the National Guard, PLC and similar programs.

Law Barracks replacement
Original plans to begin demolition of Law Barracks in October have been put on hold because the estimated cost for replacing Law Barracks has risen from $18 million to approximately $23 million. Steep increases in the cost of steel and concrete are major factors in the higher bids. As The Citadel explores financing options, Colonel Holland noted that the project could be financed using either a wrap-around loan or borrowing the money for a longer period of time.

Infirmary repairs
The ceiling in the north wing of the Mary B. Murray Memorial Infirmary has caved in and may require extensive remodeling to the building. While repairs are underway, the infirmary will have reduced bed space.

Education issues
Brigadier General Donald Steven is focusing on the search for deans for the School of Education and the School of Science and Mathematics in his responsibilities as provost. In a report to the education committee, he outlined his goals as building faculty excellence, raising admissions standards, improving freshmen retention and lowering faculty/student ratios.

Building and grounds
The board agreed to a priority list for the capital improvement plan that includes renovations or expansions to buildings with the following rankings:

1. Capers Hall
2. Daniel Library
3. Jenkins Hall
4. Bond Hall Annex
5. Deas Hall

Capers Hall, which was built in 1949 and is the most heavily used building on campus, suffers from inadequate systems, overcrowding and deterioration. The renovation and expansion of Daniel Library has been moved to a high priority in the capital campaign.

The football stadium
After a lengthy discussion, the board identified Stoney Field, which is adjacent to Riley Park, as the site for a new stadium. The resolution passed by the BOV directed the administration to establish a stadium project team to be responsible for negotiating with governmental authorities, estimating the project cost and taking the lead in fundraising. The stadium project team will present sufficient information and commitments in writing to the board by 30 January 2005 in order for the BOV to decide whether or not to proceed at Stoney Field.

BOV Chairman Col. William E. Jenkinson III discontinued the previous football stadium ad-hoc committee and named the following individuals to the stadium project team: Citadel President Major General John Grinalds, chairman; Col. Harry B. Limehouse, Jr.; Thomas McQueeney; Charles Eiserhardt and Col. Curtice Holland. Col. Jenkinson and Col. Julian G. Frasier III will serve as ad hoc members from the board of visitors.

The BOV is committed to having a stadium ready for the fall 2006 season.

Columbarium in the Thomas Howie Memorial Bell Tower
The board approved a proposal presented by members of the Class of 1957 to renovate the Thomas Howie Memorial Bell Tower pending approval of the design and approval by the state for a columbarium that will be part of the project. The columbarium will contain niches to hold cremated remains. All money raised through the sale of the niches will be used for maintaining the bell tower and carillon and for scholarships to train cadets to play the carillon.

Citadel Alumni Association
CAA President William C. Mills reported that The Citadel Alumni Association is gaining new members including 140 new life members from the Class of 2004. Alumni association directories will be mailed out this fall.

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation
The Citadel Brigadier Foundation had another record-breaking year for fundraising according to TCBF President Donald Dease. The memorial fund received over $500,000 in new money and the organization raised over $2 million total for the 2003-2004 year. Of that amount, more than $1 million went to the athletic department for scholarships.

The Citadel Foundation
The Citadel Foundation is assessing its progress as it approaches the halfway point in the tentative campaign goal of $100 million. TCF President L. William Krause said the foundation’s goals for the future are:

1. achieve excellence in the management of The Citadel Foundation, and
2. broaden financial support to the college.

Krause noted that the foundation is currently providing 10 percent of the college’s budget and hopes to get to the point where it can provide 20 percent of the budget during the next five years.

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