The Board of Visitors met in its final session of the academic year from Wednesday through today.
During the meeting of the Committee on Administration, Chief Information Officer Courtney Carpenter reported on Information Technology’s activities. The projects include an expected upgrade of the identification card system in 2009 or 2010, an added option to purchase an Apple computer instead of an IBM beginning with the Class of 2012 and the new College website, which is set to go live July 31.
During the meeting of the Committee on Buildings and Grounds, Virginia Institute of Marine Science spokeswoman Carolyn Cook reported on the new Seawater Lab, and the committee approved the demolition of several small, dilapidated buildings on the Gloucester campus.
Vice President for Administration Anna Martin updated the Committee on campus construction, including the business and education schools and the Integrated Science Center next to Rogers Hall. She also discussed energy management on campus, saying that College energy consumption dropped 10 percent between 2006 and 2007.
Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler addressed future campus construction in his speech, highlighting the need for more dorm space.
“This is a strategic issue for this university, one we desperately need to confront,” Sadler said about the housing situation. He added that 321 students were bumped this year, and the College was unable to provide all transfer students with housing.
Sadler added that scholarships for overseas service trips are something he wants to see happen at the College.
The highlight of yesterday’s meetings was a speech by Interim College President Taylor Reveley on the current state of the College.
Reveley started the speech by saying that he had first taken the position of interim president during the “class triple-A psycho drama” of the chaos on campus directly after former College President Gene Nichol resigned. However, he noted that he was pleased at how quickly the College had come back from being caught up in intense conflict to resuming the mission of teaching, research and learning.
Reveley compared the College to a phoenix, a bird that he said will consistently overcome problems and emerge stronger.
Yet Reveley also noted that the College is a living being that requires monetary support, which he metaphorically characterized as food and water.
“We don’t have all the food and water we need in terms of financial resources,” he said. “We have to figure out how to get more money and get it fairly soon.”
The interim president announced that he was planning another financial campaign to follow up the $500 million Campaign for William and Mary. However, Reveley also noted that the source of this projected funding was still a problem and suggested that the College work to increase annual giving.
