All College Meeting Fall 2025
September 18, 2025
With an audience of over 75 faculty and staff, our first All-College meeting of the year was well attended. Those who were unable to join missed a lively conversation as well as some lovely bites from Aynie’s.
During her opening remarks, Dena Morton told us that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is about to begin. Rosh Hashana marks the start of the Ten Days of Awe, a period of reflection that culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Dena reflected on our struggles of the last year, many of which arose from decisions and circumstances in other parts of the university and from broader forces beyond our control. Yet, this fall semester marks a new beginning, with readiness to teach, to make our classes meaningful, and to show up for our students and colleagues in ways that leave them feeling encouraged and hopeful.
Steve Yandell introduced our twelve new CAS colleagues: our five new College Operations Coordinators: Faith Fegley (ENGL, PHIL, PPP), Pablo Velez Feraud (CLML, THEO, Study Abroad), Elizabeth Gilligan (Deans, Expeditions, FYS, E/RS), Caressa Miles (ARTS, POLI, RIGS, Art Gallery), and Olivia Wakefield (MUSC & THEA); our two new Participating Faculty: Alexander Murray (COMM) and Jeremiah Stevens (CHEM); and our five new Assistant Professors: Sheridan Davenport (ARTS), Tyler Imfeld (BIOL), Mandy Powers (BIOL), Sebastian Antezana Quiroga (CLML), and Garrett Smith (CSCI). Welcome to all, we are very happy that you are here!
I offered a brief overview of the likely enrollment and financial situation during the next four years. Assuming that Admission will meet the enrollment targets, undergraduate enrollment will nevertheless continue to decline until 2028 when the students in our previous two years of low first-year enrollment will have completed their studies. Undergraduate tuition revenue is likely to recover in 2029, when overall enrollment increases again. Of course, the university’s numerous new graduate programs—including our own new programs in Instructional Design and in the American Founding and Constitution—might speed up the recovery.
We took a brief dive into the College’s finances: the majority of this year’s College budget ($144,000) is earmarked for faculty travel support ($50,000) and yet unforeseen but likely expenses ($77,000), including support for leaves covered under FMLA. Departmental budgets make up an almost equal amount ($141,000), while most of the teaching-related expenses in the sciences and the arts are covered through course and lab fees. This year, we welcome the return of support for faculty travel and the ability to offer refreshments at internal events; Elizabeth Gilligan just ordered fresh coffee and creamer for the Faculty Lounge in Hinkle Hall.
After half an hour of presentations, it was time to begin our open Q&A. Several questions addressed the changes in this fall’s admission events and the likelihood that we will meet our enrollment target for Fall 2026. We discussed the notions of academic freedom and freedom of speech, the differences among private and public institutions in responding to challenges of these two concepts, and the protection that tenure offers during internal debates. We also addressed administrative red tape that can add considerable demands on our staff’s time, as well as the question whether the increase in the number of Deans’ office staff over the past 15 years are justifiable. I am very grateful that so many of you felt comfortable asking these questions!
The question I enjoyed most was about my own assessment of Xavier University as a supporter of "the life of the mind." I rank Xavier's "life of the mind" very highly, 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. The reason is our faculty’s strong focus on student engagement that shapes most of their scholarly endeavors. Faculty at many universities engage in scholarly activities primarily to promote their careers or to reduce their teaching loads. In contrast, the teacher-scholar model is at the center stage at Xavier, and faculty bring their scholarly pursuits to the classroom and involve their students. I like this model very much, and the question was a wonderful reminder of why I wanted to come to Xavier.
We ended Q&A at about 3:50 and continued the conversation informally over some refreshments. There were many topics that we did not have time to address, including the great suggestions that our summer task force made regarding the path for establishing a vision for our college. We will leave those topics for our second meeting this fall, scheduled for November 3, 2025, 3:00 – 4:30pm, in Gallagher’s Clocktower Lounge. Please mark your calendars, and look for reminders in our college’s weekly bulletin as the date approaches. We look forward to seeing you there. Continued best wishes for a successful Fall semester.
Dr. Florenz Plassmann
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences