The full text of President T.K. Wetherell’s 2007 State of the University presentation is posted at president.fsu.edu/state/. The multi-media presentation provides a five-year retrospective of President’s Wetherell’s administration as well as a look forward.
According to Wetherell, "Given the goals I have set and our progress since 2003, we can see significant progress in many areas; in other areas, much work awaits us."
Along with the university status report, Wetherell offers his thoughts on conditions in higher education in Florida generally.
"Key to addressing these areas of concern is the issue of resources," Wetherell says.
"Governance issues have created significant obstacles to meeting a number of the goals set in 2003 and beyond. Today we are seeing attempts to clear the road of some of these obstacles. Yet others remain, including the Legislature’s lack of commitment to fund higher education adequately, even as we raise tuition rates, increase private funding, implement budget cuts. As at the beginning of my administration, quality and access remain our aspirations. Indeed, we may be challenged, but we remain unconquered."
Wetherell concludes with a message of hope: "Our Pathways of Excellence are still open ahead. Indeed, I see our Pathways becoming even broader as we allow ourselves to think even more creatively and use our limited resources even more wisely.
"We will not back away from our mission of quality and access; we will move forward confidently on even broader Pathways of Excellence."