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William Powers Jr. delivered the annual State of the University Address Sept. 19 in Jessen Auditorium, highlighting the university’s successes and how to overcome its challenges.

“In the past year, we made great strides in enriching and reforming the undergraduate experience. We now offer 87 first-year Signature Courses, most of which are small seminars,” Powers said, adding that he teaches a seminar for freshmen and sophomores.

While much has been done with undergraduate curriculum, Powers said the job isn’t done yet.

“We have much more to do with respect to the undergraduate experience. We need to expand advising, to develop courses that better satisfy our new curricular requirements, and to create a home for truly undecided students.”

Another high priority for the university is diversifying the campus, according to Powers.

“We’ve recruited 30 minority faculty members during the past two years, and we’ve retained 14 minority faculty members who were courted by other institutions. This year’s freshman class is the most diverse ever: 19.7 percent Hispanic, 19.7 percent Asian American, and 5.8 percent African American. These are new highs in each group.”

It has also been a record year for research endeavors with $497 million in sponsored research awards. This a 22 percent increase over last year.

Powers also recognized the numerous awards faculty have received and the $270 million in gifts donors and friends have given the university in the past year.

While there are many successes to celebrate, Powers said there are also “serious” challenges ahead.