Develop and Maintain Appropriate Campus-Housing Requirements
(Goal Six, Objective C)
A pre-payment plan for the reservation of a residence-hall room and attendant cancellation policies have been promulgated to provide incentives for students to remain in campus housing as upperclassmen. A portion of the merit scholarship awarded to new students entering in fall 2005 will also be designated toward campus-housing costs and will be lost if a student chooses to move off campus.
Vikings Join a New Athletic Conference
(Goal Six, Objective E)
Following consideration by a committee chaired by Trustee Glenn Cornell and approval of the campus Athletic Committee, Berry has decided to change conferences within the NAIA. To alleviate some of the travel demands caused by the distances among schools in the current conference, the Vikings will join the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Athletic Conference in fall 2004.
Provide Highly Satisfactory Student Services
(Goal Six, Objective F)
Evaluations from students who used student-service offices in fall 2003 showed an average satisfaction rate higher than 4 on a 5-point scale. First-year students and seniors who participated in the 2003 National Survey of Student Engagement Study reported higher than average levels of satisfaction with the support offered by the college for their academic and social success as compared to all students who participated in the survey.
Develop Interfaith Council
(Goal 7, Objective C)
An Interfaith Room was dedicated on Jan. 27, and the Interfaith Council has begun sponsoring a series of discussions about faith and the classroom that will be led by faculty, staff and students.
Refine and Enhance Berry's Image Through Focused Public Relations
(Goal 11, Objective C)
Berry magazine won the Grand Award in the Magazine I category of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's District 3 Advancement Awards competition. This category covered all public and private colleges in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia with enrollments of up to 5,000 students. In competition with colleges and universities of all sizes in these states, Berry also won an Award of Excellence for the Alumni Accent e-newsletter and Special Merit Awards for the President's Report/Honor Roll of Donors and in the design and design improvement categories.
Strengthen Alumni and Other Constituent Relationships
(Goal 11, Objective B)
External use of Berry's Web site continues to blossom. Page views for the first half of the academic year have increased from 2.4 million last year to 4.8 million, and visits have risen from 0.5 million to 0.67 million.