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Applbaum Says He Leaves University an Improved School

Posted on: Sunday, 25 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Gayle Perez, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Jun. 25--Ronald Applbaum has seen a lot of changes in the four years he has been at the helm of what is now Colorado State University-Pueblo.

When Applbaum arrived on campus in July 2002, he was president of then University of Southern Colorado. Al Yates was chancellor and president of the CSU System.

USC was in the midst of a 10-year enrollment slump and budget cuts were becoming the norm at the Belmont campus.

As Applbaum prepares to leave his post as president when his contract expires Friday, he will be doing so from a university with a different name, a new mission and a more stable outlook from when he arrived.

"I inherited an institution that was fairly unstable fiscally and enrollment management-wise," Applbaum said in a recent interview from the his office at CSU-Pueblo.

"We were able to stabilize and make fiscal management understandable and we saw, in a short period of time, a turnaround in enrollment."

Applbaum announced in October that he would be stepping down as president when his contract expires on July 1. Applbaum said he will remain at CSU-Pueblo, where he will be teaching in the Hasan School of Business.

From the name change and the shift in mission to experiencing a brief enrollment increase and the revival of the university's Foundation, Applbaum has always had a full plate.

Among his accomplishments was helping to bring the university out of years of declining enrollment.

"When I arrived there wasn't any kind of an enrollment plan, at least I could never find one," Applbaum said. "So the first thing I did was to develop one."

He said by having a written plan to follow to address the issue, it wasn't long before the university began to experience a slight increase in students. The enrollment increased in academic years 2003-04 and 2004-05 before decreasing slightly this past year.

"What's important is there now is a plan and we are constantly changing and fine-tuning the elements of enrollment management, recruitment and graduation."

Applbaum said he also worked to bring the salaries of the faculty in line with others of peer institutions.

"This allows us to retain and recruit new faculty and in general it makes a significant number of faculty happy as salaries become more attractive," he said.

CSU-Pueblo added several academic programs, including graduate-level programs. The new programs are graduate and undergraduate programs in mechatronics, a master's degree program in English, and the bachelor of fine arts degree. The university also added a nutrition degree program in collaboration with CSU-Fort Collins.

Three programs that have gained accreditation under Applbaum's leadership, including the Hasan School of Business earning the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation. Also receiving accreditation were the athletic training program and the master's in nursing program.

During Applbaum's tenure, the university went through several physical changes with the completion of the renovation of the Life Science, Math and Chemistry buildings.

The current renovation of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building was started, too.

"The HPER project had been funded prior to me getting here, but it was withdrawn the day I arrived," Applbaum said of the original funding for the project. "The approval of the HPER funding was not something new but sort of a resurrection. So much of the credit for the funding goes to (state Rep.) Buffie McFadyen (D-Pueblo West)."

Applbaum said he's worked to rebuild the university foundation.

"We had to reorganize and formulate the foundation, but it now has an organizational structure and it has revised by-laws."

Applbaum said as part of the reorganization, he was instrumental in getting the annual Gala organized, which has become a major fundraiser for the university.

"In the past they had a dinner of appreciation but no fundraising. Now, it raises about $150,000 for scholarships."

Though there have been many accomplishments during his tenure, Applbaum's stay has not been without controversy.

In spring 2005, Applbaum was harshly criticized by some factions of the university for his treatment of a student's complaint that professor Dan Forsyth created a racially hostile environment with comments he made in a class lecture.

A university investigation concluded there was insufficient evidence to support the student's complaint.

That complaint prompted a review by an outside consultant into the university's relationship with Hispanic students and the Hispanic community.

The Cardenas report, which was released in October, was critical of the university's relationship with the Hispanic community, specifically with the regard to communication. The report also indicated the Hispanic community felt the university ignored them and faulted the university for not establishing a relationship with them.

A few months after the report was issued, members of the community said they felt that Applbaum was adequately addressing the concerns in the report.

Early on in his career, Applbaum was forced to make some tough decisions with regard to the budget.

"At the end of my first full year here, I was faced with having to make some major cuts. I could've approached it by making some significant cuts and layoffs," he said.

Instead, Applbaum said all classified, professional staff and senior administration took a pay cut, which helped the university become fiscally stable.

In spite of all that he has done to help the university the past four years, Applbaum said what he is most proud of is maintaining his integrity through it all.

"I'm proud of the decision that I have made. They may not have been the best for everyone, but overall, they were right and they were just," he said. "I didn't make them to be politically correct. I did them for what was best for the university, and for that I can say that my integrity is still intact."

Applbaum said he will walk away from his office on Friday knowing that Colorado State University-Pueblo is in a better state than when he arrived.

"I don't care if you are the (chief operating officer) of a business organization or president of a university, you want to feel that when you leave that position, the contribution you have made has some how made it a better place, not just for yourself but for everybody else," he said.

"Throughout my career, I've been fortunate. There have been successes and failures, but in the end, the organizations have been better off."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Pueblo Chieftain

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