Br. McGinniss speaks about the future

By Sam Fran Scavuzzo
Collegian Editor
August 29, 2007

Like a captain steering a vessel across the open sea, Br. Michael J. McGinniss is at the helm of the SS La Salle. McGinniss’ ocean consists of the various projects he and the University have undertaken during his tenure as president.

Shortly before the start of the academic year, McGinniss sat down with Collegian to discuss the upcoming year and answer our questions.

With the purchase of the Germantown Hospital property, the leasing of land at the Good Shepherd parking lot and the expansion and major renovation of the science center, McGinniss is shaping La Salle for generations to come.

“I was fortunate to be the president during the fundraising [portion of the projects], and I look forward to being the president when many of these projects come to fruition,” McGinniss said.

The $10 million purchase of Germantown Hospital from Albert Einstein Healthcare Network will give a new home to the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, which will relocate to the newly named St. Benilde Tower across from the St. Miguel Court Townhouses. The move is scheduled to be completed for the beginning of the spring semester. Benilde Hall was leveled this summer to make way for the addition to the Holroyd Science Center.

A number of possibilities were considered for the location of the new science and technology center, including building on the site of the tennis courts. However, the decision was made to expand at the present site of the science center. “[We feel the current arrangement] will be a better use of space,” McGinniss said.

“There was serendipity involved,” McGinniss said, referring to Einstein’s decision to sell land around the same time that La Salle was considering expanding. “In the big city, big property does not often become available. Like any [urban university] we have space issues. This is a terrific opportunity for us.”

The new area of La Salle will be referred to as West Campus and will elongate the campus. Construction of a bridge over Wister Street to West Campus will take place next summer. In the meantime, a new pedestrian walkway with lighting has been built from the area of the tennis courts to cross the Hayman Center parking lot as a step to linking to the West Campus.

On the Good Shepherd property, groundbreaking is scheduled for this fall, and construction could begin as early as November. The shopping center will be anchored by a Fresh Grocer supermarket. Prospective tenants include Starbucks, FedEx/Kinko’s, and Game stop, as well as a drug store and bank.

Before future projects come along, McGinniss must deal with present challenges, which include a greater scrutiny of campus security in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, underage and illegal alcohol use and a lower than expected undergraduate enrollment this semester.

La Salle has undertaken some changes in security. Every year, La Salle conducts a regular security review, said McGinniss. Because of the Virginia Tech incident, in this year’s review, “we tried to uncover every weakness,” he added.

“What all colleges learned from that experience was the need to have the capacity to communicate quickly and effectively,” he said.

The University established a text messaging system, which will include snow day announcements, added loudspeakers to Security vehicles, and has an emergency communication system within buildings under consideration.

There were an increasing number of liquor law violations by students, as reported in the University’s 2006 Annual Security and Safety Report.

On La Salle’s position on off-campus drinking McGinniss said:

“We regularly remind students about the laws and our own regulations and their obligations to comply. Obviously, we have more control over University residential facilities than we do over students living off campus. But by and large Lasallians are law-abiding citizens. Our students have good judgment and make good choices.”

With regard to enrollment, McGinniss stated that last year’s total enrollment was approximately 6,200 students, while this year it appears that there will be closer to 6,100. He pointed out that the last year’s total was the highest in 16 years, so any drop-off wouldn’t be as dramatic as it may seem. Still, the University expected more incoming freshmen.

“The University will do what it does every year,” McGinniss said, “which is to survey students who were accepted but who decided not to enroll at La Salle to see what went into their decision making.” This research is used as a guide to planning and making adjustments as needed.

Asked about the relationship between the University and the Collegian and the friction that occasionally arises, McGinniss said, “Currently, it is appropriate. We want to see a quality paper. Similar tensions exist between any publisher and the editorial staff.”

Although McGinniss says he is comfortable with technology, the president currently does not blog or have a Facebook account. When asked if administrators should have the right to use Facebook to monitor student behavior, McGinniss stated that the University has no official policy on the Web site. However, he warned students to be careful what they place on it, as anything posted is public information.

As the new school year got under way Monday, McGinniss has a message for incoming freshman.

“I want to welcome the new students to La Salle. We have a great community and terrific students. I look forward to seeing the class of 2011 put its stamp on the University,” McGinniss said. “The incoming freshman should take advantage of all we have to offer in the classroom, service opportunities and activities. La Salle students are great people.”

scavuzzoz1@lasalle.edu