Provost John Jackson delivered his views on the state of the University to administrators and professionals at their spring constituency meeting Wednesday, saying there are a lot more good things than bad, which left one administrative-professional staffer agreeing with every word.

Jackson, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and provost, spoke to 30 staff members in the Student Center Video Lounge.

I’m a political scientist. I look at good and bad, he said. I think there are a lot more good things than bad things.

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He said he was startled by local media reports stating faculty relationships have become hostile on campus. He said SIUC has been doing the same thing for 130 years and when an outside mediator comes in to fix lines within the University, it breaks the usual way of doing things.

In a real sense we had to start over in a collective bargaining atmosphere with the new set rules of the game, he said. So if it is taking a while, it must be taken in that context.

It’s been difficult. We have to get past this first contract, get it done and get on with life.

Jackson commended Chancellor Donald Beggs for his idea of focus groups for all constituents on campus. He said he received a lot of good feedback and many good suggestions. He focused most of his speech on the problems earmarked by each group.

Carolyn Donow, research project specialist, said she was pleased with Jackson’s coverage of the various problems and said union negotiations are not a problem but more a part of life.

That is part of what the University is it’s discussion, it’s disagreement, it’s working together, Donow said. That’s what we see is happening now.

Donow said she was happy to see Jackson address students concerns as well.

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I thought it was very interesting and telling that he chose the things that the students brought up in their focus groups, she said.

Jackson said this year had five dean vacancies of the 10 dean positions on campus. He noted that the new chancellor also plays a part in how the state of the University is viewed today.

The state of the University pends partially on leadership, he said. As you know this is a time of some leadership change.

Jackson stressed the importance of recruitment, citing the administrations move to reduce the ratio of international tuition to in-state tuition from 3-to-1 to 2-to-1.

He said a concern was for more faculty to become involved in the recruitment of quality students.

Some faculty have told me, verbatim, point blank, to my face, your job is to bring me students, my job is to teach them, he said. That’s an attitude. I think it’s an attitude problem.

He addressed the issue of admissions and applications being up this year compared to last year, but the problem is getting them to the campus.

When we know who they are, we know where they live all we have to do is get them on campus and get them converted, he said.

Jackson said once students are here, the University can then work on retention. He said one way was the addition of special interest floors.

Ultimately, that sense of community is what it is all about, he said. That’s what’s going to help us overcome some of the fragmentation, some of the alienation that has hurt in terms of retention.

Our retention rate is not good. We need to do better. We can do better in my estimation.

He said the University’s image has improved over previous years. He gave credit to student leadership organizations and the Daily Egyptian in preventing problems around Halloween.

Jackson said the University has made it a long way and every constituent must play their part in improving the University.

We’ve been here for 130 years, and we need to all ensure that it is still here 130 years from now, he said.