The NewsStar.com November 1, 2011 Pogue says GSU ready for its next 110 years Grambling State University President Frank Pogue said if GSU founder Charles P. Adams could see the university today, he would find it "breathtaking." GSU officially marked its 110th birthday Tuesday - a milestone Pogue says reflects the great lengths the university has come since 1901. "I do wonder sometimes, if President Adams could come back to Grambling and visit this place, how excited he would be to, first of all, see we are still here, but secondly to see how the institution has grown," he said. Adams served as the university's first president from 1901 until 1936. Pogue said at that time, the university consisted of one building on 200 acres of land with 105 students, a handful of employees and an entirely in-state student body. Now, 110 years later, the institution boasts more than 100 buildings on 445 acres of land with 5,300 students, more than 700 employees and a student body in which 42 percent come from other states and 30 different countries. "I think it would just be a breathtaking experience for him to walk through the Grambling community today," Pogue said. The university has been celebrating its 110th anniversary throughout the year with the theme "110 Years of Tradition, Service and Excellence." "We are using this whole year to celebrate, but also to prepare the institution for the next 110 years under the theme of 'A New Beginning,'" Pogue said. "Our goal is continuing the academic excellence we started 110 years ago." Pogue said there are certain goals that will guide the university in the years ahead, including increasing enrollment to 7,500 in the next five years, increasing retention and graduation rates and increasing the graduate student enrollment. Another goal is to continue to review the institution's academic offerings to ensure they meet the needs of the region and state, he said. The challenge, however, is that all of this will have to be done with significantly less state funding, Pogue said. "We don't anticipate any new money coming from the state of Louisiana," he said. "One of the major goals we are wrestling with is to identify different funding streams to replace the resources we had previously been able to rely on from the state." Pogue said the university will work to find new ways to reach out to the business and corporate communities for financial support, in addition to GSU alumni. The university also continues to look for ways to save money internally, he said, adding that despite a significant reduction in state appropriation over the last two years, no layoffs have been made. "Over the last two and a half years our budget was reduced from $31.6 million coming from the state to $18.4 million coming from the state," he said. "That was a serious, serious reduction that led to the creation of our budget reduction plan." Pogue said the entire GSU staff agreed to a furlough plan to avoid the termination of their fellow employees. "Our new goal is to make sure we continue to move in that direction of making smart decisions, reducing spending and making cuts where we can," he said. By identifying the goals and challenges ahead, Pogue said GSU is prepared to embark on a successful future. "We are well on the way to our move into the next 110 years of continuing excellence," he said. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.