Our campus is being transformed this summer in both physical and intellectual ways.

As September rapidly approaches, a renewed intellectual community is forming as we are making tremendous progress in restoring our faculty ranks following three years of unprecedented state budget cuts and early retirement programs.

By September, we project that over 80 percent of the full-time instructional faculty positions lost since 2001 will be filled. It has been exciting to see the high quality of the people who are being attracted to our campus to teach, conduct research and serve our dynamic community. This says a great deal about the work that our existing staff and faculty are doing and about the quality of our student body. Excellence attracts excellence.

By September, 43 full-time faculty members (33 on a tenure track) will be added to our intellectual community following the addition of 25 new full-timers last September. This will bring the full-time faculty corps to 346, just 12 shy of our high water mark in 2000 but 33 more than our spring 2004 total.

And these full-timers will be supplemented by an outstanding group of part-time instructors who bring a wealth of knowledge and energy to our campus every day.

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This summer, much progress is also being seen... and heard... across our physical landscape.

The new Charlton School of Business is nearing completion and ground has been broken for the construction of 1,200 beds in a new residential grouping that will incorporate the latest student housing design strategies. Space for 800 students will be completed by spring 2005 and an additional 400 by fall 2005.

By September, 2004 over 20 classrooms will be renovated, including upgrades to instructional technology, new flooring and modern furniture, all aimed at improving the teaching and learning atmosphere for students and faculty. And, our campus store is undergoing a major redesign.

The residence dining hall is undergoing a major renovation as well. Our goal is to create a comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere for students so they can engage in the all-important informal learning that occurs when people break bread together.

All of this is happening in the midst of the renovation and repair of various office spaces around campus, all designed to improve service to students and the community. Included in this initiative will be updating of faculty and staff professional development centers, an important and tangible investment in the valuable human resources of our campus.

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The advances described above are possible because the Commonwealth, our most generous benefactor, has stepped up to the plate to support our mission.

The final state appropriation to the University of Massachusetts system for this fiscal year is $400 million, up from $327 million last year. Included in the budget is funding for much-deserved faculty and staff pay adjustments that allow us to remain competitive for talent.

The budget also includes critical funding for our College of Visual and Performing Arts at the Star Store, the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center, and the Changing Lives Through Literature program.

Our area legislators and their colleagues have effectively and passionately championed our cause and deserve an enthusiastic thank you from all of us.