State of the Academy Chancellor Struppa highlights academic accomplishments and priorities in annual address

Innovative classroom programs are underway, donor generosity is growing, academic reputation is rising and new facilities – led by the nearly-complete Musco Center for the Arts – are making Chapman University “a national model for a learning community,” Chancellor Daniele Struppa said in his 2015 State of the Academy Address.

Such advancements are impressive, but more significant is that they create a place where students thrive, Struppa said in his annual address, delivered in Memorial Hall on Friday, Oct. 2, as the kickoff to the Chapman Family Homecoming Celebration.

“Everything we do is designed to improve the experience of our students. To make sure that there is something special that they can bring with them as they move into the real world,” Struppa said.

To illustrate that student focus, Struppa highlighted a variety of new projects, from plans for a new minor in business analytics to the development of the Hilbert Museum of California Art, which will incorporate students into its management and operation. The addition of full-time faculty has more than kept pace, growing 57 percent since 2006, he noted.

In addition, Struppa underscored the University’s renewed focus on community programs and outreach to at-risk students. Among the highlights:

• Chapman students serve as mentors at Higher Ground, a program aimed at sparking young children’s interest in planning for college before the lure of gangs takes hold.
• Ecological Research Experiences, which engage students from Orange High School in faculty field research.
• Nicholas Academic Center talks and workshops led by Chapman faculty for at-risk Orange County teens.
• The establishment of the Thompson Policy Institute on Disability and Autism, which will serve families throughout Southern California and beyond thanks to a $3 million gift from the William and Nancy Thompson Family Foundation.

Watch for a full video of the Chancellor’s address to be posted at the web page for
Chancellor’s Office
.