[Volkmann] recognized that almost every university has made the transformation from not focusing on communication to focusing on it in recent years. We are a little behind the curve.

Most of our schools and other divisions have taken concrete steps to determine how they can support university students whose families have felt the brunt of Hurricane Katrina, ... Several are accommodating students from Gulf Coast colleges whose plans have been entirely disrupted this fall.

As the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina become more apparent with each day, many at [UR] have focused on how we can help the storm's survivors and academic institutions along the Gulf Coast, ... This tragedy continues to unfold, but I am heartened by the warm and caring response from so many in our campus community.

It's not so much the law as the sociology of the board. By and large, most people expect they are going to continue with the same management company. You assume it's their fund.

One way [we will increase annual giving] is that we are bringing in extraordinary talent. We so far have three people on the senior management team. The key is we're trying to bring in people who have had experience with capital campaigns.

The most important thing I will be doing this year, other than the listening tour, is to begin strategic planning. In effect, I am asking each school, typically working with alumni, students and administrators, to focus hard on where we are going. Not just where we want to be a year from now, but what are the real stretch goals?