President Whitmore's First 100 Days
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Academic Senate
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
President Whitmore arrived at his first Academic Senate meeting yesterday with heavy topics to discuss: retention and graduation rates (need improvement), enrollment (needs reduction), IT (we need a chief technology officer), strategic plans (we need a new one soon), and sustainability (let's do more).

Maria Romo, lecturer, Counselor Education, Jennifer
Whitmore (in background), President Whitmore and Elba
Maldonado-Colon, professor, Elementary Education.
Photo: Robert Bain, SJSU Photographic Services.
But a quip the president made at the end of his talk revealed his fine sense of humor. After applauding SJSU's diversity initiative (for recognizing that with diversity must come student success), Whitmore directed everyone's attention to the books on their desks. Earlier, he presented each senator with a copy of this year's Campus Reading Program selection, the bestselling novel "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen.
"Not only is it about an elephant," he said, "but a bilingual elephant."
Don't get it? Then you'll need to read the book.
- Read more on the Campus Reading Program.
- Read more on the Academic Senate.
- Read more on SJSU retention and graduation rates.
- Read more on SJSU's strategic plan.

Dominique van Hooff, Foreign Languages chair, Angela
Rickford, professor, Special Education, Jennifer Whitmore, Judith
Lessow-Hurley, professor, Elementary Education.
Photo: Robert Bain, SJSU Photographic Services.