Andrew Hoff, the interim provost and interim vice president for Academic Affairs, said Thursday at the Provost Forum that this academic year is a “pivotal” one for Fresno State.

As Hoff looked out on the crowd of around 60 faculty and staff, he said he saw “’skepticism, elation, concern and some looks of ‘It’s OK.’”

He said the year is highlighted by a balanced budget, increased enrollment and President Joseph Castro’s willingness to listen and communicate.

He assured the crowd that Castro was an exceptional listener.

“He’ll talk to anybody,” Hoff said.

Hoff said the new president’s approach is to first listen, and then accept help from the community and begin acting.

Jody Hironaka—Juteau, the interim dean of the College of Health and Human Services, said it’s helpful to hear directly from the provost office on communication issues.

“The forum is always helpful and provides a broad-brushed understanding.”

Hoff said this year’s budget is less critical because goals were met, and the new model is still being tested.

“We’re looking at this year’s process toward next year,” Hoff said.

He also addressed this year’s increase in enrollment. If the trend of increasing enrollment continues, Hoff said student demand will also increase.

One concern raised was communication between admissions and academic affairs. Hoff said these departments communicated this year about dividing the increase in students between the two semesters, rather than being impacted one semester.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) will assess the university for re-accreditation in 2015, Hoff said he expects all academic departments to begin preparing this year.

WASC randomly selects six departments to assess, so Hoff said every department should be ready to represent the entire university. Part of this preparation includes collecting information and planning to perfect each assessment program.

“This academic year is the year of getting things done,” Hoff said.

One thing Hoff found alarming was the abrupt increase in part-time contracts among faculty members. Hoff said there are suspicions about the reason for the increase, but it would be unwise to act upon those suspicions.

Another issue Hoff addressed was the “W” writing requirement for upper-division students.

Hoff said students don’t understand that there are a variety of “W” classes offered and all meet the writing requirement. He said each department addresses the writing requirement differently and that he hopes the writing requirement will not postpone students’ graduation dates.