Welcome to the Provost’s blog.  The goal of the blog is to enhance communication and transparency on campus, offering a central resource for faculty, staff and students.  The blog will also provide an opportunity for questions and answers.  I will make an effort to address issues of critical importance for the campus community, along with providing periodic updates on a range of campus initiatives.  You’ll notice below the blog includes two emails forwarded to all IT staff and business officers in the last few days.  We’re in the midst of reconfiguring the IT division and also exploring how business officers are organized, trained and deployed.  I will continue to provide information as this process moves forward. 

Let me also share some very good news for the University of Memphis.  As you know, we have a range of efforts and initiatives targeting improved retention and graduation.  Given the rising costs of higher education, it’s essential we find ways to help our students complete their degrees in efficient and effective fashion. Timely degree completion is essential to our success as a university. These efforts also have implications for our funding model, in which degree completion is a core variable.  The six-year cohort project targeted the class entering in 2007.  As of May, the six year graduation rate for this group is up to 43.6%. This represents meaningful progress and great improvement.  Our efforts are paying off and we’ll continue to raise the bar for each successive cohort.  This is very much a team effort, one that cuts across the entire campus. Thank you for your hard work.  In particular, I’d like recognize the contributions of those in Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and our Advisors.  Great job! 

 Go Tigers,

 M. David Rudd

Dear University of Memphis Team Members:

As you know, significant changes have occurred in higher education. Our funding models are under pressure from a continued reduction of State funds, changing enrollment patterns and, for Tennessee universities, a funding formula that is impacted by completion outcomes. In spite of these challenging times, the University of Memphis enjoys enormous talent and excellent physical facilities, as well as the enthusiastic support and affection of our region.

In recent years, we have absorbed significant reductions (36%) in State funding by undertaking a variety of cost reduction measures. These include process improvement initiatives designed to streamline and improve processes and services to gain efficiencies in our operations.

Opportunities for improvement still exist so the University’s executive leadership is reviewing organizational structure across division boundaries. The current decentralized model that exists in some administrative areas has grown in an ad hoc manner over the last several decades. Many critical responsibilities are held by staff in positions with a wide range of requirements, responsibilities, job duties, capabilities and accountability structures.

As part of this review and analysis, some of you were recently asked to complete a Position Questionnaire. This will help us determine how each position’s functions can best be leveraged to achieve the University’s strategic goals.  If you have not yet responded, please do so right away.  Human Resources will utilize this information to conduct an analysis so we can better understand the crucial functions that you perform each day. We expect this analysis to be completed by the end of October. We will then be able to answer specific questions about individual positions.

While organizational change can be challenging, it also represents an opportunity. We ask for your support and best ideas.  Please continue to provide suggestions for improvement online at http://memphis.edu/processimprovement/.

Thank you for your continued dedication.

M. David Rudd, Provost                  David Zettergren, VP for Business & Finance

Dear University of Memphis IT Team Members:

As you know, significant changes have occurred in higher education. Our funding models are under pressure from a continued reduction of State funds, changing enrollment patterns and, for Tennessee universities, a funding formula that is impacted by completion outcomes. In spite of these challenging times, the University of Memphis enjoys enormous talent and excellent physical facilities, as well as the enthusiastic support and affection of our region.

In recent years, we have absorbed significant reductions (36%) in State funding by undertaking a variety of cost reduction measures. These include process improvement initiatives designed to streamline and improve processes and services to gain efficiencies in our operations. Opportunities for improvement still exist so the University’s executive leadership is reviewing organizational structure across division boundaries.

The current decentralized model that exists in IT and other areas has grown in an ad hoc manner over the last several decades. Many critical responsibilities are held by staff in positions with a wide range of requirements, responsibilities, job duties, capabilities and accountability structures.

As announced July 11, the information technology function has been realigned, with IT now reporting directly to the Provost’s Office. This aligns a key administrative area with the evolving needs of our students, and emphasizes the critical role that technology plays in the delivery of higher education in today’s market.

As part of this realignment, Human Resources is asking employees to provide individualized position descriptions. This will help us determine how each position’s functions can best be leveraged to achieve the University’s strategic goals.

Thank you in advance for completing the Position Questionnaire and returning to Human Resources. HR will analyze these so we can better understand the crucial functions that you perform each day. We expect this analysis to be completed by the end of October. At that time, we will be able to answer specific questions about individual positions.

While organizational change can be challenging, it also represents an opportunity. I ask for your support and best ideas.  Please continue to provide suggestions for improvement online at http://memphis.edu/processimprovement/. 

Thank you for your continued dedication.