Dear Colleagues:

 As many of you know, we have created a website to provide more information and detail about our ongoing evaluation of our budget model:  www.memphis.edu/sri.   We are calling the budget model Strategic Resource Investment (SRI)which is the University of Memphis’ version of a widely used higher education budget model often referred to as Responsibility Centered Management (RCM).  As an update, the committee continues its work and will offer a recommendation in the very near future. Once we’ve received a recommendation,we  will begin a year-long process of discussion, providing ample opportunity for input across campus. The website now includes a forum component, a mechanism allowing easy access for you to raise questions and concerns or simply offer input.  Deans and department chairs have already raised a number of questions. The forum will start by addressing those questions in the coming weeks.  Let me encourage you to visit the website and make use of the forum. Thank you for your help as we explore how to make our budgeting process more transparent, efficient and effective. 

 Go Tigers! 

M. David Rudd, Provost

Dear Colleagues:

In recent weeks I have shared several updates on the impressive escalation in student applications and admissions for the 2014-2015 academic year.  Today, I want to give you insights to one of the tools being used to drive this momentum.

In early January, a new application named Tiger Select was developed for freshman candidates in our current database.  This new application provides ease and convenience for users.  So far, there have been nearly 4,500 of these new applications submitted since it was deployed.  Students are finding much of the data in the application was pre-populated using prospect information already on file.  It takes students less than 10 minutes to complete the rest of the application.

This new application tool also allows for electronic transmission of transcripts and test scores directly from school counselors to the University of Memphis.  These enhancements have been helpful to the Admissions Office to achieve a 24-48 hour turnaround time for decisions on completed application records.

According to Steve McKellips, admissions director, “There still remains much to be done before interested students actually enroll at the University of Memphis, but there have been great strides made recently that will certainly help the University reach its enrollment goals for Fall 2014.”

This new, stream-lined application process is helping us provide more efficient and effective customer service.  Please join me in congratulating our admissions staff on their creativity and willingness to try new strategies.  And thanks to all of you for working every day to provide our students with the best possible experience at the University of Memphis.

Link to slides on Tiger Select application:  http://www.memphis.edu/provost/presentations.php

 Go Tigers!

M. David Rudd, Provost

Dear Colleagues:

Once again U.S. News and World Report has nationally ranked The School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Memphis as having top graduate programs in both Audiology and also Speech-Language Pathology. For their 2015 rankings U.S. News analyzed more than 1,300 graduate programs and placed the University of Memphis graduate program in Audiology 12^th nationally and the graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology 15^th.  We congratulate the faculty, staff and students for this impressive and sustained accomplishment.

Dean Maurice I. Mendel writes: “The School has been nationally-ranked since 1998, and continually strives to stay one step ahead of the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-science in their field. The research laboratories and outstanding team of research personnel currently have almost $4 million in external funding to maintain our Center of Excellence (Center for Research Initiatives and Strategies for the Communicatively Impaired, CRISCI) in the study of communicative disorders. These research projects, led by our expert faculty, provide cutting edge research that adds to the evidence base for the profession.”

The School is committed to providing students, the community, and the discipline with innovative and high quality classroom instruction, clinical service, research that enhances both the theoretical and applied knowledge of communication sciences and disorders.  It has demonstrated consistent success in promoting active learning, expert mentoring, and spirited engagement in service activities, so that students are prepared to design and deliver effective, culturally-sensitive, evidenced-based clinical services in audiology and speech-language pathology which improve the functioning and general well-being of persons with speech, language, swallowing, hearing and balance disorders.

As US News & World Report once again recognized, the University of Memphis programs prepare professionals who are well qualified for employment in a range of education- and health-related settings and who, once employed, are recognized for their competence, leadership, ethics, and commitment to service and life-long learning. Please join me in congratulating the School on this remarkable achievement.

 Go Tigers!

M. David Rudd, Provost

As today is National Arts Advocacy Day, I think it is appropriate to share with you a couple of outstanding videos produced by the Departments of Art and Theatre & Dance in the College of Communication and Fine Arts. They are powerful reminders of the impact our arts departments play in the life of the University but also as community partners with Memphis and this region.  I hope you will have a look at them and join me in applauding their message.

The “Art Talk” video was directed, shot and edited by Daniel Wildberger, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, and Isabel Machado, Filmmaker and PhD candidate in History. They were invited to make a video about the school by Art Chair Richard Lou, who praised the filmmakers’ talents and also their storytelling sensibility in “creating a beautiful video.” Professor Wildberger says, “Since early on we thought it would be great to let the students tell their stories. Every one of the students was asked the same questions. We had no script, but the questions gave us a little structure. It basically revolved around 3 things: the school, the city, and their work. Another important concept we had was to make it look as real as possible. The students are in their own ‘habitat’: classrooms, libraries, labs, in the art building and around campus.”  

 The students who are interviewed on camera are: Jody Stokes-Casey (Art History), Jonah Sidhom (Graphic Design), Kathryn Hicks (Graphic Design), Nancy Hardwood (Painting), Charli Byrd Ardrey (Art Education), and Peter Joseph Hoeffecker (Sculpture).

 The video is a wonderful recruitment tool for the department, but stands as an excellent work of art in its own right. The On Location International Film Festival has expressed an interest in showing it as part of the “Memphis Rocks” program later this year.  You can view the Art video at:

                         http://vimeo.com/87948691

 The Theatre & Dance promotional video prominently features a successful regional actress and graduate, Ann-Marie Gideon, who says on camera “I learned to work hard and never give up in a business that isn’t easy…I gained the confidence and experience that helped me to launch my professional career.” The promotional video features a combination of actors, designers and directors in addition to Ann-Marie, including testimonials from Jon Castro, Kitty Devany, Tristan Parks, Janie Crick, and Jung Han Kim. It shows a variety of work in the Theatre Building along with references to off-campus opportunities in Arezzo, Italy, Chicago’s Second City comedy training, and the American Theatre Wing’s Springboard NYC seminars.  The video was shot and edited by filmmaker Andrew Harper and produced by Director of Publicity and Promotions Alice Berry.

It is being used as a recruiting tool for Theatre & Dance and the department has been distributing it on individual jump drives which are handed to prospective students at conferences, such as the recent Southeast Theatre Conference earlier this month.  As Alice has learned, “Students are excited to see it and also to be handed a copy on their own jump drive.  We have had a terrific response to it so far.  The Department has been putting an emphasis on recruiting students for the programs by bringing students to campus for workshops and performances and by sending faculty to area schools for workshops and having a greater presence at theatre conferences. But our students are our best ambassadors.”  You can view the Theatre & Dance video at:

                         https://vimeo.com/89507440

As Richard R. Ranta, Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts says, “Videos such as these are tremendous billboards for Memphis and the impact The University of Memphis arts programs on this region. We intend to do more of them to showcase the work happening in this College. They remind us that U of M arts students and graduates are also having a huge impact on our community by playing an increasingly significant role in many disciplines as many shift toward work that is collaborative and community-based.”

“We hear a lot about the need to invest in STEM fields–science, technology, engineering, and math–to spur innovation and grow our economy,” adds Dean Ranta. “And of course that is necessary. But I wish to echo a growing chorus of others who have lately argued for the need to place the Arts in the center of that anagram, to expand the slogan, and turn STEM to STEAM.”

Arts students not only entertain, but also work across disciplines, across diverse strands of our community to help solve some of our thorniest problems. I think these videos are persuasive reminders of the impact the arts are having here at The University of Memphis.

Go Tigers!

M. David Rudd, Provost

Dear Colleagues:

The Provost’s Fellowship Program offers faculty who have demonstrated leadership potential and are interested in higher education administration the chance to develop knowledge, skills and experience as an administrator; to increase the understanding of the faculty about practices and procedures in academic administration;  to assist in the development and implementation of projects in current key areas; and to provide ongoing faculty involvement and input into the activities of the Provost’s Office.  Fellows participate in a range of learning opportunities, both special and routine, and develop greater insight into academic initiatives, strategic planning, budget issues, and challenges in higher education. The goal of the program is to provide  faculty members with a more expansive range of leadership experiences at the campus level. I am pleased to announce that the 2014 -2015 Provost’s Fellows are Susan Neely-Barnes, associate professor of social work, and Katharine Schaffzin, associate professor of law.  These two faculty members were selected from a very competitive pool to work on special projects in the provost’s office.

Susan Neely-Barnes joined the University of Memphis faculty in 2010 after serving for five years as an assistant professor at another institution.  Since arriving at the U of M, she has been instrumental in the development and accreditation of the new Master of Social Work (MSW) program as well as student recruitment and admissions.  Susan’s fellowship is for the 2014 fall semester.

Katharine Schaffzin began her U of M career in 2009.  Prior to beginning her academic career, she was a litigator for one of the nation’s largest law firms and also clerked for the Honorable James Knoll Gardner of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  While at the U of M, she has worked extensively on faculty development initiatives as well as serving on the law school’s faculty recruitment and admissions committees.  Katharine’s fellowship is for the 2015 spring semester.

Please join me in congratulating these outstanding faculty members.  I look forward to working with them as they become familiar with campus wide academic initiatives, strategic planning, budget issues, and challenges in higher education. 

Sincerely,

M. David Rudd, Provost

Dear Colleagues:

 I want to send everyone off to Spring Break with some very positive news.  As many of you know, ACAD 1100 has undergone some changes over the past couple of years in hopes of improving student outcomes.  We now have evidence that these changes are resulting in measurable impacts.  Congratulations and thanks to our ACAD instructors for enthusiastically embracing change—you are making a difference!

 First-Time Freshmen 

 The table above shows an increase in every retention factor we assess…and that’s not even the best news.  Let’s take a look at Fall 2013 numbers. When we look at students who took ACAD versus those who didn’t, we can see that the ACAD group fares better than the non-ACAD group in EVERY variable we assess, with some of these being significantly better!

 First-Time Freshman, Fall 2013

 When we look at Honors students who took ACAD versus Honors students who chose not to take ACAD 1100, we see that the ACAD students had stronger outcomes than the non-ACAD students.

 First-Time Freshman Honors Students, Fall 2013

 These numbers clearly show that we are on the right track with ACAD and that we have some incredible instructors who are making a real impact on students’ lives.  Thank you!

 Enjoy Spring Break and don’t forget to cheer for the Tigers at the conference tournament!

 M. David Rudd, Provost

Dear Colleagues:

 In keeping with our unwavering commitment to the core teaching mission and development of critical skills for all students, the University is establishing a Center for Writers.  This initiative is directly linked to our retention and graduation goals.  An exceptional team of faculty and staff has been charged with launching the center.  Students at all levels, incoming freshmen through graduate students, will reap benefits from the campus-wide writing center as they strive to improve their writing, reading, critical thinking, and editing skills in preparation for an ever more competitive job market. 

 Mission Statement

The Center for Writers’ initial mission is to help writers in all academic disciplines, at all levels, develop their writing abilities, to promote research in effective and collaborative methods of teaching writing, and to provide writing resources to the larger academic community. 

 Goals

The goals of the Center for Writers include the following:

• To serve as a writing resource for the university community through its tutorial assistance, web page, classroom presentations, workshops, and other forms of outreach;
• To help writers at all levels of proficiency from all academic disciplines develop competent and effective writing skills through the use of both face-to-face consulting sessions and other resources;
• To contribute to increasing retention and graduation rates through early intervention, one-on-one tutoring, and collaborating with the English Department’s  lower division program;
• To collaborate with every department on campus to encourage the systematic and comprehensive development of writing, critical thinking, and communication skills, and
• To promote research on the teaching of writing.

 As resources allow and as the center evolves it will implement, grow, and maintain programs that include satellite tutorial sites, online tutoring services, and collaborative programs with area high schools and community literacy outreach organizations.

Committee Members

Barbara Bekis, Educational Support Programs

Pam Dennis, Library

Tim Johnston, English

Joseph Jones, English

Patsy Krech, CAS Advising

Brad McAdon, English

Rhonda Powers, English

Jennifer Schnabel, Library

Kathy Tuberville, Business

Cynthia Tucker, English

Antonio de Velasco, Communication

Todd Whitney, Education

 Please join me in thanking all involved.  In particular, I’d like to thank members of the orginal (2009) writing center committee:  Dr. John Bensko (English), Dr. Suzanne Biedenbach (formerly of English), Dr. Bill Dwyer (Psychology), Dr. Charles Hall (English), and Dr. Robert Koch (Nursing), chaired by Brad McAdon (English).  The 2010 proposal was co-authored by Eric Link, Charles Hall, and Brad McAdon.

 Go Tigers!

 M. David Rudd, Provost

 Dear Colleagues:

Good news!​  As of this week, applications to the U of M broke the 10,000 mark for the first time, standing officially at 10,119.  

Strong activity continues for both the main campus and our Lambuth campus. Freshman applications are up almost 90%, with out-of-state freshman applications up a remarkable 235%.  I continue to be impressed that in-state freshman applications are still growing, up 55%. Transfer applications are up 22%, and total applications are up almost 77%.   While we’re still processing applications, admission numbers continue to be strong.  Freshman admissions are up 26%, transfer admissions are up 27%, and total admissions are up 25%.  Clearly, we’re attracting a strong group of students! 

 Activity for the Lambuth campus continues to be the strongest we’ve seen since taking on the campus; we’re up 182% for freshman, with out-of-state applications targeting Lambuth up an amazing nine-fold now.  Total applications (including transfers) are up 113%.  Freshman admissions are up 61%, with total admissions (including transfers) up 56%.  It’s great to see these strong trends continue.  We’re now shifting attention more and more to yield, i.e. getting them on campus in the fall.  

Thank you for your continued hard work!  ​

You can find the latest application reports at: http://www.memphis.edu/provost/application_activity_reports.php.

Go Tigers!

M. David Rudd, Provost