Dear Colleagues,

 As you know, we continue to address the $20+ million budget gap for the University of Memphis.  We’re in the process of preparing the budget for the 2014-2015 academic year, consistent with current enrollment projections.  As required by TBR policy, we must submit a balanced budget by mid-March.  The  problem has been resolved for the current academic year using a range of strategies, including recovery of available surplus funds. 

As mentioned in previous communications, a significant portion of the problem is structural, that is, how we’re structured and staffed.  I am in the process of meeting with college deans to develop a strategy for resolving the projected gap for the coming academic year, along with implementing a structural configuration that best positions us to be competitive in the coming decade. It is critical that we align our resource allocation with our mission and core university priorities including: delivery of the curriculum at both undergraduate and graduate levels and expansion of our research enterprise, alongside service and community integration.

I will keep you updated as decisions are made. As many are aware, we recently completed our IT integration effort, which is a first step in this alignment, efficiency, and effectiveness effort.  Deans are intimately involved in these early discussions and may well reach out for additional discussion at the college level.  Many have already done so and will continue the conversation.  Current hiring across the colleges has not been frozen, rather deans have been given the latitude to make decisions on a case by case basis depending on performance and what is needed in each college and program.

Successfully meeting this challenge will require us to be thoughtful, strategic, and creative.  I look forward to working together in the coming months.

 Go Tigers!