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!

Dear Colleagues:

 I wanted to update you on a number of efforts to grow enrollment at the University of Memphis. As  you know, President Martin has established a goal of increasing student enrollment by 1,000 each of the next two years.  Enrollment growth is critical for our future. We have already taken several steps.  First, we have partnered with a group to helps us increase U of M exposure beyond our traditional, regional boundaries, along with strategically grow our application pool.  As part of this effort, Enrollment Services will be able to concentrate more heavily on recruitment of admitted students, building our yield rate from this group of already interested and motivated students. Second, Enrollment Services has reached out directly to the colleges to engage them in the recruitment efforts.  Vice-provost Betty Huff is coordinating with deans to identify ways to get faculty directly involved. As many of you know, one of the most effective strategies for recruitment is direct faculty involvement with prospective students.  Third, Enrollment Services is in the process of moving to a “one stop shop” configuration, allowing seamless access to all elements for prospective students. This will result in a more friendly and accessible environment for applicants and matriculating students. Finally, we’re also exploring a potential external partnership for some of our online offerings in an effort to achieve some national reach, broaden student interest, and grow enrollment in targeted programs. 

 I’ll be reaching out to you about some of our new retention efforts as well.  We’ve discussed the need for student incentives, with a focus on performance based incentives that facilitate degree completion. I’ll provide an update soon.  The involvement and engagement of faculty is critical on both the recruitment and retention fronts.  Thank you for your assistance and support as we explore strategies for enrollment growth.

  Go Tigers!

 Regards, David

Dear Colleagues:

          Below is a link for the recently completed Research Capacity Assessment Taskforce Report.  This report is the product of 26 faculty who served on various study teams during the spring and summer of 2013.  In addition, almost 400 faculty provided input via survey.  The 57% response rate indicates the importance of the issues and the clear desire of faculty to move forward in strategic, timely and effective fashion.  I would like to thank all those involved in an exceptional report, and in particular, the leadership of Dr. Andy Meyers and Dr. Henry Kurtz, along with the Study Team chairs Drs. Dasgupta, Skalli, and Ward.  The report offers four key recommendations revolving around more effective institutional support, interdisciplinary research efforts, clarity of expectations regarding sponsored research, and limitations in our current research infrastructure.   The report offers a full discussion of each domain, along with verbatim survey feedback. 

          In response to these recommendations, I’m asking Dr. Meyers to work with study team members and the Faculty Senate research committee to form implementation teams.  Under the leadership of Dr. Meyers, these teams will help shape implementation strategies for each of the recommendations, along with identifying needed resources and projecting an appropriate timeline for each.  The hope is to offer specific strategies to help move research forward, both for our target of $100 million in research expenditures, along with  the full scope of scholarly and artistic endeavors.  The work of the implementation teams will be shared with the deans of each college and targeted strategies will be executed. I look forward to working with each of you to advance our research mission.

          As our mission statement reflects, “The University of Memphis is a learner-centered metropolitan research university providing high quality educational experiences while pursuing new knowledge through research, artistic expression, and interdisciplinary and engaged scholarship” (http://www.memphis.edu/stratplan/).  I look forward to advancing this mission in definitive fashion.  Go Tigers!

Link to report:  http://www.memphis.edu/researchsupport/pdfs/researchcapacity_assessment.pdf 

Best Regards, David

Dear Colleagues:

 In response to questions about administrative expenses at the University of Memphis, I’m making available a report that was completed in 2011, it was requested and coordinated by the Faculty Senate. You’ll find the full report attached.  As the report details, the U of M administrative costs are right at the average for our peer institutions, i.e. 8 percent.  Of importance, though, “the University of Memphis ranked as the second lowest institutional support cost per student FTE when compared to the peer institutions at a cost of $1,677 per student FTE. Results ranged from $1,625 to $7,028 per student FTE with an average of $2,346”.  We’ll update this study and make sure we continue to track and evaluate administrative costs, alongside broader efficiency measures. 

I appreciate the excellent input and exceptional support as we continue to evaluate and implement cost saving measures.  It’s important we expend tuition and state dollars in the most effective and efficient manner possible, and that we strive to provide the best possible educational experience for our students while being attentive and responsive to issues of cost and student debt.  The challenges our students face are considerable, but by working together we can help shape a bright future for them, the University and the city of Memphis.  Go Tigers!

Here is a link to the 2011 report:

   http://www.memphis.edu/provost/pdfs/institutional_support_study_jan_2011.pdf

Best Regards, David

A Firm Commitment to Assessment and Innovation

Dear Colleagues:

Thank you for your support in moving forward our assessment efforts.  We have made substantial progress since last spring.  The importance of assessment is both recognized and embraced by all of our academic programs.  As you know, Dan Poje is heading our Office for Academic Planning, Assessment and Innovation.  His office will help leverage the support needed to make sure we’re providing the highest quality and most effective educational experience for our students across all programs, undergraduate and graduate.  All of our programs gather data and implement indicated improvements on a continuous basis, as required by SACS guidelines. The importance of assessment reaches well beyond SACS requirements though.  A commitment to assessment is a core value at the U of M, it’s essential for student success and essential for innovative and effective practice in higher education. Dan Poje forwarded the following link a short time ago, I thought it an important reminder of our commitment:

http://chronicle.com/article/How-a-College-Took-Assessment/141963/?key=SWxxKQU/PnIUbXlkbD1Abz0HOHNvMhojNSRBbCtzbl1TFA.

 Again, thank you for your commitment to excellence in our academic programs.

 Best Regards, David

Dear Colleagues:

 I participated in a very productive meeting with the Faculty Senate yesterday and several questions were raised that warrant not only a response, but broad distribution across campus.  The first question was about how we have addressed the $20+ million funding gap for the current fiscal year.  As I did in a recent blog entry, let me emphasize the magnitude of the problem is relatively small when our full budget is considered (i.e. 4% of an approximately $500 million budget) and also that these types of problems are by no means unusual in higher education today given the rapid pace of change, including drops in state funding and increased reliance on tuition and fee dollars.  Below is a breakdown of how funds have been (and are) being recovered:

 A couple of things should be emphasized. First, President Martin is working gratis and those funds have been recaptured. We certainly owe him a hearty “thank you”.  Second, the recovery from academic affairs is 36% of the total amount.  The second question was about athletics. Athletics is contributing approximately $400,000 to the $2.5 million above.  It’s important for all on campus to recognize that athletics is a large contributor to main campus given that they pay directly for all of their scholarship support. We have a net gain from athletics in the ballpark of $8 million annually from scholarship funds. 

 Finally, let me say thank you to all faculty, staff and students for your support in addressing our budget issue.  The support has been tremendous and your help is critical for our future success.  We will continue discussions through the rest of this semester and spring about how we more appropriately align the university’s configuration to our current and projected budget for coming years.  As a reminder, my office is working with both the Faculty and Staff Senates on a monthly Q&A process, one that will hopefully provide for good information flow and transparent communication.  The links for submitting questions are below:

 Link to Faculty Senate suggestion box:  http://www.memphis.edu/facultysenate/suggestionbox.php

Link to Staff Senate suggestion box: http://www.memphis.edu/staffsenate/suggestions.php

 Best Regards, David

Dear Colleagues:

The message below is a student success story that illustrates perfectly the impact we can all have on the lives of students.  As you read the message, please reflect on the opportunities you have every day to make a difference.  And thank you for all you do to make the University of Memphis great!

Best,

M. David Rudd, Provost

Message from student—

Ms. Brignole,

 Ms. Brignole I hope that you are able to reach as far back as four years ago to a time when we first met. I am Samantha Turner.You were my academic adviser back in academic counseling. I entered my freshman year of college in Fall of 2009 with a determination to be accepted into the Loewenberg School of Nursing. I am so humbled to share with you that I will be graduating this fall from the Loewenberg School of Nursing on December 14, 2013.

I also want to share with you the impact that you made in  my life.When I first entered college I had no idea that I was even capable of graduating from college. I came from a high school that did not adequately prepare me for college. Every time I came in for my advising appointments I did not feel that way. You helped me to see the potential that I have. You gave me hope, and helped me to raise the standards for myself academically and for my family.  You see, I will be  the first person in my family to graduate from college. I hope to continue in this pattern to go on and receive my doctorate in nursing and come back to the University and serve as a Nurse educator in the future. I will never forget you Ms. Brignole. You influenced my life in so many ways. I  hope you are doing well and I pray that the blessings of the Lord remain upon you.

 God bless,

Samantha Faith Turner

Dear Colleagues:

After the Town Hall meeting yesterday, I met with the senior leadership of the Faculty Senate to discuss some of the issues raised.  Some quick clarification is needed on the following:

1. The magnitude of our budget gap needs to be put in perspective.  The $20 million gap is approximately 4% of our total annual budget of $500 million.  Current efforts will hopefully lead to not only great efficiencies, but most importantly, help reduce escalating costs for our students and rising student debt loads.    The current budget gap is the result of several factors including: a) a steady decline in enrollment, b) a loss of $44 million dollars in state funding over the past 6 years, c) a loss of stimulus dollars and surplus cash funds that helped fill the gap in previous years, and d) the lack of any changes in our configuration despite the significant loss of state dollars. 
2.  Part-time instruction budgets have not been eliminated.  We simply are putting a process in place to review and approve part-time instruction.  We do not currently have a mechanism for monitoring part-time expenditures, which are approximately $3.8 million per year.  This is coupled with a request for all deans to develop workload polices in collaboration with chairs, program directors and faculty.  We need to be strategic in our use of part-time instruction, particularly given the significant annual investment.
3. The need for a consistent Q&A venue for faculty, staff and students in order to improve overall communication.  Accordingly, I will be making use of the Faculty Senate anonymous suggestion box:

http://www.memphis.edu/facultysenate/suggestionbox.php

And the Staff Senate suggestion box:

 http://www.memphis.edu/staffsenate/suggestions.php

 The Faculty Senate Executive Committee will compile the questions on a monthly basis and I will post responses on my blog.  Hopefully, this will prove helpful in terms of accurate and timely communication, all consistent with our commitment to transparency.

4. The need for additional Town Hall meetings. We will continue to host Town Hall meetings over the course of the years. Hopefully, this will become a routine part of University function. 

 Thank you to those that attended our first Town Hall session and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate.  Go Tigers!

 Best Regards, David

Dear Colleagues:

President Martin forwarded this letter from Susan Campbell, a parent of several U of M students.  He asked that I share this with the U of M community.  Ms. Campbell describes in wonderful fashion the impact one person can have, impact that reaches well beyond a single student and family, impact that continues to ripple across Memphis and beyond.  Steven’s passion, commitment and energy are inspiring.  He is, without a doubt, a very bright light at the U of M. I find it comforting to know that not only is Steven here, but there are many, many stories like this on our campus and in our community.  Thank you Steven.  And thank you to our faculty and staff who work hard each and every day sharing the great things happening at the U of M and the opportunity to build a great future.       

 Best Regards, David

Hello, President Martin.

I wanted to tell you about an amazing employee you have in the Admissions and Recruitment Department at the University of Memphis.

His name is Steven Mizell.

Our family first met Steven when we were having an issue regarding the level of scholarship that our oldest would receive; our fantastic counselors at White Station High School told us to contact Steven.  We did.  He met us, told us he would take care of our issue, find the answer, and fix any problem we were having, and he did just that, very quickly.  

He made us feel at ease about this overwhelming process that is “college.” That alone is an incredible skill and we began to see that the possibility of having three students at the University within three years might just be possible….even though we are a “normal” family with little means to send one….let alone three.

Our eldest, Luke, is now a sophomore at the University and has thoroughly enjoyed his time at school.  He has gone to Steven with questions and Steven either has the answer, finds the answer, or sends Luke to the person who knows the answer.

Our daughter, Jesse, is now a freshman at Memphis.  She had narrowed her search to two schools.  She was invited to a basketball game by the admissions office.  After that game, which Steven attended with her, she said, “If I had been on the fence about which university to attend, these people would have convinced me to attend Memphis.”

Jesse has gone to Steven several times with questions and he makes her feel like he is always ready to help her.   

He set up a personal campus tour day for her, where she met with the Admissions, Scholarship, Honors, and Nursing departments; she also was able to go to lunch with a student.  He made that happen.

After moving onto campus, Jesse wanted to find a job on the campus and each time Steven knew of an opening, he told her who to contact.  She is now working in the recruitment offices, talking to potential students.

Our youngest, Anna, is a senior, and has already established a relationship with Steven.  When he visits White Station, she usually gets to see him and talk to him there.  Because her brother and sister have had such good experiences at the University of Memphis, she is planning to attend there in the Fall of 2014.  Steven already sent her on her personal campus tour and he has answered her questions and helped her along in the process as well.|

Steven has helped us, as parents, by supporting the well-being of our children, not only in the admissions process, but also as they walk through this adventure, deciding what to do “next,” from overseas study to interning.  He is a part of their journey at the University and their experience has been so much richer because he is.

Steven has been such an advocate for our children and such an incredible help to us as parents.  We, along with most families, want to, but do not see how we can “make college happen” for our children.  We know, bottom line, that we can’t “make it happen,” but we do see that the blessing of knowing people like Steven Mizell makes the process much more clear, much more simple, much more feasible…and through amazing grace, our kids are there, enjoying college like they never imagined.

Steven should be celebrated.

Thanks for your time.

-Susan Campbell

Dear Colleagues:

 A brief update for you.  As you know, the University is in the midst of resolving a $20+ million funding gap.  Most recently, I forwarded a message to all Deans, identifying a target amount that would need to be recaptured from carry-forward funds across the colleges.  The total amount being recaptured from our core academic units is $7.7 million.  As you can see, it’s less than half of the total.  The identified amount is variable across colleges based on available funds, along with mission-related plans.  We are also continuing our strategic hiring review of all positions, faculty and staff alike.  Positions are being reviewed based on the following criteria: 1) relative need for delivery of our core mission components (advancing retention, graduate, general curriculum delivery, and advancing our research mission, 2) unit level performance (both productivity and efficiency) , 3) implications for our business model, and 4) essential university services.  As a reminder, we will be hosting  Town Hall meetings on October 3^rd and 4^th. I would certainly encourage you to attend.  Thank you again for your hard work and all that you do for the University of Memphis. 

 Regards, David