September 16, 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Now that the semester is well underway, I welcome you to the new academic
year. I hope that your summer was both productive and relaxing. As I
watched students on the Oval this past week, it reminded me how fortunate
we are to work in such a beautiful setting and at such a strong university. Our
responsibilities as educators are among the most important anywhere and I
want to thank you for your dedication to our students, to your disciplines, and
to The University of Montana. The purpose of this letter is to provide an
update on several matters on which we will be working throughout the
academic year.

Communication – Several times each semester, I have hosted a group of

10-15 randomly selected faculty members for lunch and discussion. These
lunches have been an important way for me to meet people and discuss
issues. Beginning this fall, I will also set up a monthly discussion session open
to anyone. My office will send out the times and locations of those sessions
about one week in advance. On occasion, I will invite other Executive Officers
as well. I welcome you to attend and bring with you questions, concerns, and
opportunities.

New Faculty Members – A total of 32 new, permanent faculty members

were hired this year and, thanks to your efforts, we recruited an outstanding
group of scholars. They were recognized at the President’s State of the
University address and participated in an orientation and reception that
afternoon. It was a pleasure to meet them. I encourage everyone to serve in
a mentoring role as these new faculty members begin their careers with us.

Classroom Technology – In recognition that our classroom technology is in

serious need of upgrading, we embarked upon a project to install technology
in all of our classrooms, to be completed over a six-year period. A team from
Academic Affairs, Information Technology, and Administration and Finance
worked to design a plan, fund it through existing student fees, and oversee its
implementation. This past summer, approximately ten new classrooms were
brought online and a similar number were upgraded. The project will proceed
at a similar or faster pace through completion. I invite you to contact
Information Technology for a list of the new classrooms and to arrange for a
demonstration.

Academic Strategic Planning – Chaired by Associate Dean Carol Brewer,

the planning group has been working hard to craft an Academic Strategic
Plan (ASP) that will guide decision-making over the next several years. The
plan reflects input received through numerous “town hall” meetings held last
year and through interactions with a variety of specific groups. For the next
month, the draft plan is open for comment. It is posted at
http://www.umt.edu/asp/newsletters.html
<http://www.umt.edu/asp/newsletters.html> . Please take time to review teh
plan and provide your feedback. In addition to the plan itself, an annual
process for assessment of progress, review of the plan, and input to the
budget process will be implemented.

Accreditation – Professor Jim Hirstein has served as Chair of the committee

preparing for our accreditation visit by the Northwest Commission on
Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The visit occurs every ten years and
requires the preparation of an extensive self-study document. This document
is in its second draft and has also been posted for your examination and
feedback at http://www.umt.edu/asc/interim.html
<http://www.umt.edu/asc/interim.html> . During the accreditation visit, which
is scheduled for April 12-14, 2010, the NWCCU team will be meeting with
many groups. There will also be at least one open session for any faculty
member to attend. As the time nears, please take note of when that session
will occur and plan to attend.

Student Success – Among our highest priorities is the improvement of our

first-to-second year retention rate and our graduation rate. Our current rates
are typical of public research universities, but the Retention Task Force set
the goal of raising our rates to those of the top quartile of that group of
institutions. Last year, each of you should have received a brochure called,
“Partnering for Student Success.” It is a summary of the plan to help students
succeed while increasing our expectations for a high academic standard. An
implementation team is working to put the strategies into place and to
monitor our performance. You can find the plan at
http://www.umt.edu/partnering/ <http://www.umt.edu/partnering/> .

Provost’s Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series – We have reinstituted a

lecture series to honor and showcase faculty members who have been
recognized in some exceptional way. Yesterday, a separate announcement
with information about the series was sent. I hope you will make a point to
attend and listen to these individuals speak about their disciplines. The
difficult task will be selecting only a few each year from our outstanding
faculty. The first lecture is this Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the University Center
Ballroom, and will be given by Regents Professor Jakki Mohr. You can find
additional information at http://www.umt.edu/provost/PDFLS
<http://www.umt.edu/provost/PDFLS> .

Research and Scholarly Activity – One measure of research activity is the

amount of externally funded research, and Vice President Dwyer reports that
the University had a record $67 million in research expenditures last year.
Federal stimulus funding is opening new avenues for funding and a large
number of proposals to stimulus-funded programs are pending. The Office of
Research has just hired a new Technology Transfer Director who will begin
work in October. Strategic planning around research and creative activity will
begin in earnest this fall, making sure to emphasize research and scholarship
across campus, whether funded or not. Associate Provost for Graduate
Education Perry Brown is working diligently on a plan to make progress on the
non-resident tuition issue for graduate assistants.

Budget – Here are the facts. As a University, our budget is made up of funds
from many sources that total approximately $371 million. Of that,
approximately $142 million is in the “General Fund,” which supports the basic
operation of the University including salaries of most faculty, staff, and
administrators; academic operating budgets; and the day-to-day operation of
the facilities. Most other contributions to the total budget are “restricted” in
nature, an example being grant and contract dollars, which can only be spent
for specific purposes. The General Fund itself has two primary sources –
tuition and fees, and our state appropriation. Tuition and fees comprise
approximately 60% of the General Fund, the state appropriation about 32%,
and there are a few other miscellaneous sources. The exact revenue from
tuition and fees won’t be known until enrollment figures are finalized for the
year. Our state appropriation alone was less than last year, but the addition
of federal stimulus dollars brought the total to slightly more than last year.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac Issue of August 28,
2009, Montana fared better in state appropriations than the rest of the
mountain states, with the exception of Colorado. Unfortunately, the
appropriation included no funds for regular raises (only state employees who
are paid less than $45,000 will receive a one-time $450 increase). Merits and
promotions will still be funded, however. A major issue for the next Legislative
session surrounds the restoration of state funds for the stimulus dollars used
in this biennium. For The University of Montana, the amount at stake is $3.2
million per year beginning in FY12. The bottom line is that with the important
exception of a pay plan, the University is operating at nearly the same total
budget as last year. Furthermore, because of internal reallocation from other
sectors, the budget for Academic Affairs is significantly larger than last year.
No positions in Academic Affairs have been lost because of the University’s
budget situation and, in fact, there are more faculty members base-funded
this year than last.
If you would like to discuss any of this information in more detail, please
contact me or attend one of the discussion sessions mentioned above under
Communications. Thank you for all that you do for the University. It is a
pleasure serving as your Provost. Have a great semester, and I hope to see
you around campus.