Strategic Resource Allocation Process Archives

To the Campus Community:

The reports from both strategic task forces are in. They arrived on my desk late last month, and now I would like to make them available to you. All of us should take time during the summer months to review the results.

I will repeat what I have said numerous times: We will not make unilateral decisions about the closing of programs or the elimination of operations at this time.

The reports from the task forces do contain numerous recommendations, and I will remind you that they are ONLY that – recommendations. We will continue to vet these recommendations by consulting with members of the campus community. Beginning immediately and continuing into the fall semester, Provost Levin or Vice President Pearce will be available to any academic department or support unit that requests a meeting. In addition, as previously announced, we will conduct a series of open forums early in the fall semester, and we will also establish a web page on which members of the campus community will be invited to submit comments.

As indicated in my message yesterday about a budget reduction, I will look to the recommendations in these reports, excluding those involving potential program closures or other elimination of operations, as we review cost reduction scenarios in the days ahead. Some of these decisions will need to be made soon. I expect to make other decisions based on task force recommendations before the end of the fall semester, after members of the campus community have had a chance to respond. Beyond that – and more important – many observations and recommendations in the two reports will help inform our next strategic plan. Discussion of how that planning process should proceed is now under way.

The reports have been posted to the Strategic Resource Allocation intranet site (http://taskforce.umw.edu/wp-login.php?redirect_to=%2F). In order to access the site, you must provide your network login. To access the reports, click on the tabs “Academic Task Force” and “Support Task Force.””

I cannot thank enough the members of both task forces. These individuals have devoted countless hours to this process, which I am confident will prove invaluable to the University’s continued forward momentum. Please join me in expressing our sincere appreciation to the following members of the two task forces:

Academic Task Force – Rosemary Barra, Jason Davidson, Steven Davies, Brooke Di Lauro, Beverly Epps, Steve Greenlaw, Dana Hall, Liane Houghtalin, Dave Kolar, Ken Machande, Venitta McCall, Marjorie Och, Allyson Poska (co-chair), Marie Scheckels, and Chuck Whipkey (co-chair)

Support Task Force – Lavar Edmunds, Golda Eldridge, Jackie Gallagher (co-chair), Christie Glancy, Ginny Irvin, Sabrina Johnson, Jason Kilby, Leslie Martin, Allyson Moerman, Andy Rush (co-chair), Ranjit Singh, Jay Sullivan, Suzanne Sumner, and Mark Thaden.

Much thanks, as well, to members of the facilitation team – Virginia Ashley, Les Johnson, Paul Messplay, Marty Morrison, Paula Wilder, Julie Smith, and Matt Wilkerson.

Dear colleagues,

As the two committees near completion of their work on the Strategic Resource Allocation project, I write to address the process going forward. I am anticipating submission of reports from the committees some time around May 1, but in any event before the end of this academic year.

Soon after these reports are submitted, they will be made available for review by members of the campus community. I want to underscore here, as both President Hurley and I have said in other venues, that a low quintile rating of a program or function does not necessarily mean that that program or function will be eliminated. The committees’ recommendations will rather represent a starting point for a continuing discussion of how best to position ourselves as an institution to strategically achieve our goals. To that end, the campus community will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the recommendations in the reports, both on-line and in town-hall settings.

I want to stress especially that President Hurley and members of his Cabinet are all committed to taking whatever time is required to solicit appropriate feedback from the campus community. We have no intention of rushing to judgment or trying to implement recommended changes after the faculty has dispersed for the summer. Assuming we receive the reports in early May, I would expect that the campus conversation I have described here will necessarily extend into the fall semester. It may even have to wait until then to get started in earnest.

That said, we will want to move as expeditiously as possible to address the recommendations raised in the reports. We will also be looking to link the insights and recommendations developed through this process to a new strategic planning process, set to get underway during the 2014-15 academic year as well.

We have a unique opportunity before us. 30 dedicated members of our campus community—37 counting those who served on the facilitation team—have spent the better part of the last year reviewing data and thinking long and hard, both individually and collectively, about our various programs and operational functions. My hope is that this deep dive into our programs and operations will help all of us sort through our short- and long-term challenges and opportunities. I hope too that by feeding this insight into the development of our next strategic plan, and by having the courage to make some hard but necessary decisions, we will be able to position ourselves strategically both to enhance the overall excellence of what we do and ensure that we are effectively meeting the needs of all the constituencies we serve, especially our students. To that end, President Hurley and I, along with other members of his Cabinet, will welcome your continuing participation as we review and respond to the reports of the two committees in the weeks and months ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan

Jonathan Levin
Provost

Strategic Resource Allocation Reports

Provost’s Update on Strategic Resource Allocation Process