Presidential Updates

Dear Colleague Vol. 1, No. 5

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Snowy Carrington HallToday, we are posting revised and updated draft material for the 2011-16 Long-Range Plan. I invite you to review these items and provide feedback.

We have posted the following drafts, all of which are part of the whole:

These current documents reflect the input we received from the campus community, as well as the further refinement by the Steering Committee, the work groups, and others. We also benefited from the work of Larry Gates, former Missouri State University and University of Missouri administrator who conducted focus groups and helped guide all of us through the process.

The major change you will see is that we have moved “diversity/inclusive excellence” from a strategic direction and included it in both the Community Principles and as one of the overarching commitments. The Steering Committee wanted to elevate inclusive excellence in recognition that it is more a value than a strategic direction; it provides part of the foundation for all we do.

Next steps

The Steering Committee and work groups are now developing performance measures and specific targets for each of the objectives. We will share those with the campus community in the near future and again seek your input on them.

The final step is to develop specific tactics to achieve the performance measures. These will be developed at the major unit level and include timelines and those responsible for implementing.

I informed the Board of Governors at its October meeting that we do not want to sacrifice quality to meet an artificial deadline; therefore, we will not expect to have a draft of the document until sometime in the early part of 2011.

In the meantime, I invite your input on any or all three of these documents. We are trying to collect those comments by Wednesday, Dec. 22.

Sincerely,

James E. Cofer, Sr.

President

Dear Colleague Vol. 1, No. 4

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From the beginning, I have promised that we would chart our course together in a collegial manner. We will celebrate our successes together, and there will be many. And we will face our challenges together, and we will have those, too. We will work on these together so that, in the end, we will have the best collective thinking and the best decisions.

In this Dear Colleague letter, I want to identify some examples of this collegial work.

Budget process under way

Carrington HallIn late September, in conjunction with the State of the University address, I announced the budget process we would use. That process is now under way.

The various budget committees are established and organizational meetings are scheduled. The membership of those committees, their meeting schedule, and notes from those meetings soon will be posted on the Financial Outlook website.

In the meantime, I would draw your attention to these highlights:

  • Dr. Eric Bosch, professor in the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, will serve as the chair of the Executive Budget Committee.
  • Dr. David Byrd, professor in the College of Business Administration, will chair the Academic Affairs Budget Committee.
  • Ken McClure, vice president for administrative and information services, will chair the Administrative Budget Committee.
  • At the initial meetings, the various budget committees will receive an orientation on the budget — the process, the timing, and the numbers.

I want to thank the dozens of faculty, staff and administrators who have agreed to serve on the committees and assist with the budget process.

I will keep you informed as the process continues and we learn more from state officials about the appropriations and tuition options for fiscal year 2012. Until then, I invite you to stay engaged by fulfilling your role on one of the committees and by checking the Financial Outlook website regularly.

Facilities review task force

Avenue of FlagsAs promised in my State of the University address, we are establishing an Academic Classroom and Laboratory Utilization and Priority Task Force to review these facilities and recommend a plan for strategically investing in these facilities. We need to have a clear understanding of our inventory and what improvements are needed.

This task force will be chaired by Dr. Belinda McCarthy, provost, and include the following members: David Caravella, classroom coordinator in the Educational Technology Center; Dr. Kathy Coy, director of institutional research; Dr. Frank Einhellig, associate provost and dean of the Graduate College; Dr. Dennis Kear, dean of the College of Education; Dr. John Kent, professor of marketing; Ken McClure, vice president for administrative and information services; Dale Moore, director of university support services; Dr. Sean Newton, associate professor of physical therapy; Kate Shellenberg, SGA’s director of academic affairs; and Dr. Kelly Wood, head of the communications department.

Follow-up on state audit

Meyer CarillonI focused on the state audit in the October 19 Dear Colleague letter. I want to follow up.

As you recall, I established a three-person advisory group to look at the audit: Clif Smart, general counsel (chair); Dick Williams, head of the School of Accountancy; and John McAlear, secretary to the Board of Governors. That group has begun its work and divided the recommendations into three categories:

  • Ensuring we are implementing the recommendations as we indicated we would
  • Identifying additional recommendations that should be implemented
  • Determining which recommendations have already been adequately addressed

The committee will continue its work identifying the issues and priorities for change. I fully expect that there will be changes in procedures, policies, reporting and possibly costs as we address the issues in the audit. I will keep you informed on that work.

JQH Arena task force

JQH ArenaJQH Arena is an outstanding facility and a tremendous University asset. It benefits not only athletics and major performance events, but also the entire University due to its use for student events, convocations, commencements and more. JQH Arena is now going into its third year, and we need to evaluate and recalibrate based on the first two years of experience.

When JQH Arena was planned in 2006, those involved did their due diligence and developed a budget based on the best information possible; however, we need to take a new University-wide approach to ensure its success.

Toward that end, I have appointed a task force to look at JQH Arena and make recommendations on how best to fund and operate this facility in the future.

The task force will be chaired by Brent Dunn, vice president for university advancement, and include Randy Blackwood, executive director of entertainment and athletics facilities; Nila Hayes, chief financial officer; Dr. Jim Hutter, professor of agriculture and member of the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee; Kyle Moats, director of athletics; Dr. Philip C. Rothschild, assistant professor of management and director of the entertainment management program; Clif Smart, general counsel; Dr. Christina Simmers, assistant professor of marketing; and Jacob Swett, president of the Student Government Association.

I will ask for the report and recommendations by the beginning of the spring semester. I am confident we can develop a plan for the future.

First 90 days

I want to again thank members of the campus community for the warm welcome Deborah and I have received in our first 90 days. It has been an active three months, but a productive time as well. We have much work to do together and I look forward to it.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

James E. Cofer, Sr.

President

Dear Colleague Vol. 1, No. 3

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West MallMissouri State University has a long tradition of, and strong commitment to, the concept of “continuous improvement.” That philosophy has led to productive changes over the years and is one of the reasons the University is so well-positioned today.

There are many ways we achieve continuous improvement. For example, we monitor and implement best practices, we measure ourselves against national metrics and we compare ourselves to benchmark institutions.

One of the best ways to encourage continuous improvement, however, is to gain independent perspectives from those outside the University. That is why we use and value peer reviews, accreditation visits, consultants and our annual financial audit by an external accounting firm.

This afternoon (Tuesday, October 19), we officially received another perspective when the state auditor released the audit report on Missouri State University. Also see the University’s official response to the audit.

We very much appreciate the time and effort that went into this audit, and we will seriously consider the various recommendations. As you will see from the report, we have agreed with many of the recommendations, and several have already been implemented.

Soon after I arrived, in anticipation of this audit report, I named a three-person committee to evaluate the audit and advise me on which of the recommendations we should implement. That committee has been formed and it will now begin its work. The members are: Clif Smart, general counsel (chair); Dick Williams, head of the school of accountancy; and John McAlear, secretary to the Board. Based on advice from that group, we will make changes and implement the recommendations that make sense for Missouri State.

We thank the state auditor for another perspective that helps us toward our goal of continuous improvement.

Sincerely,

James E. Cofer, Sr.

President

Dear Colleague Vol. 1, No. 2

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Thank you to those who took time to come to the State of the University address yesterday (Tuesday, October 5). For those who weren’t able to attend, I invite you to hear the audio of the address on the website. Within a few days, a video version also will be available online.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the expressions of support and sympathy we received following the passing of Deborah’s mother, Doris Jones. Both Deborah and I are touched and overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness. It made us feel very much at home, and demonstrated once again that Missouri State University truly is a big school with a big heart.

Nine goals for 2010-11

My address yesterday centered on the nine goals for this year. These goals have been discussed, revised and now affirmed by the Board of Governors. We will be taking the necessary steps to achieve these goals. Again, I refer you to the speech itself for details.

Long-range plan

Carrington HallThe first of the nine goals is to complete the long-range plan. We have now posted the strategic directions for the long-range plan (2011-16) on the website. This document is the synthesis of the good work that has been done by the more than 100 members of the seven work groups.

I need to emphasize again that this is the current draft. It is a work in progress. In the coming weeks, our intent is to reduce and further focus these so that we have a select number of meaningful strategic directions. We want your help in that process.

So, I invite you to review that document and provide feedback how best to further refine this list. We also will seek your feedback on the first full draft of the plan and throughout the process.

Our target timeline calls for us to present a first draft to the Board of Governors at its December meeting and then get final Board approval in February 2011, but we are prepared to adjust the timeline so we have the time it takes to complete this process. We will seek input from the campus community, our alumni, the community, and others throughout this process in order to develop the best plan possible.

Again, it is crucial that we look beyond the horizon as we develop our long-range plan. The goal is to describe the University we will develop for the students who are in grade school and middle school today. It is simultaneously an exciting and daunting responsibility.

Budget process

Students walking

Finally, also as promised, I am providing the details of the budget process we will follow every year.

For fiscal year 2012, we do not have specific numbers, but we do know our state appropriations will be reduced. We will launch the process, lay the knowledge foundation, and then address the specific numbers as soon as we have the specifics. I know the process will be hard and slow and messy and, at times, frustrating. But in the end, we will have a better budget than we would without this process. We need to take full advantage of the intellect and concern for Missouri State that exists on this campus as we face the budget challenges that confront us over the next 2-3 years.

The progress of the budget committees will be documented and posted on a website that we will develop. I expect that the members of these committees will be named no later than October 15 and begin their work soon thereafter.

Low-completer programs

Srong hallAs I indicated to you in my speech, the state’s leadership in Jefferson City has initiated a process to look at “low-completer programs,” defined by the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) as those undergraduate programs that average fewer than 10 graduates over three years and those graduate programs that average fewer than 5 graduates over three years. The key question that has yet to be answered is: At what program level are these to be evaluated?

Provost McCarthy, with the other chief academic officers in the state, is working with the Department of Higher Education to clarify the criteria, the process, and the timeline for reporting on low-completer programs. The Department of Higher Education will develop the list of low-completer programs. Then, Dr. McCarthy and her staff will work with the Deans to develop responses with their department heads and faculty. We will make changes where it makes sense, but we also will defend our programs and the work you do here.

We will keep you informed as this process moves forward.

Transparency and inclusiveness

Student and staff interactionI promised you transparency and inclusiveness. You will get both. I can promise you that this style will be messy and frustrating at times. There will be suggestions we accept, there will be suggestions that we reject, and there will be suggestions we improve. We will discuss and debate all suggestions; no suggestion is a fait accompli. In the end, I also can promise you that the long-range plan and budget decisions we come up with will be better because of the process. It will be “our budget,” not “my budget.”

I am reminded of an observation by Ronald Heifetz in his book “Leadership without Easy Answers:”

“In a crisis we tend to look for the wrong kind of leadership. We call for someone with answers, decision, strength, and a map of the future, in short someone who can make hard problems simple.

“Instead of looking for saviors, we should be calling for leadership that will challenge us to face problems for which there are no simple painless solutions – problems that require us to learn in new ways.”

I am anxious to work with you on these important initiatives to help move Missouri State University forward.

Sincerely,

James E. Cofer, Sr.

President

Dear Colleague Vol. 1, No. 1

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I cannot tell you how excited Deborah and I are to be in Springfield and at Missouri State University.  We are fast learning the best routes to navigate Springfield, finding all the buildings on campus, and meeting lots of new friends.  If we have not already done so, we look forward to meeting you soon.

We are quite confident it will be a whirlwind 60-90 days for us, but we also are positive that it will be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding time.  The strength of the faculty, staff and students;  the sound financial condition;  the powerful potential of the public affairs mission;  the Springfield community and Ozarks region;  and much more, position Missouri State University very well to meet the challenges of the next several years.  These are the factors that made Missouri State attractive and drew Deborah and me here.

I will use these “Dear Colleague” letters to stay in touch with the campus community.  I hope you find them useful.  It will be just one of many communication tools we will use to stay in touch with faculty, staff and students.  I welcome your comments.

I want to use this first letter to introduce myself and to identify the greatest challenges facing us this year.

My core values

It is important that you know that I base all of my decisions on a set of personal core values. It is equally important that you know and understand what they are and why I weigh the choices I am faced with against each of them.  The three core values that guide me are:

  • Academic Excellence – academic excellence is approached through diligent effort, both individual and collective.
  • Respect – mutual respect, respect for one’s self and for others, is the foundation of honor and the basis of integrity. It is respect that embraces the diversity in our society.
  • Responsibility – accepting responsibility and acting responsibly are interrelated virtues. Personal responsibility requires first a careful, honest reflection on one’s moral obligations.

Students first

When it comes to making decisions, please be prepared for me to ask questions like:  “How will this affect students?” or “How will this improve the educational experience for our students?”  I will insist that we always keep students at the forefront as we deal with issues.  If we do, I am convinced we will stay focused on our priority and make the best decisions possible.

Shared governance

I believe in shared governance. Specifically, I believe in the concepts as stated in the 1966 Joint Statement on Governance of Colleges and Universities, which clearly includes faculty in the governance process and emphasizes their role and expertise in matters of academic standards and curricula. However, it also states unequivocally that the faculty recommends to the President who then, in turn, recommends to the governing board. In matters affecting students and/or staff, it is equally important that their collective and individual voices be heard.

Challenging budget

There is no doubt that the budget over the next 2-3 years will challenge us.  Having come from another state that is worse off than Missouri, I can tell you two things:  1) thanks to the good stewardship of the Board of Governors, Dr. Michael T. Nietzel, and all of you, Missouri State University has a solid financial foundation upon which to build, and 2) the projected cuts are coming, they are real, and they are going to be challenging.

Having said that, even in these difficult budget times, it is imperative that we find a way to move the University forward.  This is possible if we focus on priorities and work together toward common goals.  This is the challenge not only for the central administrative team, but for all of us. To succeed, we will need the best thinking we have on campus, plus a significant amount of cooperation and understanding.

We are going to have to build a budget for Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 – and probably beyond – that will reflect some reductions and reallocations. I need and expect your help in developing that budget. We have to solve our budget problems and we have to do it together. Many of you have solutions that are probably better than mine. But to do any of these new initiatives, we have to address the immediate budget challenges and continue to attract increased numbers of qualified students.

Complete the strategic plan

At the same time we are dealing with the immediate budget issues, we also need to be effective in developing a long-range vision and strategic plan for Missouri State University for 2015 and 2020 and beyond.  These two are related, but very different.

Groundwork has been done on the strategic plan, but there is much more to do.  When we have more precision in our thinking, we need to involve the Board, the campus community, our alumni, the community leaders, legislators, and others in the discussion of what Missouri State should be in 5-10 years.  Ultimately, this plan will guide our actions and inform our funding.  That is why we must do well with our plan.

Central administration

I will confirm what many of you already know:  I do not intend to make any immediate changes in the executive team at Missouri State.  Everything I have heard and seen so far leads me to believe that the team that is in place is a strong one and prepared to meet the challenges we face.  I have indicated to the central administration that my No. 1 priority is that we do excellent work.  That will be the basis for my evaluation over the next year.

Again, thank you for welcoming Deborah and me so warmly.  We are excited to get started.  We wish you a great fall semester and success in all of your ventures in the classroom and outside.

Dr. James E. Cofer, Sr.

Sincerely,

James E. Cofer, Sr.

President