I want to update you on two task forces that I recently created to address important issues for our University.
Task forces address family leave, graduate tracking
The first is the President’s Task Force on Family Leave and Support. In February 2015, Faculty Senate approved a report from the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Family Leave and Support Committee titled “Family Leave and Support Committee Proposal.” Staff Senate and other campus groups have evaluated similar fringe benefit issues and made other proposals.
The President’s Task Force on Family Leave and Support is charged with reviewing the Family Leave and Support Committee Proposal and other relevant proposals, collecting and analyzing any information necessary to evaluate such proposals, and developing and prioritizing task force recommendations to be evaluated by the Executive Budget Committee for the FY 2017 budget. I have asked this task force to submit a report to me by Dec. 3.
The second is the President’s Task Force on Graduate Tracking and Outcomes. The Board of Governors and senior administrators have indicated that graduate tracking is a priority for the University. Additionally, state law now requires all four-year universities in Missouri to report on graduate outcomes as part of the state’s performance funding model. This means that in the near future the amount of state appropriations Missouri State University receives will be partially dependent on our graduate outcomes.
The President’s Task Force on Graduate Tracking and Outcomes is charged with creating protocols for graduate outcome information collected by colleges, departments and other University units to be reported centrally. This task force is also charged with developing recommendations for process improvements at Missouri State University regarding graduate tracking. I have asked this task force to meet three times before the end of the spring semester to ensure that we are prepared to centrally track outcomes for our spring 2015 graduates.
Please contact my office if you have information or ideas that the task forces should consider as they analyze these important issues.
Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!