May 1, 2020
Dear Colleagues:
I write to share a few highlights from today’s meeting of the Board of Trustees.
During the meeting, the Board received a comprehensive briefing on our University’s COVID-related contingency planning. Provost Susana Rivera-Mills updated the trustees about the transition of our academic enterprise to remote learning this past semester and the creation of an academic contingency planning group to develop recommendations for next academic year.
Other senior leaders shared how the pandemic is impacting our budget and how we are working to recruit and retain new and returning students during these challenging times. The Board was also briefed on the development of our Taskforce on Recovery and the University Strategic Transition (TRUST). This representative group of campus leaders will help identify, evaluate, and plan for the issues that may arise as we coordinate our University’s safe transition to more normal operations.
The Board also approved a resolution authorizing the University to secure a line of credit. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and on our enrollment has made it difficult for us to forecast our FY21 budget. This line of credit will supplement our unrestricted cash reserves in the event of an unexpected emergency.
In other important news, the Board approved the Provost’s recommendations for tenure and faculty promotions. Six faculty members were promoted from associate professor to professor, 25 faculty members were promoted from assistant professor to associate professor, and 27 faculty members were granted tenure. A total of 22 contract faculty also received first-level promotions.
Faculty are granted promotion and tenure on the basis of outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service. I congratulate our faculty members whose expertise, activities, and research were recognized this year for approval of promotion and tenure by the Board. I appreciate their hard work, their professional commitment, and their dedication to providing our students with a premier education.
To everyone in our campus community, I wish you a safe and productive Summer.
