Dear Campus Community:
Many thanks to the hundreds of A-State students, staff and faculty who attended, contributed and participated in our initial Pack Pact conversation. This email is an update to everyone on campus, including the links to the materials from our two campus-wide meetings that we have had so far.
|
Budget Overview Presentation
The first meeting was an initial overview of our current and future financial situation and a general overview of the factors that will influence our budget in the coming years. Here is a link to the presentation that our cabinet created. If you’d like to watch a recording of the meeting, click here. I’d like to give special thanks to our budget office for their work in charting our resources and expenses, and to our communications team for creating the video.
It will help us all if we begin the budgeting process earlier than in the past. We will have another University Planning Committee meeting in the early part of the spring 2023 semester to begin identifying ways we could increase revenue, decrease costs, realign, and reallocate resources in the upcoming years. We do have choices, and I am looking forward to more discussions about these important directions for A-State.
An important message for the end of this semester, particularly given our recent conversations, and as we prepare our students for the spring semester, is that “retention is everyone’s job.” It’s not simply the responsibility of advisers, instructors, or administrators to help retain students at A-State. Inclusion and belonging are essential to retention, for students and everyone in our Red Wolf family. This is why kindness, empathy, and civility toward each other, as well as listening and understanding different points of view, are central to our future success.
Pack Pact Conversation
The Pack Pact event last week started the conversation we will continue to have about what it means to be at A-State and how we will value each other. I am looking forward to our next meetings on Nov. 29. If you missed the first meeting and want to catch up before next ones, click here to watch the video. We just scratched the surface regarding questions and concerns that were submitted for our initial conversation, and I suspect we may not exhaust everything in the next event either. We clearly need more listening sessions.
I love what Dylan Arnette said and challenged us with – “we will need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
|
This week I’m representing the university at our national association, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Aside from networking with peers on potential opportunities to partner on projects, I’ve been asked to serve on AASCU’s research subcommittee. I’m hopeful these relationships will open doors to continue our successful work as a Carnegie Research 2 classified institution.
Another area we have been talking about, particularly during Faculty Senate meetings and the recent UPC meeting, is the need for external partners. A lot of my time continues to be focused on building external relationships with potential donors, creating or expanding successful partnerships with industry and community organizations. I am constantly advocating for A-State with businesses and industries right here in Northeast Arkansas, particularly about our need for scholarships, internships, and support for faculty research. I’ve accepted a seat on the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce to make sure that A-State is top of mind among our community leaders, a central part of community planning, and I am speaking with as many regional organizations as possible.
At both the UPC and Pack Pact conversations, I stressed the need for more campus-wide communication. Another way to facilitate communication is to meet directly with as many departments and offices across campus as possible to discuss how our budget and our efforts for inclusion impact them. I encourage department chairs to reach out by email to Julie Wyatt in my office to begin setting up appointments for when I can come meet with you during the spring semester. It is a difficult job to ensure enough time for each unit, so please be patient as we work through this on-going conversation.
This semester is flying by, and before we know it we will be finished with fall break and into final exams. You have all done an incredible job this semester and I am inspired to see the commitment to our campus, our students and our pack family. Working together I am convinced we will make great progress.
See you all back in Jonesboro soon.
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
P.O. Box 2220 | State University, AR 72467 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
