Minutes – Finance and Business Strategy, Oct 27, 2017
Finance and Business Strategy
Intro by Emily CoBabe-Ammann
- Intro on teaching and research visioning
- Laying out of fall work
- Role of Committee and Report
Q. What do you see as staff’s role in being part of the discussion?
A. Staff is participating in all of the themed discussions and are submitting ideas and white papers. Every conversation, including academic conversations, will require staff’s expertise and ideas on how to implement the operational changes that are required. Once the process reaches the point where the Provost and the CFO decide what we will take on as campus, faculty and staff will have to work shoulder-to-shoulder to determine how best to implement the changes.
Comment: We started conversations on diversity and equity excellence 15 years ago, and all the staff were trained. Since then many have left or retired, and it seems like we are having the same discussions all over again. We need to create continuity for it to be successful.
A. This topic is showing up in almost every conversation. A good question to ask is “where do you see inclusive excellence in your unit?” to further the conversation. And then participate in the themed discussions and/or submit ideas to the committee.
Q. How far can we go in ideas?
A. Nothing is off the table, leadership is willing to talk about any idea.
Q. What is the goal of student success? What “product” are we trying to create?
A. The different areas of campus are better able to articulate that from the unit-level. In general, we want to create resilient creative and critical thinks who can communicate effectively. We need to be better at articulating our value to students, parents, and the state legislature.
Q. Futurists describe education differently, especially when it comes to technology. Is there a “best way” to educate an 18-yr old?
A. This is one of the most enthusiastic discussions coming out of this set of conversations. We have the entire spectrum of students – diversity, first generation, age, etc. We need to have a campus-level conversation about this.
Q. Is the campus master plan included in the dialog?
A. It is included. As conversations occur about what teaching, research, and student success looks like going forward, we need to get information to them as soon as possible so that they can incorporate those needs into the plan. They get weekly updates on where we are and what possibilities are on the horizon, and they keep us updated on their process.
Q. What is the role of alumni in the process?
A. The topic of how we can best utilize our alumni has come up in many discussions. There is no formal role yet, but we will be working with them on how best to include them.
Q. Today’s K-12 students have wide interests. How are we creating degree programs that serve the needs and interests of those students?
A. Interdisciplinary teaching and research is a common theme coming out of these discussions. Note that currently many students are finding creative way to pursue interdisciplinary programs.