Vol 5, No 2

As summer concludes, preparations under way for fall 2009

The summer 2009 Commencement has been celebrated, and the fall semester will begin in a couple of weeks. This summer has been a busy time on a number of fronts. For example, summer camps and conferences accounted for more than 27,000 bed nights in our residence halls, which was about normal and did not include the housing provided for the SOAR Program. There were many other activities, too, and therefore I thought it would be a good time to use this Friday Focus to update you on several of the activities and issues that have received special attention in recent weeks.

1. The Board of Governors held its annual retreat on July 30, 2009, in Stockton. The retreat was devoted to a three-year evaluation of the progress the University has made on its long-range plan, Imagining and Making Missouri’s Future, that covers the 2006-11 time frame.

   Out of the retreat will come new goals for the upcoming two years that I will share with the campus in my "State-of- the-University" address on Tuesday, September 29. The progress on the long-range plan priorities has been excellent, and the institution is in a good position to meet or surpass almost all of its goals by the end of this five-year period.

   As we turn the three-year page on this plan, we also need to begin to develop the process for the next long-range plan that should be in effect by 2012. I anticipate that the organization of the new long-range planning process should be in place by January 2010.

2. Missouri State University was very fortunate to reach two milestones in terms of external revenue that supports the institution.

   First, the Missouri State University Foundation reported gifts for Fiscal Year 2009 totaling more than $15 million. This is the first time in the Foundation’s history that it has topped the $15 million mark. As a result, students, faculty, academic departments and special activities will be the beneficiaries of another record fund-raising year, despite the difficult economic climate. The Foundation received a grand total of $15,044,534 during the year – a monthly average of more than $1.25 million. This sets a new record of giving for the institution and exceeds the record-breaking total from 2007-08 by $1 million.

   Second, despite a sluggish economy, Missouri State received 196 grants in Fiscal Year 2009, which ended June 30. The grants generated $20,901,035 in additional resources for the university. The 196 grants represent an increase of 18 percent over last year’s awards. This is the third consecutive year that Missouri State has exceeded $20 million in sponsored programs; the record was set last year (Fiscal Year 2008) with $22.4 million.

3. Because a number of groups, including the Faculty and Staff Senates along with the Student Government Association, have been considering recommendations that address the University’s tobacco use/smoking policy, I have appointed an Advisory Committee to study this issue and recommend to me changes in our current policy that might be deemed desirable. The Committee has members representing faculty, staff, students, and administration. It is being chaired by Dr. Earle Doman, and I have asked for its report to be submitted to me by December 2009.

4. In 2005, I appointed a President’s Commission for Diversity and charged that group with developing a long-term Diversity Plan that will improve the University's overall climate for diversity and that will enable the institution to establish a diverse learning community. Under the leadership of Leslie Anderson, the Commission has continued to render very effective work on MSU’s behalf.

   We are now ready to take some new and hopefully more effective steps to promote diversity efforts and "Inclusive Excellence" at the institution. In the coming weeks, we intend to describe the University’s diversity efforts in a much more prominent location on our web page; we will develop a diversity scorecard that tracks progress on various strategic indicators of institutional inclusiveness (Inclusive Excellence); and we will merge existing committees into one overall group that will recommend strategic diversity goals, assist in implementation of, and monitor progress on key indicators. An expanded President's Commission for Diversity will meet once per semester to provide a smooth interface with the community.

5. The Board of Governors elected new leadership for the upcoming year. Mr. Brian Hammons, from Stockton, will serve as Chair of the Board, and Ms. Phyllis Washington, from Kansas City, will be the Vice Chair of the Board. On behalf of the University, I welcome the leadership of Mr. Hammons and Ms. Washington, and I want to also express my appreciation for the wonderful job this past year by Mr. Michael Duggan in his role as Chair of the Board of Governors.

6. On July 14, the light pole at the northwest corner of Plaster Sports Complex, the University’s multipurpose events facility, fell. Fortunately, no injuries were suffered as a result of that accident. Structural analysis of the remaining three light standards revealed problems that were of enough concern that we decided it best to remove them.

   The University has now developed a comprehensive plan to address the future lighting of Plaster Sports Complex. The plan includes changing the start time of various athletics events, using temporary lights for practices, intramurals, and other uses of Plaster, and moving forward to install new permanent lights as soon as possible. The bid process for permanent replacements has begun, and we hope to have new lights installed at Plaster Sports Complex in the late-October/early-November timeframe.

7. There are a couple of other capital projects that are worth mentioning.

   You will notice construction work on the exterior of Hammons House. This is to solve the water infiltration problems and the window replacement. The project is on schedule and Phase I, completion of the north face of the hall, will be completed by August 14. The east and west stairwell ends, Phase II, will be completed in early fall. Phase III, the south face of the hall and windows, will be completed in the summer of 2010. This work is being funded from the residence hall auxiliary fund, which is generated through residence hall fees.

   Intersection improvements by the City of Springfield at National Avenue and Grand Street are well underway. When completed, this will be a major improvement for both vehicles and pedestrians. The final design calls for dual left turn lanes in every direction except south bound traffic on National turning east onto Grand, where only a single left turn lane is to be constructed. In addition, right turn lanes are being constructed on National for traffic traveling both north and south and for east bound traffic on Grand turning south. Due to other construction projects underway earlier this summer, the City’s contractor got a late start on the project. Continued traffic congestion in and around the intersection will be expected as the contractor continues work. The improvements, including the restoration of all adjoining spaces, are to be complete by October 19, 2009.

8. The first phase of the Banner implementation is complete with all functional modules operational. We now enter Phase II of the implementation where modules will be enhanced, legacy programs phased out, and new capabilities added as time and resources permit. Soon after the beginning of calendar year 2010, an updated version of the Banner software will be installed.

9. The University received a number of excellent recognitions over the summer.

   For the seventh consecutive year, Missouri State was named to The Princeton Review’s 2010 online list of "Best Colleges: Region by Region." Missouri State is one of 158 schools on the site receiving the "Best in the Midwest" designation and has been included on this list since its inception seven years ago.

   The Corporation for National and Community Service named Missouri State to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This honor from the highest levels of government recognizes leadership in helping to build a culture of service and civic engagement on college campuses throughout the nation.

   The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) recently selected Missouri State University to receive the IAAP Award for Excellence, which recognizes employer organizations that have established policies and programs to encourage and support the advancement and effectiveness of administrative professionals. Missouri State won the award for institutions with 1,000 or more employees. Past recipients of this award include Monsanto, Pfizer, and ExxonMobil.

   Missouri State University-West Plains was one of 150 four-year and two-year colleges recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For® program. Based on enrollment size, The Chronicle’s Great Colleges to Work For® program recognizes small groups of colleges for specific best practices and policies. Missouri State-West Plains was listed in the top three overall among small two-year colleges with student populations of 2,999 or less, placing it on the program’s Honor Roll.

   Missouri State is one of the institutions selected to participate in the three-year eCitzenship Project, a national initiative that will focus on how technology-based tools (including social networks such as Facebook) have transformed the way citizens interact with others and government. Schools in the project will be able to determine how these networks can be used to facilitate our preparation of students to be engaged citizens. Obviously, this project is a natural fit with Missouri State’s public affairs mission. The project is an initiative of the American Democracy Project, of which Missouri State is a member, and will be led by the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University.

   Finally, the IDEA Commons has been selected as one of three national finalists for the University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Awards of Excellence for Community Development. We will make a presentation at the annual UEDA meeting in October.

10. The start of the new Academic Year will be marked by a number of significant events.

    First, as is our recent tradition, the New Student Convocation will be on Sunday, August 23, the day before fall classes begin officially on August 24.

    August 28 is Legacy Day. This year, Legacy Day will include a number of activities that will have special and substantial meaning for Missouri State University. Siceluff Hall will be officially reopened with a rededication and reception. We will be hosting leadership groups representing MSU alumni and the MSU Foundation, and we will make a major announcement pertaining to fundraising for the University. 

    In addition, August 28 is the first BearWear Friday; we hope you will wear Missouri State apparel on that day and every Friday during the year.

11. I will give my "State-of-the-University" address at Noon on Tuesday, September 29, in the Theatre of Plaster Student Union. This address will focus on institutional priorities for the upcoming year and will also recap the achievements of 2009. By that time, we will know a bit more about the overall economy for the state and its implications for higher education, both in terms of operating and capital budgets.

12. Missouri State has submitted its funding requests for Fiscal Year 2011* to the Coordinating Board of Higher Education. We submitted three major priorities: a) the third year of the planned 4.2 percent annual increase meant to restore state funding to its Fiscal Year 2002 level; b) an inflationary increase equal to the annual Urban CPI for 2009 (estimated at this point to be in the 3-5 percent range); and c) a request for maintenance and repair funding equal to 1.5 percent of the replacement value of our academic and academic support facilities.  

    At this point, the University must remain very cost cautious and strategic as we strive to achieve every possible efficiency in our operations. We will continue to monitor open and vacated staff positions very carefully, and we will also look at ways to further trim administrative costs and processes in order to maintain a strong financial position for MSU.

Regular residence hall move-in begins at 8 a.m. August 21; groups such as football players, members of the Pride Band, and international students began moving in August 1. As students return to campus, I ask you to help me welcome them and their families. There will be plenty of opportunities to assist with the residence hall move-in, provide helpful directions, and give support and encouragement during the first few weeks of the semester. You cannot over-estimate how important this kind of assistance is for our students, especially new freshmen.

The campus is about to become alive again for another fall semester. Like you, I look forward to it. I wish for you and all of us a good and productive year.

• Send Comments to the President's Office

 

* You need Adobe Reader to view and print this document.