Straight Talk from the President - November 12, 2007
Dear Colleagues,
As most of you know, our institution is in the initial stages of developing a Quality Enhancement Plan, an initiative vital to our reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Within five years, the university will complete the QEP, a university-wide effort that focuses on student learning, connects to our ongoing assessment process, and draws from current research. Dr. Jeffrey Cass, College of Arts & Sciences Dean, is directing this effort.
Thus far, during 10 introductory sessions, Dr. Cass explained the QEP initiative to constituencies across campus, including Campus Activities Board and Student Government Association. Soon the Steering Committee for the QEP will meet and will begin the process of sifting through suggestions, discussing them, and making recommendations to the Leadership Team. After they decide the QEP topic, the Steering Committee for the QEP will begin the scholarly process of reviewing materials. For more information about this process, visit www.ulm.edu/sacs2009/qep.html.
Our institution is working on yet another exciting initiative. On the recommendation of both the Graduate Council and the Research Council, and contingent on the approval of the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors, the university will separate the existing Office of Graduate Studies and Research into the School of Graduate Studies and the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research. This new administrative structure will allow the university to focus more effectively on each of these critical areas.
The School of Graduate Studies will utilize the administrative structure of a dean rather than a director. The university will conduct a national search for its newest dean and expects to have this position filled for next fall. The new school will focus on increasing graduate enrollment by enhancing recruiting efforts for existing graduate programs as well as increasing the breadth of our offerings.
The ULM Office of Sponsored Programs and Research will bolster the research, instructional, creative and community service goals already strong at our university. The administrative office's many resources, including financial and technical, will support faculty and staff in writing and budgeting grants and contracts, creating public and private partnerships, and supporting technology development and transfer. The office will coordinate all sponsored program activities associated with the preparation and submission of grant proposals, and will act as a liaison with outside funding agencies.
At ULM, we're constantly striving to provide you with innovative resources such as the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. To do that, we examine alternative and more efficient methods of operating this institution. In addition to moving to a 4.5 day work week, which continues to save us over $400,000 per year, we recently worked with Regions Bank and the ULM Facilities Corporation to re-negotiate the financing structure of our residence halls, saving the university an additional $475,000 per year. Our student housing project, largely shaped by student input, continues to be one of the most successful in the country. Our residence halls were full last year and again this year, and we expect similar good news next year.
I look forward to sharing more news with you next month, and I wish you all a good Thanksgiving holiday and a well-deserved break.
Sincerely,
James E. Cofer, Sr.