coe-staff: next steps

[Randy Kamphaus]

?Dear Faculty and Staff,



Last Friday's meeting was an eye opening discussion for me, as I hope it was for you.



It is a conversation that I am eager to continue next Friday, Feb. 16, during our "Dialogue with the Dean," and sincerely hope it can be a new starting point for our efforts to build upon the tremendous success we have enjoyed as a college in recent years, while being mindful of our challenges and our need to be nimble.



I heard and learned from the many voices represented in the room that there is a genuine desire for widespread involvement in our planning for the future; mindful of how central these issues are to our culture and traditions. I am an eager partner in this collective effort.



Our process will be participatory and deliberate. We have a wealth of information available to inform our decision-making; historical budget models, observations provided by external reviewers, educator licensure changes, legislative mandates and enrollment trend data from a decade or more. These data will be essential for everyone to have and we will find a way to share it in a more systematic way as we collaborate in this process.



The information that I have reviewed has shaped the way I have identified goals for continuous improvement of our work. Adding our vision, mission, and priorities as considerations leads me to the following set of goals, some of which are not new as you have heard me share before.

In my opinion, we must (in no particular order):

·       Increase collaboration and innovation at all levels of our organization and in all activities, academic and operational;

·       Increase enrollment, particularly at the masters level;

·       Expand access to diverse faculty for our students across disciplinary and departmental boundaries;

·       Lessen administrative burdens on our faculty by critically examining the structures, such as our bylaws, that drive a high level of service, and

·       Create shared services to allow us to make best and most responsible use of our constrained resources.



These goals are our destination, and I look forward to discussing them with you and refining them together.



First, we must define the path we will follow to achieve these goals. It is my hope that we can start by creating an ad hoc committee of faculty from diverse units (research and academic), staff, and students, who will be at the center of the plan's development, but will seek input and share information with anyone interested in actively participating in this effort. Perhaps it is a term that is overused, but this must be an iterative process that results in continuous refinement and improvement. That said, we must adhere to a strenuous but not strained timeline if we are to complete these work goals by the close of the Spring Academic Quarter.



I think it is worth repeating that our faculty and staff are already making great strides toward achieving some of these goals. For this work, I do not have enough superlatives to adequately express my appreciation. I am, honored, as always to be a professor in this - one of the premier colleges of education in the world - and I look forward to seeing how we will prepare ourselves for the next many years of distinction in instruction, research, and service.



I invite you to engage in this process by providing me, with a copy to Dianna, with your recommendations for membership on the overarching ad hoc committee. Kindly provide your nominations by 5 pm, Thursday, Feb. 15. When we reconvene at our upcoming "Dialogue with the Dean," we will discuss general committee composition, potential nominees and additional steps for moving forward. All ideas are welcome.



Regards,

Randy



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