September 16, 2009Dear Colleagues,Now that the semester is well underway, I welcome you to the new academicyear. I hope that your summer was both productive and relaxing. As Iwatched students on the Oval this past week, it reminded me how fortunatewe are to work in such a beautiful setting and at such a strong university. Ourresponsibilities as educators are among the most important anywhere and Iwant to thank you for your dedication to our students, to your disciplines, andto The University of Montana. The purpose of this letter is to provide anupdate on several matters on which we will be working throughout theacademic year.

Communication –

Several times each semester, I have hosted a group of 10-15 randomly selected faculty members for lunch and discussion. Theselunches have been an important way for me to meet people and discussissues. Beginning this fall, I will also set up a monthly discussion session opento anyone. My office will send out the times and locations of those sessionsabout one week in advance. On occasion, I will invite other Executive Officersas well. I welcome you to attend and bring with you questions, concerns, andopportunities.

New Faculty Members –

A total of 32 new, permanent faculty memberswere hired this year and, thanks to your efforts, we recruited an outstandinggroup of scholars. They were recognized at the President’s State of theUniversity address and participated in an orientation and reception thatafternoon. It was a pleasure to meet them. I encourage everyone to serve ina mentoring role as these new faculty members begin their careers with us.

Classroom Technology –

In recognition that our classroom technology is inserious need of upgrading, we embarked upon a project to install technologyin all of our classrooms, to be completed over a six-year period. A team fromAcademic Affairs, Information Technology, and Administration and Financeworked to design a plan, fund it through existing student fees, and oversee itsimplementation. This past summer, approximately ten new classrooms werebrought online and a similar number were upgraded. The project will proceedat a similar or faster pace through completion. I invite you to contactInformation Technology for a list of the new classrooms and to arrange for ademonstration.

Academic Strategic Planning –

Chaired by Associate Dean Carol Brewer,the planning group has been working hard to craft an Academic StrategicPlan (ASP) that will guide decision-making over the next several years. Theplan reflects input received through numerous “town hall” meetings held lastyear and through interactions with a variety of specific groups. For the nextmonth, the draft plan is open for comment. It is posted athttp://www.umt.edu/asp/newsletters.html <http://www.umt.edu/asp/newsletters.html> . Please take time to review tehplan and provide your feedback. In addition to the plan itself, an annualprocess for assessment of progress, review of the plan, and input to the

budget process will be implemented.

Accreditation –

Professor Jim Hirstein has served as Chair of the committeepreparing for our accreditation visit by the Northwest Commission onColleges and Universities (NWCCU). The visit occurs every ten years andrequires the preparation of an extensive self-study document. This documentis in its second draft and has also been posted for your examination andfeedback athttp://www.umt.edu/asc/interim.html <http://www.umt.edu/asc/interim.html> . During the accreditation visit, whichis scheduled for April 12-14, 2010, the NWCCU team will be meeting withmany groups. There will also be at least one open session for any facultymember to attend. As the time nears, please take note of when that sessionwill occur and plan to attend.

Student Success –

Among our highest priorities is the improvement of ourfirst-to-second year retention rate and our graduation rate. Our current ratesare typical of public research universities, but the Retention Task Force setthe goal of raising our rates to those of the top quartile of that group of institutions. Last year, each of you should have received a brochure called,

“Partnering for Student Success.”

It is a summary of the plan to help studentssucceed while increasing our expectations for a high academic standard. Animplementation team is working to put the strategies into place and tomonitor our performance. You can find the plan athttp://www.umt.edu/partnering/<http://www.umt.edu/partnering/> .

Provost’s Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series –

We have reinstituted alecture series to honor and showcase faculty members who have beenrecognized in some exceptional way. Yesterday, a separate announcementwith information about the series was sent. I hope you will make a point toattend and listen to these individuals speak about their disciplines. Thedifficult task will be selecting only a few each year from our outstandingfaculty. The first lecture is this Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the University CenterBallroom, and will be given by Regents Professor Jakki Mohr. You can findadditional information athttp://www.umt.edu/provost/PDFLS <http://www.umt.edu/provost/PDFLS> .

Research and Scholarly Activity –

One measure of research activity is theamount of externally funded research, and Vice President Dwyer reports thatthe University had a record $67 million in research expenditures last year.Federal stimulus funding is opening new avenues for funding and a largenumber of proposals to stimulus-funded programs are pending. The Office of Research has just hired a new Technology Transfer Director who will beginwork in October. Strategic planning around research and creative activity willbegin in earnest this fall, making sure to emphasize research and scholarshipacross campus, whether funded or not. Associate Provost for GraduateEducation Perry Brown is working diligently on a plan to make progress on thenon-resident tuition issue for graduate assistants.

Budget –

Here are the facts. As a University, our budget is made up of fundsfrom many sources that total approximately $371 million. Of that,