Update #34

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

September 2, 2003

TO: CMU Colleagues and Students

FROM: Mike Rao

SUBJECT: CMU Update 34


Welcome back.  I hope that your semester is off to a good start.

FALL SEMESTER FORUMS

Students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to share their ideas, opinions, suggestions, and concerns at any of the open forums scheduled during the fall semester. Student forums are scheduled September 30 at 4 p.m. and November 13 at 7 p.m. A forum scheduled specifically for the campus and local community will be held on October 9 at 4 p.m.  All forums will take place in the Lake Huron Room of the Bovee University Center. Forum information is also listed on our web site at http://www.cmich.edu/president/forum.html.

STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS

The annual State of the University Address is scheduled on September 4 at 4 p.m. in Plachta Auditorium. The address will be shorter and more conversational than in the past.  After I speak briefly about some of CMU’s accomplishments of the past year and focus on initiatives during the coming year, I will respond to questions that were submitted in advance and also to questions asked at the presentation.  I hope that this change will help encourage greater participation in this annual event.  Please feel free to submit questions in advance to Jane Fox at mailto:fox1jm@cmich.edu or ask questions in person following the presentation.  Much of the address will be based on the paper I developed for the board this summer entitled "Strategic Vision Update for 2003-04," which is posted at http://www.cmich.edu/president/vision-goals/strategic-vision2003-2004.html.  A small reception in the second floor foyer of Warriner Hall will follow the address.

BUDGET UPDATE

Update 33 summarized the impact of budget reductions for the 2003-2004 fiscal year.  While we were pleased that our advocacy for dollars following students resulted in our state appropriation cut not being as high as originally expected (although it still amounted to $8.5 million), a rank order of appropriations and tuition makes clear that CMU still has much to accomplish to achieve funding that is equitable and more comparable to peer institutions in the state.  This year, CMU ranks 13th of the 15 Michigan public universities in this indicator of overall revenue received.

Communication is perhaps the most important element to ensuring clarity with regard to the university's budget and budget process.  In the face of declining revenues and reduced expenditures, helping to ensure that the state of the university budget is clear will be of great importance.  To aid in communication, the Budget Review Advisory Committee (BRAC) has recommended a series of budget forums be held this fall, which is in keeping with the original reasons that I created BRAC.  More information will be forthcoming about these forums from Vice President Ross. 

COMMUNITY BRUNCH

All CMU community members and friends, and their families, are invited to a community brunch on Saturday, September 13 at 11:00 a.m. at the Rose Ponds near Rose Arena.  This complimentary community brunch is being held to celebrate the university’s history-making fundraising campaign that will officially kick off later in the day.  The campaign, A New Vision of Excellence, is geared toward significantly expanding scholarships for CMU students.

CHRISTA McAULIFFE AWARD

Congratulations to the Michigan Schools in the Middle Program, which has been awarded the 2003 Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and recognized as an outstanding professional development program.  I am proud of MSIM and all those responsible for its success, especially Patricia Benson, the program director.  Please see http://www.cmich.edu/newstips/ntips.asp?ID=509 for more information about this exciting award.

MAC ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

For the sixth time in the last seven years (including the last two), CMU Athletics has received the MAC Academic Achievement Award. This is a wonderful accomplishment for the university and the result of hard work and dedication by our staff, coaches, and student-athletes. Congratulations!

HONORARY DEGREE NOMINATIONS

I welcome nominations for people to receive consideration for an honorary degree. Subsequent to the nomination, the Board of Trustees, the faculty, and the president all have roles in the process by which a nominee may be advanced to the status of recommended candidate and, finally, to approved recipient of an honorary degree. For more information and guidelines about the nomination process, please see http://www.cmich.edu/trustees/policies/honorary deg.pdf.  A letter addressed to the Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee stating why the person is worthy of an honorary degree and a vitae/biography should be forwarded to Marykaye Murphy in the president’s office.

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY ADVISORY PANEL (UCAP)

Created in 2000, UCAP serves as a university community advisory body, designed to improve communication and coordination among all employee groups and the student leadership at CMU. Regular meetings provide a mechanism for ensuring that issues, interests, and concerns are aired and discussed. Please refer to http://www.cmich.edu/ucap for a list of current members as well as meeting minutes and agendas.