Periodic Updates - Update #37
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
December 11, 2003
To: CMU Colleagues and Students
From: Mike Rao
Ref: CMU Update #37
As the semester comes to a close, I wish all CMU students
the best on their final exams and future success to those
who are graduating on December 13. Monica and I also wish
everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season. We value the
varied contributions of this entire university community and
its supporters.
BUDGET UPDATE
The Governor has issued an executive order that results in a
five percent current-year state appropriation callback for
public universities, which amounts to $4.1 million for CMU.
This appropriation cut is the fourth cut to higher education
in the last 11 months and, for CMU, totals $12.6 million in
decreased funding in the last year and a half, dropping the
university’s per-student funding back to 1998 levels.
Funding for higher education continues to be a state and
national problem. Unfortunately, current estimates suggest
that in Michigan, at least a $500 million problem will exist
in the state’s budget in 2004-2005. Michigan may not see
relief from this economic stress for a while.
A Supplemental Bill includes tuition restraint language that
would prohibit mid-year tuition increases and limit Fall
2004 tuition increases to 1.7% (the Detroit Consumer Price
Index). If universities comply, they would receive a 3%
return from the State. The Governor’s intent would be that
those in compliance with tuition restraints would receive no
budget cut in the 2004-2005 fiscal year. As of today, the
legislature is split on this issue, making the future of
tuition restraint uncertain.
At CMU, any new budget reductions will be in addition to the
$14.3 million in expenditure reductions made by the
university in its current 2003-2004 budget. Coupled with the
annual growth of CMU's budget due to contractual personnel
agreements, and increased costs in utilities and employee
benefits, reductions in state appropriations of any amount
are difficult and painful. Wherever cuts are made, some
members of the university community will not approve. The
university’s budget, however, must be balanced and,
therefore, expenditures must be reduced. As I anticipate
recommendations from the senior staff budget advisory group
and the vice presidents, I will do my best to continue
implementing reductions that reflect as many of the
principles that I established last year. (Please see Update
27 and references to the budget at
http://www.cmich.edu/president/update27.html.) The
university’s top priority remains student and faculty
learning, geared toward teaching and research. We will
continue to work diligently to maintain the academic
integrity of the university and any recommendations for
budget reductions will reflect the goals and values of CMU.
Reductions will be programmatic, rather than
across-the-board, and will reflect the university’s future
and strengths. While it is hard sometimes to think beyond
the current budget crisis, it is still important that we
focus long-term and continue efforts to build a strong
future for CMU. While nearly all administrative areas were
cut about 10% or more, we need to continue to focus our
efforts and investment in areas such as outreach, research,
fundraising, government relations, marketing, and
admissions—all of which have an important return for the
institution in the long term. Most of these areas support
academic excellence at the university, as well as help
relieve pressure from dwindling resources. It is important
to be careful not to allow appropriation reductions to
create a downward spiral for CMU.
JAMES EARL JONES TO BE LEM TUCKER
EVENT SPEAKER
CMU is pleased to sponsor the Eighth Annual Lem Tucker
Speaker Series and Scholarship Dinner on Thursday, April 22,
2004, at the International Center in the Atheneum Hotel in
Detroit. The keynote speaker at the event will be James Earl
Jones, who is particularly known for his resonant basso
voice and commanding presence. Jones is well known for his
movie, theater, and television roles. The annual Tucker
event attracts more than 400 business and community leaders,
alumni, editors, and reporters from the metro Detroit area.
Tucker, who graduated from CMU in 1959, was a pioneer in
broadcast journalism. The two-time Emmy Award winner worked
for all three major television networks before his death in
1991.
DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
CMU’s fall semester concludes on December 13 with two
commencement ceremonies in Rose Arena that include 2,681
prospective degree and certificate recipients. Each ceremony
will feature a guest speaker. The 10 a.m. speaker is Heath
Meriwether, publisher of the Detroit Free Press; the 2 p.m.
speaker is Dick DeVos, a Grand Rapids businessman. At the 10
a.m. ceremony, CMU will also bestow an honorary degree upon
Herbert “Ted” Doan, a Midland community leader and chairman
of The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
NEW VISION OF EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN
More than $38 million has been raised so far during the "New
Vision of Excellence" Campaign. With a goal of $50 million,
CMU's first comprehensive capital campaign is attracting
significant funds for student scholarships, faculty
endowment, improved facilities, and support for national
quality academic programs. We are grateful for the many
donors, campaign volunteers, deans, and development officers
who are responsible for this impressive progress and for
making a difference for the university’s students.
CMU PUBLIC BROADCASTING UPDATE
Occasionally, it seems to make sense to focus in these
updates on areas of the university less well-known. I
believe that CMU Public Broadcasting is a valuable
educational and outreach arm of the university. Ours is the
largest university-owned public broadcasting network in the
U.S., with seven radio and six television stations covering
well over one-third of Michigan. (For more information about
CMU Public Broadcasting, please see
http://www.wcmu.org/.)
WCMU serves a number of university constituencies with a
growing number of outreach efforts. Here are a few.
WCMU also broadcasts several locally produced programs, such
as Inside Central, Insight, Michigan Memories, and the CMU
Coaches’ Zone. I very much appreciate the work of CMU Public
Broadcasting employees and that of CMU students, faculty, and
staff members who have been such valuable contributors to public
broadcasting programming.
NCAA CERTIFICATION
During 2004-2005, the National Collegiate Athletics
Association (NCAA) will initiate its second-cycle Division I
Athletics Certification process for Central Michigan University.
CMU last participated in this certification process during the
1995-1996 academic year. After a rigorous year of self-study by
numerous CMU certification subcommittees, a peer review team
(representing other Division I programs) visited CMU and
evaluated the final subcommittee findings. On March 13, 1997,
the NCAA's Division I Committee on Athletics Certification
notified CMU that it would be fully Division I "certified." CMU
will duplicate this process beginning with an orientation visit
in late spring by the NCAA and then start the yearlong
self-study process. This self-study will continue until May or
June 2005. Per NCAA rules, I will be serving on the steering
committee. The committee will be chaired by Associate Vice
President Jonas Cook, who will work with the committee to form
subcommittees to review the following areas: Governance and
Commitment to Rules Compliance; Academic Integrity; Fiscal
Integrity; and Equity, Welfare and Sporting Conduct.
UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY ADVISORY PANEL
More than three years ago, I created UCAP, a university
community advisory body, to help improve communication and
coordination among all employee groups and the student
leadership at CMU. Regular meetings have provided an opportunity
for campus constituencies to discuss issues, interests, and
concerns. As most would expect, almost every meeting in the last
year or so has included items focused on the state and
university budget. UCAP has a home page with minutes and
membership for those interested:
http://www.cmich.edu/ucap.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS MICHIGAN
Special Olympics Michigan will soon launch the State Winter
Games February 3-6, 2004. Please see
http://www.somi.org/. I
continue to be very proud of our affiliation with Special
Olympics Michigan as well as the many CMU students, professors,
and staff who contribute to Special Olympics activities as
volunteers.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY
I am pleased to recognize the more than 35 volunteers from
12 College of Extended Learning centers around the country who
recently participated in the national “Make a Difference Day” on
October 25, a program designed to foster volunteerism throughout
the United States. Most of the CEL activities focused on reading
and literacy. Many activities included collecting children’s
books and distributing them to a range of worthwhile recipients,
including day care centers, hospitals, shelters, and charities.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP MAJOR
Graduates of the College of Business Administration’s (CBA)
entrepreneurship program have a combination of learning
experiences that are unique, including completion of an
internship, a management-consulting project, and a business
plan. On December 3, 2003, students with the best business plans
presented their plans to a group of entrepreneurs for cash
awards. The first-ever Entrepreneurship Investment Forum was
initiated this year to offer students the opportunity to present
their business plans and have them evaluated by entrepreneurs.
This competition will be elevated to a higher level in the
spring semester when students will present their business plans
to a group of "angel" investors who may provide funding for the
business plans. Another highlight of the spring semester will be
to have Andre Blay, a highly successful entrepreneur and current
member of the program's advisory board, as the CBA
Executive-in-Residence in March.
This innovative program resulted from the need in the State
of Michigan for a high quality program of study in
entrepreneurship. This major first appeared in CMU's bulletin in
the fall of 1998 and since then has grown to be the college’s
second largest major. This major, driven by the mission
statement of the CBA, (learning-centered and
business-connected), is directed by Professor Jim Damitio and
Chuck Fitzpatrick. In addition, a CBA interdepartmental faculty
committee and an external advisory board of successful
entrepreneurs help guide the program. Congratulations on the
success of this program.
SAP CAMPUS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
CMU is in the process of designing and implementing Campus
Management, the new student administration system from SAP. The
current student system has been in place since the 1980s and no
longer provides the university the technical infrastructure
needed to provide on-line, web-based services to students,
faculty, and staff. The new system will automate the management
of student records from admission to graduation and provide a
host of student services and administrative functions.
Implementation of Campus Management will be a phased approach,
with the Academic Structure “going live” in December 2004, and a
plan to have all core functionality up and running in March
2006. For more information about the Campus Management system,
please see
www.sap.cmich.edu/cm. New information will continue to
be added to this site by the project team.
