Periodic Updates - Update #54
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
October 13, 2005
| TO: | The CMU Community |
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| FROM: | Michael Rao |
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| SUBJECT: | CMU Update 54 |
CMU Appropriations in the State Budget
The Governor has signed a bill that includes $80.0 million to CMU for 2005-2006. Included in the total appropriation is $139,800 base funding for CMU allocated by the Governor and $1.4 million allocated by the House funding formula. It also includes $631,500 that will be considered for inclusion in CMU’s base budget as a “book closing restoration” in November or December of this year. With these three amounts in the university’s base budget, CMU effectively begins this year with only approximately $150,000 more in state appropriations than it had at the beginning of last year, before the executive order cut that became necessary last spring.
In addition to the operating funds appropriated to CMU in the 2005-2006 state budget, the K-12 state budget included $250,000 for the establishment of a Lending Library for Low-Level Incidence Disabilities, a project led by psychology professors Sharon and Carl Johnson. This is new funding for which we are grateful to Senators Cropsey, Jelinek, and Switalski and Representatives Moolenaar and Caul, who were instrumental in including this funding in a very tight budget. CMU will also receive a third year of funding of $75,000 for the accelerated certification program in the College of Education and Human Services due to the support of these same individuals.
2005-2006 Operating Budget
At its July 14 meeting, the CMU Board of Trustees approved The CMU Promise, an initiative that guarantees tuition rates for a fixed period of time depending on class standing and eliminated mandatory fees. The CMU Promise also endeavors to protect academic quality, particularly following three years of significant reductions in state appropriations due to statewide revenue shortfalls.
CMU’s base expenditures grow by about $10 million every year due to costs that include salary and benefits for faculty and staff, health care, and utilities. In addition to providing students and their families with a clear sense of the costs of college through to degree completion, another important benefit of The CMU Promise tuition plan is that no additional cuts or position eliminations have had to be implemented for 2005-2006. Following $30 million in cuts in previous years, it had become clear that students were beginning to experience the impacts of layoffs and other reductions. It was also clear that with one of the lowest tuition and appropriations per student, combined with cuts, that CMU was in danger of losing its ability to foster a productive learning environment.
Fundamentally, the university has no more to spend from the state this year than last year. Nonetheless, for the first time since 2001, the university will be able to implement some modest budget enhancements—both from funds provided by The CMU Promise and internal resources saved by specific offices. Some entities within the university have been able to accumulate some carry forward funds and selected budget enhancements, such as increasing library hours and reinstating an academic advisor position, are being funded from those internal resources. With the continued instability of Michigan’s economy, some anticipated university revenues will be held until the latter part of the year.
The Budget Review Advisory Council (BRAC) reviewed and provided feedback on a number of enhancements, mainly academic, including:
- $1.0 million allocated for the CMU: 2010 Vision Plan; specific allocations will be recommended by the Institutional Strategic Planning Committee
- $1.5 million in academic enhancements, including new faculty positions, library acquisitions, and base funding for Health Professions building opening and operating needs
- $1.3 million in increased funding for supplies and equipment, with $960,000 designated for academic units
- $900,000 in additional scholarship funding and elimination of the undergraduate student graduation application fee
- $500,000 in health and safety needs
- $300,000 for diversity initiatives including enhancing study abroad service to students and addressing athletic gender equity needs
- $1.3 million toward debt service for Satellite Energy Facility, Education Building, and Beaver Island Academic Center projects
- $1.3 million allocated to matching budget dollars to activity level, net of $410,000 of budget reductions in the university’s central administration medical reserves and compensated absences accounts
For additional detail, please see http://www.budget.cmich.edu/ and click on BRAC to access the budget enhancements document.
SAP Campus Management Implementation Continues
Campus Connections, the project underway to implement SAP’s Campus Management student management system, continues to progress. Extensive work is underway in testing business processes, technical development, report creation, and data conversions. The project technical team has been growing, with the addition of twelve temporary new members to complete the technical changes necessary for the project. Various campus departments also have been assisting the project by providing expertise and a great deal of time testing processes and creating training materials. These “Core Teams” have assumed the extra work involved with the Campus Connections project in addition to their already busy schedules. Their involvement and expertise are critical to the success of the project, and their hard work is very much appreciated. The core teams are composed of several people within each department, and are led by the following individuals who serve as chairs:
Doreen Root – Academic StructureFor further information on the project, including contact information and weekly progress updates, please visit the project website at http://www.sap.cmich.edu/cm/default.htm.
Pam Gates – Academic Program Structure
Pat Fox – Admissions
Linda Gillingham – Degree Audit & Graduation
Cheryl Vallance – Equivalency Determination
Michelle Howard – Graduate, Undergraduate, & ProfEd Advising
Cindy Rubingh – Student Accounting
Energy Efficiency Suggestions
Rising natural gas prices, due partly to the recent hurricanes in the Gulf, are causing significant energy budget challenges for the university. Current impact is projected at increased natural gas purchase costs of $1,000,000 higher than the amount budgeted. I request that every member of the university community please conscientiously contribute to reducing energy usage on campus. While we have made some progress in the last few years, we still have much to achieve before we could consider ourselves conservative and conscientious energy users.
The university temperature set-point policy for the winter is currently 68 degrees during occupied periods and 64 degrees during unoccupied periods. The set-point policy applies to all buildings and areas on campus, including residential areas and apartments. The University Energy Committee will be reviewing and possibly updating the University Energy Policy this fiscal year. To minimize the impact of the current high energy costs, please adjust thermostats to align with the temperature set-point policy where possible.
Some other actions that will save energy:
LeRoy Barnes from Facilities Management is charged with leading
the university’s energy conservation efforts through the
University Energy Committee. Please submit additional energy
conservation suggestions to
http://fmgt.cmich.edu/egysugg/. Please see Update #28
for additional energy conservation efforts.
Elected Officials Visit CMU
CMU recently hosted visits by Governor Jennifer Granholm and
Representative John Stewart. Representative Stewart chairs the
House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The Governor
met with members of the CMU and Mt. Pleasant community to talk
about her proposed economic recovery plan for the state and the
importance of higher education to the state’s economy.
Representative Stewart’s visit included a tour of campus and a
presentation about higher education funding and appropriations
in general to a class taught by Griffin Endowed Chair holder
Bill Ballenger.
Upcoming Griffin Policy Forum on
“Michigan’s Economy: Can it be Saved?”
This fall’s Griffin Policy Forum takes place on October 26 in
the Park Library Auditorium from 7:30-9:00 p.m. preceded by a
public reception in the Park Library Baber Room at 6:00 p.m. The
forum includes a distinguished panel: Alan Gilmour, Retired Vice
Chairman, Ford Motor Company; David Hollister, Director,
Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth; Daniel Howes,
Detroit News; Sharon Miller, President, Immediate Temporary Help
Inc.; and Tom Walsh, Detroit Free Press. Topics to be discussed
include globalization, outsourcing, unemployment, economic
competition, decline of the automotive and manufacturing
industries, and the role of government in addressing Michigan’s
economic problems. The forum will be moderated by Bill
Ballenger, CMU’s Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government.
It should be a stimulating and timely discussion. For more
information, please visit
http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/griffin/.
Campus Forum on Diversity on October 26
The Campus Forum on Diversity, "Indigenous Survival: Education
for the 21st Century" is a two-day event. On Wednesday, October
26, a panel of national and regional scholars of Native American
studies will discuss the role of education in Native American
survival. Faculty, staff, and student presentations,
conversations, and workshops will continue on Thursday, October
27. For more information, please contact the Institutional
Diversity Office at 989.774.3700.
Utility Project Information Online
The Utility Supply Master Plan and Utility Supply Upgrade –
Phase 1 (SEF project) with the renderings and site plan are on
the Facilities Management web page:
http://fmgt.cmich.edu/utility_supply_upgrade/index.html.
Edutech Report and Response Available Online
CMU has been considering a report produced by Edutech
International regarding the state of Information Technology at
CMU. Interim Chief Technology Officer Roger Rehm has helped
identify various ways in which the university intends to respond
to the recommendations contained within the report. Please see
the original report and the response located at the following
web sites:
http://www.academicadministration.cmich.edu/documents/Edutech
International Final Report 4.14.05.pdf)
http://www.academicadministration.cmich.edu/Documents/Official
Response to Edutech Recommendations.pdf
Public Broadcasting Digital Television
Stations Activated
After more than six years of planning and development, CMU
Public Broadcasting activated its four new digital television
stations during early September. With broadcast facilities at
Barryton, Atlanta, Kalkaska, and Manistee, the new television
network will provide expanded programming and outreach services
to greater than 2.5 million people throughout central and
northern Michigan. This federally-mandated conversion project
was funded through a combination of competitive federal grants,
private fundraising, and a $4 million investment by CMU.
Congratulations to the entire team at CMU Public Broadcasting on
the completion of this significant project. I remain excited
about CMU Public Broadcasting’s potential to connect more people
with the university and encourage ideas from the community on
how we might seek to move forward in future years.
NCAA Certification Study Nearing
Completion
In September, the university completed the final step in its
efforts to renew its NCAA Division I-A athletic membership
status, a process that began in January 2004 with the
appointment of more than 35 faculty, staff, students,
student-athletes, alumni, and coaches to serve on a Steering
Committee and three subcommittees. The subcommittees—Academic
Integrity; Equity, Welfare, and Sportsmanship; and Governance
and Commitment to Rules Compliance—interviewed student-athletes,
coaches, and administrators to ensure that CMU is committed to
principles such as presidential oversight, institutional
control, equity, diversity, academic integrity, and
student-athlete welfare.
The NCAA peer review team notified the institution that it has
adequately responded or is in the process of responding to all
issues and concerns identified by the Division I Committee on
Athletics Certification after its initial review of the
self-study. A final certification decision is expected in
January 2006.
The certification self-study report and the NCAA’s initial
response are available on-line at
http://cmuchippewas.collegesports.com/stud-ath-services/cmu-stud-ath-services-body.html.
A few key themes that resonate throughout the document and will
be gradually implemented during the course of this year will be
the expanded role of the current Athletics Committee and the
Gender Equity and Diversity Committee. These two standing
committees currently include faculty, staff, student, and
student-athlete appointments. A few initiatives for these
committees will be to provide expanded oversight of issues like
academic integrity, equity, diversity, gender equity, and
student-athlete welfare within the Athletics Department.
Joint Tech Transfer Office Created with
University Partners
On behalf of CMU, I recently signed a formal agreement for a
partnership among Oakland, Eastern, Michigan Tech and CMU to
create a joint tech transfer office and a means of enhancing
research collaboration among faculty at the four universities.
The project was funded by a Michigan Economic Development
Corporation (MEDC) grant for $1.26 million and is further
supported by each of the partner universities. Intellectual
property ownership by each partner university will remain
unaffected by the joint effort, but higher quality service to
faculty inventors, greater commercialization opportunities and
greater efficiency in delivering these services are expected.
Annual University Campaign to Begin
Soon
The Annual University Campaign, which provides faculty, staff,
and retirees opportunities to support CMU and its specific
programs, takes place Oct. 17 through Dec. 9. When you make your
gift or pledge during the Annual University Campaign, the
university will match your gift at 50 cents for each $1 donated.
I, along with co-chairs Barb and Del Ringquist, request your
consideration of the additional and often immediate impact you
can make on the learning experiences of our students and
professors with a gift to the campaign. To learn more, including
information on the university match and the on-line gift form,
please visit
http://www.giving.cmich.edu/campaign.asp. CMU boasts among
the largest employee and retiree gifts anywhere. Thank you for
supporting CMU.
