July 2, 2007

Teachers are accustomed to marking time in intervals that go unnoticed by most others. When we say "next year," we usually mean the start of the academic year in August, not the calendar year in January. And the first day of summer is the Saturday following commencement, not June 21. Similarly, July 1 is a date that probably holds little significance for faculty beyond its proximity to Independence Day, but as an administrator it is one I have circled on my calendar.

July 1 is the first day of the new fiscal year.  Perhaps not an occasion for Roman candles or even freshly sharpened pencils, but important for those of us charged with overseeing budgets and facilitating the planning processes that match mission to money, priorities to plans.

This summer your department heads and I are working closely together in planning for the upcoming academic and fiscal years.  For example, we have spent the past several weeks discussing faculty and staff hiring priorities, and you can expect to hear in the coming weeks what searches have been approved in your departments.

As "cost centers" -- or, as I prefer to say, "colleges with control over their own money" -- each college is coming to terms with how to control and be accountable for more of its own budgetary resources than ever before.  At our August all-college meeting I plan to give a comprehensive overview of the college's budget and priorities.  As a preview and lighter summer reading, I think it appropriate to share with you some principles of my administrative philosophy regarding these financial decisions.

• Fidelity to our mission comes first.  If you haven't read it lately, I invite you to review the college's mission statement on our web site.  We may face external as well as internal constraints;  we are challenged to keep pace with the latest trends ; and it is not always easy to connect our individual or disciplinary interests with institutional priorities.  But we will strive to put every COAL dollar in service to our commitments to excellent teaching, scholarship, creative activity, and public outreach.
• The more members of the college understand about our financial resources and decisions, the better.  I don't expect that everyone will always agree with budgetary decisions  I or other administrators in the college make, but if you do disagree I much prefer you disagree based on full information and understanding rather than suspicion and speculation.  Better still, I hope you will be informed and active contributors in the decision process.
• Values drive priorities, and priorities drive budget decisions.  It is often said that our values are revealed in how we choose to spend our money, and I believe that is true.  However, it is also true that how we spend our money reveals much about our ability and willingness to plan and establish priorities.  Our ability to appeal successfully for funds from the university and external constituencies will depend on our prioritizing the college's needs and pursing them strategically.
• Collaboration is key.  My experience during six years as a department head was that heads, deans, and other administrators in Arts and Letters work together extraordinarily well.  This collaborative  spirit will serve us well as we work together to maximize the resources available to the college and each department.
• We will lead by example.  I cannot ask you to trust me if I do not show myself trustworthy.  Faculty and staff will not place faith in their department heads if they don't believe the Dean's office has faith in them, as well.  I want the College of Arts and Letters and each of our departments to be models for the university in our innovative, responsible, and ethical use of the resources entrusted to us.

Recently faculty and staff should have received written salary notifications from Human Resources.  I will be sending by email a brief explanation of how raises were determined this year at the college and university levels.  Missouri State had a higher percentage raise pool than any other four-year institution in the state, resulting in pay raises greater than what most people at the university have seen in several years.  The new merit compensation system is not perfect and, predictably, we all experienced a degree of uncertainty as it was implemented for the first time.  The Compensation Committee is being reconstituted and expanded to provide greater faculty and staff representation, and it will begin meetings In mid-July to review the compensation plan and make recommendations for improvements.  If you have not done so already, I invite you to examine the results of the Faculty Senate survey on satisfaction with the compensation plan.

Thanks for taking the time to read this posting.  Please do respond with comments and questions as you have them.

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