A President’s Advisory Team Meeting was held Wednesday, December 13 with the following agenda items:
- Welcome – Highlights from President Lepre
- Budget Meeting Debrief
- Commencement Update
Below, please find summary information regarding each topic item of the agenda. When appropriate, additional supporting information is linked.
Highlights from President Lepre:
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for everyone’s tremendous efforts throughout this semester. Your hard work has contributed to a successful term, and I want to thank each of you, and your teams, for your dedication. I also want to thank you for helping to foster an environment where productive and civil conversations can take place about many of the things happening in our world today. I am grateful for all we are doing to provide a platform for people. I spend a lot of time talking with other university presidents and what is happening here is not the norm. At many places it is very difficult to have these challenging conversations so I am really proud of how we have come together on this topic. As always, we welcome any thoughts and suggestions on how we can continue these conversations and do even more.
I hope last week’s budget presentation to those with budget-making authority was helpful in providing a clearer picture of where our finances stand as an institution. There is more to be done on this, and much more is planned. We will be meeting in smaller group settings starting in January, visiting departments across campus to discuss the budget in greater detail and specificity as it relates to those areas, so that departments feel equipped with all of the information needed to make strategic budget choices.
We want to make sure we are doing it in a way that makes sense. We heard from Faculty Senate about a few ways in which we can do this and we want to hear more from others. What should we be presenting more of to our faculty and staff? Further, I want to underscore when we are talking about resources is that we are regularly off campus advocating for resources, advocating for the needs of this campus. This semester alone we have met with a whole host of government entities, philanthropic donors, and other organizations that will support our University financially.
With the new legislative session opening in the new year, I hope to bring more updates when we reconvene for the new semester. We will be sharing more with all of you about what their priorities are and what we are communicating with legislators about. It is important for us to make SU’s voice heard.
The end of the semester and year also means that we’re saying goodbye to someone who had a significant impact on SU. Once again, I want to thank Dr. Karen Olmstead for her 15 years of service.
I also want to share news of the passing of Greg Bassett, publisher and founder of the Salisbury Independent. Greg was a remarkably important member of our community and will be deeply missed.
In closing, I want to again ask that the members of this team please share the information brought forward during these meetings with everyone in your own areas. These meetings are important to ensure our entire campus community is aware of the things we are discussing.
Budget Meeting Debrief:
Following the budget meeting and presentation with those across campus who have budget-making authority, the President’s Advisory Team was asked to have an open discussion on the effectiveness of the meeting, and posed considerations like: What was missing from the presentation? What information was helpful? What do your people want to see more of?
Responses:
- The presentation was the right level-setting and the right amount of background information. One of the key questions being heard among some faculty and staff is the “priority setting process.” The University has a lot of things it wants to accomplish, and understandably does not have the funds to pursue everything, so a conversation around how SU budgets for its priorities and how those priorities are set would be significant.
- There is a desire for information about the budget and the institution’s finances to be more accessible.
- Further discussion on this topic noted: As a public institution, much of this data is already public and readily available on the Admin & Finance pages of the University’s website: Annual Budget Reports (Fiscal Year 2023 & Fiscal Year 2022), Internal Financial Processes (includes info on 3-5 Year Large Expenditure Budget), Strategic Planning and Budgeting System, and at the System level with Annual USM Financial Reports.
- It was important to see the total cost of an employee, and that it is not just about salary, but the cost of benefits and other expenses associated with supporting an SU faculty or staff member.
- With FAFSA delays, we won’t be able to grant financial aid until march and have a sense for fall enrollment until may which will be a tremendous impact on how we budget and forecast.
- It was significant to have highlighted how enrollment driven we are as an institution from a budgeting perspective. It would be helpful to have Enrollment Management provide a comprehensive update on the state of enrollment for Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and other groups across campus.
Commencement Update:
The Commencement Committee has been hard at work. There will be one ceremony on December 20 at 10:30 a.m. at the Civic Center. For Commencement in May, Wednesday the 22nd will be the Graduate Ceremony at 6:00 p.m. and the Undergraduates will participate on Thursday the 23rd. The number of ceremonies and subsequent times have yet to be determined.
As we have discussed, we are looking into the possibility of moving Commencement to campus. The Commencement Committee has been planning and preparing for this possibility so we are ready if and when the decision is made to do so. It will save the institution money in the long-term, but the initial costs will be more. Given the current budget, we anticipate staying at the Civic Center for May. We will work with the student leadership if any big changes are planned.
One complication is that the Civic Center is being renovated. We do not have a confirmed date yet for when that will begin. The renovations are substantial for us, impacting the entrance, parking, and part of the line-up and reception spaces. We do not know yet the full extent of how this renovation will impact our Commencement ceremonies and for how long. We have asked the Civic Center for this information before any contract is signed for the May ceremonies.
The enhancements we implemented for this year include maroon regalia with SU logo tabs for bachelor and master student regalia. The doctoral regalia remains as is. There will be a ramp on each side of the stage allowing students with mobility limitations to fully participate. We also added a recognition for first-gen students including a customized pin and an acknowledgment in the president’s remarks. In addition, the bookstore will now be on site to sell SU swag. The program includes a letter from the president, the SU Mission & Values Statements, and information about the mace, presidential medallion, seal, and academic regalia.
Future enhancements that are still being vetted include a dedication page acknowledging faculty retirees and marshals, pre-recording of the names, and employee and legacy recognitions.