Campus Reorganization

To UMD Campus Community:

My first few months at UMD have been an invigorating time of listening and learning from all of you why UMD is such a special place. I thank you for your support as we unite to create an environment where we can all do our best work.

It is with regret that I announce Vince Magnuson and Greg Fox have asked to retire from their vice chancellor positions. Both have played key roles in my transition to UMD, and I am grateful for their wisdom, vision, and support. I wish them both the best in their future endeavors.

Vince Magnuson has served UMD for more than 40 years, holding the title of Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration since 1995. Prior to his tenure in administration he served as a faculty member and department head in the Department of Chemistry. Vince is widely recognized for his principled leadership and ability to navigate difficult situations with patience and wisdom. His leadership as vice chancellor has yielded many accomplishments that have expanded and diversified the faculty, strengthened the curriculum, improved student learning and enhanced the university. Vince's stewardship of areas such as liberal education reform, civic engagement, semester conversion, international partnerships, and his mentorship of deans and department heads have been critical to UMD's success. He is an invaluable University citizen whose leadership, expertise and sound judgment will be difficult to replace. Vince will be on a transitional leave beginning in the fall of 2011, serving in an advisory role and assisting with special projects.

Greg Fox has served UMD for more than 35 years, and has been the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations since 1988. In 2001, Greg served as Interim Vice President for University Services on the Twin Cities campus. Prior to his vice chancellor role, Greg served as director of Continuing Education, and he has taught in Management Studies and Communication. During the 2008-09 academic year, Greg was director of the UMD Study in England program. Greg has chaired several community boards including the DECC, Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill Industries and co-chaired the Duluth United Way annual campaign. Greg's visionary leadership has helped shape UMD into the educational leader that it is today. It will be difficult to replace his expertise, relationships with legislators and civic leaders, compassionate community service and common-sense approach to solving problems. Greg will be on a transitional leave in the fall of 2011, assisting with special projects.

As a result of these retirements, I have decided to make the following changes to the Chancellor's Cabinet, effective July 1, 2011. I believe these changes will help me be most effective as we work with the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and the Campus Climate Leadership and Campus Change Team to envision and to shape UMD's future. In addition, these changes will best position UMD to continue its growth in stature and in significance. Thank you for your attention to this lengthy communication. Please let me know if you have questions or need additional information.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs:

A national search will begin immediately for an Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who will serve as the chief academic officer and will represent the Chancellor as needed. This position will keep the current functions of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration and will be expanded to include the Registrar, the Office of Admissions, and the First Year Experience Program. The Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will oversee all of the academic functions of the campus and will coordinate the activities of the other members of the Chancellor's Cabinet.

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations:

The role of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations will remain the same, except it will no longer include the governmental relations functions. John King, Director of Facilities Management, has agreed to serve a one-year appointment as the Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, starting July 1, 2011. I would like to thank John for once again overseeing the vital functions of this area. A national search for a permanent replacement will begin in fall of 2011.

Vice Chancellor for Student Life:

A national search will begin immediately for a Vice Chancellor for Student Life. This position will keep the current functions of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Support and Student Life, except that the Registrar, the Office of Admissions and the First Year Experience Program will move to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Jackie Millslagle will remain as the Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Support and Student Life until June 30, 2011. I would like to thank Jackie for her excellent and continued service in this critical position. Jackie will return to her former position as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

In addition to these three replacement positions, I am considering changing the current title and responsibilities of the Vice Chancellor for University Relations to the Vice Chancellor for Advancement and creating a new position: Special Assistant to the Chancellor for External Affairs. This change is prompted, in part, by Greg Fox's retirement, since he has served us well as UMD's legislative liaison.

If this change occurs, the new position of Special Assistant to the Chancellor for External Affairs would be created by restructuring positions currently within University Relations. Bill Wade will continue as the Vice Chancellor for Advancement and will oversee the Office of Development, the Office of Alumni Relations, The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and KUMD-FM Radio. The Special Assistant to the Chancellor for External Affairs will oversee the governmental and community relations duties that Greg Fox has performed admirably for many years. In addition, this new position will oversee media relations, public relations, publications and photography.

Especially during these trying budget times, the financial well-being of a public university depends upon positive and assertive relationships with external constituencies, particularly decision makers in state government, alumni, and donors. In addition, we need to provide increased support and attention to how we tell the UMD story and how we interact with media and the general public. Given the centrality of these and many other external constituencies, I hope to create this new Special Assistant position sometime during the spring semester. Because of the uncertainty of our budget situation, I will wait and make a final decision on the new position until the budget situation for next year is clearer. I will also wait until I experience a significant portion of the legislative session, which begins in January.

Chancellor Lendley C. Black

Strategic Planning Update/November

To Faculty and Staff:

This communication is a follow-up to my October 13, 2010 Strategic Planning Update. The Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning has been chosen. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee was finalized late last week and had its first meeting today.

After carefully considering the applications submitted and interviewing two candidates, I selected Dr. Dennis Falk as the Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning. Dr. Falk is a professor in the Department of Social Work. He has strong connections with faculty and staff members at UMD and a wide range of accomplishments that fit well with my plans for the strategic planning process.

The individuals listed on the roster below have agreed to serve on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and its Executive Committee. I chose these faculty members, staff members, and students to represent most major areas of UMD. It was not feasible to have representatives from every office or group. Nor was it feasible to use everyone who volunteered or was nominated. I appreciate the broad interest in the strategic planning process and the outstanding nominations I received.

All members of the UMD campus community will have an opportunity to contribute to the strategic planning process and an opportunity to comment on drafts of the plan. Please contact me or members of the committee if you have questions or would like additional information. Summary notes of the committee's meetings will be shared with the campus.

Thank you again for your interest and support of the strategic planning process.




Strategic Planning Steering Committee
Praveen Aggarwal, Professor and Head, Marketing
Mary Cameron, Associate Director, Human Resources
Steve Colman, Director, Large Lakes Observatory
Victor de Meireles, Student Association President
Linda Deneen, Director, ITSS
Jeni Eltink, Program Director, First Year Experience
Beth Esselstrom, Director, Admissions
Dennis Falk, Professor, Social Work and Faculty Fellow
Greg Fox, Vice Chancellor, Finance and Operations
John Hamlin, Professor, Sociology-Anthropology and
Chair, Executive Committee of the Campus Assembly
Kit Hautamaki, Administrative Director, University Relations
Caitlin Herby, Student Association, Campus Outreach Director
Gary Holquist, Head Coach, Basketball
Jill Jenson, Associate Professor and Head, Writing Studies
John King, Director, Facilities Management
Loretta Kragness, Buildings and Grounds Worker, Housing, Teamsters
Judith Kritzmire, Professor, Music
Carmen Latterell, Associate Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
Vince Magnuson, Vice Chancellor, Academic Administration
Jackie Millslagle, Interim Vice Chancellor, Academic Support and Student Life
Mark Mizuko, Professor and Head, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Leigh Neys, Interim Director, International Education
Denise Osterholm, Lab Services Coordinator, Physics, AFSCME
Bill Payne, Associate Professor, Theatre
Gerald Pepper, Professor, Communications and Associate Dean, CLA
Michael Pfau, Associate Professor, Communication and UEA President-Elect
Lisa Pratt, Alumni Associate, University Relations
Jim Riehl, Dean, Swenson College of Science and Engineering
Jeff Romano, Director, Bookstore
Andrea Schokker, Professor and Head, Civil Engineering and Vice Chair of Educational Policy Committee
Rick Smith, Director, American Indian Learning Resource Center
Corbin Smyth, Director, Kirby Student Center and Student Affairs Committee
Joyce Strand, Associate Professor and Head, Education and
Executive Committee of the Campus Assembly
Bedasse Tadesse, Associate Professor, Economics
Bill Wade, Vice Chancellor, University Relations
Executive Team
Dennis Falk, Chair
Praveen Aggarwal
Mary Cameron
Victor de Meireles
Linda Deneen
John Hamlin
Gary Holquist
John King
Judith Kritzmire
Vince Magnuson
Jackie Millslagle
Jim Riehl
Joyce Strand

Campus Budget Update

In the next several months we will be asked to begin budget planning for the next two years. While we have been given no specific instructions concerning the planning process, there are some things we know which should be taken into consideration as we begin the process.

Current budget projections suggest that the State of Minnesota has a budget shortfall of $5.7 billion for the next biennium. Three years ago UMD received $50 million of its total budget of approximately $200 million from the State. Now our state allocation is $37 million, and it is likely that additional cuts will be made. To provide a sense of scale, the retrenchment that occurred during the current biennium was $11 million. However, that figure significantly understates the true impact on the campus, because we also had to make adjustments to cover increased costs in compensation, utilities, student scholarships, etc. At this time, we do not know how much our additional cuts will be for the next biennium, but we anticipate the cuts will range from 3% to 6% of our operations and maintenance (O&M) budget.

I am committed to broad-based involvement in developing the budget for next year. However, that commitment comes with the caveat that often budget decisions need to be made quickly. To date, we have received no budget instructions from the State or the University of Minnesota system. When we receive those instructions I expect our timeline for response to be brief.

That being the case, I am meeting with the deans next week to begin the budget discussions. In addition, I have invited Richard Pfutzenreuter, Vice President for Budget and Finance for the University of Minnesota, to come to the campus on November 5 and meet with the Chancellor's Cabinet, deans and other administrative leaders, and the Campus Assembly Budget Committee. He will give us his perspective on what are likely to be the budget planning parameters for the University System. The administrators, faculty, and staff who meet with Vice President Pfutzenreuter will then share the information with their constituent groups. Since that meeting follows the November election, the outcome of those elections will likely give us more clarity about the way the State will decide to address its financial priorities.

Soon after the November 5 meetings with Vice President Pfutzenreuter, I will meet again with the Cabinet, the Council of Deans, other administrative leaders, and the Campus Assembly Budget Committee to seek their input and advice regarding budget strategies for the next budget cycle. I will send additional campus budget updates and keep you informed on budget information as it becomes available.

In spite of these challenging and uncertain economic times, UMD's overall financial health is strong.

We have many needs and aspirations for many things that we cannot afford at this time. However, we are fortunate to have a solid financial foundation which will help us respond well to the difficulties ahead.

Please contact me or the campus leaders in your area if you have questions or would like additional information.

Lendley C. Black, Chancellor

Strategic Planning Update/October

On September 27, I announced my plans for a comprehensive strategic planning process and announced the creation of the Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning position. Within the next week to 10 days, I plan to announce the new faculty fellow and announce the membership of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. I have a strong candidate pool from which to choose the Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning.

Today I'm writing to ask for your help in creating the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Based upon my experience, a strategic planning process can only be effective to the extent that it involves a large majority of the campus in the planning process. Much of that work will be done at the collegiate or administrative unit level, but it is also important that a steering committee be appointed to assist in the structuring of the work assignments and in the evaluation and prioritization of the opportunities that present themselves through the various phases of the planning effort. Many of you have had important roles in the campus and others are emerging leaders who would like a more active role in planning our future. Please send nominations or self-nominations for the Strategic Planning Steering Committee directly to me at chan@d.umn.edu by noon Monday, October 18. I am hoping for a committed group of people from all campus governance and employee groups. Students will also be represented on the committee. We will begin meetings soon and will meet regularly between now and the end of the spring semester.

Last week, I announced an organizational structure to create a more inclusive campus environment. This effort is in response to racial, homophobic, and sexist incidents on campus. These events should provide all of us with the opportunity to measure our own actions and to create a campus climate that is welcoming and inclusive to all of our faculty, staff, and students. Through this process we will develop action plans to improve the climate on campus for everyone.

Both initiatives, strategic planning and inclusive campus environment, will be integrated into our campus governance structure. For example, drafts of the new strategic plan will be shared with our governance groups for input. If new policies are suggested related to campus environment, these policies will be vetted and formalized through our current campus governance procedures. During a recent meeting with the Executive Committee of the Campus Assembly, I was asked if there were other initiatives that I would be announcing soon. My somewhat facetious answer was, "I hope not." These are the two main initiatives for 2010-2011. Of course there are other areas which need our attention. However, it's most important this academic year to focus first on planning and on creating an inclusive environment within which we can do our best work.

Lendley C. Black, Chancellor

UMD Organizational Structure to Create a More Inclusive Campus Climate

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to articulate the responsibilities of and the relationships between the elements of a new campus organizational structure that will support and advance social justice values of inclusion, equity and diversity. This is an ambitious and worthy goal that will require campus-wide engagement and commitment. I expect efforts to focus on organizational change, fostering collaboration, and aligning actions and priorities to optimize effectiveness and resource utilization.

I announced two weeks ago that the elements of this new organizational structure are the Leadership Team, Campus Change Team, Unit Change Teams and the External Consultants. I am pleased to announce that Bilin Tsai, Interim Associate VCAA, and Susana Pelayo Woodward, Director of the Office of Cultural Diversity, will Co-Chair the Campus Change Team. They will report to me directly and through the work of the Leadership Team.

I. Leadership Team for an Inclusive Campus Climate
a. Membership: Chancellor, Vice Chancellors for Academic Administration, Academic Support and Student Life, Finance and Operations, and University Relations, a dean, a tenured faculty member, a staff member, an Executive Committee of the Campus Assembly member, and the Co-Chairs of the Campus Change Team.
b. Provide campus leadership.
c. Receive, review and prioritize recommendations and goals.
d. Allocate resources (funds, space, personnel, etc.).
e. Manage communication plan for internal and external constituents.
f. Lead discussion and revision of mission, core values, and goals with respect to inclusion.
g. Provide oversight for implementation of approved recommendations.

II. Campus Change Team (CCT) for an Inclusive Campus Climate
a. Membership: CCT Co-Chairs, one member from each vice chancellor unit, one member from each collegiate unit, three students, and representatives from current commissions.
b. Report to the Leadership Team
c. Foster development of campus equity and diversity action plans. Research plans with
respect to feasibility, cost, and timeline. Make recommendations to the Leadership Team.
d. Build and maintain liaison, alignment and communication with other campus units, campus populations, and the community.
e. Facilitate publicity and promotion of events and programs that contribute to an inclusive
campus environment.
f. Provide regular reports to Leadership Team and campus.

III. Unit Change Teams (UCT) for an Inclusive Campus Climate
a. Membership: To be determined at the Unit level.
b. Develop and recommend equity and diversity action plans to Unit and/or to CCT as appropriate
c. Report to Dean, Vice Chancellor or Director
d. CCT member serves on UCT as appropriate
e. Responds to and works with CCT


IV. External Consultants: Kathy Obear and Jamie Washington
a. Provide technical expertise to build internal capacity to sustain change efforts
b. Provide workshops and leadership development as appropriate

Our success in creating an inclusive campus environment will rest to large extent on the commitment by the members of the various teams and their willingness to work diligently, respectfully and collaboratively. I will initiate a process for seeking nominations and then identifying members of the Leadership and Campus Change Teams, and I will ask unit heads do the same for the Unit Change Teams. In addition, I am well aware that that without broad support and engagement by many others, we will not achieve our aspirational goals. The following quotation reflects my own view of how we can be successful.

"Equity and diversity efforts must be led not only by people with formal authority, but also by faculty, staff, students, and administrators at every level of operation and responsibility."

From Reimagining Equity and Diversity: A framework for transforming the University of Minnesota

Please let me know if you have comments, suggestions, or questions. Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing efforts to create a premiere inclusive campus environment.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Civility in the Classroom

The University of Minnesota Duluth is dedicated to maintaining a positive learning
and working environment for our students, faculty, and staff. The manner in which all
parties interact within the classroom must respect our collective commitment to social
justice, inclusion, equity, and diversity. The University of Minnesota is committed to the
policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment
without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status,
disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation. Both instructors
and students have a fundamental obligation to regard the instructional setting as a
place for civil, respectful behavior. For example, student behavior that is disrespectful,
harassing, or aggressive is grounds for removal from the classroom.

Individual faculty members are encouraged to address these important issues in course
syllabi and through discussion in their classrooms. Honest and genuine acknowledgment
of individual faculty commitments to these critical expectations will help to create
the kind of classroom environment that will optimally contribute to student success.
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to take advantage of lectures and other
cultural events that will broaden experiences and foster understanding and respect.

Thank you for your efforts in helping us to maintain an optimal teaching and learning
environment for all.

Lendley C. Black, Chancellor
Vince Magnuson, Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration
Jackie Millslagle, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Support & Student Life

Transition Team

A transition team has been established to advise me during my first year as chancellor.
Under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Vince Magnuson, this advisory group is meeting
regularly to advise me on campus issues and to help me prioritize strategies to solve
immediate challenges.

Members of the Transition Team are:

Praveen Aggarwal, Professor, Marketing
Linda Deneen, Director, Information Technology Systems & Services
Jeni Eltink, Director, First Year Experience and Students in Transition
Denny Falk, Professor, Social Work
Greg Fox, Vice Chancellor, Finance and Operations
John Hamlin, Professor, Sociology/Anthropology
John King, Director, Facilities Management
Lucy Kragness, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor
Vince Magnuson, Vice Chancellor, Academic Administration
Jennifer McCabe, Student Association
Jackie Millslagle, Interim Vice Chancellor, Academic Support and Student Life
Susana Pelayo-Woodward, Director, Office of Cultural Diversity
Jim Riehl, Dean, Swenson College of Science and Engineering
Bill Wade, Vice Chancellor, University Relations

Please join me in thanking them for helping me make a successful transition into my new
role as your chancellor. Feel free to contact members of the Transition Team if you have
comments or suggestions.

Thank you.

Chancellor Lendley C. Black

Planning & Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning

As I have indicated over the past two months, we will devote much energy and attention this academic year to planning. By the end of the 2011 spring semester, I would like to have a new strategic plan for UMD that articulates a refined vision, mission, statement of core values, and a manageable set of goals and action steps. This new planning process will provide a guideline for moving UMD forward over the next few years within the context of shrinking state budgets and rapid change. It will also provide a sharper focus on the distinctive UMD attributes and unique niche that will place UMD among the best higher educational institutions of its type in the country.

This will be a rolling plan, which is updated yearly as it directs our major activities for the next several years. Our planning process will be systematic, ongoing, and cyclical with linkages to institutional resources and assessment. During this planning process we will consider what changes need to be made in the teaching and learning process at UMD in order to achieve increased quality in a time of dwindling state support. We will look at our campus structures and processes to see what changes need to be made in order for us to be most effective and most efficient. We will dream big and reach toward a vision that will stretch us and help us become the premiere institution we aspire to be.

Soon I will appoint a steering committee to guide our planning efforts. This committee will ensure broad participation among our faculty, staff, and students, as well as meaningful
input from our many off-campus stakeholders, such as alumni and community, business, and government leaders.

In addition, I will appoint a Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning to serve as project manager for the planning processes and to assist me with other planning projects that impact faculty and staff throughout campus. Please see the announcement below. Encourage qualified candidates to apply, apply yourself, or nominate individuals you feel are good candidates.

More details regarding the strategic planning steering committee will soon follow. I look
forward to our collaborative planning efforts and to charting a clear and exciting course for
UMD's future.

Thank you.

******************************************

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH

Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning

The Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning assists the Chancellor by managing the various
strategic planning processes that result in the creation of a new strategic plan for UMD. The Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning provides executive support to the Chancellor and the Chancellor's Cabinet by overseeing the execution and assessment of the planning process; by acting as a key liaison to a wide variety of constituents both within and outside the university; by providing feedback and advice to the Chancellor on numerous planning issues, and by undertaking special projects as assigned by the Chancellor.

The specific experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required are:

An earned doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree, with a career history that has
gained the respect of the university's faculty and staff;
Strategic planning and group facilitation skills and experience;
Holding a tenured faculty appointment;
At least five years' experience as a faculty member at UMD;
Capability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects;
Advanced verbal and written communication skills;
Capability to present effectively to small and large groups;
Demonstrated leadership, organizational, and management skills;
Ability to foster a cooperative work environment;
Advanced analytical, evaluative, and objective critical thinking skills and the ability to
analyze, summarize, and effectively present data; and
Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with public constituencies, senior academic leadership, faculty, students, staff, alumni, donors, and
other constituencies important to the university.

The Faculty Fellow for Strategic Planning will be appointed by the Chancellor immediately
and will serve a one-year renewable appointment defined as .50 faculty duties and .50
administrative duties for the year. The first year's appointment will conclude on June 30, 2011. An administrative stipend will be provided to the person appointed, and funds will be provided to the person's home department to compensate for reassigned duties.

Letters of interest, an updated C.V. and names and e-mail addresses of three references should be sent electronically to chan@d.umn.edu by 5 p.m., Wednesday, October 6. Nominations are encouraged.

Lendley C. Black, Chancellor

Creating an Inclusive Campus Environment: Organizational Structure

Dear Colleagues,

At the end of August, I communicated to the UMD community one of the steps we took
to create an inclusive learning and working environment, and my intention to work
with the Chancellor's Cabinet to provide leadership in this effort. As a result of our
discussions since the two-day workshop on social justice, I am pleased to announce an
organizational structure that will advance our agenda.

The organizational elements of this structure are a Leadership Team that includes
my Cabinet and myself, a Campus Change Team, Unit Change Teams, and External
Consultants. I am committed to accountability, transparency, representation,
collaboration, and innovation as we work toward inclusive policies and best practices,
and expect the efforts of this new organizational structure to reflect these values.

In the coming weeks, I will provide more details about the responsibilities of and the
relationships between each of these elements.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

UMD Convocation Speech 2010 to Campus

Friday, September 3, 2010
1 p.m., Romano Gymnasium

Thank you, Victor, for the kind introduction. It is great to be at UMD.

Now it's my turn to welcome all of you to UMD! And I would like to ask my colleagues who are here to raise their arms and wave when introduced.

The faculty, staff and students of CLA welcome you! (Faculty, staff and RockStars from CLA raise their arms and wave.)

The faculty, staff and students of SFA welcome you! (Faculty, Staff and RockStars from SFA raise their arms and wave.)

The faculty, staff and students of LSBE welcome you! (Faculty, Staff and RockStars from LSBE raise their arms and wave.)

The faculty, staff and students of SCSE welcome you! (Faculty, Staff and RockStars from SCSE raise their arms and wave.)

The faculty, staff and students of CEHSP welcome you! (Faculty, Staff and RockStars from CEHSP raise their arms and wave.)

The faculty, staff and students of UMD's graduate and professional programs welcome you! (Faculty, Staff and RockStars from graduate and professional programs raise their arms and wave.)

The staff and students of Finance and Operations welcome you! (Staff and RockStars from VCFO raise their arms and wave).

The faculty, staff and students of Academic Support and Student Life welcome you! (Faculty, Staff from ASSL and all RockStars raise their arms and wave.)

The faculty, staff, and students of Academic Administration welcome you! (Staff and RockStars from VCAA raise their arms and wave).

The staff and student leaders of University Relations and Development welcome you! (Staff and RockStars from UR raise their arms and wave).

Today, you begin your UMD education. Today, you are on your way to graduation. All of you received tassels when you entered the gym. Put the tassel up in your new room or in another prominent place that will remind you of your goal. You are here to get an education, and we are here to help you succeed!

As you go forward at UMD, you will have opportunities to think carefully, to engage, and to wrestle with ethical problems. You will learn new things that will help you make increasingly informed choices as you work with others in your field.

You are joining a community where we value ethical thinking and interacting with others with integrity. All of us at UMD strive to be truthful, to be just, and to be caring. We show care and concern for individuals, relationships and the environment that make up this community.

At UMD, you will find new possibilities. You will learn about cultures different from your own. You will be able to use that learning, and all that knowledge, and all those new ways of thinking, as you move forward to changing the world. As a college student, there are many opportunities available. Plan on studying abroad. Start thinking about working on an undergraduate research project with a faculty member. Explore new areas of interest.

I'm sure many of you aren't sure about your major. You advisor will help you. Staff in the college offices will help. Your peer advisors will help you. Many resources are available in the Career Services office. The most recent survey that Career Services staff did of the UMD Class of 2009 shows that 70 percent are employed, with another 19 percent continuing their education after graduating. Research shows that on average, a college graduate earns more than 50 percent compared to others who have a high school degree.

Get involved! You have learned - and will be learning more - about all of the student organizations on campus. Joining an organization will help you to serve the campus community, to learn about your academic field, and to meet new friends.

While I'm telling you to get involved, I'm also reminding you that you need to study. I know that many of you have jobs. You will need to manage your time carefully. It will soon feel overwhelming to make time for everything. Look at your schedule now, and find time 25-30 hours each week to read, to study, to learn, and to prepare for your classroom learning. The UMD Library is an amazing place where you can find comfortable space to study alone or as a group. Claim your space in the library! Many students spend time in the library and return several times each week to "their" special spot.

If you need help, seek it out. Talk with the faculty and the staff members. They are interesting people, and they want to get to know you. They want you to succeed. They will help you solve problems so that you have the tools to succeed.

Make new friends. Take a deep breath and talk with people you might not have talked to when you were in high school. As you just learned, I am also new to Duluth. While I haven't moved into a residence hall, we did move across the country to make our new home in Duluth. I have made many new friends in just one month, and I know that I need to rely on the help of others to help me succeed as your chancellor.

Explore Duluth! You can take the bus from the Kirby Plaza bus hub and go downtown, to Canal Park, or to the Miller Hill Mall. Go walking on the trails in Bagley Nature Center or Chester Park. Ski the hills. Do an internship or volunteer with an organization or business in the Northland.

You are here to learn. We are here to help you. Keep looking at the tassel that you received today. Keep your eyes on the graduation prize!

UMD is a place where you will meet all sorts of people. Before we sing the UMD rouser, I would like to ask you to turn to the people around you and introduce yourself. (students introduce themselves to each other)

Now let's join the UMD Marching Band in singing the UMD Rouser! (words will be on the screen, and the RockStars will lead the singing).

Rouser words
U-M-D
Now let us praise UMD
Ever strong, and true we will be
And to the Bulldogs name
Maroon and gold's our fame
We hail University, Rah, Rah, Rah
U-M-D, Always with our loyalty
Sign and cheer to be victorious, UMD!
B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S. Hey, BULLDOGS!

Chancellor Lendley C. Black

Welcome Breakfast Speech 2010 to Faculty/Professional and Academic Staff

Given to faculty/professional & academic staff
Chancellor Black Remarks
Thursday, September 2, 2010
7:30 a.m., Kirby Ballroom

It is with great enthusiasm that I began August 1 as UMD's chancellor. Your warm welcome has made the transition to Duluth easy for me and my wife, Connie. However, if we had a dollar for every time that someone reminded us how cold it will be in Duluth, we would be rich! We now welcome being cooler by the Great Lake than we were this summer in Hotlanta, and we look forward to getting back to winter activities we knew for many years in Connecticut and Kansas.

For those of you not familiar with my background, I have spent the last eight years as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kennessaw State University, which is a regional university of 23,000 students just outside of Atlanta. As the university's Chief Academic Officer, I led the university's transition to a doctoral-granting institution and added several academic programs at the undergraduate and master's levels. Before moving to Georgia, we lived in Emporia, Kansas, for 20 years, where I served in a variety of positions at Emporia State University. I began as a "temporary lecturer" in theatre, and I left as a full professor and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and I earned my bachelor's degree in English at the University of Tennessee Martin, a campus of the UT system where I received an excellent liberal arts education. I earned my master's degree in theatre at the University of Connecticut, and completed my PhD in theatre at the University of Kansas. My research area was Russian theatre and drama.

Many people have asked me what drew me to UMD. When I began responding to opportunities for chancellor positions, I was looking for strong educational institutions with a promising future. UMD indeed has a rich academic tradition, dating back to its founding as the Duluth Normal School in 1895. When I looked closer at UMD, I learned that the campus is a focal point for regional economic development, while also serving as a major cultural center for northeastern Minnesota. Outstanding faculty and staff leads to an excellent student body. UMD's enrollment has remained strong, attracting high quality students. In fact, I recently learned that this fall, the average high school rank of incoming students is 72 percent. Of those freshmen, 18 percent were in the top 5 percent of their high school class and 22 percent were in the top 10 percent. Many of you will be involved with some of these new students on undergraduate research projects, which has a 60-year history of success at UMD. Academic excellence and expanding academic opportunities have been the hallmark of my administrative career, and I look forward to working with you to find new avenues of academic excellence at UMD. There seem to be many opportunities to expand at the graduate levels and in undergraduate programs were we have particular strengths. We need to continue and capitalize on our achievements in undergraduate education, as we explore new graduate opportunities. As I've said to the deans, I want us to be first class in everything we do, and to be world class where we can.

Another thing you should know about me is that I grew up in a segregated neighborhood in Memphis and was in high school in the late 1960s when Memphis became a focal point of the civil rights movement. I remember very clearly the night Dr. King was killed and the shameful way many in my all-white suburb reacted. I grew up in a family of privilege. We were privileged not because of our economic status, because my father, who was wounded in WWII, had to stop working in his 30s and passed away when he was 49. Financially, we struggled. We were privileged not because of higher education, because neither of my parents went to college. They were smart people and wise people, but their education, like our economic status, was quite modest. We were privileged, because of the color of our skin. It took many years for me to understand this and to come to terms with this privilege and with what happened in my home town in the late 1960s. I share this with you today to emphasize my commitment to a campus of inclusion and opportunity for all of our students, faculty and staff. There is much to be done and this is a new day of commitment to social justice on our campus. We have an outstanding faculty and staff, but we all, myself included, have much to do and to learn in order to create the inclusive and civil environment that we all deserve. We will not reach our full potential academically until we have a campus that values the contributions and understands the differences that we all bring to our distinctive learning environment. Also, we will not reach our full potential until we all demonstrate a zero tolerance for exclusionary and hurtful behaviors and practices.

In thinking about my new role as chancellor and your roles as faculty and P&A staff members, I'm reminded of the following parable:

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied. "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be a faculty member," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."

The woman below responded, "You must be a chancellor."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep. You expect someone else to solve your problem. And the fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

Unfortunately, the parable captures occasional interactions between faculty members and administrators, and interactions among many on campus when we are too focused on egocentric comments and finger pointing, resulting in miscommunication and widening distances between us. 30 feet separation can quickly become much farther until it's very difficult to get two parties back together and on the same plane.

What intrigues me most about this parable, or lame joke if you prefer, is that by nature the chancellor and the faculty member operate on different planes. The chancellor can be viewed as aloft. I've already heard references to the fifth-floor of Darland. And in some ways the chancellor should be aloft, because his perspective needs to be broader. He must scan the horizon, or monitor the boundaries, and bring that information back to the faculty. The faculty member is by nature more grounded, or some would say, "in the trenches." I don't like that metaphor, because it suggests warfare. My grandfather was literally in the trenches in France during World War I. I don't like to think that I'm doing battle with the faculty or that faculty members are fighting their students. But I understand that at times faculty members feel like they are being attacked and under siege. So what can we do together as a scholarly community of life-long learners to get on the same plane? What can I do to pull the faculty member up to higher ground and what can you do to keep me grounded and in touch with your concerns and needs?

When looking at UMD's future, I believe that it is important for me to help create an environment where you can do your best work. I do not have all the answers. But I am an optimist, and I promise to work with you as we solve the challenges facing all higher education institutions. We are in uncharted waters today in higher education. You may have heard President Bruinicks refer to the "new normal" for higher education. As my colleagues in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities have outlined, the new normal in higher education has created three major challenges. First, we need to change how we operate in light of shrinking state financial support. We can expect several years of declining, or at best flat, budgets from the state, and we can't continue to do everything the same way as in the past. Second, evolving technology has led to new competition and a rapidly changing learning environment as free access to course content from around the world is available on the Internet. Changing the ways knowledge is acquired and distributed, technology could lead to substantive, fundamental and ultimately productive changes in teaching and learning. Finally, we face increasing political and societal pressure to provide access to higher education for more students with less funding and to demonstrate more clearly how we add value to students' lives. Assessment of student learning outcomes and explaining those assessments to the general public is becoming more and more important. Bottom line, we are increasingly told to do even more with less, but we also need to find ways to do things differently in our classrooms and laboratories, so that we maintain quality and serve an increasingly diverse student body within this environment of shrinking resources and rapid change.

While I have only been at UMD for one month, I have been listening, and I have learned from many of you about the substantial cuts that have been made. We are all feeling the pain of the reduced funding levels. You have all experienced at least a 1.15 percent salary reduction this year, with others receiving a 2.3 percent cut. While these funding measures have helped to balance this year's university budget, the state financial outlook continues to be bleak. We have to expect and prepare ourselves for the possibility of future reductions in the state budget for the next few years.
It is time that we look at new ways to continue to deliver a quality education. It is time for us to take a close look at our strengths and opportunities. We need to work together to make sure that what we are focused on a vision and mission that serves us well now and in the future.

That's where I need your help. By the end of September, you will hear the details of a new strategic planning process that will help us craft a new vision for UMD and help us meet the challenges of this new higher education environment, the "New Normal." I am here to listen, to learn and to work with you and your colleagues to ensure that UMD continues to be a strong leader in providing higher education opportunities that our students deserve and expect. By listening to you and gathering opinions from across the campus and with our external stakeholders, we can think creatively and examine how we deliver instruction and how we will use our budgets and other resources to make UMD even stronger.

While we do face serious challenges, I want to close by recognizing all the talented faculty members and the experienced team of academic professionals who are here at today's breakfast. I also would like to welcome the new faculty and staff members who are introduced today. Let's commit together to continue our efforts to get on the same plane the administration standing in the balloon and the faculty members standing on the ground. In addition, we must have strategic alignment among all units of UMD, and our scholarly community must work together to create a culture of academic excellence, collaboration, and student success.

We have a lot of work to do and we have our share of challenges. But we have the potential, and the tools, and the knowledge, and most importantly, we have the PEOPLE to get the work done and to do it with great joy. Let's get in this balloon together and see how high we can rise and how far we can go.

As we kick off the start of the school year, I want to thank you for all that you do on behalf of our students. You have my best wishes for continued success.

Thank you.

Chancellor Lendley C. Black

Meet the Chancellor Speech 2010 to Civil Service and Bargaining Unit Staff

Chancellor Black Remarks to Civil Service and Bargaining Unit Staff
Meet the Chancellor
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
2:30 p.m., Kirby Ballroom

It is with great enthusiasm that I began August 1 as UMD's new chancellor. Your warm welcome has made the transition to Duluth easy for me and my wife, Connie. However, if we had a dollar for every time someone made a joke about cold weather or reminded us how cold it will be in Duluth, we would be rich! We now welcome being cooler by the Great Lake, than we were this summer in Hotlanta, and we look forward to getting back to winter activities we knew for many years in Connecticut and Kansas.

For those of you not familiar with my background, I have spent the last eight years as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kennessaw State University, which is just outside of Atlanta. KSU is a relatively new comprehensive university with over 22,000 students. Before moving to Georgia, we lived in Emporia, Kansas, for 20 years, where I served in a variety of positions at Emporia State University. I began as a theatre "temporary lecturer," and I left as a full professor and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I grew up in Memphis, and I earned my bachelor's degree in English at the University of Tennessee Martin. I earned my master's degree in theatre at the University of Connecticut, and I completed my PhD in theatre at the University of Kansas, with a research focus on Russian theatre and drama.

Many people have asked me what drew me to UMD. When I began responding to opportunities for chancellor positions, I only considered strong educational institutions with a promising future. UMD indeed has a rich academic tradition, dating back to its founding as the Duluth Normal School in 1895. When I looked closer at UMD, I learned that the campus is a focal point for regional economic development, while also serving as a major cultural center for northeastern Minnesota. Outstanding faculty and staff leads to an excellent student body. UMD's enrollment has remained strong, attracting high quality students. In fact, I recently learned that this fall, the average high school rank of incoming students is 72 percent. Of those freshmen, 18 percent were in the top 5 percent of their high school class and 22 percent were in the top 10 percent.

Duluth is a beautiful city, and Lake Superior is a powerful draw. Our campus is a premier regional employer, with more than 700 faculty and academic staff members dedicated to the highest quality teaching, research and service.
In addition, as this full room shows, UMD has a dedicated full-time staff of more than 800, who take pride in their important role in support of UMD's academic mission.

Today, I would like to thank you for all that you do to make UMD so successful. While students come to UMD to get an education, I know that their college experience is much more than time spent in the classroom. Each of you plays an important role in educating our students and each of you is part of our community of learners. I discovered early in my academic career that I could not be successful unless I had the assistance of quality staff members working alongside me and creating a campus environment that is safe, clean, well-equipped, and conducive to learning.

I was impressed to learn about how many staff members have been here for many, many years. That's not always true at other campuses. We tried to come up with a firm figure of how many years of experience we have on the staff. I'm told that it's in the thousands of years. Let's try something. Do we have anyone who's worked at UMD for 30 years or more? If so, please stand and remain standing. Would all of you who have been at UMD 25 or more years please stand, and remain standing. Now, let's have those with 20 years or more of service please stand. And now 15 years or more. And 10 years or more. And 5 years or more. And everyone else. Let's give all of you a hand for your dedication to UMD and for your contributions to the success of the students! (applause)

Let's take a quick look at how many staff members a new freshman living in the residence halls at UMD might run into on the first day of classes. A custodian cleaning the floors. Dining Center staff. Cashiers in the Deli, in the bookstore and in Darland. A librarian. An academic department staff member. A first year experience professional. Staff members in Rec Sports. The ITSS help desk staff. When I first activated my UMD email account earlier this summer, I called the ITSS help desk and was asked if I was an incoming freshman! While I learned that the staff member was embarrassed to not recognize my name, it was a lot of fun to talk with her and to see how professionally she handled my request.

Many of you work behind the scenes to make the campus function so smoothly. The campus grounds are beautiful, and the pride that all of you take in your work shows. While we might not see the staff members who work in the heating plant very often, we would sure know there was a problem if there was no heat in January.

I want all of you to know that you are an integral part of the campus community, and your dedication and professional attitude makes a difference. It is important to me that we create an inclusive campus environment where each of you can do your best work and where every individual is valued.

Another thing you should know about me is that I grew up in a segregated neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee and was in high school in the late 1960s when Memphis became a focal point of the civil rights movement. I remember very clearly the night Dr. King was killed and the shameful way many in my all-white suburb reacted. I grew up in a family of privilege. We were privileged not because of our economic status, because my father, who was wounded in WWII, had to stop working in his 30s. Financially, we struggled. We were privileged not because of higher education, because neither of my parents went to college. They were smart people and wise people, but their education, like our economic status, was quite modest. We were privileged, because of the color of our skin.

It took many years for me to understand this and to come to terms with this privilege and with what happened in my hometown in the late 1960s. I share this with you today to emphasize my commitment to a campus of inclusion and opportunity for all of our students, faculty and staff. There is much to be done and this is a new day of commitment to social justice on our campus. We have an outstanding faculty and staff, but we all, myself included, have much to do and to learn in order to create the inclusive and civil environment that we all deserve. We will not reach our full potential academically until we have a campus that values the contributions and understands the differences that we all bring to our distinctive learning environment. Also, we will not reach our full potential until we all demonstrate a zero tolerance for exclusionary and hurtful behaviors and practices.

When looking at UMD's future, I believe that it is important for me to help create an environment where you can do your best work. I do not have all the answers. But I am an optimist, and I promise to work with you as we solve the challenges facing all higher education institutions. We are in uncharted waters today in higher education. As my colleagues in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities have outlined, higher education nationally is facing three major challenges. First, we need to change how we operate in light of shrinking state financial support. We can expect several years of declining or at best flat budgets from the state. Second, evolving technology has led to new competition as free access to course content from around the world is available on the Internet. Changing the ways knowledge is acquired and distributed, technology could lead to substantive, fundamental and ultimately productive changes in teaching and learning. Finally, we face increasing political and societal pressure to provide access to higher education for more students with less funding and to demonstrate more clearly how we add value to students' lives. Bottom line, we are increasingly told to do even more with less, but we also need to find ways to do things differently, so that we maintain quality and serve an increasingly diverse student body within this environment of shrinking resources and rapid change.

While I have only been at UMD for one month, I have been listening, and I have learned from many of you about the substantial cuts that have been made. We are all feeling the pain of the reduced funding levels. While you have received a 2 percent raise this summer, you are all facing the mandatory three-day furlough in December. It is not easy, and I appreciate the sacrifices that you are making. While these funding measures have helped to balance this year's university budget, the state financial outlook continues to be bleak. We have to expect and prepare ourselves for the possibility of future reductions in the state budget for the next few years.

It is time that we look at new ways to continue delivering a quality education. It is time for us to take a close look at our strengths and opportunities. We need to work together to make sure that we are focused on a vision and mission that serves us well now and in the future.

That's where I need your help. By the end of September, you will hear the details of a new strategic planning process that will help us craft a new vision for UMD and help us meet the challenges of this new higher education environment, the "New Normal" as it's often been called. I am here to listen, to learn and to work with you and your colleagues to ensure that UMD continues to be a strong leader in providing higher education opportunities that our students deserve and expect. By listening to you and gathering opinions from across the campus and with our external stakeholders we can think creatively and examine how we deliver instruction and how we will use our budgets and other financial resources to make UMD even stronger.

While we do face serious challenges, I want to close by again thanking you for your dedication to UMD. It matters, it shows, and it is appreciated. Although we have many challenges in front of us, I look forward to being your partner as we discover ways to meet these challenges and as a result be even stronger.

Thank you.

Chancellor Lendley C. Black

Creating an Inclusive Campus Environment Workshop

Dear Colleagues,

At my invitation, 45 UMD faculty and staff participated in a two-day workshop entitled
Creating an Inclusive Campus Environment. The goal of this late-August workshop
was to begin the work to address issues laid bare by the racist homophobic Facebook
incident last spring. Two excellent consultants from the Social Justice Training Institute
provided education and awareness around the issue of racism and facilitated our efforts
to build community and to create a rich set of strategies and action steps that will help
us achieve a socially just campus. In addition, I want to acknowledge the contributions
of Chancellor Martin and several others to the work that was initiated in late spring and
continued over the summer.

The Chancellor's Cabinet and I will take a leadership role in creating an inclusive campus
environment, and we will work with the entire campus community to plan and implement
actions that will move this agenda forward this fall. I encourage all of you to join me in
the work to create a campus that is respectful and supportive of all of our members.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor