Dear colleagues,
As
we wrap up the first week of classes, it sure feels great to see the
hallways full and feel the excitement of a new academic year. Thank you
for welcoming our new students and helping all students transition back
to campus.
We made good progress last semester in preparing our budget resolution plan,
and we have continued to work on the budget resolution process over the
past several weeks. In meetings this week with my Senior Leadership
Council, the Council of Deans and Academic Administrators, and the
Strategic Planning and Budget committee we provided updates and gathered
feedback. We continue to move forward this week by identifying budget
reduction numbers for the schools and colleges and are asking the Deans
and their leadership teams to provide scenarios for how they will
realize those savings.
We
need to provide time and safe space for these conversations to happen.
We need to be strategic in looking at how all of these changes fit
together. We need to be mindful of optimizing our programs, while
ensuring a quality student learning experience. We need to be cognizant
of working together to best position UMD for future success.
I would like to provide you access to budget resources which will hopefully provide useful information. You may wish to review President Kaler’s 2017 fiscal year UMD budget allocation
letter. In this letter, you will see the allocations we received this
fiscal year and the expectations from the U of M regarding our budget
resolution. As well, VCFO Steve Keto has prepared a historical look at
key UMD budget impacts since 2009.
As
we continue to progress through this process, there will be a variety
of emotions and misinformation at times. I know there has been some
discussion on social media about resources for our MTAG (Master of Tribal Administration and Governance) program. I want to emphasize that UMD
remains committed to the MTAG program. The current staffing levels for
MTAG will remain the same through the year as the College of Liberal
Arts addresses necessary budget discussions. It is our expectation that
as MTAG continues to grow, support for the program will continue to
expand.
I
will keep you posted as we move forward. In the meantime, let me know
if you have questions or would like additional information.
Sincerely,
Lendley Black
Chancellor
