Reminders: President search, Engagement Survey, Town Halls

Good morning colleagues, Here are some quick updates on this rainy October day. Presidential Search Listening Sessions: The Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC) will hold listening sessions to gather input on the qualities and characteristics important in our next president. I am pleased to have strong representation from UMD on the committee and thank Jill Doerfler, professor and American Indian studies department head, Rudy Perrault, professor of music and director of orchestras, and student Remi Foust, sustainability director of the student government association and a resident advisor, for their time and energy serving on this consequential committee. Please mark your calendars and attend as you are able. Tuesday, October 24 in the Kirby Student Center Ballroom: 9:45 – 10:30 a.m.        Listening Session: Faculty and staff 10:45 – 11:30 a.m.      Listening Session: Students 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.        Listening Session: Open to all campus and community members Input may also be submitted to the committee online or by emailing pres-search@umn.edu. Engagement Survey: By now you should have received an email from Korn Ferry with a link to the employee engagement survey. The survey will be open through Friday, November 3, 2023. Please let your voice be heard by taking 10 minutes during your work day to complete the survey. It’s important that we hear from each of you because sharing your unique perspective helps us better understand the multitude of work that makes the University of Minnesota an outstanding institution. The survey is confidential and is administered by Korn Ferry, an external vendor. The survey can be completed using the link provided in the email. If you don’t see an email from Korn Ferry, check out the troubleshooting information at z.umn.edu/survey_trouble_shooting Additional information about the survey can be found online. If an employee cannot find the email or is unable to get the link to work, they can contact the Employee Engagement team within the Office of Human Resources at ee2@umn.edu. UMD Town Halls: Also, a quick reminder to mark your calendars for the town hall meetings in November, where my leadership team and I will provide updates around campus priorities and initiatives. Please join me as you are able:   Monday, November 13: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.        Kirby Ballroom; in person town hall 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.          Virtual town hall; please sign up on this registration link. Sincerely,

Dave McMillan Interim Chancellor

 

Campus Updates and Town Hall Save the Date (Sent 10/11/23)

Good afternoon colleagues, As the fall semester rolls along, I have been enjoying the change of seasons. We have a lot going on this year and the days seem to fly by too quickly. Time sure doesn’t slow down and I often wish it would. I’ve been in Weber Music Hall, Amsoil Arena, Marshall Performing Arts Center, Tweed Museum, Malosky Stadium, Romano Gym, Heller Hall, Cina, Kirby, Humanities, the dining center and most places in between already this semester. While I realize that my experiences reflect only a tiny slice of what happens at this place everyday, all of it reminds me how impactful the UMD experience is and the lifelong connections that stem from it. Several updates follow: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In their Mission Fulfillment Committee meeting this week, the Board of Regents will review the systemwide results of the campus climate survey. This survey was conducted last academic year and we expect to get results for the UMD campus in the very near future. At this point in my interim leadership role, I will leave in place the current structure that supports our campus work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. My thanks go to members of the unit change teams, commissions, and other informal structures that strive for the achievement of UMD’s Goal 2. Along with student success and financial sustainability, our culture is one of my three critical leadership priorities. Given that we will soon have UMD results of our campus climate survey, I will focus our efforts this year on reviewing those results and recommending actions from them. I am in the process of creating the Chancellor’s Council for Campus Culture (4C). This task force will include students, faculty, and staff currently serving on campus climate teams and commissions. They will be charged with reviewing our survey results and making recommendations that will advance our work in diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as position UMD effectively for a leadership transition. In addition to the 4C task force review of the campus climate survey results, I will be charging each campus leader who receives unit-level results with developing actions that support DEI work at the local level. We will welcome VP Mercedes Ramirez Fernandez and AVP Keisha Varma to campus next week as well to help us advance this critical work. Budget and Structural Review Leadership continues to move ahead with our budget and structural review plan. On the chancellor’s website, you will find more budget review information including updates on the initiatives, the timeline and data collection plan for the academic program array analysis, and links to resources like presentations, communications, and related websites. My leadership team and I will host two campus town hall meetings in November to provide further updates on these efforts and collect continued feedback from the campus community. Please mark your calendars and join me as you are able: Monday, November 13: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. - Kirby Ballroom; in person town hall 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. - virtual town hall; please sign up on this registration link I look forward to continued engagement with you on these and other initiatives. Thanks for all you do for UMD and for our students. Sincerely,

Dave McMillan Interim Chancellor