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MINUTES UMKC FACULTY SENATE

April 1, 1997 (Approved as written 4/15/97)

3:00 P.M. Jean Braun called the meeting to order

Minutes of March 18, 1997 were approved with corrections submitted by Dr. Les Chafetz

Presentation by the Chancellor: Strategic Direction 2005 : University wide innovations and initiatives. Report to the Faculty

Dr. Schwartz has met with each dean to review his/her unit plan. All of the unit plans will be sent to the central office soon. The pursuit of “mission enhancement” for the university is a programmatic request to which we are committed. It will be the programmatic money that will fund the strategic planning process. Dr. Marvin Querry has merged each academic dean’s unit plan into one Academic Affairs plan. Drs. Joe Doerr (Vice Chancellor Administrative Affairs), Dr. Gary Widmar (Vice Chancellor Student Affairs), Dr. Bill French (Vice Chancellor University Advancement) all have submitted their respective plans to Chancellor Schwartz to be merged into one campus plan. Dr. Schwartz has identified themes from the plans that give specific directions on how goals can be achieved. An over-arching plan will preface the unit plans. She distributed two handouts to the Senate: “UMKC Strategic Plan: Focused for the 21st Century” and “Draft--Strategic Direction 2005, University Wide Innovations and Initiatives, Report to the Faculty Senate, April 1, 1997”. A draft of the finalized plan should be complete by the beginning of the fall semester or no later than convocation.

The Vision: UMKC will set the pace for urban higher education as a premier, comprehensive, urban university.

The vision is affected by:

1. Accountability
2. Competition for resources
3. competition for visibility
4. Technology -- A major infrastructure has been built on our campus. Now we need to adapt learning models and provide training in using the technology.
5. Community needs -- The fact that UMKC serves a bi-state area must be taken into consideration.

Ideas provided by unit plans:

1. Interdisciplinary education: UMKC has blazed the trail through the Ph.D. program. It spans our schools and we need to build on it. The last U-News had a review of the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program which gave this quote: “UMKC is at the head of the class”. The program gives us a special niche and has great market potential.
2. Fast-track to professions: UMKC has excellent medical and dentistry programs that draw students into a three year bachelor program. These programs attract top honors students.
3. Technology enhanced instruction: Technology instruction can capitalize on the UMKC infrastructure. This gives us a way to offer instructional alternatives to traditional courses.
4. Internships: Intern programs give students a competitive edge in the job market. It capitalizes on UMKC’s urban location and gives us an edge in recruiting students.

Five years of continual fund increases by the state will end this year. When that occurs, our largest source of revenue will be student fees. The only way to increase revenue will then be by increasing tuition and student fees, and by increasing enrollment. External gifts can be used as well to help increase the revenue base.

How do we include campus wide initiatives? We have to help ourselves.

1. We can tilt enrollment percentages of 70% undergraduate, 30% graduate. We can expand the undergraduate base to 15,000 students. UMKC must recruit from outside the metro area and students must have housing that is school sponsored and safe. We must do more in the way of marketing in order to build our image. We need to focus on faculty and staff development and training and we need the tools to achieve our goals. UMKC is looking at its administrative structure to see what needs updating and to determine whether we are organized the way we should be. We are a different more sophisticated university than twenty years ago. We also need to analyze if certain functions need to be outsourced.
2. Resources for results: There are several ways to fund the university. These include increasing enrollment income, lobbying for a Metropolitan fee, maximizing state resources (CBHE project dollars, UM System new program money, UM System capital project funds), and increasing external gifts, grants and contracts.

Dr. Gary Widmar (Vice Chancellor Student Affairs):

1. The number one issue for UMKC is one of subsidy. Students don’t care what the fee structure is. They want to know what it’s going to cost them to attend UMKC. Our fees are high compared to other institutions. We need to acquire more scholarly and need-based scholarships to attract a variety of students.
2. Housing is an important issue to students. Considerations for student housing include the security and safety issues.
3. We know that students say they want programs that lead them to useful careers. UMKC needs to distribute attractive information. Marketing dollars do not represent a level playing field. For instance, UMC’s view book costs as much as our entire marketing budget.
4. Class size has declined from 18 students to14 students per class. This brings up work load issues. For instance, if class size increases, will we also increase the size of the faculty? At present there is no reward for a faculty member to take on more duties (doctoral students). The reality is that student tuition and student fees are the only revenue over which we have control.

Dr. Bill French (Vice Chancellor University Advancement):

Dr. French explained that his area deals with all people who are not enrolled or employed by the university but work with the university in some capacity. Fund raising is only one function of University Advancement.

Effective communication is vital to his unit. University Advancement is involved with a large number of programs that involve many people. This month, over 2,000 individuals will meet formally with UMKC as volunteers. This type of involvement leads to commitment to the university. The Public Affairs Division is important for state funding because the state is our largest single contributor. Commitments also come in the way of gifts, although this is a small part of the total revenue. In 1985, we received $4,285,000 in gifts. In 1997, we received $16,000,000 from 22,000 donors! In 1985, endowments came to $30,000,000 and today the total is $115,000,000.
A capital fund raising plan is based on the university plan. W cannot be successful in being awarded funds without an excellent plan. We can be proud of how the university ranks in the nation. In Time, “The Princeton Review” (Spring 1997) colleges and universities are ranked in select areas of student body, academics, admissions, and costs and aid. In Missouri, UM ranks second and we also compete well nationally. Our highest ranked program at UMKC is Theater. It is number five in the nation.

How do we go about building a capital campaign?

1. Finish the plan that goes out into the community in order to build your case.
2. Conduct a pre-campaign audit of all people and services available to support a campaign. Usually, 5% to 10% of total funds that need to be raised must be spent to achieve entire goal.
3. Initiate with professional counsel the “feasibility study” by May or June that is based on a list of needs from the schools, capital building projects, and people needs.
4. The Deans were asked to suggest volunteers to be a part of a steering committee. As a 501C3 nonprofit organization, the university has to seek authority to solicit gifts. It is his office that coordinates this effort. Most gifts are restricted.

Present: Greg Arling, Valerie Blanco, Jean Braun, Jane Carl, Les Chafetz, Julie Cheslik, Robert Cleary, Ray Coveney, Rafael Espejo-Saavedra, William Frederickson, Barbara Glesner-Fines, Rich Hamilton, David Harris, , Kathy Loncar, Janet McKinney, Ed Mills, Jerry Place, Jan Russell, Khosrow Sohraby, Nancy Stancel, Hans Uffelmann, Jakob Waterborg, David Yourtee

Excused: Alfred Essser, Joseph Hughey , Steve Krantz , James McKinley, John Rapley, Dennis Pyszcynski, David Schwarzer

Respectfully Submitted,

Nancy D. Stancel
Secretary, Faculty Senate


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