A Meaningful (Almost) 100 Days
I can’t believe it’s been nearly 100 days, but the calendar tells me it’s true. It seems like just last week I was in the Strebel Auditorium sharing with you my 100-Day Action Plan and asking for your help to complete the plan’s objectives and improve the position of the University.
Working together in these first 96 days, we have accomplished a great deal. Some of it has been joyful, and some of it has been very hard, as I warned you it would be. All of it has been meaningful and has helped us move the University toward a brighter future. To that end, here’s a brief update on the 100-Day Plan.
- Develop a three-year strategic plan – The plan will soon be rolled out to the campus community. I want to express my deep gratitude to the Strategic Planning Committee. They did a great deal of work quickly and thoughtfully.
- Complete endowment liberation – We have successfully lifted the temporal restrictions on certain restricted funds that were more than 20 years old, had a value of less than $100,000, and for which the donor was deceased. As we have discussed, the goal is to not spend this money, but hold it.
- Finalize long-term structural changes needed to build financial resiliency – We continue to work on key components of these changes. Our work with the AAUP-Utica negotiating team is ongoing and productive. I am grateful for the collaboration and believe wholeheartedly that we will find solutions. In other areas of the institution, we have achieved necessary savings and are building skills and protocols that will lead us to a healthier financial future.
- Articulate a clear plan for improving campus climate concerns – The Climate Survey Assessment Task Force has released its report. The report is in depth and provides detailed analysis of the survey’s feedback. The task force also established a webpage to help keep the campus community informed about our campus climate initiatives and efforts to address the survey results. I cannot thank them enough for being so cautious, thoughtful, and diligent in their approach. I have been carefully reading the report. As I have said before, with some of the identified issues, it would be inappropriate for administration to suggest or dictate solutions. For issues that need broader community involvement and input to fashion solutions, we will seek volunteers from the campus community to help us.
- Assemble a cabinet of community members – Working closely with a trusted and well-respected member of the community, I have developed my “long, short-list” of potential cabinet members. I will be inviting members to participate in mid-May.
- Reorganize leadership structures and Cabinet – The President’s Cabinet was restructured to seven members. This allows us to focus on the primary issues facing the University. Along with this, we have successfully launched the new Campus Leadership group that involves more mid-level leaders from the campus community in our leadership and planning process.
- Develop a multi-year communications plan – The President’s Office has developed a long-term communications plan divided into two-month increments. This allows us to plan communications and align them with Advancement and government relations needs.
- Ensure the budget development process for FY27 delivers a balanced or surplus budget – The budget tool was released and budget managers are finishing their work. This process will not be finalized until the Board of Trustees approve the budget at their May meeting. However, preliminary work with budget managers indicates we are on track to deliver on this commitment.
- Finalize academic portfolio review – The Academic Portfolio Review process is on track to be completed as outlined in the governing MOA. The collaborative process has generated a great deal of meaningful discussion about our academic programs and portfolio. I thank the faculty and everyone else involved for the many hours of work they have dedicated to this process.
- Complete a donor relations trip to Florida – Our trip to Florida was very successful. We received recommitment on several estate gifts and annual gifts, and generated enthusiasm and goodwill with many alumni and donors.
- Complete the MSCHE self-study report draft and host our visiting team chair – Through the tireless efforts of Provost Ann Damiano and the Steering Committee, our draft report is complete. I want to thank everyone who worked incredibly hard to make this happen. We are excited to welcome Dr. Walter Iwanenko, our visiting team chair, to campus this Friday.
- Initiate succession planning – We have started this process with general discussions. While the bulk of this work will start in the Summer and continue through the Fall semester, we have identified key positions that need a plan sooner rather than later and have started foundational work in those areas.
This 100-Day Action Plan has served as an effective roadmap to help us translate strategic objectives into actionable tasks. And so with the close of my first 100-Day Plan, it is time to begin a new Action Plan. This second plan will run through July 31. Those of you who are mathematically adept have already realized that it is more than 100 days. However, July 31 provides a good cut-off point to wrap up this next plan and begin the next plan, which will likely span the fall semester.
I will detail this second plan in upcoming communications, but I want to highlight a few of the key objectives we will accomplish over the next (more or less) 100 days. One, we will launch the Strategic Plan, communicate the goals to the University community, and develop an implementation plan to ensure institutional follow up and individual accountability. Two, we will finalize plans to build financial resiliency, continue collaborative efforts with the AAUP-Utica to achieve identified structural changes, and communicate changes impacting the campus community before June 1. Three, we will articulate a clear plan for addressing issues identified in the Campus Climate Survey, engage relevant stakeholders to develop actionable solutions where appropriate, and develop a plan to re-survey the campus community before the end of the 2026-2027 academic year. Four, I will announce a cabinet of community members, and convene the group for at least one meeting before July 31. Five, we will finalize a plan for the University’s 80th anniversary celebration that maximizes opportunities to engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and the surrounding community and fully leverages opportunities to spotlight the University’s importance to the region.
I want to thank each of you for the role you have played in helping us move the needle. As I told you back in January, our success is dependent on all of us working together. Every day hasn’t been pretty, but most days have been pretty decent. I feel we have some positive momentum, and I hope you are feeling it too.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Nesbitt
President