Facilitator: Bill Miller
Recorder: Nancy Middlebrook

Working Committee Representatives
Staff Recruitment, Retention, Development and Support – Susan Carkeek
Campus Culture/Climate – Tom Dodson
Diversity – Ricardo Maestas
Undergraduate Recruitment – Terry Babbitt
Faculty Development/Stature – Michael Dougher
 
 

The forum was attended by approximately 15 individuals including the task force and working committee members. Bill Miller provided a brief introduction and explanation of the strategic planning process thus far. He then opened the forum up for questions and comments. The following is a summary of the discussion.

• A question was asked about whether the issue of faculty unionization had come up in any of the working committee reports or discussion. It was noted that while there was some discussion about unionization of different groups of employees, including faculty, within some of the working groups, but the topic of faculty unionization was not singled out in the reports.

• A concern was raised about faculty and staff salaries, especially issues related to salary impaction, where new faculty and staff are being hired at salaries that are the same or even sometimes more than that of their counterparts who have been employed at the university for many years. It was pointed out that this often serves as a disincentive for faculty and staff members to remain at UNM for a long period of time. A counter point was made about the value and the need to have flexibility to be competitive in hiring good people and that there needs to be a balance in being able to attract quality people to UNM and retain the quality employees that are already here. It was noted that the Staff report recommends a strategy for offering "in-range" salary adjustments for staff members as they develop their skills and abilities. A suggestion was offered by one of the attendees that maybe employees should be allowed to quit (without jeopardizing their benefits) so that they could apply as a new employee. It was suggested by the same individual that staff should not stay in the same position for a long time, but look around for lateral positions or move to a different department to move up. This is probably not an option for faculty.

• Another issue raised as a problem was using the funds from vacated faculty or staff positions to beef up salaries of other faculty or staff in the department. A question was posed about what happens to the positions – do they remain in the system infinitely or do they just disappear? It was explained that UNM does not currently have a university-wide system to sweep out positions that are no longer vacated. However, deans and directors do use their discretion in what to do with vacated faculty/staff lines. It may be that salary savings are put into enhancing other salaries or the money might be used for other initiatives. Generally, if the position remains vacated for an extended period of time, it tends to get absorbed.

• A point was made by a faculty member that many students perceive that (1) the staff at UNM are generally unhappy and (2) this unhappiness is manifested by treating students rudely.

• A question was asked about the strategic planning process and at what point the process was going to move from information gathering to actually putting plans into motion. A synopsis of the process was provided. It was discussed that the first part of the process has been focused on information gathering but that now the process is moving into determining strategic directions and developing the actual plan. It is anticipated that a draft plan will be produced before the end of the semester and distributed widely for public comment. Later in the forum, a concern was raised about whether or not the plan would be reviewed on a consistent basis after it is completed. It was noted that implementation and follow up are key to the process.

• A question was asked about the relationship in the decision making between the Regents and President. It was noted that not many people understand how the Regents are nominated and what their function is. A short discussion about how the regents are appointed ensued.

• The facilitator commented that the directions of the strategic plan are different then what he first envisioned when the process was first started. A questions was asked if the working paper recommendations are realistic and the response was that some were and some were probably more like wish lists. It was suggested that some general communication about the process and how it is going might help mitigate some of the cynicism about the process and help to market the plan.

• It was noted that the Staff report pointed out a concern regarding declining operating funds. Increasing salaries has been a top priority over the past few years, but at the same time operating funds have not been increased and have deteriorated. What is the correct balance between money for raising salaries and money to enhance operating funds? Lack of supplies or operating budget funds can also be a disincentive for employees and can sometimes be a morale issue. It was questioned whether if there were some other sources to tap for resources with grants or partnerships with businesses such as Intel. Also, perhaps the university should look at redistribution of resources and take on a more "interdisciplinary" focus.

• It was noted that the University should be actively involved in preparing students for college and for university life. Students don’t seem to be academically prepared or emotionally prepared. It was also noted that we should look for ways to improve and foster the relationship between faculty and students. An example was provided in offering to pay for a student to take faculty members to lunch. One attendee asked if UNM is positioning itself as a research institution, will this lessen the focus on undergraduate, particularly lower level, classes?

• It was noted that development efforts at UNM seem to be fragmented and in competition with each other. It seems like there is a great deal of redundancy. Is there anything that could be combined to avoid duplication and make the efforts more efficient?

• The issue of whether or not UNM should be run like a business was discussed. It was suggested that the university is not like a public business. However, the university should be fiscally responsible. Another suggestion is that "running the university as a business" has a negative connotation and perhaps defining it might take away some of the negativity. It was agreed that similar to a business, we should be fiscally responsible, we should be marketing to attract quality students, and we should be obtaining resources to carry out our mission. However, there are some clear differences between a university and a business and we need to balance the two. It was agreed that the university should not become so focused on being run as business that we become like managed care in the health industry.

• The topic of Community Service was raised. It was suggested that more internship opportunities for students, especially at the university, should be provided.

• It was noted that some common themes that seem to be arising are the increased expectation of accountability, that individuals should be given responsibility to perform their duties and carry out university expectations, that the "layers" of bureaucracy should be reduced or eliminated, and that we should get rid of the "MUD" – management by upward delegation – which promotes inefficiencies and duplication.