Preparing an inclusive 和 swift path forward on faculty workload

2月. 13, 2023

尊敬的老师们:

I am writing to provide an update on our plans to address the faculty workload issue.

我知道你们很多人对 暂停受托人 有指示. Know that the trustees 和 I have heard your concerns 和 that we are committed to resolving this issue as swiftly, 尽可能透明和包容. 也, please know that the Board did not approve or reject the proposal; they asked us to pause implementation of the workload shift to better underst和 the intersecting challenges 和 to allow us time to perform more analysis on our options, 包括多年预算模型, 告知他们下一步的决定.

I have spoken with Board Chair Noles 和 Vice Chair Hultquist, 和 they are open to having discussions on the topic as early as their next meetings, 是3月16日到17日. Depending on the quality of the analysis 和 the options brought forward, it is possible that proposals relating to this issue could be integrated into the FY23/24 budget cycle, which will be approved by the Board at their June 2023 meeting. Meeting such a tight timeline will require that we begin our analytical decision-framing process ASAP.

前进的道路我很高兴在上周与大家分享, through a series of meetings with our budget team, 皇冠体育官网, Academic Affairs (including all the deans 和 the leaders of Faculty Senate 和 the Council of Chairs), 受托人和一些外部顾问, 皇冠官网网站正在就前进的道路达成协议. All agreed that this issue has raised a number of intersecting challenges 和 opportunities that need to be addressed simultaneously 和 in context with the issue of workload. 其中包括补偿, 多样性, 保留教员, 教职员及学生, 和 our cross-functional university processes 和 expectations for ensuring student success.

与此同时, 皇冠官网网站最近的入学人数下降了, 皇冠官网网站从国家获得的长期资源不足, 和 the current macroeconomic environment all add additional challenges to our efforts. Although we have made progress in the past few years, there is still work ongoing to address deferred technology 和 infrastructure upgrades, 预算流程改进和薪资压力, all of which need to be addressed in an integrated 和 strategic way if we are to get to a “new normal.” It is important to appreciate that the investment the state made in our IT upgrades – Wi-Fi improvements 和 Workday – will result in our working smarter, 不困难, 一旦他们完全上线. Any workload assessment needs to account for these challenges 和 the changes this new technology will afford, 和 any plans developed must be thoughtfully sequenced with these ongoing efforts.

为成功而组织考虑到这一背景, we will be st和ing up an inclusive cross-functional task force that will build on the work already completed to clarify the issues for the trustees 和 our own community 和 provide options for the way forward. My two guiding principles as we develop 和 assess options are (1) that no one at 密歇根州立大学丹佛 – faculty or 工作人员 – should have an unsustainable workload 和 (2) whatever solutions we pursue must center student success as our No. 1任务.

The cross-functional task force will craft an aggressive timeline, aiming to describe 和 quantify the issues to be addressed along with clarifying data at the March 校董会 meeting. This will be followed by options development 和 detailed budget modeling, which will be prepared for the June Board meeting, along with any additional requests for information or analysis. 皇冠官网网站将公布更详细的行动计划, 包括教师, 工作人员, 或者学生也可以参与, 这周末之前.

I know all Roadrunners go above 和 beyond to serve 皇冠官网网站的学生. When we say we pride ourselves on meeting 皇冠官网网站的学生 where they are, I know there are faculty on the front lines 和 in the classrooms working passionately 和 collaboratively with 教职员及学生. Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission 和 your efforts to make 密歇根州立大学丹佛 an even better place.

也感谢Dr. Marie Mora for stepping up to serve as interim provost. We are lucky to have such a talented educator 和 economist here to support Academic Affairs 和 to serve as a senior leader at this key inflection point.

Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Faculty Leadership Team, including Dr. 梅瑞迪斯L. Jeffers, associate professor 和 faculty trustee; Dr. Liz Goodnick, associate professor 和 president of Faculty Senate; Dr. Elizabeth Ribble, professor 和 president of the Council of Chairs 和 Directors; 和 Dr. Sheila Rucki, professor 和 president of the Metropolitan State Faculty Federation. 这些领导人上周聚在一起起草了一份 联合声明 highlighting the work faculty had done on the workload proposal 和 confirming their support for a collaborative way forward. I share their commitment to shared governance 和 their optimism that “the work we do together now will result in outcomes that, 回顾, demonstrate that this pause resulted in progress 和 ongoing positive change for 密歇根州立大学丹佛, 皇冠官网网站的教师, 和, 最重要的是, 皇冠官网网站的学生.”

真诚地,

珍妮·戴维森博士.D.
丹佛州立大学校长