Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President Update on Issues ...
Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President Update on Issues ...
Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President Update on Issues ...
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Interdisciplinary Research – Bey<strong>on</strong>d Rhetoric: After talking about valuing interdisciplinaryresearch for many years, we finally made it happen this year by seeding $10 milli<strong>on</strong> worth <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ideas in four thrust areas (involving over 40 faculty members <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> approximately 60 newgraduate students). These seed grants will groom future centers <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> excellence <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> nati<strong>on</strong>al awardwinning pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors while preparing a new class <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interdisciplinary-trained graduate students.The initiative, first <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> its kind, will not <strong>on</strong>ly build a sustainable research base, but will also boostour doctoral degree pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ile…this is how we are building <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pathway to seek AAU eligibility.Chief Technology <str<strong>on</strong>g>Office</str<strong>on</strong>g>r: After successfully reorganizing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Office</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Decisi<strong>on</strong> Support, weare reorganizing <strong>on</strong>e more area so we can better serve you. The newly created positi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ChiefTechnology <str<strong>on</strong>g>Office</str<strong>on</strong>g>r (CTO) will have 65-70 staff positi<strong>on</strong>s, brought toge<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r from different unitsacross campus. The CTO will ensure that we achieve maximum efficiency in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> procurement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>technology while having <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> tools to drive toward our visi<strong>on</strong>. In <strong>on</strong>e faculty’s words, “this is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>most significant thing that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> University has d<strong>on</strong>e in many years!” As I thank Dr. T<strong>on</strong>yLewellyn for his outst<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>ing leadership <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Academic Computing, I am happy to announce thatDr. Kathleen Moore has agreed to serve as Acting CTO until <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> positi<strong>on</strong> is filled. The searchfor <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> first CTO is headed by Dean Colleen Kennedy. If you are interested in reading moreabout it, here is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> attachment that I discussed at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> open forum held to announce <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> initiative.http://files.acad.usf.edu/<str<strong>on</strong>g>Provost</str<strong>on</strong>g>/<str<strong>on</strong>g>Update</str<strong>on</strong>g>-04-2007-Chief-Technology-<str<strong>on</strong>g>Office</str<strong>on</strong>g>r.pdfUSF <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> new Strategic Plan: If you have not seen USF’s new Strategic Plan, you may wantto do so now (http://www.ods.usf.edu/plans/acadaffairs/). After 14 versi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> 9 town hallmeetings, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Strategic Plan is now a reality. The Plan calls for USF to embark <strong>on</strong> a journeytoward becoming AAU-eligible. It is a significant move even though it may take a few yearsbefore USF becomes eligible <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> gets invited to AAU. By embracing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> visi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> AAUeligibility,USF has declared its intenti<strong>on</strong> to build both breadth <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> depth. It will mean changinginstituti<strong>on</strong>al culture <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> making it c<strong>on</strong>sistent with what is found in AAU instituti<strong>on</strong>s. In case youare w<strong>on</strong>dering about USF’s commitment to undergraduate educati<strong>on</strong>, please feel comforted by<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fact that AAU now includes quality <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> undergraduate educati<strong>on</strong> as <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> its measures. Whatis <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> next step? All campuses will develop <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir own strategic plan c<strong>on</strong>sistent with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> missi<strong>on</strong><str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> visi<strong>on</strong> set forth in this larger umbrella plan. Once we refine <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> tune <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> plan for Tampa, wewill ask departments <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> colleges to prepare <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir compact plans which will include goals <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>resources necessary to achieve <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> next level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> excellence. During this Fall, you will have anopportunity to c<strong>on</strong>sider <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> future <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> your department <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> what resources would it take for you toget <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re.Legislative Budget: The Legislature is in sessi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> budget details are posted <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>Budget website (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/univsvcweb/2007_2008Budget.htm). USF has severalimportant priorities, am<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m funding for graduate enhancement, Bio-medical Engineering,Entrepreneurship <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> community engagement initiatives. Recurring funds are scarce this year,but our Trustees, <str<strong>on</strong>g>President</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> governmental relati<strong>on</strong>s staff are hard at work to ensure that wereceive adequate funding to fulfill our missi<strong>on</strong>.New Buildings <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Horiz<strong>on</strong>: The Music building is funded; <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Interdisciplinary Sciencebuilding is mostly funded; <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Classroom/H<strong>on</strong>ors College building (to be located in fr<strong>on</strong>t <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Administrati<strong>on</strong> as our signature building) is slated to receive planning m<strong>on</strong>ey. In additi<strong>on</strong>,