MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee State of the University Address

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee State of the University Address

Middle Tennessee State University
Fall Faculty Meeting
Aug. 28, 2009
10 a.m., Tucker Theatre
Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

Good morning. As always, I am delighted to welcome each of you to our annual fall faculty meeting. This is a time of year that always brings a tremendous amount of excitement to me in that it signifies the beginning of yet another milestone for our institution.

This gathering, along with our University Convocation, which is only a couple of days away, gives me the opportunity to join you in helping to set the tone for this new academic year. Additionally, this occasion allows me the pleasure of being among the first to welcome our returning faculty back and to extend warm greetings to our newest faculty members and to share why Middle Tennessee State University is such a wonderful place to work.

I am proud to say to you this morning that this marks the beginning of my ninth year as President of MTSU and every fall of my tenure here, I have been able to say to you that “these are exciting times” for our university.

Having just recently completed a year filled with discussions of budgets cuts and institutional streamlining, the development of extensive reports and proposals, and protests on the President’s Lawn -- my opening declaration on the State of the University is slightly different this year. Instead of repeating that these are “exciting times” at MTSU, I will declare, with even greater vigor than I have in the past, that “These are exceptionally exciting times at MTSU.”

But, before I go any further, let me take a few moments to recognize some individuals who are extremely important to this institution and are invaluable to me in working to ensure the successful management and operation of this University.

Let me begin by introducing my executive team, a group of outstanding individuals who serve as my key advisers and are involved in much of the overall decision-making on our campus.

- Mr. John Cothern, Senior Vice President;
- Dr. Diane Miller, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost;
- Mr. Joe Bales, Vice President for Development and University Relations;
- Ms. Lucinda Lea, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer;
- Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for Student Affairs and Vice Provost for Enrollment and Academic Services; and
- Mrs. Kimberly Edgar, Executive Assistant to the President.

These individuals are doing an outstanding job on behalf of our University. Please join me in expressing appreciation to this dedicated team of campus leaders.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize the members of the MTSU President Cabinet. Before I ask the entire group to stand, I would like to give special recognition to two individuals who have been added to our cabinet membership since last year. They include: Dr. Mike Allen, Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the College of Graduate Studies; and Ms. Deborah Belcher, an associate professor in the Department of Human Sciences and the 2009-10 President of the Faculty Senate. Would you please join me in recognizing these individuals, along with other members of the President’s Cabinet who are in the audience today.

We also have some other very special guests with us that I would like to recognize. They are…

• Senator Jim Tracy – 16th District
• Representative Kent Coleman – 49th District
• Representative Joe Carr – 48th District
• Mr. Jim Holland, President, MTSU Foundation

Now, I wish to begin my formal remarks. Each of us in this room views this very complex and diverse institution from many different vantage points. As such, we often see the institution’s successes and challenges in many different ways. But regardless of your point of view, most of us can agree that there are countless reasons to celebrate here at MTSU.

If you didn’t come to this meeting thinking about what an outstanding institution this is, we tried to get you thinking in that direction by sharing with you a brief video about our dynamic new virtual tour. This interactive, online tour showcases our campus, students, faculty and others in ways in which they have not been seen before. This is truly a tool of which we can be extremely proud, and I wish to thank the individuals who worked so diligently on this project for nearly a year, from concept to implementation.

And speaking of outstanding --- just last week the prestigious Forbes’ Magazine published its 2009 rankings of America’s Best Colleges.

- Our university was ranked as the 57th best public institution in America
- and the only public university in the State of Tennessee to be ranked in the top 100.

Additionally, we achieved Forbes’ “Best Buy” ranking at #47 among all colleges and universities in the country, both public and private, joining the likes of institutions such as the University of Florida, the University of California at Berkeley, The Citadel and the College of William and Mary among the top 100 in this category.

As I have said to countless alumni, friends, supporters, and others who have commented on these notable ratings, the fact that we have been recognized among the top 100 public institutions in the United States is a direct result of the dedication of faculty and staff like all of you who are committed to ensuring that we deliver on our promise to provide our students with more than just a quality education but also a nurturing environment that goes beyond the expectation and focuses directly on the needs and success of our students.

Although our long-standing reputation as an exceptional institution of higher learning is built on far more than short-lived rankings like the ones that I have mentioned, they do serve to reaffirm our position of quality among other highly regarded institutions and pay due homage to those faculty and staff members who are serious about the success of our students and our University.

Today, I do want to take the time to recognize some faculty members who have brought significant notoriety to themselves and to the University over the past year.

As I reflect over the many accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students since our last meeting, I realize that our Academic Master Plan continues to be a galvanizing force in our effort to maintain and reinforce our status as Tennessee’s Best. You have rallied behind the three pillars of this plan and committed yourselves to demonstrating the quality of our academic programs, living out our commitment to being a student-centered institution and giving of yourselves and your intellectual resources for the benefit of others.

In terms of academic quality, the success of our efforts in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM disciplines has never been greater. And, you, our faculty, have been hard at work in securing funding for STEM-related programs and research and engaging in the kinds of activities that have been consistently carving out a special niche for MTSU in areas such as science and math education and various fields of technology.

Over the last year, I’m pleased to report that 13 biology faculty received 15 new external grants and contracts as principle or co-principle investigators for a total of more than 5.1 million dollars. Drs. Mary and Anthony Farone and Dr. Kim Sadler, whom I will ask at this time to stand, are Principle Investigators on the largest grant—a 3 million dollar National Science Foundation grant that places cellular and molecular biology students in high school biology classrooms in Rutherford and Davidson counties. Join me in extending congratulations to these individuals and to other faculty members in the sciences who have contributed to our success in this area.

Another major project for which we experienced recent funding success was a 750,000 dollar grant from NASA for which Dr. Paul Craig, Professor of Aerospace, is the Project Director. This project will position MTSU as the first school in the country to conduct research on the viability of the new Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology in the general aviation arena. Dr. Craig, please stand and be recognized.

Other outstanding faculty accomplishments include:

• Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, Professor of Chemistry, who was one of only eight people in the nation to receive the 2009 Association for Women in Science Fellows Award. She and Dr. Martha Weller, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, were named to the inaugural class of SENCER Leadership Fellows for their efforts toward improvement of STEM education.

• Dr. Cedric Dent, Professor in the School of Music, and two Master of Arts Students were nominated for 2009 Grammy Awards; and

• Dr. Charles Perry, MTSU Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence, has invented a plug-in hybrid retro-fit kit that ultimately could save America 120 million gallons of fuel daily.

I would like for all of these individuals to stand and be recognized.

I could go on for hours, with name after name, of faculty members who have made outstanding accomplishments that have positively impacted our University and our students, but I merely wanted to share a selected few to give you a sense of the caliber of professionals who are sitting among you this morning.

Also speaking to the quality of this institution are several new programs and partnerships that reflect our commitment to the success of MTSU students and to the positive development of the communities that we serve.

• In the Spring of 2009, we established the Middle Tennessee Education Center in Shelbyville in partnership with Motlow State Community College. This is our first true off-campus Center, which houses classrooms as well as administrative and advising offices for both institutions as we seek to serve the needs of people in that area. I want to recognize Dean Mike Boyle for his tireless effort in making this a reality. Dean Boyle….

• We have also established other innovative new programs and partnerships with institutions such as Nashville State Community College and the University of Tennessee Space Institute. While I won’t go into extensive details here, I will say that the programs that have resulted from these partnerships will make it easier for students to achieve the goal of attaining either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Ms. Michelle Blackwell, Director of Transfer Student Services and Drs. Wayne Dornan and Nate Calendar from the Department of Aerospace were instrumental in these two projects. Would all three of you please stand….

• Another new program is the Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth, which was established at MTSU with grant support of 335,000 dollars from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The purpose of the Center, which is a university-community partnership, is to promote childhood physical activity and improve the physical fitness of youth in middle Tennessee. The Center received a second award of 295,000 dollars to support initiatives for the 2009-2010 school year. I’d like to recognize Dr. Don Morgan, a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, for his work on this wonderful project. Dr. Morgan – please stand.

Along with recognizing the successes experienced among our faculty and their respective academic programs, I generally take a few moments during this gathering to acknowledge the accomplishments of our Athletics staff and student athletes, both on and off the field of play.

Last year, 55% of all student athletes at MTSU had a GPA of 3.0 or higher; 25 % had a 3.5 or higher; and 17 of our student athletes had a GPA of at least a perfect 4.0. These percentages speak very highly of the intellectual capabilities of our student athletes and the level of support provided to these individuals by our coaches, faculty, and other personnel.

Our athletics program, particularly football, continues to serve as a national model for building academic excellence and for improving retention and graduation rates among student athletes as measured by the NCAA APR guidelines.

Now, let me share with you just a few more achievements in athletics from this past year:

• The Volleyball team won their first ever NCAA at-large tournament berth;

• We earned the distinction of being Sunbelt Champions in Women’s Basketball, Men’s Indoor Track, Men’s Golf, Men’s Tennis and Baseball.

• And…we dedicated several facilities including the Dean Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium; the Reece Smith Baseball Field, and the Jeff Hendrix Golf Performance Center.

I’d like to recognize Athletics Director Chris Massaro and his staff, along with our coaches and Athletic support personnel, for their dedication to ensuring the athletic and academic success of our student athletes. Would you all please stand?

Now - without a doubt, the successes that we experienced as an institution during the last academic year were profound. Unfortunately, our celebration of these great efforts may have been overshadowed by our need to address the severe budget issues and the process of looking toward the future with new plans and strategies.

I am extremely proud to say that even during our most difficult moments of trying to figure out how MTSU would deal with a very real and significant budget crisis, you as a faculty worked in partnership with the administration to outline a series of recommendations and a course of action that would contribute to positioning us for continued growth and success.

Although the budget crisis remains a very critical issue in the State of Tennessee as well as the nation, MTSU is well positioned and set to move into this new academic year with renewed vigor.

With 19.3 million dollars already permanently taken from our budget and replaced by one-time stimulus funding for the next two years, we must continue streamlining and restructuring for us to be prepared for July 1, 2011 when we will not have the luxury of the stimulus funds. Your input has significantly informed our decision-making process, and we have recommendations in place that we feel will, ultimately, make us a better University.

Indeed, this crisis, which has had the attention of every college and university in the country, was just the opportunity that we needed to reexamine what we do, think about how we might improve, and set forth on a new journey, which will result in our next 100 years being phenomenally greater than the last. Ladies and gentlemen, I am excited about this new journey because we are already well on our way.

Now, since I have received a number of inquiries regarding budget issues such as stimulus funding, our voluntary Buyout Program, and tuition increases, I did want to give you a few brief details.

In regard to the stimulus funds, MTSU will be using these funds consistent with the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program guidelines. For MTSU, the stimulus funds will allow for a two-year transition on the 19.3 million-dollar state appropriation reduction. We will receive 17.6 million dollars in federal funds each of the next two fiscal years under the program to help offset the reduction.

For the first year (2009-2010), 15.9 million dollars will be used for operating cost, including general costs, scholarships, and the employee voluntary buy-out plan. This replaces the reductions the state made. The balance for this year will be used for capital projects and equipment purchases including desktop computers.

For the second year (2010-2011), approximately 5 million dollars will be used for operating and the balance for projects and purchases consistent with the guidelines.

As I mentioned in the spring, the most important aspect of receiving the stimulus funds rests in the fact that they will allow us to maintain staff and provide for an orderly transition of any personnel reductions that may be needed. We are hoping that our voluntary buy-out program, which I formally announced at the end of July, will help us to avoid a reduction in force.

Based on our estimates, we believe that we can realize approximately 4.7 million dollars through this voluntary program if we receive the level of interest and response that has been outlined in our proposal. Our Human Resources Web site provides extensive details about the plan, including answers to frequently asked questions. The site also provides a list of deadlines and key activities associated with the Plan that you will need to know should you be interested in participating.

In regard to tuition, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved a tuition increase of 6% for MTSU at its June meeting. Any new revenue generated from this increase will first be used to cover rising fixed costs that we annually have for things such as utilities, scholarship increases, faculty promotion, and increased fringe benefits costs. A portion of that revenue may also be used for new initiatives that have been designed to position MTSU for the future.

Any balances that become available from the modest increase that we anticipate as a result of the tuition increase and enrollment growth will be used to mitigate other reductions.

We will continue to work on budget reductions consistent with the Positioning the University for the Future plan and provide regular updates via multiple channels, including e-mail and the Positioning the University for the Future Web site.

As we continue to deal with the current budget issues, we remain extremely grateful for those faculty colleagues who are engaged in competing for external funds. We brought in more than 38 million dollars in externally sponsored research and creative activity last year, which provided a significant boost in helping us to develop and maintain a number of quality programs throughout our campus and within the community.

In terms of private funding, Vice President Joe Bales and his team of development specialists continue to do a good job for MTSU. I am pleased to recognize a new member to our development team, Mr. Nick Perlick, who joined the MTSU family in March as our new Director of Development. Mr. Perlick, will you please stand.

As you might expect, alumni giving on a national level fell significantly over the past year. The good news is, however, MTSU saw a 15% increase in the number of alumni who supported programs and activities across our campus. Like many schools around the country, we did experience a decline in the actual dollar amount raised compared to previous years. However, we are extremely grateful for the financial support of our Blue Raider alumni and friends. I continue to urge our administrators, faculty and others to work cooperatively with our Development Office in order to ensure that we maintain the trust of existing and prospective donors and outline appropriate investment options that will give our donors confidence in our ability to provide wise counsel as it relates to the limited resources that they have to invest in this institution.

Before I conclude my remarks, I do want to take just a moment to outline a few of the major challenges that we will face in the coming year as an institution and how you can help us to effectively address them.

As you might expect, budget reductions will continue to be a serious issue that will impact our efforts to successfully position MTSU for the future. The State Commissioner of Finance remains concerned about financial projections for the State, particularly as tax revenue in Tennessee has continued its downward trend.

Despite the financial challenges ahead of us,

- I want to encourage the entire University community to remain committed to the advancement of our mission

- to focus our attention on reaching beyond our own expectations and moving toward the goals of improving our graduation and retention rates

- to increase our private and external funding

- and to raise program quality to even great heights.

I can assure you that progress will continue - and you will notice it in everything from new partnerships and new areas of strategic focus to the completion of major University facilities.

Speaking of facilities, I hope that you have had an opportunity to see the job-site signs at the southwest corner of the roundabout that show the renderings of our new education building and new student union. Construction has already begun on each of these projects which total more than 100 million dollars.

Other major issues that will be ahead of this year include the discussions on higher education reform in the State and the rising national health concerns related to the spread of the H1N1 virus. The potential impact of both of these issues on MTSU is not yet known, but we have determined the need to prepare ourselves for both, as each situation warrants.

As it relates to education reform, I urge you to be attuned, and take the opportunity, as appropriate, to voice your opinion to uphold MTSU’s position as a leading institution of higher learning in the State. This is an outstanding institution, which plays a pivotal role in the general development of the middle Tennessee Region and the State of Tennessee as a whole. As such, our importance to the future success of this State must remain in the front of the minds of legislators and other policy makers, and that can only be done if we are consistently and effectively communicating our values as a comprehensive University to the people of this great State.

Finally, I want to reassure you that, regardless of the challenges, your institution is poised for the future and ready to move progressively ahead. We have built a solid reputation as “Tennessee’s Best”, but we can only maintain and build on that standing by working together.

Henry Ford is quoted as saying,

“Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.”

We will pursue nothing less than success, but that can only be achieved with your active support and involvement in the lives of our students and in the effective management of this institution. I look forward to working with you and to making this an outstanding year for us all.