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Oct. 31, 2019  Update

Dear colleagues,

I hope you are enjoying the fall season, though it feels more like winter. This is the first in a series of messages I will send in the coming weeks, to give you a better sense of the priorities and goals I am focusing on for fall 2019, in service of our longer term vision for UM On the Rise.

Retention

The hard work that faculty, staff, and students have put into undergraduate student recruitment and retention is paying off, with first year retention increasing 3 percent this fall. This is gratifying, but we are not out of the woods yet.

We are now in the 10th week of the semester, a critical period for student success and retention.

This     is an important time to check in with students, especially first-year     students, who may be struggling at this stage in the semester and on the     verge of giving up. Let them know we care about their wellbeing.

Learn more     about what you can do to support retention.

Recruitment

We are also in prime time for new student recruitment: you may have noticed daily recruitment updates in UM Today, and our UM recruiters have visited every high school in Montana this fall. Many of you are also going the extra mile — visiting local schools through We are Montana in the Classroom, as well as hosting students at events such as Math Day, InnovateHS and Griz for a Day.

When you talk to your friends and neighbors, especially those whose children are thinking about college, highlight unique learning experiences, like

the     Franke Global Leadership Initiative,     where students across majors address complex global issues via     project-based learning experiences;

our     top-ranking programs including Wildlife Biology, Creative Writing, and     Education;

our     Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, recognizing the     extraordinary service learning and civic engagement opportunities at UM;     and

our     small student to faculty ratio that provides a high level of personal     attention.

Refer a Griz connects prospective students to our recruitment team. Thank you for helping us achieve our recruitment and retention goals.

Search update

Searches are underway for dean positions in the College of Humanities & Sciences, the College of the Arts and Media, and the College of Business. Advertisements are posted on UMJobs, as well as the Chronicle of Higher Education and other national outlets. Search committees are actively seeking and contacting prospective applicants. Please reach out to your colleagues across the country and help us recruit excellent applicants to these critical positions.

Finalists for the position of Dean of the School of Pharmacy recently visited campus, and I anticipate campus visits for finalists for Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center to take place before the end of the semester. Details on candidate visits are posted in UMToday and information about recruitments is updated regularly on the Academic Hiring website.

Next week, I’ll focus on budget models and curricular innovations – additional essential parts of UM’s institutional health and future.

As always, I am open to your ideas and feedback. Please join me for informal networking at Coffee with the Provost (this happens one Friday each month in the Branch Center, and is announced on UMToday), schedule an appointment during my office hours, or email me at provost@umontana.edu. You can also now follow me on Instagram.

Warm regards,

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Fall 2019 Commencement

To the campus community,

Please mark your calendars for UM's Fall Commencement ceremony, scheduled at 9 a.m. Saturday, December 14 in the Adams Center. President Bodnar and I have committed to holding a Fall Commencement for our students and their families, as it is an opportunity to honor and celebrate the graduates who are not able to attend the spring Commencement event.

I am thrilled to announce that Regents Professor Albert Borgmann will deliver remarks at this year's Fall Commencement ceremony. The name of each graduate will be read as they cross the stage and all doctoral candidates will be hooded by their advisors. There will not be a ticketing system or reserved seating. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have questions about the event, please visit the Commencement website or contact Gina Di Domenico in the Office of the Registrar (gina.didomenico@mso.umt.edu). Additional details about the event, including the link for students and faculty to order regalia are now available on the Commencement website.

Sincerely,

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Global Climate Strike

To the campus community,

The Global Climate Strike is an international movement that calls for action responding to climate change. Events related to this movement will take place around the world, including a strike scheduled Friday, Sept. 20, during which individuals will walk out of classrooms, workplaces, and homes to participate in public gatherings focused on climate change. Related events will be occurring in Missoula and on the University of Montana (UM) campus this week.

One of the key messages of the young people advocating for the Global Climate Strike is that their education fails to appropriately address the urgency of an impending climate crisis. As a public university, it is UM’s responsibility to communicate clearly our existing knowledge around climate science, and relay the importance and nuanced complexity of climate change and climate action to those in our community who are developing their own thoughts on this matter. UM serves as an important resource to our students as well as to the leaders and institutions that have the ability to act in response to climate change.

Education and research around climate change is a signature part of UM’s history and identity. Because of the breadth of our work on environment and sustainability across campus, we have identified Environment and Sustainability as one of UM’s Communities of Excellence. Our first in the nation Climate Change Studies program is one of our most popular minors. Our renowned programs in the natural and conservation sciences, environmental studies, philosophy, economics, literature in the environment, ecocriticism, geography, geosciences, and journalism all contribute thoughtful teaching and powerful research on the complexities of climate change and variability for our natural environment, society, and future.

A series of events will take place on campus from Tuesday, Sept. 17 to Wednesday, Sept. 25, to promote informed discussion and reflection about climate action throughout the campus community. Organized by our Climate Change Studies program and UM’s Office of Sustainability, the following events are free and open to the public:

Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17 – Climate     Action Roundtable with UM students, alumni, and faculty, Davidson     Honors College Ephron Lounge

5-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19 – Communicating     about Climate Panel Discussion, UC 326/327

3:30-5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23 – Teach-in     on global climate justice with UM faculty members Paul Haber (Political     Science), Katie Kane (English), Rosalyn LaPier (Environmental Studies),     and Tobin Miller Shearer (History and African-American Studies), Liberal     Arts 11

3:30-5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 25 – Talk by     Diana Maneta of Missoula County on renewable energy, Liberal Arts 11

In addition to the events taking place at UM, student groups in Missoula are organizing a Global Climate Strike Friday, Sept. 20. If you wish to attend these events or provide students with an opportunity to do so or otherwise engage in this issue, some possibilities include:

Faculty may choose to discuss how this     theme relates to course content during class time and/or assign work that     ties class content to this theme. Resources for teaching can be found on     the Climate     Change Studies program website.

Faculty may choose to excuse students from     class to take part in one or more events (per the class     attendance/absence policy in the Academic Policies and Procedures of the     UM Course Catalog), they may choose to assign alternative work for     those who are absent from class, or they may choose to develop an assignment     that engages students in attending an event (in lieu of attending class)     and ties this to course outcomes

Faculty may cancel class to facilitate     participation in associated events as long as they have permission from     their chair and reschedule class time to another date within the fall 2019     semester

Staff may take leave to participate in one     or more events, with their supervisors’ approval.

All instructors should anticipate questions from students about the consequences of an unexcused absence, if this is not already covered in the course syllabus. There is a possibility that the organizers of the events in town will also use space on the UM campus for additional activities the week of September 23-27.

I encourage UM faculty, staff, and students to consider the Global Climate Strike as an opportunity to engage in discussions about climate change, sustainability and the environment. Our university is a recognized leader in research, teaching and service in these important areas.

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Invitation to Participate in UM's Communities of Excellence

To the campus community:

Some exciting progress is taking place around UM’s Communities of Excellence (CoEx)–transdisciplinary areas of research, creative scholarship, teaching, study, and community partnerships that foster and accelerate educational and scholarly collaborations. The Communities amplify the many great things that are already happening at UM. One of my priorities as Provost is to encourage these collaborations and help them grow and develop.

You will be hearing about Communities of Excellence in many different contexts, from scholarship to student recruitment to community engagement, and everywhere in between. Each Community will be hosting events throughout the year—open to all—so that interested parties can discuss current and future ways to work together. The Communities are designed to facilitate conversations, relationships, and new ideas, because UM is stronger when we work together.

Please click on the links below to learn more and sign up to join UM CoEx:

Business     and Entrepreneurship – launch event September 25

Communication     and Artistic Expression

Environment and     Sustainability

Health and Human     Development

Justice,     Policy, and Public Service – launch event September 24

Science and     Technology

This is your chance to co-create what our Communities of Excellence will be. Information about events related to CoEx will be featured in UMToday, on the UM Events calendar, and on the CoEx website.

I look forward to seeing the new ideas and significant progress that will emerge from these efforts.

Sincerely,

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Experiential Learning and Career Success

June 20, 2019

Dear colleagues,

UM’s focus on a holistic and integrated approach to student success is prompting efforts to re-envision and reorganize programs. This is a normal part of continuously asking whether our resources are best aligned to support UM’s goals and priorities for action. As part of this work we are combining the Academic Enrichment and the Career Services offices to create a single unit focused on Experiential Learning and Career Success.

Complete College America, a national organization focused on student success, recently emphasized the significance of a purpose-driven education. This “Purpose First” approach “empower(s) students with resources to make informed, early choices of majors and programs of study, building early academic momentum and ultimately increasing their likelihood of success and completion. UM students will be engaged in career success conversations throughout their educational journey, beginning at new student orientation. These conversations are a result of a holistic and integrated approach to planning and offering students a range of academic and co-curricular experiences that will prepare them for success in their career and life goals. This will become a distinguishing feature of the UM student experience.

By combining the UM units currently focused on experiential learning and career success in a single organization, we aim to increase integration and awareness both for students and for our staff. Students will be introduced to experiential learning as a key component of career success, and vice versa. This will make clearer to students the significance of making decisions about what experiences to include in their education, in connection with their vision for career success. Working jointly with academic advisors, experiential learning and career success staff will motivate students to develop, understand, and pursue a holistic plan for their UM journey.

The new unit, Experiential Learning and Career Success (ELCS), will combine staff currently within the Academic Enrichment and the Career Services offices under a leader reporting to the Vice Provost for Student Success. ELCS planning will include evaluating whether additional infrastructure is needed to support key aspects of experiential learning at UM. This organizational change will be effective July 1, 2019.

Jon Harbor, Executive Vice President and Provost

Sarah Swager, Vice Provost for Student Success

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Phyllis J. Washington College of Education Dean Announcement

June 4, 2019

To the campus community:

I am pleased to announce that, following a national search, Dr. Adrea Lawrence has accepted the position of Dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at the University of Montana effective July 1, 2019. Over the course of the past 17 months, Dr. Lawrence has served as interim dean of the College, spearheading transformative changes such as completing the expansion of the Phyllis J. Washington Education Center and leading multiple efforts to drive excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and research at the University of Montana.

 Born and raised in rural Colorado, Dr. Lawrence is an educational historian who earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Indiana University, and an M.A. in Secondary Social Studies Instruction and Curriculum and B.A. in American Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Lawrence started her career in education as a high school social studies teacher in Colorado. Her doctoral research focused on the implementation of educational policy within a Native American community in New Mexico in the early 1900s, and her interests in history and policy have led her to focus on how people learn and how they apply what they learn – not just in school; how education policy affects people over generations; and how scholars communicate their research and discoveries. Dr. Lawrence served on the faculty of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and American University in Washington, D.C. before joining the University of Montana in 2013. She earned tenure and promotion to Full Professor within the Department of Teaching and Learning and served as Department Chair before accepting the position of interim dean. Dr. Lawrence is the founder, curator, and co-editor of the online journal Education’s Histories.

A self-described “agent of change,” Dr. Lawrence has developed extensive networks of stakeholders across the state and region. She is co-founder and President of the Montana Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and served on the state-wide Rural Education Taskforce last year. Her success in working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders was recently highlighted by the awarding of a third $1.5 million grant from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation focused on 21st Century Teaching and Learning. Thanks to this grant, the University of Montana and Missoula County Public Schools will continue nine different initiatives, ranging from Universal Design for Learning to Arts Integration. This is one example of UM’s goal to “partner with place.”

Dr. Lawrence is leading her college through some internal changes, as well. Earlier this year, as a result of programmatic reorganization at the University of Montana, the departments of Health and Human Performance and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences moved their administrative homes to UM’s College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences. As a result, the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences became the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, and Dr. Lawrence has more than a few ideas about what the future holds:

·         increased support for early childhood education through the creation of the Montana Early Childhood Institute and the expansion of UM’s Learning and Belonging preschool, the hands-on training center for UM’s early childhood education majors;

·         a stronger focus on instructional design opportunities, so future educators to excel at teaching online as well as face to face—a skill that’s critical in a rural state like ours;

·         expanded use of technology such as videoconferencing, robots, and virtual reality to give yet more learners access to the College’s programs.

In addition, the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education is playing a critical role as a partner in the University of Montana’s Teaching Excellence Initiative, designed to support UM students and their learning.

 I look forward to Dr. Lawrence’s leadership as dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education. Through thoughtful collaboration and inspiring vision, Dr. Lawrence will build on the College’s legacy of excellence in shaping generations of future educators in Montana and beyond. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Lawrence on this appointment!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following colleagues:

·         Paul Kirgis, Dean of the Alexander Blewett III School of Law, who chaired the search,

·         the members of the search committee for their thoughtful work and recommendations,

·         Marcie Briggs, for her expertise and support to the search committee, and

·         Leslie Collins in the School of Law Dean’s Office for the excellent administrative and logistical support she provided to the search committee.

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Senior International Officer Announcement

May 31, 2019

To the campus community:

I am pleased to announce, as a result of a national search, Dr. Donna Anderson will join the University of Montana as Senior International Officer and Executive Director of the Global Engagement Office effective Aug. 12, 2019.

Dr. Anderson has a B.A. in German and Sociology from Luther College, an M.A. in Education from Loras College, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University-Fort Collins. Donna’s experience with international education began as an undergraduate participating on a faculty-led program to Germany and Austria followed by a junior-year abroad at the Universität Erlangen, Germany. She has studied, worked, volunteered, or traveled in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Most recently, Dr. Anderson has served as the Director of International Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville providing leadership and support for the comprehensive internationalization of a university of 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students. She has worked with administrators, faculty, and staff to create global opportunities; expand international components of teaching, research, and engagement activities; recruit and support international students and scholars; provide education abroad opportunities; and facilitate development of international partnerships important to the university's strategic plan. Previously, she served as Director of Education Abroad at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (2003-2012) and Study Abroad Coordinator at Loras College (1999-2003).  

Dr. Anderson’s experience in comprehensive internationalization will help the University of Montana move forward with iLAB recommendations. She will serve as an Academic Officer at UM and thus have ample opportunity for collaboration with deans and other academic affairs decision makers. I look forward to Dr. Anderson’s leadership in bolstering UM’s significant international legacy, to include new global opportunities for UM students.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Anderson on this appointment and in welcoming her to UM later this summer.

I would like to thank:

·       Marja Unkuri-Chaudhry, for her outstanding service as Interim Director of the Global Engagement Office,

·       Jenny McNulty, Interim Dean of the College of Humanities & Sciences, who chaired the search,

·       the members of the search committee for their thoughtful work and recommendations,

·       Marcie Briggs, for her expertise and support to the search committee,

·       Alicia Houghtaling in the Office of the Provost for the excellent administrative and logistical support she provided to the search committee, and

·       all members of the campus community who made time to attend open forums and provide input on the finalists for this position.

Nathan Lindsay, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

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Missoula College Dean Announcement

May 9, 2019

To the campus community:

Dr. Thomas Gallagher has been named the new dean of Missoula College at the University of Montana. Gallagher holds a master’s and a doctorate of education in educational leadership from UM, in addition to a Master of Science in computer science from Western Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Carroll College.

As a Missoula College faculty member since 2001, Gallagher has served as associate dean, director of the Information Technology degree program, director of the Missoula College Center of Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense, president of the Missoula College Faculty Association and chair of the Department of Applied Computing and Engineering Technology.

In addition, Gallagher’s professional experiences and research interests examine transfer education, dual enrollment and work-based learning. His dissertation, “Baccalaureate Time-to-Degree for Montana University Two-Year College Transfer Students,” provided an early analysis of Montana University System policy and practice on baccalaureate degree completion for two-year college students.

I am confident that Dr. Gallagher’s years of experience and service to Missoula College and the University of Montana will help stabilize and begin realizing the college’s tremendous potential. Missoula College has an extraordinary opportunity to develop innovative academic programming and create community partnerships to support Missoula’s growth.

Gallagher will begin his duties as dean on Monday, May 13. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following colleagues:

Roger Maclean, for his service as interim dean of Missoula College.

Nathan Lindsay, for his service as acting dean of Missoula College.

Reed Humphrey, dean of the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, who chaired the search.

the members of the search committee for their thoughtful work and recommendations.

Marcie Briggs, for her expertise and support to the search committee.

Zoë Phelan in the Office of the Provost for the excellent administrative and logistical support provided to the search committee.

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Davidson Honors College Dean Announcement

May 7, 2019

To the campus community:

I am pleased to announce that, as a result of a national search, Dr. Tim Nichols will join the University of Montana as dean of the Davidson Honors College effective July 1.

Dr. Nichols holds degrees in general agriculture (B.S.), adult and continuing education (M.A.), and sociology (Ph.D.). He led the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College at South Dakota State University through a period of unprecedented growth. More recently, as First Gentleman at the University of Wyoming, Dr. Nichols taught honors courses on “Love”, “Dreams and Reality” and “The American Dream.”

Nichols grew up in Washington's Yakima Valley, his great-grandparents settled in the Flathead Valley in the 1890s and his late mother was a 1953 UM graduate. He has worked with Native American students and communities in South Dakota and Wyoming, and facilitated study abroad experiences in Greece, the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica and Bolivia. He was president of the Upper Midwest Honors Council and has been active in the National Collegiate Honors Council. He and his wife, Laurie, are parents of two young adult daughters.

Dr. Nichols presented a compelling vision for the future of public honors education during the interview process. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Nichols on this appointment and in welcoming him to UM this summer!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following colleagues:

Kaetlyn Cordingley, for her outstanding service as interim director of the DHC.

Tom DeLuca, dean of the W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, who chaired the search.

The members of the search committee for their thoughtful work and recommendations.

Marcie Briggs, for her expertise and support to the search committee.

Hillary Stowell in the Office of the Provost for the excellent administrative and logistical support provided to the search committee.

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Update on UM's Progress in Distance Learning

May 6, 2019

Dear colleagues, As you know, my vision for UM includes enhancing the ways in which we meet the needs of diverse learners across Montana and beyond, including expanding distance learning programs supported through UMOnline. The purpose of this message is to update the campus community on some recent progress. Identification of an online program management (OPM) partner Last fall, the Office of the Provost charged a committee to select an Online Program Management (OPM) partner to expand the range and scale of UM’s online programs. This committee included representatives of shared governance bodies and faculty unions.  Earlier this week, the OPM committee selected Wiley Educational Services as the partner that will help UM bolster its online offerings. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the OPM committee for their time and efforts in this process. Formation of a University committee on distance learning Initially, a committee composed of representatives from shared governance and all the schools and colleges will help guide UMOnline’s implementation of Wiley services and develop guidelines for a successful launch of an online course or program. Over time, this group will become a community of practice where those active in the UMOnline community can share ideas, identify barriers, and provide suggestions on distance learning-related matters. Potential Partnership with FutureLearn FutureLearn is an outgrowth of the Open University in the United Kingdom – a leader in education at a distance since the 1970s. It is a learning platform designed to host modular courses, such as massive open online courses (MOOCs). FutureLearn is not an OPM; it is a platform that can help UM expand its online offerings yet further. FutureLearn representatives visited UM in November 2018 and the faculty who attended their presentation were very enthusiastic about the possibilities. As a result, we are continuing a conversation with FutureLearn that is aimed at providing UM faculty with access to this learning platform. All of these actions are part of a careful and deliberate set of steps toward expanding UM’s distance learning and hybrid offerings in ways that meet the needs of diverse learners in a sustainable way. I look forward to sharing more developments with you at the start of next academic year. In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts and input via email at provost@umontana.edu. Sincerely, Jon Harbor, Provost

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Dean Roger Maclean retiring; interim dean of SELL, acting dean of Missoula College named

April 16, 2019

To the campus community,

Many of you know that Roger Maclean, dean of the School of Extended and Lifelong Learning (SELL) and interim dean of Missoula College, will retire May 1, 2019 after eight years of service to UM. Dean Maclean would like to invite his colleagues to extend an act of kindness towards others in his honor, in lieu of a farewell reception or gift.

Those of you who know Roger will recognize his kindness and generosity in this gesture. In his years at UM, Roger has been instrumental in developing several signature programs and activities of the School of Extended and Lifelong Learning:

UMOnline, including the successful     implementation of our Moodle Learning Management System and the     development of UM’s first fully online BA in Media Arts

UM’s fully online Master Beekeeping     Program

Exponential growth of the Osher Lifelong     Learning Institute at UM (MOLLI) which includes securing the second $1M     endowment to support the program

Growth of Conference Planning Services,     which brings external groups to campus and supports UM’s own events such     as the UM Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Leadership of a great team providing     support and services to our University and Missoula communities.

In addition, Roger has proven himself an invaluable member of the UM leadership team, serving in a stabilizing capacity as interim dean of Missoula College for the past year, providing insightful participation on University committees and chairing searches for high level positions such as Chief Information Officer and Associate Provost. Please join me in thanking Roger for his outstanding service to the University of Montana.

With Roger’s upcoming retirement, I am pleased to announce that Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Nathan Lindsay has graciously agreed to also serve as the interim dean of SELL. Nathan will provide steady and thoughtful leadership for the components that make up SELL as we embark on a reorganization of this important unit. To reduce administrative costs, and to increase coordination and collaboration between areas with complementary missions, I am working with Human Resource Services and other campus partners to reorganize the reporting lines for the units and programs within SELL so that we will not need a Dean for SELL in the future. The reorganization will take place over the coming year. I am confident that we will find ways to continue to support SELL activities and programs such that their important role within our campus and Missoula communities will be strengthened and enhanced. 

With Roger’s upcoming retirement, we are also in the final stages of a search for the next dean of Missoula College. If there is a short gap between Roger’s retirement and the start date for the next dean, then Nathan will also assume the role of acting dean of Missoula College, working closely with the Associate Dean.

Jon Harbor, Provost

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Welcome back, from Provost Harbor - Spring 2019

Dear colleagues, Welcome back to the start of spring semester 2019! With the semester starting much earlier than in the past, I appreciate the renewed effort and energy you are bringing to campus. As we look forward, I would like to share my priorities for spring 2019. These support President Bodnar’s Priorities for Action and include the following: Student success A top priority for UM is student success: helping UM students find belonging and fulfillment during their undergraduate years; ensuring they stay on track and complete their degrees. A few key activities include: •    Developing a new, cohort-based, experiential student orientation for new and transfer students, to begin fall 2019; •    Continuing to identify students who are struggling academically and encouraging all advisors to use tools such as Starfish to support students in a targeted and coordinated manner; •    Supporting faculty in their efforts to help retain students. For example, a panel on faculty’s role in retention of students will take place Jan. 23, with discussion led by Professors Doug Coffin and Marc Hendrix from the ASCRC workgroup on retention and withdrawal; and •    Integrating Academic Affairs and Student Success (formerly Student Affairs) units and efforts, so students benefit from a more holistic approach to their UM experience. Our new Vice Provost for Student Success, Sarah Swager, will start Feb. 1, 2019. Dr. Swager has extensive experience developing student retention and success strategies. I look forward to the energy and leadership she brings, and expect she will help us create a truly exceptional student experience at UM. The Teaching Excellence Initiative: Improving student learning At the State of the University event last August, I stated my intention for UM to become a model for teaching and learning at a public research university. The Teaching Excellence Initiative lays the foundation for this goal. I’m excited to invite all UM faculty and graduate students to the launch of the Teaching Excellence Initiative Friday, Feb. 1. Please visit the Teaching Excellence Initiative website to learn more and register for this event. New budget models for Academic Affairs This spring I will be engaging deans and others in conversations about the academic affairs budget model. Together, we will create models to test and adjust before fully implementing them. Communities of Excellence The University Planning Committee will develop a process for organizing and implementing UM’s Communities of Excellence this spring. I know many of you are eager to participate in these interdisciplinary communities, and look forward to the visions and goals each Community of Excellence puts forth. Visits to Schools and Colleges I will visit all of UM’s Schools and Colleges, including the Mansfield Library, in February and March. I look forward to spending time in conversation with faculty, staff, and students. I’m also excited to visit your facilities and learn more about your work and aspirations! Over the winter break, I reflected on how much progress we made in fall 2018. The work of deans, department chairs, task force chairs and members, search committee chairs and members, and support staff cannot be underestimated or overlooked. I would like to thank everyone involved in the activities listed below for their excellent contributions. Academic Affairs planning and budgeting Thanks to the efforts of many, academic units now have a path forward in terms of budgeting and instructional planning for the coming years. Task forces A number of task forces focused on important components of the University and delivered recommendations and other action-oriented results. Please click on the links below to read their recommendations and learn more about their work. •        Global Academy task force •        Davidson Honors College task force •        SELL/Missoula College/Bitterroot College task force •        Online Program Management committee •        Open Educational Resources (OER) task force The results these task forces delivered will inform our thinking and actions in the short and long term. Currently, we are moving ahead with several of the task forces’ recommendations.   Academic hiring We have been, and continue to recruit for a number of academic leadership positions. I am encouraging search committees to increase their focus on fairness, transparency, and inclusion as they conduct these recruitments, by: •    Creating awareness about implicit bias for search committee members by requiring them to take implicit bias tests and discussing the results; •    Writing job advertisements in such a way that they encourage diverse applicants to apply; and •    Redacting applications so search committee members conduct blind application review. These first steps represent progress toward making our hiring processes and practices more inclusive. All of you are contributing to transforming lives at UM, and I thank you for the dedication and hard work you contribute each day. I will do my best to keep the campus community informed of developments this semester, and welcome your comments and feedback at provost@umontana.edu. Warmly,

Jon Harbor, Provost  

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Online Program Management support will help UM grow online impact

Dear colleagues:

Online courses and programs are becoming increasingly important as colleges and universities meet the needs of a wide range of learners. High quality online experiences can bring an outstanding UM education to learners across Montana, the region, and beyond. People whose lives could be transformed by high quality education but who are not in a position to relocate to Missoula can’t enroll in our on-campus programs, but they can take advantage of our online offerings. UMOnline already offers several fully-online undergraduate and graduate degrees, minors, certificates and endorsements.

There is considerable potential to expand the range and scale of UM’s online programs. To achieve this, we are in the process of selecting an Online Program Management (OPM) company as a partner. UM relies on partners in many areas to provide technical and professional services that help us achieve our goals, and many of the universities that have successfully innovated and grown their online presence have done this with the assistance of an OPM. OPMs offer services that we simply don’t have the experience and capacity to provide internally at UM at this stage. This includes cutting edge digital education market research, marketing, and recruitment, enrollment management, student retention support, support for online course design, and technical infrastructure. As Executive Director for Digital Education at my previous institution, I saw how online programs produced by faculty in partnership with an OPM helped attract students to high quality programs that give them amazing educational experiences, as well as provide growth mechanisms for academic departments, colleges, and the University.

A committee is currently finalizing a UM Request for Proposals (RFP) from OPMs that will be issued through the state portal in the coming weeks. The committee has worked diligently to ensure that interested OPMs address areas of key interest to faculty, staff, and administration in their proposals. The committee is comprised of the following members:

Cassandra Hemphill, Missoula College Faculty Association

Bob Hlynosky, Director, Procurement

Adrea Lawrence, Interim Dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences

Mark Pershouse, Faculty Senate Chair-Elect

Daisy Rooks, University Faculty Association

Renae Scott, Interim Chief Information Officer

Robert Squires, Director, UMOnline

Scott Whittenburg, Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship and Dean of the Graduate School

Committee representatives will attend the December Faculty Senate meeting to provide further information and answer questions related to engaging an external partner in supporting the growth of the University of Montana’s online programs. I encourage all who are interested to attend the meeting, scheduled from 3-5 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 6, in GBB 123, to learn more about how an OPM partnership can help us achieve the goals of enhancing UM’s academic offerings and promoting them to new audiences.

Do you have questions? There are responses to FAQs on the Provost’s Initiatives OPM web page, as well as a timeline and a feedback form. Feedback received via the form between now and Dec. 12 will be shared with the OPM committee.

 Jon Harbor, Provost

[umprovost]

UM organizational proposals and instructional staffing under discussion

Dear Colleagues,

Last week, I shared a working draft of potential academic program reorganizations with the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate (ECOS). Some of the contents of the document I shared with ECOS are based on the draft recommendations for UM’s future President Bodnar released last spring.

After releasing his draft recommendations, President Seth Bodnar invited feedback from the campus community. That feedback and the work of the University Planning Committee (UPC) have informed the working draft I shared with ECOS for discussion now that faculty are back on campus. Any program reorganizations or curricular change proposals that move forward will go through our established review and recommendation processes.

Soon after starting as UM Provost, I sent the deans a memo explaining the process underway to develop instructional staffing budget targets for academic units. The process involves both an intensive analysis of trends in student demand and staffing levels, as well as an effort to align program resources to the university’s strategic priorities. The instructional staffing budget targets will be used to help academic units make realistic projections and recommendations for future staffing, and will allow the administration to make strategic investments in programs and units that are poised for growth.

Instructional staffing budgets are developing as follows:

Department chairs and deans reviewed data associated with their units and provided feedback.

An executive team reviewed the wealth of information already available from previous initiatives, the UPC’s Stage 1 analysis of last spring as well as the Academic Program and Services Prioritization (APASP) unit reports of summer and fall 2017, and is developing recommendations about programs and units to be considered for strategic investment. I selected executive team members to bring a wide range of perspectives to this work. The team, which I chair, is composed of Cathy Cole, vice president for enrollment and strategic communications; Scott Whittenburg, vice president for research and creative scholarship;     Kelly Webster, chief of staff; Paul Kirgis, UPC co-convener and dean of  the Alexander Blewett III School of Law.

I will deliver instructional staffing budget targets, to be attained by June 30, 2021, to each academic unit by September 26, 2018. Units will then be asked to develop recommendations for instructional staffing plans that will guide decisions over the coming three years.

If staffing plan recommendations include any curricular changes, these changes will go through our shared governance process for review and recommendation. If staffing plan recommendations include personnel changes, these changes will follow procedures detailed in the faculty collective bargaining agreement.

This process is currently taking place only on the Mountain Campus. The UPC chose not to focus on Missoula College in its analysis, and therefore Missoula College has embarked on a separate prioritization process.

The Office of the Provost communicated actively with Faculty Senate and University Faculty Association (UFA) leaders about these potential changes and the process for implementing them. I am deeply impressed by the collaborative spirit expressed by Faculty Senate and UFA leaders, who understand and support our shared desire to act strategically.

I understand that change is hard, but it is necessary. President Bodnar has laid out an exciting vision for UM’s future that is founded on student success. Our campus has undergone three separate attempts at program prioritization, and I’m told morale has dropped each time recommendations have been made and not implemented.

The potential reorganizations we are discussing now are an outcome of years of incredibly complex and hard work by those who worked on AAIP, APASP, and the UPC. To serve students and use our precious resources strategically, it is time for our campus to honor that work and take a step forward.

The updated timeline for moving forward on instructional staffing plans is:

Dates and Actions

Sept. 26, 2018 - Instructional staffing budget targets provided to Deans and Chairs

Oct. 12, 2018 - Deadline for faculty to submit Voluntary End of Employment form (details forthcoming)

Oct. 26, 2018 - Deans submit recommendations for achieving unit instructional staffing budgets to  the Provost and any curricular impact items from staffing plans go to Faculty  Senate for review

Nov. 5, 2018 - President  forms Review Committee (CBA 18.530) if needed for retrenchment

Dec.  20, 2018 - Faculty Senate provides recommendations to the President on curricular impact items from staffing plans

Jan. 15, 2018 - Review  committee provides report to President

March 8, 2019 - Board  of Regents considers retrenchment plan

Please direct any questions you have about this process to provost@umontana.edu.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Jon Harbor, Provost

[umprovost]

Students, you are our #1 priority and YES, you will be able to graduate!

Dear students,

Welcome to the start of a new academic year! As the University of Montana’s new Executive Vice President and Provost, I come to UM with a great love for Montana, a serious commitment to your success, and a growing eagerness to meet and get to know you.

You may know that last spring President Bodnar integrated Student Affairs and Academic Affairs under my office to ensure that we maintain a holistic focus on student success. I write with two updates on our continuing efforts to keep your success at the center of all we do.

1. We have been working diligently all summer to determine how to realign our resources to best meet your needs. You may hear about curriculum changes or academic reorganizations taking place. Universities are constantly updating and refreshing the classes we teach, the way we teach them, and the degrees we offer to serve student interests and needs. Otherwise, we’d still be teaching you how to use slide rules!

I have heard that some of you are worried that your degree program or major might have been cut and that you won’t be able to graduate in the program you want. The answer to the question, “Has my program been cut?” is “NO!” and the answer to “Will I be able to graduate?” is “YES!”

2. I am in the process of launching a search for a Vice Provost for Student Success, a position that will help us focus on your success in and out of the classroom. This new leader will oversee both our academic student success efforts – such as the Office of Student Success and our Undergraduate Advising Center – as well as our co-curricular student affairs efforts – such as Career Services and Campus Rec.

In the meantime, our student success leaders remain at your service. We’re happy to have Amy Capolupo as the Acting Director of Student Affairs, as well as Erinn Guzik as our Student Conduct Officer. Brian French continues to lead the Office for Student Success. They are working closely with our other Student Affairs directors and our academic leadership team to ensure that we have the right structure in place to best serve you now and in the future.

President Bodnar and I are deeply committed to supporting you and helping you succeed, not just in the classroom, but in all aspects of your UM experience.

Good luck as you begin your fall semester. Please remember, your success is our top priority. If you need help or have questions, please visit the Office for Student Success in the Lommasson Building, or email them at OfficeforStudentSuccess@umontana.edu.

Go Griz!

Jon Harbor, Executive Vice President & Provost

[umprovost]

Office of the Provost Reorganization

Dear colleagues,

The Office of the Provost is updating its organizational structure to reflect its expanded mission to support both holistic student success and academic affairs. Effective immediately, I am replacing the “Associate Provost” model with a “Vice Provost” model that includes positions with clear responsibility for Student Success areas and for Academic Affairs areas. I am converting the currently vacant Associate Provost position to a Vice Provost for Student Success position (VPSS, search to be launched as soon as possible). The VPSS will be a Cabinet-level position and will oversee all areas of student support and services that come under the Office of the Provost. I am also converting the current Associate Provost for Dynamic Learning position to that of Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (VPAA, Nathan Lindsay). The VPAA will oversee academic policy, planning, accreditation, and faculty development, as well as several other areas including UMSummer, Communities of Excellence, and global/international initiatives. Both Vice Provosts will report to me and will assist me in working with a subset of my other direct reports.

The VPSS will have an office in UH022. The office locations for the Dean of Students and the Student Affairs Budget Director will not change, and the Administrative Support Specialist for Student Affairs will in future provide support for the VPSS. The VPAA’s office will continue to be located in UH 126. While we search for a VPSS, Amy Capolupo will continue as Acting Director of Student Affairs, a Cabinet-level position reporting to the provost, and the Executive Director of the Office for Student Success and the Director of Academic Enrichment will continue to report to Nathan Lindsay.

Jon Harbor

Executive Vice President & Provost

[umprovost]

University of Montana - On the Rise

August 1, 2018

Dear Colleagues,

Walking across campus first thing this morning, watching the sun rise behind the M, I experienced a great sense of excitement for new beginnings and new possibilities. I really appreciate the opportunity to join the great UM community, and how welcoming you have all been.

I am keen to get to work as part of this great institution and to do what I can to support you all as we strive to achieve together the goals that the UM community has been defining. My impression is that UM is already accomplishing more than most people realize, has even greater potential, and is on the rise – as just one example, with a new approach and focused effort by a wide range of faculty and staff, UM just reported a significant jump in summer enrollment.

The importance of what we all do cannot be underestimated – higher education transforms lives and communities, and it is an honor to be a part of this work.

Jon Harbor

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost