Where's the Money?

February 13, 2006

Where's The Money?

Dear Colleagues

I write this while looking out over a patch of prairie, trying to discern whether a dark spot I see on the other side is an animal or just an old bush. You might have felt like you were looking at something like that too in trying to discern the future direction of the college! One of the quiet questions I hear most often is, "What has happened to the college recombination money?" I'll use this minute to explain.

The savings realized from the college recombination this year was matched by the President's office to fund an important renovation in MacKay Hall. The renovation will house new offices for an integrated student services, career placement, and teacher education office, creating a modern, inviting, one-stop shop for our students in the future. We were lucky too in gaining approval from Facilities Management to add a new air handling system for the space, replacing the old heating and cooling system. The new system will be more efficient, more environmentally sound, and it requires less space. In fact, it allows us to break out of the old walls and hall structure to design a more open space, placing interior walls where we want them instead of being compelled to maintain the pre-existing walls. An architectural firm has completed drawings for the new space and final approvals should be in place within a week or so. Construction is scheduled to start on August 1.

The floor plans are exciting. The area will be open, fluid, and flexible--designed to change as needed as we add, delete or revise service areas in the future. The area will also be the first physical space specifically associated with the new college. We'll share the plans with you during our spring convocation coming up on April 6.

Next year and beyond, we will use the college recombination savings to fund new faculty positions that support the four cross-cutting themes identified in our strategic plan. There is much to look forward to with the coming of spring and you will begin to see announcements of searches along with the outcomes of some of the ongoing departmental searches. I hope to highlight them all in future editions of The Dean's Minute!

Thanks for your time today and until next time, best wishes!

Cheryl Achterberg