Here is the Weekly Three:

Congratulations - I want to again congratulate the faculty and staff members who were recognized at our 2016 University Awards ceremony and reception on Monday. I want to also thank their many Miami friends and colleagues who attended the ceremony and helped us honor and celebrate their achievements. A list of the honorees is attached.  (Please note, the list is now available by contacting the provost's office.)

Also, please join me in congratulating our colleagues who have been promoted to Senior Lecturer or Senior Clinical Faculty, effective July 1, 2016. These faculty members represent the breadth, depth, and commitment of our LCPL faculty, and their promotions were supported and approved by their Department Chairs and Deans, then forwarded to me for final approval. Congratulations!

Juan Carlos Albarran, Global & Intercultural Studies Sr. Lecturer
Jeannie Ducher, Teacher Education Sr. Clinical
Alysia Fischer, Global Initiatives Sr. Lecturer
Katie Fowler-Cordova, Spanish & Portuguese Sr. Lecturer
Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy, Global & Intercultural Studies Sr. Lecturer
Jill Gomez, Spanish & Portuguese – Hamilton Campus Sr. Lecturer
Tamise Ironstrack, Spanish & Portuguese Sr. Lecturer
Artie Kuhn, Interactive Media Studies Sr. Lecturer
Rocco Manzo, Management Sr. Clinical
Janet Marshall, Chemistry & Biochemistry –Middletown Campus Sr. Lecturer
Joseph Sampson, Media, Journalism & Film Sr. Clinical
Helen Sheumaker, History Sr. Lecturer
Brooke Spangler, Psychology Sr. Lecturer
Jennifer Yamashiro, Art – HC Sr. Lecturer

Update – In the fall, 2015, Ohio’s public colleges and universities were asked to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the areas and priorities identified by the Ohio Task Force on Affordability and Efficiency in Higher Education. The recommendations identified by the Task Force are important for improving access to higher education, lowering student debt and strengthening student outcomes, and have been a focus for Miami for the past eight years. In many ways, we are well-positioned to continue work on many of these important initiatives.

Miami, led by the Fiscal Priorities Committee of University Senate and staff in Finance and Business Services, is on track to complete the Task Force mandates by the July, 2016 deadline. Many of the mandates pertain to financial efficiency, resource management, increasing scholarship aid and technology, as well as those that directly affect academics:

• Textbook Affordability
• Administrative Cost Reform – Space Utilization
• Time to Degree (sub-categories included: Graduation Incentives, Four-year Completion Plans, Standardized Credits for Degree, Summer Programs, Competency-Based Education, Pathways Agreements, and Data-Driven Advising, etc.)
• Duplicative Programs Review

A final report of Miami’s action plan and completion steps related to the Task Force mandates will be presented to the Board of Trustees for their approval at their June 24th meeting. The report is to be submitted to the Ohio Department of Higher Education by July 31, 2016.

Commencement Reminder – In addition to your divisional events, I encourage you to join me in honoring and celebrating the achievements of this year’s Miami graduates at the University’s main commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m. in Yager Stadium. The ceremony is an important one for our graduates and their families, and your participation in the academic procession would be particularly meaningful for them. Please register your participation, and then report to the visiting team locker room at Yager by 12:45 p.m. with your academic regalia. (Signs will be posted directing you to the line-up area.)