Dear colleagues,
It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through the fall semester. Having the chance to visit several academic departments in recent weeks has given me great insight into the work taking place across campus. I’ve sat in on a Women’s and Gender Studies board meeting, visited Professor Tamara Piety’s women and the law class and in the next month will make visits to Music, English, Education, Theatre, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Sociology, Media Studies, Petroleum Engineering, School of Energy, Policy & Commerce, Psychology and Anthropology. Thank you to all who have invited me on field trips, and if you wish to schedule a field trip to your department in the spring semester, please email wendy-buss@utulsa.edu.
Shared Governance
Under the leadership of Professor Todd Otanicar, the Provost’s Task Force on Research and Scholarship has launched. This group is charged with taking a fresh look at TU’s research and scholarly environment. This includes providing data and analysis that help us better understand the current culture and recommending improvements with the goal of enhancing the faculty experience. The task force will focus on three fundamental questions:
- What is the strategy for research and scholarship going forward for The University of Tulsa and how does this fit into the current TU strategic plan?
- What is the university structure/organization that best supports this strategy?
- How can the university best help faculty reach their research and scholarly goals (short and long term) and provide appropriate recognition for their achievements?
I look forward to hearing the group’s thoughtful recommendations in January as they discover ways to better support our faculty.
I also want to thank the Faculty Senate leadership for their role in choosing representatives to serve on our Board of Trustees’ committees. Those professors and their respective committees are Rose Gamble, Resources and Efficiencies; Tracy Manly, Academic Continuous Improvement; Elizabeth Smith, Student Success; and Ty Johannes, Student Success.
Student Retention Initiatives
One of our top objectives in both our five-year strategic plan and the current year’s list of goals is to dramatically improve student retention. We have implemented a number of strategies to increase the odds for achieving our aggressive goals and are already seeing the fruits of these initiatives. Last summer’s free tuition campaign resulted in a 95 percent retention rate among students who took advantage of this benefit. Our Math Department is working with the Center for Student Academic Support to address gaps in students’ math performance. And the Student Emergency Financial Assistance Fund, which I detailed in a previous message, is helping to meet the needs of students facing difficult financial circumstances.
We also are testing DropGuard, a new system for reporting student concerns that will replace Retention Alert. Faculty will be trained in November and January, and the software will go live this spring. We apologize that there were a few wrinkles in the testing of the system. TU also joined the Gardner Institute’s Foundations of Excellence Tulsa Transfer Project to improve the experience for transfer students. Finally, there are several initiatives underway surrounding tuition and financial aid, including improved access to information and enforcement of our payment policy, with more ideas gaining traction every week. Each one of these measures touches our students in ways we never dreamed possible. Thanks to our engaged faculty and staff, we are giving our students the best chance for success.
As a reminder, I have open office hours most Tuesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m., although with some late changes in board schedules, there are a few exceptions. I welcome your visits and appreciate you sharing your ideas.
With commitment,
Janet Levit
Provost and EVP for Academic Affairs