Budget Update

In President Cureton's Mini State-of-the-Org address on January 14, he indicated a potential 2021-2022 budget challenge of $2,400,000. Recently that number has been lowered to $1,245,000 due to additional projected PSEO enrollment, the maintaining of a 3% retirement contribution, and an increased subsidy from UNW Media. I am very grateful for a lower "to-solve," but recognize that we still have some hard work to do to address the revised goal. 

The President has asked the SLT members to identify by February 17 potential strategies to increase revenue over the next six months, along with projected budget adjustments in their areas. Thanks in advance for working with the deans and me as we determine revenue generating and cost cutting strategies. 

P5 Team Adds Another "P" 

While addressing the many campus-wide COVID-related changes needed since last March, the P5 Team has intentionally prioritized the needs and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff. Likewise, we have relied upon individuals across the university and media to help determine and implement our COVID efforts. Thus, as we began Phase 5 of our work this week, we donned a new name, P6, having officially added another "P" to our list: People. 

• People
• Plans
• Pathways
• Procedures
• Price
• Policies

The timeline for Phase 5 will extend to the beginning of June 2021 and include the following goals:

1. To continuously monitor UNW’s health and operations as outlined in our Resurgence Plan 
2. To confirm and roll out Summer 2021 plans, including a corresponding timeline  
3. To develop plans for Fall 2021, including a corresponding timeline 
4. To identify and allocate resources for appropriate levels of student and employee support during Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 
5. To connect UNW’s COVID efforts with the Strategic Planning process, identifying and incorporating opportunities for long-term improvements

Strategic Planning Theme Teams 

A big thanks to those of you who have volunteered to serve on one of the three theme teams–Grow, Discover, Declare. The following timeline has been established to guide the work of these teams:

• Theme Teams work: January 21 - March 15
• Theme Teams submit work: March 15, 2021
• Strategic Planning Teams present to President Cureton: Week of March 22 (3 meetings with times to be determined)
• Preparation for presentation to Board of Trustees (March 29 - April 22)
• President reports to Board of Trustees: April 23

Please be in prayer for these teams in the weeks ahead as they re-envision and plan for UNW's future. 

Student Guidelines for Virtual Class Meetings

If you are teaching students remotely, it may be helpful to remind them of some common etiquette and best practices for participating in virtual meetings. Here are two examples you may find helpful: 

1. Dr. Susan Jennings Lantz developed a list of professional expectations for joining her remote class. 
2. The University of Arkansas developed a series of Zoom meeting etiquette suggestions.

Please feel free to create and share your own standards as well. Many common sense suggestions are worth reviewing with your students as proactive reminders. In particular, students taking a class from their dorm room can inform their roommates a class is in session or use a virtual background as an easy way to avoid distracting or potentially embarrassing situations. Thanks for your proactive efforts in helping ensure virtual etiquette.

Important UNW Training

In early November we received an email from KnowBe4 (using the email address do-not-reply@unwsp.edu) notifying us that we have been enrolled in a Security Awareness training course.  As phishing attempts and other security risks continue to increase, this course is required training for all faculty and staff (including the CIO!). 

In order to help protect UNWSP, please complete this training by Wednesday, February 3 if you have not already done so. To complete the training, please visit the following link: https://training.knowbe4.com/login.  If you have any questions about the training or have problems accessing it, please submit a ticket to the IT Service Desk. Thanks so much, Colleagues, for completing this important training. 

Helpful Links and Resources

• Faculty Guidance
• Development Opportunities
• Teaching with Zoom and Zoom Ninja Skills
• Share your Return to Campus Feedback