A working group charged with improving Metropolitan State University of Denver’s decision-making processes outlined several recommendations during the April 24 President’s Cabinet meeting, specifically elevating the Shared Governance Statement to a policy and creating a Shared Governance Council to facilitate collaborative decision-making.
While the policy would result in more structure and uniformity, the proposed council would keep progress on track, ensure that the right people are at the table during important conversations while avoiding duplicative work.
Speaking on behalf of the Shared Governance Working Group, Jenny Allert, DNP, associate professor of Nursing, and David Fine, J.D., general counsel, also recommended that the proposed council adopt principles and guidelines of shared governance, including the structure and decision-making process. They also advised that the group should devise a full communication plan that would include presentations and discussion with various University groups, plus training opportunities and more.
Fine also noted the need for a shared understanding and definition of shared governance and clarified that while the Shared Governance Council would not be a decision-making body, it would help direct the potential policy to the right shared–governance stakeholders. Allert and Fine also welcomed more student interest and participation in the group and shared progress on its charge to examine and refine processes and to enhance coordination and communication between decision-makers and shared–governance bodies.
Workday implementation retrospective project overview
Larry Sampler, chief operating officer and vice president for Administration, gave an overview of the Workday After Action Retrospective ahead of Monday’s town hall. The process not only introduced a new enterprise-resource planning tool but required the University to take a hard look at outdated and inefficient business processes. Sampler also highlighted the related issue of the University’s need to automate and move to cloud-based systems as the University’s servers are nearing the end of their life.
“The retrospective will also help the University get the most out of the Workday tool while applying best practices and lessons learned in the upcoming search for a new student information system,” Sampler explained, inviting employees to review the After Action Retrospective report, which includes what worked, challenges, recommendations and best practices to sustain and apply to the upcoming student-information-system project.
Watch the Early Bird for a full recap of the Workday After Action Retrospective town hall soon.
Legislative progress and capital projects
On Monday, the Gov. Jared Polis signed the FY2024-25 budget, approving spending plan that includes a $132 million increase for higher-education base funding for next year. This includes a 3% cap on resident-undergraduate tuition increases. The budget also includes $6 million in funding for MSU Denver’s Classroom to Career Hub and $8.4 million for the upgrade to the student information system. The bill to fund the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute was recently approved by the General Assembly and will be signed by the Governor today.
Important updates and reminders
- The Faculty Senate will hold elections today. Senate leaders have also reviewed numerous standing University-level committees that have faculty representation to identify overlaps, gaps and opportunities for streamlining.
- Don’t miss the recent Early Bird article outlining Day of Giving successes, and watch the full meeting recording to hear more details on the record-breaking event.
- The University Planning and Budget Advisory Council has wrapped up departmental budget presentations and has moved into the prioritization phase. The Board of Trustees will vote on the budget at its June meeting.
- Employee Engagement Survey action plans are available on HR SharePoint.
- Mark your calendars for Aug. 23 for the new MSU Denver Community Collab Summit, an interdisciplinary day of learning and connecting for faculty and staff members.
- The Curriculum, Academic Effectiveness and Policy Development Office is seeking faculty and staff participation in the new Curriculum Advisory Board, which aims to improve processes and procedures for establishing curriculum.
- The new Dean of the School of Hospitality, Lynn Minnaert, Ph.D., will begin May 13.
- Spring Commencement is May 10 at the Denver Coliseum. Visit the University Events website to purchase parking tickets and RSVP. The keynote speaker is Brittany Pettersen, MSU Denver alumna and U.S. representative.
- Congratulations to the Club Hockey team for an outstanding season.