September 2004 Campus Update

December Commencement: On Friday, December 17, we celebrate the academic achievements of 445 graduates at the Winter Commencement Ceremony held at 2 p.m. in the Fargo Civic Auditorium. We expect 312 graduates to participate in the ceremony. Chancellor James H. McCormick will personally bring his greetings – he selected MSUM for his winter commencement appearance. We will also welcome Trustee David Paskach. Representative Paul Marquart will present the keynote address. Rep. Marquart received his M.S. in educational administration from Tri-College University, so we consider him to be “one of ours.”

Campus Master Plan: A couple of weeks ago, Vice President David Crockett and I presented the MSUM campus master plan to the Board of Trustees and Office of the Chancellor. We are very pleased with their positive response to our vision of MSUM’s future. I appreciate the work of the campus master planning committee led by Vice President Crockett.

Student Fitness Center: The Student Fitness Center in the Minnesota Higher Education Center (formally Edison School) opens for business on Jan. 11. This workout facility is funded by MSUM student fees and functions as an interim workout facility until our new Student Center is constructed. Faculty and Staff will be able to use the facility for a fee of $30/month or $100/semester. Vice President Warren Wiese says a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration will be scheduled for late January.

We are in the final stages of identifying an architectural team responsible for designing a new student facility that will connect the Comstock Memorial Union to a new student fitness/wellness center, and student dining center. Stay tuned for more details!

Preserving our Campus Assets: The need renovation and rejuvenation of our campus facilities is well documented in the campus master plan. While the state has struggled financially for several years, the legislative strategy has been to defer funding for maintenance of state-owned buildings. At MSUM, this strategy has added up to $98 million in back-logged maintenance needed for our academic buildings and our revenue fund buildings (residence halls, student union, etc.). If you consider only the academic buildings, we have logged $62 million in unfunded maintenance projects. I am referring to maintenance projects such as repairing leaky roofs, replacing worn carpeting, and tuck-pointing cracked brick walls. This situation has reached unprecedented levels. In fact, MSUM has the highest amount of deferred maintenance of any campus in our state system.

During the 2005 legislative session, MSUM requested $10 million in HEAPR funds to address asset preservation over the next biennium. However, the Board of Trustees approved a total of $66.5 million over the system’s adjusted base budget. If this request is approved in the legislature, we would receive $3.6 million for deferred maintenance over the next biennium.

In the meantime, I realize that many offices are in need of replaced carpets. And, our campus sidewalks are in visible need of repair. For FY2005, the high cost of heating fuel has forced us to set aside funding normally used for carpet replacement and other repairs that can wait until a later time. After the winter/heating season we will be able to use any left-over funding to begin addressing more of the carpeting needs on campus. You literally may have to use some duct tape in the interim. You’ll also see some “stop-gap” measures in the form of asphalt patching on cracked and heaved sidewalks throughout campus. It may not look the best, but we must address safety hazards with the funding we do have available. I appreciate your patience as we work through these issues.

Classroom Technology Upgrades: I am pleased to report that Academic and Administrative Affairs have completed the work necessary to release $100,000 to upgrade 28 university classrooms. The rooms will be equipped with projectors, DVD/VCRs, speakers, and screens. Some of these classrooms will also be equipped with document cameras, and CB105 and CB111 will have assistive listening technology. When spring semester begins, about half of these classrooms will be ready and the others will be completed throughout the semester.

Laptops for Faculty: Academic Affairs is making progress to lease-purchase roughly 120 laptops for faculty, with initial estimates for 90 PCs and 30 Macs. Once the bidding process is finished, we’ll have more details. Faculty will be able to apply for one of the laptops through a process facilitated by the Academic Affairs Council. More information will be communicated by Vice President Bette Midgarden within a few weeks.

Best Wishes for the Holidays! Take care of yourselves and each other. I trust you’ll return from the holiday break rejuvenated for the spring 2005 semester!