In a Jan. 13 open forum covering several important topics, President Richard A. Hanson gave a status update to the campus community.
“Change is very hard,” Hanson told the approximately 150 faculty, staff and students in attendance. “We are still in the middle of the change process.”
He said budget items remain an ongoing issue. However, Hanson anticipates to soon lift the partial hiring freeze he implemented on Dec. 16. In addition, he has established the Budget Development Committee, which will meet weekly to assist and inform Hanson as budget decisions are made. The committee includes:
• Craig Schnell, provost and vice president for academic affairs
• Cathy Backer, executive assistant to the president
• Prakash Mathew, vice president for student affairs
• Jane Cumber, office manager for student affairs
• Amber Altstadt, student president
• Karla Mongeon-Stewart, budget director
• Gene Taylor, athletic director
• Kalpana Katti, distinguished professor of civil engineering
• Charles Peterson, dean of pharmacy, nursing and allied sciences
• John Adams, vice president for finance and administration
“I want to be clear with you. Nobody is getting laid off. No graduate students are losing their assistantships,” Hanson said. “We will lose some flexibility in some areas, but we will not lose people and we will not lose momentum.”
Hanson explained and supported the use of tuition assistance grants, noting there are 10 types available to assist graduate students, staff, international students, diversity efforts, National Guard members and senior citizens. “Our programs of tuition assistance for all these different groups of people represent a significant potential and reality for return on investment,” Hanson said. “These are not waivers. They are strategically placed tuition assistance devices that have, in most cases, a tremendous return on investment.”
Hanson also addressed the many issues resulting from the collapse of a section of the northwest portion of Minard Hall during the early morning hours of Dec. 27. He said some faculty have lost irreplaceable books and research materials, and graduate students had dissertation data destroyed. Hanson said he is considering changing the tenure clock for faculty members who have been impacted.
“Minard Hall isn’t about the northwest wall of bricks collapsing. Minard Hall is catastrophic because it is a human tragedy,” Hanson said. “It will take months, and perhaps years, to replace the things that are replaceable. The things that are not replaceable are gone.”
Hanson praised NDSU personnel who quickly made space and equipment available for the affected departments. “The good news in all this is your response,” he told the audience. “It’s a another reflection of the quality of this community as you step forward to take care of your colleagues, peers and friends who are now much disadvantaged. I’m very proud of that commitment.”
He asked the NDSU community to consider four words – connection, awareness, understanding and opportunity – in the months ahead. “You need to feel connected and I like forums as a way that allows you to do that,” he explained. “You need to know what is going on. You need to know what we are doing to solve issues and deal with them.”
He continued, “Human communication is an imperfect art, and we need to try to keep getting better at communicating the message so there is a sense of understanding. And we need to exercise the opportunity we have to take our institution into the 21st century with a new agenda of excellence and growth.”
Looking to the future, Hanson said NDSU has the breadth and depth of talent to be among the few institutions to lead the nation in meeting the challenges of the future.
“We’re not done on the trajectory toward creativity and excellence,” he said. “I urge each of you to be part of that surge. The recalibration we’ve been involved in the past few weeks is a necessary breath. All it does is make us better and stronger.”
“It has been important to take a breath. But, it is soon time to get back to creating the most powerful, the most effective and most excellent learning environment in the region. You are on the way.”
The next open forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 10:30 a.m. in the Memorial Union Century Theater.