Carter Henman
chenman@uwyo.edu
The next president of UW, Laurie Nichols addressed the faculty senate and community members prior to their first meeting of the spring semester, outlining her short and long-term goals for the university.
Nichols is currently the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at South Dakota State University. She will take office by July 1.
“I often get asked, ‘What’s the very first project you’ll work on when you get here?’” Nichols said. “I always tell them, ‘I’m going to move into my office.’”
Over the summer Nichols plans to travel across the state in order to meet with stakeholders throughout Wyoming.
“Wyoming is an integral part of the state, and we’re really interested in all of the communities of the state,” Nichols said.
Specifically Nichols outlined plans to meet with state legislators in their hometowns while she is on the road. She met with Governor Matt Mead in Cheyenne yesterday and also plans to speak on the floors of both the house and the senate next month.
She was nonspecific regarding her policy goals, but the next president of UW said she was committed to an open and inclusive process for putting together a three to five year strategic plan for the university.
“I don’t want to jump to something before I really have the time to know you,” Nichols said. “As somebody coming in from the outside, I have so much to learn.”
After opening up the floor to questions from faculty, staff, students and community members in attendance, the discussion turned toward budgetary concerns.
Vice President for Academic Affairs David Jones said during his report to the faculty senate, the university is in dire need of a new fiscal system.
“The governor has recommended a $5 million budget cut at the university for the next biennium,” Jones said.
“It’s probably going to be a tough year economically,” Nichols said. “The whole university needs to participate in a budget downsize, that’s critically important.”
Jones said this is an area where Nichols expertise would be especially valuable.
Nichols commented on the need to diversify sources of university funding in light of the recent state budget crisis.
“If most of the money that comes to the university is state funding, and state funding goes down, you’re absolutely going to feel it,” she said. “The more you can diversify your revenue stream, the better off you’re going to be.”
One way Nichols said she plans to decrease UW’s dependence on state funding is by reaching out to private donors.
“I think you have great potential on the private side; I think that there’s quite a bit more that can be done in generating private dollars for the university,” Nichols said.
Senator Linda Kidwell, representing the accounting department, expressed concern about increasing reliance on private funding.
“There’s a fairly significant consensus among faculty that the UW Foundation is really good at identifying people who want to give money and giving them what they want,” Kidwell said. “They’re not necessarily as good at directing those gifts towards the needs of the university.”
Nichols said she plans to address such concerns by working with Foundation leadership to ensure resource needs are being met on campus.
“I’m confident that can happen, it just takes good leadership,” she said.
Nichols said she looks forward to building strong relationships, fostering communication and cooperation in order to effectively fulfill her duties as president.
“A little strategy I’ve always tried to use as faculty and dean and provost, is that when people take the time to email you, you respond,” Nichols said. “I say all of that knowing this is all going to get harder than its been in the past.”
Jones cautioned against bombarding the president-appointee with emails while she finishes up her work at South Dakota State.
Faculty Senate Chair Tucker Readdy thanked Faculty Senate for their participation in the candidate selection process.
“I think when President Nichols successor ultimately gets hired, we will be included in a very meaningful way,” Readdy said.
Faculty senate also heard stump speeches from candidates campaigning to serve on the Executive Committee for 2016-17. Elections will be held at the faculty senate’s February meeting.
Four senators looking to fill one of the two member-at-large slots spoke: Kenneth Chestek, from the College of Law; Adrienne Freng, from the department of criminal justice; Kevin Inouye, from theatre and dance; and Nicole Lamartine from the music department.
Secretary O’Tool is running unopposed for the position of Secretary after Senator Carolyn Anderson withdrew her name from consideration last weekend.
O’Tool used his speech time to encourage the faculty senate members make their voices heard by trustees and state legislators.
“I think we’re facing a hard year,” he said. “We may be extraordinarily lucky in hiring Nichols.”
Senator Tim Slater, representing secondary education, and Readdy, from kinesiology and health, are the two candidates for chair-elect. They both spoke.
“Chair Readdy has agreed to run, and I believe he has been an excellent chair,” Slater said. “Therefore I ask you not to vote for me and instead join me in voting for Tucker.”
Readdy said he intends to vacate his position as former chair for 2016-17 and would like to discuss the possibility of electing a third member-at-large to fill his role on the executive committee.
