Forsee focuses on future of UM system
UM system President Gary Forsee spoke to the UM system Board of Curators this morning regarding improvements being made around the university and at MU.
Forsee addressed issues facing the UM system budget, and said the focus of the system is on access and affordability to undergraduate students.
“We want to keep the door open for students,” Forsee said.
Forsee praised the system for its efforts to maintain graduation and retention rates despite tremendous growth of the four UM universities. With 24 percent growth across all four campuses, Forsee said the universities will have to continue to focus on maintaining such numbers.
Despite budget issues, Forsee said the system would be involved in several projects, including continued funding for Access Missouri and a new advocacy group called Missourians for Higher Education.
“This advocacy group is a state wide initiative that will ensure that Missourians understand the role that higher education plays in the state,” Forsee said.
In addition to these programs, Forsee announced the establishment of a Shared Services Initiative to help streamline UM system processes. Shared services is a customer-focused organizational model, says the Office of the President Web site, designed to consolidate operations in order to reduce inefficiencies and increase customer service.
Forsee announced that MU Chief Information Officer Gary Allen would lead the project with MU Director Business Services Paul Toler as project manager. Allen will retain his duties as CIO while working out of a central UM office, Forsee said, and Toler will begin benchmark duties and determining activities to review.
“My expectation for the board is that this is a journey, and that this will take a number of years,” Forsee said.
Forsee also addressed the work being done collectively at the Missouri Regional Life Sciences Summit, held in Kansas City in March.
In closing, Forsee thanked the curators for their work on tuition and budget adjustments, but focused on the work ahead and the need for economic progress.