A Letter from Interim President Cody Teets
Dear Colleagues,
“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis
This past summer we began two important efforts to prepare the University for future success: a strategic planning process and an internal review to best align the University’s organizational structure for growth. There have been many meetings, conversations and lots of research and hard work, but we are now nearing implementation stages for the initial structural changes. We thank those of you that have already played a role in this process.
Now comes the time where we have two new challenges in particular to address – the changes we are making and managing the change itself. Change affects everyday operations for individuals and units. It can be hard for any organization to embrace, understand and execute. So, as we move forward, we must focus not only the organizational changes, but ensuring we maintain an open environment that welcomes discussion, conversation, and feedback so we are prepared to manage and support this evolution. As a result, we can have successful and healthy transitions to a new way of doing things, and eventually celebrate the strong outcomes they will bring.
For review, the impetus for the strategic plan and structural changes is to reverse long-term enrollment declines and improve student retention resulting in sustainable finances. The first areas of focus have been on improvements toward the creation of a “single source” data base, enrollment, advancement, and student affairs, along with Anderson and SPA. The goal is to improve our offerings, grow revenue and lower the cost without negatively affecting personnel.
Initial structural “mobilizations” will begin in early 2023 with adopting a university-wide database (so there is one source of truth, not multiple conflicting data points). A team led by our consultants, Mindstream will begin work on creating a central database to better track information across the institution and improve our vital institutional research and analytics work.
As we looked at the organization, we learned that there is an opportunity to garner savings by improving our procurement processes. As such, a formal department of procurement will be established to automate and streamline processes and centralize purchasing oversight for purchases over $5,000.
We will also see adjustments in enrollment management, our advancement structure and athletics. Please view the slides for more details on the initial stage. The following stage will focus on Academics (with input from RUAC), Human Resources, Marketing Communications, Mission, and Student Affairs.
In closing, change naturally brings anxiety. Our goal is to minimize disputation with transparent and timely communication and open conversation. With all of us working together, Regis can make the adjustments necessary to put us on a positive trajectory and enjoy a new season of growth as we build to our 150th year in 2027.
Better Together!
Cody