MU At A Crossroads (Is This A Good Thing?)

[Tugg Speedman]

Recall that back in May the Board of Directors (BoT) adopted a new vision to raise the University's profile.

Some highlights to refresh you memory.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/marquette-university-adopts-vision-to-raise-its-profile-7t9ptd0-205675301.html

Marquette University on Wednesday [May 1, 2013] proclaimed a new vision for itself - to be recognized among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic and Jesuit universities in the world.

A strategic plan approved by the board of trustees calls for Marquette to raise its U.S. News & World Report ranking, as well as its profile for research and community involvement. The plan also calls for Marquette to leverage its brand through its nationally ranked men's basketball team and other athletic programs now part of the new Big East Conference.

Marquette President Father Scott R. Pilarz said in an interview Wednesday that the new vision and strategic plan were the culmination of conversations involving the whole campus community since his arrival about two years ago.

Here is the PowerPoint Presentation
http://www.marquette.edu/strategic-planning/documents/strategic-plan-ppt.pdf

Some highlights:

Marquette University aspires to be, and to be recognized, among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic and Jesuit universities in the world, promoting the greater glory of God and the well-being of humankind.

We must reach beyond traditional academic boundaries and embrace new and collaborative methods of teaching, learning, research and service in an inclusive environment that supports all of our members in reaching their fullest potential.

Marquette graduates will be problem-solvers and agents for change in a complex world, so in the spirit of St. Ignatius and Jacques Marquette they are ready in every way “to go and set the world on fire.”

Objectives

* Be a first-choice university for bright and promising students.

 * Recruit, retain and empower mission-driven, diverse faculty at the cutting edge of their fields.

 * Adopt new learning and research technologies to strengthen the university’s commitment to offering a personally transformative education.

 * Move into the top quarter of national universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report.


We had a 12 page thread about this last May
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=38621.0

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Since that vision was adopted Pilarz and Larry Williams have resigned.  This leaves the four most important positions in the university open (not counting Head BB coach). 

* President
* Provost
* Dean of the Business School
* Athletic Director

If MU is serious about this new vision, and I believe the BoT is deadly serious (which is why I believe Pilarz and LW are gone) the BoT can now hire the most important people in the University to make this happen.  These new hires will attempt to transform MU in the next few years. 

Back in the May thread (link above) starting on page 4, many expressed reservation about this new vision.  They questioned the ability to do it, or were afraid that if successful, it would change MU as we know it.  The second part is correct, it successful MU would change.

In any event, it seems like one of the most important crossroads in MU history is coming.  The BoT is going to hire people into these four positions in an attempt to turn MU away from Depaul, SLU and Creighton and more like Wash U, Georgetown and BC.  Successful or not, these upcoming decisions will affect the university for a generation, if not more.

Thoughts?

(For the record, I'm all for this change and will do what I can to help make it happen)

[KenoshaWarrior]

Dont care about anything but AD.   I know that sound stupid but it is true.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Completely on board with this vision and support the recognition of the school to realize the people they picked to lead the school towards this vision simply were not the right fits (Pilarz, L. Williams). 

I am confident Marquette will find the right people to lead the charge.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Missing another open major position, if not the most important: Executive VP (Greg Kliebhan, Mary D. spot) whose job would be to activate the strategic plan. 

That said, any new president, especially a lay person, will blow this up and put their own signature on this...or at least change it in a major way (which it needs, IMO, and that I voiced in the past).

[Tugg Speedman]

Missing another open major position, if not the most important: Executive VP (Greg Kliebhan, Mary D. spot) whose job would be to activate the strategic plan. 

That said, any new president, especially a lay person, will blow this up and put their own signature on this...or at least change it in a major way (which it needs, IMO, and that I voiced in the past).

Please explain or link

[Benny B]

Elaborating on what I believe was the first half of Doc's point... nothing will happen until the President is hired this spring.  The CoBA dean and Provost will likely be simultaneous hires in early 2015... the CoBA dean will not be hired until the Provost is hired, but the search process for both will likely run concurrently.  The AD will be a hire independent of the Provost & Dean, but just how long Cords wears the interim title is going to be up to the new Pres... be that this summer, the next, or the following.

The point here is that the BoT is only making one of these hires -- the President.  Although I assume they will be kept informed, the BoT will have very little involvement in the hiring of the other three... if you want to bring on a person who is going to be an effective leader, you need to let that person do his/her job.  You don't want to undercut your new hire by dictating who to hire for the other three positions; otherwise, you're going to end up with someone who will bring you right back to the point we're at now within a few years.

[Tugg Speedman]

Benny, you are correct but I'm being told that the timetable is much faster.  For instance, the CoBA was already had a search underway before Pilarz left. 

The impression I was left with is all these spots will be filled BEFORE school starts in September 2014.  After this the next big capital improvement will be a new Business School which they want to get moving on in the 2014/2015 school year.

[GGGG]

Please explain or link

Ah strategic vision...how fun it can be.

I think the real question is how wedded is the board to this vision?  Was this what they fully intended when they hired SP?  Are different people holding the power on the BOT right now?  IOW, has all this turmoil caused some sort of existential crisis at the University?

I doubt a president is going to come in and completely tear up this vision in a public manner.  They might pay lip service to it, I mean those statements are pretty innocuous.  The real thing to watch is what they do.  Perhaps not right away, but in a year or so once they figure out the place.  My guess is that over the first year, the new president is going to spend some time healing relationships...getting to know the people in place...hiring their team, and THEN addressing the issues in that vision.

[Benny B]

Benny, you are correct but I'm being told that the timetable is much faster.  For instance, the CoBA was already had a search underway before Pilarz left. 

The impression I was left with is all these spots will be filled BEFORE school starts in September 2014.  After this the next big capital improvement will be a new Business School which they want to get moving on in the 2014/2015 school year.

I believe Dr. Callahan has already agreed to stay on as interim provost through the new president's first year.  You're right that a search at CoBA was already underway, but think about it... you're not going to hire a new dean without that person knowing who it is they're working for; so you're not going to offer the CoBA deanship until you've at least announced the new provost.  Look for the presidential announcement sometime in spring (by which I mean spring semester, meaning as soon as Feb or Mar), and the provost & dean announcements about 12 months later.

I don't know the details/timing of the CoBA capital campaign, but they're not going to slam someone in there just because they need a face or someone to hawk for the college... the last thing they want is someone who resigns a year into the job (or mid-campaign) because they don't like the new provost.