INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

President Richardson established a three-year timetable upon accepting interim presidency.

First year was devoted to removing SACS probation. Achieved that goal thanks in large part to the AU Board of Trustees under the leadership of Earlon McWhorter.

Second year, currently underway, will be largely devoted to two main priorities:

-Clearly establishing institutional control, demonstrating that the president is in charge of day-to-day operations; and
-Positioning AU to better attract a top-flight permanent president.

Current disconnected environment is not conducive to a successful search for an outstanding president and has resulted in excess costs, loss of time, a failure to respond to changing conditions, lack of client-centered service and a reduction in the ability to achieve national recognition.

"Erosion" cited in Weary Report of 2003 must be repaired. The president has established an agenda designed to bring about future improvements. Measures within that agenda which require board action will be reviewed by appropriate faculty and board committees prior to formal recommendations by the president.

PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA

Strategic Plan for Auburn University

Plan should reflect future goals and direct allocation of resources toward resultant priorities;
Should be a rolling five-year plan that is reviewed and adjusted annually;
Board and other constituent groups should and will be fully engaged;
Proposed plan will come before board in November 2005;
After board adoption, administration will develop operational strategies to achieve its goals
Fully implemented strategic plan will guide the board's allocation of resources; guide efforts to establish a legislative agenda; specifically identify board priorities which will aid successful search for highly qualified president; provide valuable information relative to skills desired in a new president; and create better coherence within AU.

Auburn University System

Board should officially declare an Auburn University System through appropriate statements in strategic plan

Title of Auburn University president should be changed to Chancellor of the Auburn University System and President of Auburn University

Title of AUM chancellor should be changed to President of AUM. Titles of current AUM vice chancellors should be changed to vice presidents. AUM president should sit on the board in an advisory capacity

Title of AU executive vice president should be changed to Vice Chancellor for Financial and Administrative Services for Auburn University System. Individual in this position would retain current title for AU duties.

Title of AU provost and vice president for academic affairs should be changed to Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the Auburn University system. Individual in this position would retain current title for AU duties.

Title of AU vice president for development should be changed to Vice Chancellor for Development for the Auburn University System. Individual in this position would retain current title for AU duties.

Changes should require no additional staff or compensation

Changes should result in more timely consideration and approval of academic and administrative changes; be more attractive to presidential candidates; provide recognition of AUM as a major component of the AU system; provide improved commitment to the university mission as identified by the board; and lead to a strengthening of AU and AUM through shared resources.

Recommendations will come to board for approval in September 2005.

Academic Program Review

Academic Program review is an organized activity based on data relative to an institution's mission, goals and strategic plan designed to, at its least, assess the institution's academic program performance in terms of quality, productivity and efficiency. Currently, AU undergoes several forms of academic review that are not comprehensive or coherent, including SACS accreditation, reviews for ACHE compliance and accreditation reviews for individuals schools, colleges or programs. The university needs a coordinated plan for comprehensive review.

AU's academic program review must include criteria enabling the board to ensure an AU system student that meets all graduation requirements has achieved at sufficiently high levels

The provost will be responsible for appropriate involvement of faculty and presentation to the board by November 2005 of criteria, objectives and timetables for the review process.

AU will also develop criteria and a schedule for conducting a review for faculty. The purpose is to support faculty development as a basis for strong academic programming and in addition insure that our students receive a quality education.

Analysis of faculty time devoted to instruction, research and outreach should be included to reflect best use of resources.

An analysis of class assignments should be included to maximize use of existing facilities, assist with the containment of costs, minimize the need for students to take classes elsewhere and increase the likelihood of timely graduation.

Appropriate policies should be developed by September 2005 to ensure appropriate background checks for prospective administrators.

College of Agriculture Initiative

A review of trends and documents clearly indicates that colleges of agriculture that, like Auburn's, include only traditional programs are not reflective of current societal needs and risk becoming insignificant. As such, a yet-to-be-named institute which includes programs related to natural resources and environmental sciences will be presented to the board in September 2005. The institute would initially include the College of Agriculture, the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Stations and the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, but would additionally require the resolution of several issues by April 2006.

The institute should not be dominated by the College of Agriculture and should be led by a person whose office is in Samford Hall.

A review of current departments and programs that would be better placed in the institute should be completed.

The number of agricultural experiment stations should be reduced and those remaining should have targeted objectives or specialties. A study should be conducted to determine how revenues could be generated by those stations that are inactive.

Financial support of tenured faculty assigned to experiment stations should be reviewed and reduced with these positions shifted to budgets within the appropriate college or school or eliminated.

Services provided by the experiment stations should not be limited to agriculture.

The dean of the College of Agriculture should not serve as director of the experiment stations.

Targeted contributions and funds generated by the lease or sale of experiment station lands should be earmarked for a quasi-foundation that would support the institute.

A review of services provided by the Cooperative Extension Service, University Outreach and Community Service should be completed with the intent of consolidation. Such a move should better support the goals of the strategic plan and reduce costs.

In light of Alabama's wealth of natural resources, Auburn should offer an eco-tourism major within the institute.

Additional Objectives

Criteria and guidelines for a plan for space utilization and management should be finalized and data kept up-to-date to aid the board and the administration in making better decisions.

A north Auburn campus plan should be completed which will preserve existing programs and accommodate future needs.

The board should adopt and the strategic plan should include a plan to promote diversity which reflects best practices and anticipates future conditions. Annual reports reflecting diversity-related comparisons with peer institutions should be provided to the board.

The existing healthy partnership between AU and the City of Auburn should be continued with a focus on moving forward in other areas of mutual interest. An example would be the development of a new performing arts center to serve both the city and the university.

Our recent legislative success illustrated the benefits of a relationship between the AU and University of Alabama systems. Efforts --- which might include meetings between the respective boards and administrations --- should be made to further that relationship. An additional benefit of that relationship could be an increased presence in Washington, D.C. Plans to contract with a director of external relations should aid in increasing that presence and preparing for next year's session of the state Legislature.

The AU system should continue to review operating costs with an eye to containment of those costs. Such a review should include athletics. A casual review of services, university publications, utility usage, health care costs, construction and maintenance and staffing ratios indicate that needed services could be continued and costs controlled. Increased calls for accountability make this review necessary and it should be included in annual reports by the AU and AUM presidents beginning next June.

The board should begin its process of a search for a highly qualified permanent president with the objective of completing the search by the end of the 2006 calendar year.

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