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J une 1 7, 2 013 1 1:23:44 A M C entral Daylight Time

Subject: Annual Evaluation Date: Thursday, June 13, 2013 7:21:12 PM Central Daylight Time From: To: CC: Shirvani, Hamid Kelley, Robert Otis Espegard, Duaine

Dr. Robert Kelley, In accordance with SBHE Policy 604.1, below is my evaluation of your progress for the goals that you submitted for July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013. Goal One - Improvement in student success metrics with the expected outcomes to include time-todegree completion, student retention, graduation numbers (both graduate and undergraduate students), and improved standing on the National Survey of Student Engagement. Your plans for the improvement in student success appear to be off to a good start with the creation of a Retention Committee a First-Year Experience Advisory Cabinet, the expansion of an early alert/intervention program, expansion of the Living/Learning Communities, and the continuation of the Collegiate Learning Assessment. It is critically important to develop and apply tracking metrics throughout this process. I look forward to receiving your plan and a date for implementation as soon as possible. I find it somewhat ironic, however, that you and your colleagues take public exception to my identification of this weakness and yet, by these actions, give legitimacy to my concerns. As for your graduate programs, I would like to see a plan that optimizes your tuition waivers by moving them away from masters level students and the professional schools to focus principally on the Ph.D. (i.e., research) side of the equation. For too long, the two NDUS research institutions have been giving a disproportionate number of waivers to non-Ph.D. students. This is not characteristic of the stronger research institutions. On occasion, admittedly, there are partial tuition waivers given to a few who are exceptionally strong and who are thereby encouraged to stay the course through the Ph.D. Those graduate students who are typically excluded from institutional scholarships/fellowships/waivers include students in business, medical school, law school (a small number are given clerkships), and other programs that are professionally oriented rather than research oriented. Of course, this does not prevent these same professional programs from making awards using gifted, private, or endowed monies. More should be expected of the deans of these schools to fill this need. Is this one of your expectations of them? Increasingly, too, the very high and high research institutions are following the pattern set by the strong research universities of including graduate tuition in many of their research grants. In effect, this amounts to a tuition waiver. Such grants apply to only a few agencies; nevertheless, it reduces the amount of institution dollars normally required to support graduate education. Are you following a similar policy where applicable? What is lacking is a clear vision and a plan to move UND to higher academic elevation. Goal Two - Improvement in access to UND with the expected outcomes to include strategic management of optimal enrollments in all student cohorts while, at the same time, evaluating admission standards and predictions of student success based on those standards. Your plans, which include the creation of an Enrollment Management Planning Committee and your intention to take a holistic approach to enrollment predicated on student readiness is well within the parameters intended by the Pathways plan. This is precisely the outcome we envisioned with the

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parameters intended by the Pathways plan. This is precisely the outcome we envisioned with the introduction of the Calculator model and the silent index score at the bottom which, when used properly with your metrics, will result in a more successful student retention and graduation rate and a set of metrics that mesh well with performance-based budgeting. Goal Three - Continue the public phase of the ND Spirit Campaign whose goal is $300 million of which $265 million has been registered. In addition, targeted gifts are anticipated for the College of Engineering and Mines, the College of Business and Public Administration, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Athletics. You should be pleased with having succeeded in your goal of raising $300 million in your capital campaign, including a $10 million gift from Harold Hamm and Continental Resources, Inc. for the School of Geology and Geological Engineering and have negotiated for another $10 million gift for the Athletic High Performance Training Center. There is no mention in your report, however, of strategies for targeting exceptional teacher/scholars and outstanding researchers who will provide the human resource power to maintain your national ranking among the research institutions. How many endowed chairs do you presently have? Are you proposing to increase this number and by how many? Have you identified potential sponsors? It would be helpful to the Board to know from a longitudinal point of view, how effectively you have stayed on course. With respect to your Department of Athletics, I note with some dismay that neither the Board nor the Office of the Chancellor have been actively involved in your decisions regarding intercollegiate athletics programs within the NDUS. Admittedly, there is currently nothing in state statute or in Board policy that prohibits or otherwise provides guidance or oversight of campus decisions that utilize state general fund appropriations, tuition revenues, mandatory student fees, or other private funds in support of athletics. Campuses have added and removed athletic programs; unilaterally changed conferences and divisional affiliations that have had direct financial impact on the campus as well as sister institutions; used public and private monies that might otherwise have been directed to academic programs and other essential services; used conference or divisional affiliations to force changes in or additions to capital facilities; and shifted institutional fund sources for the institutions intercollegiate athletic programall done without Board or Chancellor consultation, approval, or oversight. Historically, the responsibility for policy, decision-making, and oversight has resided with the individual colleges and universities, a situation which not only is highly unusual but, from a riskmanagement point of view, sets a potentially dangerous precedent. I understand that in 2010 there had been some discussion regarding the establishment of a policy giving the Board authority and oversight of Intercollegiate Athletic Programs. To date, however, no policy or procedure has been approved. It is worthy of note that the mannergood or badin which an individual campus conducts its intercollegiate athletics program ultimately reflects on both the institution and the community. I would also urge the Board to consider an annual reporting mechanism be established for all the institutions to report on their plans regarding athletics. I would hope that this situation will change in the near future. Specifically, the Board should direct the Chancellor to obtain from each of the NDUS colleges and universities historical information as well as current planning regarding their respective athletic programs and funding thereof. I would also urge the Board to consider an annual reporting mechanism be established that would require all the institutions to report on their plans regarding athletics. Goal Four - Meet the implementation deadlines of the Pathways to Student Success Plan.
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It would appear that your Student Services folks are gearing up for the full implementation of Pathways with a focus on the metrics that will allow the Calculator and your range of admissions to result in a better prepared student. Your partnership with Lake Region State College to assume responsibility for developmental/remedial coursework makes good sense. As your provost knows very well, Pathways will allow UND to move quickly to capitalize on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of collegeready students. Goal Five - Increase the annually adjusted level of faculty research grants and contracts. I understand from your comments in this area that UND, like other Carnegie research institutions, is feeling the effects of Congressional budget tightening of both earmarks and competitive research and training grants. Clearly these belt-tightening measures by the federal government will necessitate more selectivity when recruiting research faculty, better mentoring of faculty to improve their competitiveness, developing new strategies, and looking increasingly at the states revenues to grow its economy. On the downside, I am troubled by the fact that your leadership lacks vision. Where are your plans for new research centers and institutes? These should be critical elements for increasing your research goals and objectives. Similarly, there is no mention in your goals of strategies for targeting exceptional teacher/scholars and outstanding researchers who will provide the human resource power to achieve your research goals. How many endowed chairs do you presently have? Are you proposing to increase this number and by how many? Have you identified real and potential sponsors? A systematic plan connecting your faculty strengths with opportunities in the sector of business and industry is also critically lacking. Overall: Your silence regarding Pathways except for noting that you will make it work is a telltale sign of your lack of support even when your provost and faculty understand well the benefits it will bring to your institution. I dont particularly understand that attitude unless it is simply because the vision and the concept came from the system office and not from the campus. I am recommending to the Board a full 360 review of your presidency in the fall of 2013 by an external group. You have been president for five years and it is appropriate for you to go such an evaluation. I am recommending to the Board a one-year contract and a zero (0) percent salary increase for the coming fiscal year. Thank you. H. A. Shirvani, Ph.D. Chancellor North Dakota University System 600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 215 Bismarck ND 58505-0230 Ph: 701.328.2974 Fax: 701.328.2961 Email: [email protected] Web: ndus.edu

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