The Michigan Tech Plan: Goal 5: Administration

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GOAL 5: ADMINISTRATION - Provide an optimized administrative framework, with sound physical, technological, and financial bases, consistent with a national university of choice.

One of the greatest assets at Michigan Tech is our people. We would do them, and the institution as a whole, a disservice if we did not maximize their potential and provide a sound framework in which to work. If we are to become a national university of choice, it will be because our people made it happen. Appropriate compensation, possibilities for professional advancement, and professional respect are all necessary ingredients for a quality workplace.

Too often the administrative framework of an institution remains stagnant. As the world around us changes, so must we. We need to continue to pursue innovative processes that will enable the University to move forward into the 21st century. Michigan Tech must promote an outlook that encourages organizational agility and flexibility. We especially want to ensure that we implement practices that benefit the entire Michigan Tech community and to tear down the barriers which prevent us from working as a team.

Objectives:

5.1 Continue to improve operational methods, simplify processes, remove bureaucratic barriers and empower our people.

Strategies:

set up a problem-solving team who will make a self-improvement do-list for administration and continuously work across units to make procedural improvements;
evaluate and redesign systems to be more efficient and customer-service oriented, both for internal and external customers;
encourage cross-training to ensure the coverage of critical services;
recognize and reward the support of and the participation in faculty and staff development activities;
implement processes to optimize communication between students, faculty, staff, and administration.

5.2 Optimize the financial structure to provide for adequate checks and balances, and most, importantly, to best support the education and development of students.

Strategies:

implement efficient, cost-saving practices;
develop a university resource model that can explore the financial consequences of curriculum, staffing, workload, average class size, scholarship, research, and both undergraduate and graduate enrollment decisions in terms of their short- and long-term impact;
develop a budget model that combines positive feedback, internal quantitative productivity measures, quality measures, and benchmarking, in order to allocate resources based on unit contributions to the strategic plan.

5.3 Increase the financial resource base.

Strategies:

successfully conclude the "Leaders for Innovation" campaign and raise $140 million by 2003;
link the capital campaign to the strategic plan;
build endowment for student scholarships, faculty chairs, and university operations to $400 million by 2010;
improve Michigan Tech's response to state and federal opportunities for funding;
move Michigan Tech into the first tier of Michigan’s university funding structure;
increase number of endowed chairs;
increase the extramural funding for education and research.

5.4 Provide well-maintained physical facilities with up-to-date technological features.

Strategies:

evaluate and redesign physical facilities to be more efficient, technologically up-to-date, and customer-oriented;
link the campus masterplan to the strategic plan;
improve the space allocation process for more effective utilization;
implement the ubiquitous sharing of resources, laboratories, and equipment.

5.5 Provide an outstanding work environment and support opportunities for all members of the Michigan Tech community.

Strategies:

provide competitive compensation and family-friendly benefit packages to attract and retain quality faculty, staff, and students;
insure the availability of resources to retain the best faculty and staff without penalizing others;
provide day-care opportunities on campus;
expand professional development of faculty and staff to ensure they have the necessary tools to carry out their mission effectively;
actively recruit diverse faculty and staff.

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