Dean's update

June 5 , 2009

Much has transpired since my last update. I have now had the opportunity to experience my first UConn graduation. I thought our College's graduation event went very well and I heard nothing but good comments from students and parents. It is hard to believe that the College has been doing a separate event for only a few years given how smoothly the event went. That is a tribute to the hard work of many members of our faculty and staff who worked tirelessly to ensure that we had a quality event we could be proud of. We all owe them our thanks for a job well done. Graduation serves as a constant reminder of why we elected to pursue careers in higher education.  The pride of our students and their parents, family members and friends really brings into focus what we are all about as a college family.

Last week, we had the opportunity to host President Hogan at our Middlesex County Extension Center. He was able to see some of our demonstration areas related to sustainability and to hear about a number of the extension programs originating from the Middlesex center. University presidents rarely get the opportunity to see how the university reaches out to citizens at the local level. I believe President Hogan was impressed by what we do for Connecticut citizens on a daily basis throughout the state.

As a number of our faculty and staff members make the difficult personal decision about whether to take advantage of the Retirement Incentive Program, we are beginning to see the impact of these retirements on our college family. As many as 30 individuals may retire on or before July 1. This is a tremendous loss of seasoned professionals over a very short period of time. In particular, we will be losing a number of extension faculty and staff members from our county centers. It will be essential for us to provide short-term help until such time as we can refill positions to make sure that we continue deliver programs as effectively as possible.

Our budget picture for FY10 and FY11 is beginning to take shape.  Despite the significant state budget issues, language in the federal Stimulus Bill does not allow state government to cut the budgets for higher education if the state accepts federal funds through the Stimulus Bill. Provost Nicholls has communicated that it is unlikely that schools and colleges will be asked to reduce budgets further in FY10 and perhaps FY11 as well. Salaries recovered through the retirement program will be returned to UConn. This is a much brighter budget picture than a few short weeks ago. Once the hiring freeze is lifted, we will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to refill critical positions while at the same time making some strategic hires algned with the University's academic plan and the College's strategic plan. During the course of the summer, I will be working with the associate deans and department heads to craft a comprehensive hiring plan that will move us forward as a college.

As all of you take advantage of the summer for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, be safe and be well.

Gregory J. Weidemann

Dean and Director