UL Lafayette’s new president Dr. E. Joseph Savoie met with members of six advisory teams Wednesday to hear recommendations as part of his transition.
The advisory teams were created in April and were charged with providing Savoie with insights into the university’s strengths and weaknesses. Each team’s direction was based on an institutional review conducted after former President Dr. Ray Authement’s announced his retirement last year.
Savoie called the teams’ work an “important exercise” and said it lays out a roadmap for the university’s future.
“ Hopefully, we can get some dialogue going and come to a consensus of how we’re going to move the university forward,” Savoie said to team members.
Jerry Luke LeBlanc, the university’s interim vice president for Business and Finance, led Savoie’s transition to UL Lafayette as well as the advisory teams.
He noted that some of the recommendations are immediate while some are “a beginning.”
“ We have a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and we have a tremendous amount of hope,” LeBlanc said. “People want to see the university succeed.”
Each advisory team presented its recommendations to Savoie. The teams and their recommendations are:
Academic and Faculty Advisory Team
The top priorities as outlined by this team includes:
• Evaluating faculty performance and the merit pay plan;
• Improving IT infrastructure in classrooms;
• Reviewing summer sessions including course offerings and pay structures;
• Making marketing, recruitment and web improvements; and
• Improving the recruitment of and services for transfer students.
Economic Development and Research Advisory Team
At the top of this team’s recommendations are:
• Appointing an ad hoc committee to develop a strategic plan for future growth of the University Research Park;
• Reviewing financial incentive policies for faculty and staff conducting research which may have future commercial application;
• Combining local, state and federal relations into a single unit within two years;
• Increasing budget for firms that handle legislation and funding requests at the federal level;
• Creating partnerships between the university and local economic development entities to provide for new jobs and higher paying jobs;
• Appointing an economic development liaison and creating an economic development council;
• Filling the economic development professorship created by local banks immediately.
Student Issues Advisory Team
This team made six recommendations including:
• Addressing student housing through renovation and new construction;
• Reaching a consensus on a final design for construction of a new Student Union;
• Providing greater access to services like transportation, child care and international student programs;
• Creating an enrollment management task force;
• Instituting a Freshman Seminar for first-time and transfer students;
• Developing an aggressive branding and marketing plan;
• Designing a student survey for input and inclusion in the new administration’s plans.
University Advancement Advisory Team
Recommended priorities from this team include:
• Examining the University Advancement area and consider a strategic plan for alumni relations, fund raising and image enhancement;
• Coordinating local, state, regional and national governmental partnerships to create a central oversight and a real strategy for maximizing these partnerships;
• Developing a master plan for fund raising;
• Preparing for another major fund raising/capital campaign;
• Maximizing federal funding potential and allocations;
• Investing resources in marketing and advertising; and
• Designing a survey for input from alumni, donors and the community for input into new administration’s plans.
Athletics Advisory Team
This team outlined several priorities including:
• Renovating the football stadium along with facilities for baseball, softball, track and soccer;
• Implementing a major capital campaign for these improvements;
• Developing an Academics Center;
• Considering acquiring the Wetlands Golf Course;
• Developing and implementing annual giving campaigns;
• Continuing to fully allocate funds in accordance with the Board of Regents’ policy;
• Studying the possibility of a student fee to fund capital projects;
• Developing a planned giving campaign for future revenue for Athletics; and
• Creating an endowment campaign as part of annual giving for both athletic programs and academic support.
Facilities and Property Advisory Team
This team brought forth several recommendations including:
• Appointing an ad hoc committee to develop a University Facilities and Property Master Plan;
• Creating a separate 501(c)3 Facilities and Property Foundation;
• Developing a property acquisition policy;
• Determining university-owned property not contiguous to campus and consider liquidation then reinvest proceeds into long-term growth plan;
• Addressing student housing with renovations and new construction;
• Identifying the area surrounding the university and brand it as a named area.