Chair Remarks to the Board
Remarks by Board of Regents Chair Allan Vigil
Board of Regents Meeting
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
The "summer break" is over for the regents and we are back at work with a full agenda this month.
Let me thank each of you formally for your support and your confidence in electing me as your chair for this fiscal year.
I will work very hard to continue to earn your support.
And I appreciate having Regent Cleveland as vice-chair.
You have heard the adage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."
This board and the University System are always in the middle of change -- sometimes more than others.
And our job as a board is to make sure change keeps us on the right track. Change should help the System improve its programs, service and operations.
But "the same" part also is important -- that reflects the traditions and the continuity that help keep us focused.
So, in the coming year, my goal is to use our history and traditions to help keep us on track as we continue to make the changes needed here at the Board and throughout the System.
And this is a particularly significant year to look at change and continuity -- since it marks the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Board of Regents and the University System of Georgia.
As I outline the areas on which I'd like us to focus in the coming year, please reflect on our 75 years and our role in setting up the System for success in the next 75 years.
Looking forward just one year -- I want our focus and work to underscore and support the directions we have set along with the Chancellor.
Our first and most immediate priority is to conduct an assessment of our existing Strategic Plan and then update it. The Chancellor has set a timeline of four to six months to accomplish this. I fully support this priority and at least the early end of the schedule.
The strategic plan is important to another goal -- that of helping the System operate more as a true System. As the Chancellor has noted, there exists a tendency to act more as a confederation than as a unified System.
A Strategic Plan that closely aligns institutional goals with System goals and creates strong incentives to operate as a System will be an important tool to change our culture in this respect.
A third area of focus is related to accountability.
There is no question that the fundamental measure of our performance is the number of students who graduate from our institutions. So we will continue our high priority attention on retention, progression and graduation rates.
The Chancellor made a strategic allocation of resources to RPG programs in the current budget and we must work to sustain that commitment and focus.
Our funding partners support our efforts toward improving RPG rates -- and they also will be holding us accountable for results.
Our RPG efforts also are an example of another area of focus for the year. And that is to continue to align our resources with the state's strategic priorities.
We must work to ensure that limited resources truly are targeted to key areas of state need and its top priorities.
For example, in June we heard Dr. Dan Rahn deliver the final report on Georgia's Health Professionals Education.
Under the Chancellor's reorganization, Dr. Rahn now holds the position of Senior Vice Chancellor for Health and Medical Programs -- in addition to his duties as the Medical College president.
This certainly will help us as we examines how we can use our resources to address the issues and recommendations put forward in this report.
As you know, resources continue to be an area of concern. Despite a healthy state tax digest, demands on these tax dollars continue to grow.
The Chancellor has sent strong signals that we must double and triple our efforts to maximize our revenue from sources other than just state appropriations and tuition.
So another area of focus for the year will be to look at how we -- and our institutions -- can increase revenue in the areas of private support, entrepreneurial enterprises, operating efficiencies, and research funding.
And finally, I want to continue former Chairman Shelnut's focus on spreading the word about the University System and what we do for the state and our fellow citizens.
This is an important story -- particularly in our 75th year. The better we tell our story, the stronger support we can build for our goals and the programs we create to reach those goals.
We have a great deal to do -- and to accomplish. Some of it is new -- some reflects ongoing efforts.
And many of the changes you are seeing are designed to help us improve our ability to accomplish these -- and other -- goals.
Finally, like our predecessors on this board and throughout its 75-year history, we share a goal of "Creating A More Educated Georgia."
Again, thank you for your continued work toward this end -- and on behalf of the University System and the students and citizens we serve.