UAB students, faculty and staff,
In spite of recent challenges for the UAB community, our great institution is growing and reaching new, exciting milestones, thanks to your dedication and hard work and the support of so many.
A reaffirmation committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges was on campus for three days in the latest stage of the reaccreditation process. As a result of the great work and input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and others, preliminary outcomes of the visit — which pointed to full compliance with Principles of Accreditation and no formal recommendations to adjust our Quality Enhancement Plan — could not be more positive for UAB, and we look forward to the SACS-COC Board of Trustees' final report. Thanks to all who participated in this very important process.
You may have heard that fundraising through the Campaign for UAB saw a record December, but that's not all. With more than $35 million raised in just three months, December through February, we continue to break records. The total raised in the Campaign is now more than $570 million toward our billion-dollar goal.
We previously announced substantial gains in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, with a 20 percent increase from the previous year. Overall research funding grants received in FY 2014 increased by more than $50 million over the previous year to $410 million, and we anticipate the final tally to reach at least $425 million. The implications of maintaining positive momentum such as this across our mission cannot be overstated.
Our Men's Basketball team reached first place in Conference USA standings in February and remained near the top of the standings, securing a first-round bye as the men's and women's programs gear up to host exciting CUSA Basketball Tournaments right here in Birmingham from March 11-14. Our Marching Blazers were invited to Hawaii to perform in March at the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor and other locations. Students continue to represent us well across campus and beyond and I know will continue to make UAB very, very proud.
In a great example of important work expertise across campus, faculty from our College of Arts and Sciences, School of Health Professions, and School of Public Health were featured nationally on PBS News Hour's "The extra cost of extra weight for older adults," as was UAB School of Medicine graduate and former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin.
Of course, you can't miss the continued construction of our new student center and freshman residence hall. It is certainly a thrill to see these buildings take shape, but we're not stopping there. Construction will begin soon on a new soccer facility – BBVA Compass Field – south of University Boulevard next to I-65. In February, the Board of Trustees approved proposals for a new $37.5 million building to house the Collat School of Business and the Bill Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as renovations and a major new addition to the School of Nursing building. New undergraduate and graduate degrees and concentrations were established, as were endowed professorships and chairs.
Exciting things are happening across campus and are not slowing. Most importantly, our vital dialogue is well underway as we build a framework for greater collaboration and shared governance, and I want to thank everyone for their inspiring dedication to UAB.
Through many meetings and conversations, I have heard the UAB community clearly and truly regret that our constituencies were not included in key decisions regarding athletics. I thank our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters who have made their voices heard in a constructive way. I believe that we have learned a great deal through this process, which will make UAB stronger going forward.
Several new task forces and committees — inclusive of UAB's many constituencies — have been meeting to advance important initiatives, conversations and searches. They include:
Athletic Director Search Committee
Athletics Assessment Task Force
Campus Safety Task Force
Chief Information Officer Search Committee
Graduate School Dean Search Committee
Student Life Task Force
Task Force on Employee Benefits
Task Force on Improving Shared Governance
Vice President for Equity and Diversity Search Committee
Vice President of Student Affairs Search Committee
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Search Committee
And there are others. A staff council is being created — a great suggestion that was submitted through
http://www.uab.edu/forward — to give our staff a better opportunity to have an organized and more effective voice. Updates and details from these many initiatives will be shared on the UAB Forward website. I hope you will visit often and look for ways to get involved.
The Athletics Assessment Task Force has remained busy. As work is completed by this dedicated group, the community will be able to have the kind of constructive and inclusive dialogue about the future of UAB Athletics needed to move forward with confidence. I have already seen these sincere and meaningful efforts begin to create common ground and constructive interactions, and they will continue in 2015 and beyond to the benefit of our institution and broader community.
I know actions speak louder than words, and I hope you will follow our efforts and results at
http://www.uab.edu/forward, where we will continue to provide updates, enable readers to provide input, and share the great things UAB faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners are doing every day to support our mission.
As task forces continue to work and/or solidify their priorities and goals, and have questions for the administration, I look forward to meeting with them directly to make sure I hear their voices and that the time they dedicate to these efforts results in very real influence. I also look forward to sharing results in regular communications with you.
Very sincerely,
Ray L. Watts
President
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Campus Update From Ray Watts
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