Dear faculty, staff and students,
As many of you observed, the University of Missouri Board of Curators held a special meeting yesterday to discuss key issues regarding the organizational structure of the UM System.
After a great deal of consideration, the Curators voted to merge the roles of UM System president and MU chancellor. The decision came after a thorough review process that included listening conversations with nearly 300 stakeholders. We also reviewed written feedback that was provided by many. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni from all four universities shared thoughtful input, as did a variety of external constituent groups. Our review also included expert analysis from AGB Consulting. Thank you to everyone who engaged with us to share ideas and improve our planning.
It is the Board’s responsibility to seek progress for all of our universities and to capitalize on each university’s strengths and missions. We have to make decisions that are forward-thinking and allow us to face challenges, including our financial realities and the changing landscape of higher education. Ultimately, we determined that combining the roles of UM System president and MU chancellor is the most effective way to continue to advance our mission and pursuit of excellence in student success, research and engagement. We are pleased that UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi now serves in this new permanent role.
It is important to note that this historic decision marks the beginning of a process to create structures that ensure the voice of each university is heard and that our institutions work together for the benefit of our students, our citizens and our state.
The board seeks a balanced governance model that represents both decisive leadership and full voices from chancellors to allow for distinctiveness of the four universities. These actions, which were approved in our resolution on Tuesday, support that goal:
| • | Establishing a Council of Chancellors, consisting of the three chancellors and chaired by the president. The Council will meet monthly and address challenges and opportunities, including systemwide strategic thinking, collaborative academic initiatives, integrated shared services and more. This structure is intended to honor and support the independence and innovation of each of the campuses while leveraging their distinctive strengths for the benefit of the entire system. |
| • | Recommending the Council create a campus advisory committee comprised of two representatives from each campus to support the Board in hearing and understanding a diverse group of campus-specific voices. |
| • | Appointing UM System Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Ryan Rapp to review and propose best practices for achieving innovative operational changes that increase administrative efficiency while upholding operational excellence systemwide. |
The Board also directed that the Council of Chancellors explore the role and services of the UM System; the role of the president; the role of the chancellors; and the scope of the Council and how it should function. The Council will provide ongoing updates and recommendations to the Board within 120 days.
Developing the appropriate model that works for our system—for our universities, our students and the communities we serve across the state of Missouri—is a journey rather than a destination. As we develop innovative structures and processes, we’ll continue to evaluate the effectiveness of the model and refine our direction based on campus and community needs. For more information, access the organizational structure evaluation webpage where you will find the resolution passed at the conclusion of yesterday’s meeting. You can also access the complete audio stream of the open session on the Board of Curators webpage.
The Board would like to thank President Choi for taking on this additional responsibility. The Board fully supports his decisive leadership and commitment to creating a culture of accountability. As Curator Williams and I led this process, we heard a steady theme from constituents about President Choi’s ability to lead this university well into the future—a testament to his proven dedication and success. Throughout his tenure, President Choi has championed the four universities and consistently harnessed their combined strength for the betterment of the entire system and the state. He has the full support of the board as he continues to carry out the important mission of our four universities with a steadfast focus on excellence in student success, research, engagement, inclusiveness and stewardship.
Thank you to all those who provided input as we considered these important topics. We appreciate the hard work of our university communities during these challenging times and for your support as we all work together for the benefit of our universities and the great state of Missouri.
Sincerely,
Julia G. Brncic, Chair, UM Board of Curators
