From the President, re: Strategic Action Planning Process
May 16, 2023
Dear Southern Community,
As we enter the final weeks of the academic year, this is an important moment to remind our community about the work we have engaged in concerning our strategic action planning process. My office established the President's Strategic Advisory Council (PSAC) earlier this year to serve as an extended cabinet to the presidency. This group has met throughout spring semester to shape strategy in the effort of helping the university move forward during these challenging times. The PSAC was also empowered with the responsibility to operationalize, in a specific way, the priorities of the university. These six priorities reflect the institution's core values and came about as a result of a months-long process of engaging the campus community. They are:
- Advancing Social Justice and Anti-Racism
- Maintaining Academic Excellence
- Driving Enrollment
- Ensuring Student Success
- Engaging our Community and Expanding our Reach
- Achieving a Sustainable Future
With the assistance of consultants from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the PSAC (complete roster below) has developed an outline for specific action items, processes, and outcomes associated with each of the 6 priorities. This work will continue through the summer and be synthesized into a 3-year Strategic Action Planning document that will be introduced to the Southern community early in fall semester (23'). At that point, the Office of the President will host a series of forums, facilitated by our AASCU consultants, to solicit feedback from the Southern community.
Although my tenure at Southern is near its conclusion, I want to emphasize how critical this strategic action plan will be for Southern. This is particularly important given the rapid pace of change and uncertainty concerning fiscal matters. My successor, Dr. Dwayne Smith, has been engaged with the Southern community since the announcement of his appointment. He understands the weight and magnitude of the situation. I am confident that under President Smith’s leadership, Southern will emerge stronger as a result of this process.
I thank you in advance for your active participation and support of an effort that is crucial to Southern’s long-term health, and ultimately, our students’ success.
Sincerely,
Joe Bertolino
President
President's Strategic Advisory Council (PSAC)
Barbara Cook
Associate Professor – Communication Disorders
Benjamin Abugri
MBA Director and Professor of Finance
Bruce Kalk
Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
Chris Barker
Director of Athletics
Colleen Bielitz
Assoc. VP - Strategic Initiatives & Outreach
David Pettigrew
Professor, Philosophy
Dennis Reiman
Chief Information Officer
Diane Ariza
Vice President - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Elliott Horch
Chairperson (Dept. Physics) & CSU Professor
Helen Marx
Assoc. Professor / Faculty Director, Undergrad. Academic Advising
Jes Kraus
Chief Human Resources Officer
Jess Boronico
Dean of the School of Business
Joe Bertolino
President
Judite Vamvakides
Assoc. VP - Institutional Advancement
Jules Tetreault
Dean of Student Affairs
Julia Irwin
Interim Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies
Julie Edstrom
Vice President - Enrollment Management
Junhong “Emma” Wang
Assoc. Professor, Marketing
KC Councilor
Professor of Communications & Media Studies
Kelvin Rutledge
Assoc. VP - Institutional Inclusive Strategies & Change Management
Kenneth McGill
Professor, Anthropology
Laurie Bonjo
Assoc. Professor Counseling & School Psychology
Loren Loomis Hubbell
University Controller
Manohar Singh
Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies
Mark Rozewski
Vice President - Finance and Administration
Mary Boudreaux
Assoc. Professor, Educational Leadership
Meredith Sinclair
Director - Undergraduate Curriculum Forum (UCF)
Michael Kingan
Vice President - Institutional Advancement
Michael Sormrude
Professor, Biology
Miriah Kelly
Assistant Professor, Environment, Geography, and Marine Sciences
Nilvio Perez
Director of Admissions
Patrick Crowley
Library Services
Patrick Dilger
Director of Communications & Marketing
Robert Prezant
Provost
Rusty May
Director for Technology Administration
Sandra Bulmer
Dean of College of Health and Human Services
Stephen Hegedus
Dean of the College of Education
Thierry Thesatus
Assoc. Dean of Career and Student Success
Thomas Kealy
ACE Fellow
Tracy Tyree
Vice President - Student Affairs
Trudy Milburn
Assoc. VP – Academic Affairs