February, 2015 Board of Regents Update

Dear UNI Family,

This month's Board of Regents meeting was held Feb. 4-5 here at UNI. Here are just a few of the outstanding UNI accomplishments I shared with our in-state colleagues.

Partnership between UNI and Allen College
An agreement has been signed between UNI and Allen College that enables qualified UNI students the opportunity to complete a baccalaureate degree at UNI while also earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Allen College. Up to 20 UNI students per year will be able to enroll in an accelerated 15- or 16-month program.

TIER Update
I also have some TIER (Transparent Inclusive Efficiency Review) updates to share with you. In January, the Board of Regents selected the university implementation plans for delivery of services (covering Human Resources, Finance and IT). The plans showed a strong commitment to becoming more efficient and effective. Additionally, the BOR has engaged Chazey Partners to lend its expertise and experience to assist in the further development of the delivery of service planning and implementation at the public universities.

The goal of the engagement with Chazey Partners is to identify internal changes to improve service and quality. The engagement process will include gathering both staff and client input. This will include a large number of staff completing a piece of an "Activity Based Analysis" and others attending workshops. Chazey representatives will be on campus the week of Feb. 23 to begin workshops.

UNI Day at the Statehouse
UNI will host UNI Day at the Statehouse from 1 to 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 16, at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. The event will highlight UNI programs and inform legislators about the impact UNI has on the state.

UNI Athletics success
The UNI men's basketball team has seen a lot of success this season. The then 18th-ranked team defeated No. 12 Wichita State 70-54 on Jan. 31. More than 7,000 very vocal fans packed McLeod Center in support of our 22-2 Panthers. Thank you to all the amazing students, faculty and staff for your support and great sportsmanship. UNI is now ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll. And last week, UNI senior forward Seth Tuttle was named the CBSSports.com and ESPN's National Player of the Week for his performance in victories over Southern Illinois and Wichita State.

Thank you again for all that you do!

Bill Ruud
President