Cyber Command Center Update

We will be officially celebrating our new Cyber Command Center (CCC) with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on Oct 25 at 11:45 a.m. in Dempster Hall. This project will greatly benefit our students and was supported by two significant funding sources: a MoExcels Grant from the State of Missouri and a $1 million contribution from a private donor who will be recognized during the ceremony and after whom the CCC will be named.

Enrollment Transformation Update

There was a recent media story about SEMO’s declining enrollment that I want to address. While our overall enrollment is down this fall by about 2%, there are many categories where we are seeing enrollment increases with respect to last year. We saw the largest freshmen class increase we have had in nearly a decade, up seven percent. We also saw a seven percent increase in transfer students showcasing the success of the Transfer Center we launched last year. Our online enrollment is up five percent, and our international enrollment is up eight percent.

As a reminder, a Strategic Enrollment Plan, developed as part of the work of the Enrollment Transformation Task Force, was shared with and endorsed by the Board of Governors in June. The plan is available on mySEMO by searching Enrollment Transformation Task Force Toolkit. Dr. Debbie Below provided an update during the Aug. 28 Strategic Action Plan Update as well as during this week’s Board of Governors meeting.

The enrollment increases realized this fall took much planning and work from so many of you across campus. I want to thank you for your efforts and encourage you to continue. We are making progress!

Personnel Updates

Vice President of Finance & Administration-Candidates will be on campus in the coming weeks. Candidate names and their vitas will be in next week’s Newswire. I encourage you to attend the open forums if you are interested in meeting the candidates in person and providing feedback.

• Monday, October 14 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. | UC Program Lounge
• Wednesday, October 16 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. | UC Ballroom
• Wednesday, October 23 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. | UC Ballroom

Provost-We will also initiate a search for a provost and organize a search committee to guide the process. A request for nominations from a number of units across campus will be sent out early next week. Our intent is to fill the position no later than July 1, 2025, hopefully earlier. I would like the committee to begin its work by November 2024. The search committee will consist of nine representatives made up of the following:

• Two members selected by the University President
• One member selected by Student Government
• One faculty member selected from each college, including Kent Library

SEMO Educators Advantage-You have likely seen that SEMO has partnered with two area schools to offer online undergraduate, graduate, and pathways for paraprofessionals programs to their faculty and staff at a discount as part of our new SEMO Educators Advantage Program. While Cape Girardeau and Jackson were the first to partner with SEMO, almost immediately dozens more schools contacted the University to express interest in signing partnership agreements. We have hired Andy Comstock, a retired superintendent, on a part-time basis to work with our school districts to coordinate the partnership agreements. This is a good opportunity for SEMO to promote its high-quality education programs and for school districts to receive the benefit of partnering with the University for their employees.

Athletics Development-We have also hired a new position through the University Foundation for an associate director of development for athletics. Lunden Manuel is a recent SEMO graduate and former student-athlete who began in this new role two weeks ago. He brings a great deal of talent and enthusiasm to the position. This dedicated development officer for athletics will focus on cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation of private donors to generate support for the Redhawks Club, our athletics programs, and sponsorships. Lunden will work in close collaboration and coordination with the development officers in the Division of Advancement. I view this position as a strategic opportunity in anticipation of a reduction in revenue from the NCAA to increase revenue and demonstrate the position can be self-supporting moving forward. As we consider the Transforming Lives comprehensive campaign and the Modern Campus project, there is much opportunity for broader donor engagement. Our recent athletics success has also created greater interest in investing in Athletics. Lunden will be housed in the Athletics offices.

Budget Director-As previously announced, Amy Napper will begin her new duties as budget director on October 14. Amy started at SEMO as a buyer in the Purchasing office before being promoted to senior buyer and then accepting her current position as the assistant director of administration for Facilities Management. She has actively served the University community as a member and past chair of Professional Staff Council. Amy earned a B.S. in mass communication and an MBA in accounting both from SEMO.

Administrative Assistant-There will be a new face in the president’s office beginning this coming Monday, Oct. 7, as Ms. Christie Schoen joins us as a new executive assistant. As you can imagine, both Christie and I are very eager for her to start. I hope you will take a moment to welcome her to SEMO.

Medical Premiums

You will be receiving information from Human Resources during the Open Enrollment process that there will be NO increase to the medical premiums this year. This is good news, and the result of a lot of work our institution has done over the last several years to make updates to our insurance coverage. I want to thank the Human Resources team and the employee group representatives who are continuously involved in our benefits processes.

Partnership with the Girl Scouts

SEMO recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Girls Scouts of Eastern Missouri supporting GSEM efforts to make higher education more accessible to the organization’s nearly 25,000 girl members across their 28-county jurisdiction in eastern Missouri. SEMO will offer Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s Highest Awardees a College Access Program Award, currently valued at $1,000 to $2,000, annually. This scholarship award is a renewable stackable award with other institutional merit aid.

Like the SEMO Educators Advantage program and our use of grant funds from a DEWEY Award to fund aid for participants in our pathways for paraprofessionals program, partnerships are a critical part of SEMO as we work toward achieving our enrollment goals to fulfill our mission of serving our region. You can be sure that we will continue to look for more partnership opportunities!