In just a few weeks, the term of UC President Nancy Zimpher will come to an end as she leaves the university for a new position as chancellor of the State University of New York. This change in leadership may cause unease as people wonder what will happen to current objectives like the quarter to semester transition and the university-wide restructuring initiative.The UC Board of Trustees also wants to maintain the momentum of such projects and have enacted several resolutions in order to continue the focus and progress achieved thus far. On March 17, the Board of Trustees named Monica Rimai as the Interim President, to begin serving in that capacity on June 1. Currently, Rimai serves as Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance and, according to President Zimpher, has been intimately involved as her “right hand” for many of these major projects.
The six focus areas which the Board has determined will guide our action for the next 6-9 months are:
Performance-Based Budgeting – making the budget process more transparent and creating mandatory thresholds for all units to ensure the decision-making protects and supports academic mission
University-based health system for Cincinnati – building a strong UC Physician center health system which exhibits our values and enables us to become a regional/national healthcare asset which provides multidisciplinary, innovation-driven care of the highest quality
Strategic Research Plan – updating the current Strategic Plan for Research to address new opportunities due to increased support for research at federal level and critical partnerships with industry
Collegiate Re-structuring – enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the academic enterprise to enrich the teaching & learning environment and respond to University System of Ohio (USO) goals. This also includes academic program review and the quarter to semester conversion
STRIVE – growing the pipeline to ensure a well-educated populace who has access to educational paths, from birth through careers
Community Engagement and Outreach – reinforcing UC’s reputation as a key contributor to the economic and social prosperity of our region in particular through the Agenda 360 regional action plan
While we are facing new opportunities through UC’s change in leadership, I believe we will retain our momentum and continue to advance.