Published June 12, 2020
By 12, 2020
Dear UW Community,
In less than three weeks I will take the reins as president of the University of Wyoming, and in just a week I’ll be en route to Laramie from Champaign. As excited as Gabrielle and I are about this transition, it also comes at a time full of complexity and concern that we could not have imagined just a few months ago. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that continues expanding across the world. This has had unprecedented impacts on our families, our lives and our economy. And our nation is experiencing turmoil driven by racial, social and economic inequality. In such crises, higher education institutions like UW are looked to for leadership, and as essential components of the solutions our society needs to address such complex challenges.
As a result of the economic crisis the nation and state face, last week, Governor Gordon requested that state-supported organizations, including UW, produce scenarios for serious budget cuts. Such cuts will significantly impact our institution. Today, I have announced that we are creating a group of highly respected and experienced members of our university community to make recommendations that will address budget reductions, to explain their impacts and, very importantly, to also produce recommendations on investments that could be made to help move the university forward toward its future. As a land-grant university, UW has a responsibility to lead the state in higher education. But it also is increasingly looked to as an engine of innovation for the state, one that provides long-term pathways for a stronger economic future.
Accordingly, I have charged the committee to be very strategic and forward thinking in its recommendations, qualities especially needed in times of financial difficulties. I have asked the members to suggest pathways that address the following questions: How can we become more digital, in the era of computation and data that has profoundly transformed our lives? How can we become more entrepreneurial, both to grow our research enterprise and to support and catalyze creation of more companies that will drive the future economies of the state? How can we become more interdisciplinary, so that expertise and ideas from diverse groups of faculty, staff and students from every corner of the university are brought together to address the challenges Wyoming faces? And, how can we become more inclusive as an institution, so that diverse students from all parts of the state, from all walks of life, are given the opportunity to participate in an education at an institution that welcomes and supports them, and prepares them in ways that will strengthen our state and society?
The primary catalyst for this current financial difficulty is, of course, the COVID-19 crisis -- which has exacerbated the struggles of Wyoming’s extractive industries. After months of planning, this week we also announced, after approval by the Board of Trustees, that the UW campus will be open for business this fall, and that we will take all reasonable precautions to support our students, staff and faculty to mitigate risks in the face of this pandemic that has taken many lives and disrupted state and national economies around the world. This decision to restart the campus educational experience required committed and dedicated teams to consider every angle of how to serve our community safely -- from testing and medical treatment, to online classes and changes to our normal in-residence schedules.
And in a continuing development, our nation and our communities are rocked by turmoil catalyzed by the recent and shocking killing of George Floyd, fueled by generations of pain driven by racism and social inequity. Universities across the nation, including UW, are responding by re-committing themselves to diversity, equality and inclusion, to bringing communities together, and to rejecting racism while committing to expanding their efforts and actions to support and grow the diversity of our community.
Such challenges will be with us for years. Each requires thoughtful and long-term commitments to address the issues at hand. And we will be committed not only to keep our attention focused on problems facing us, but also, we will be committed to strategic and steady leadership to see us through. Like many of us, I have been at institutions during financial crossroads, devastating natural disasters and other crises. The state of Illinois recently faced a lengthy budget impasse, leading to 50% reduction in our state allocation for two years running. While it was extremely difficult, we worked hard to move the institution to be a more effective part of the solution set to the state’s problems, taking bold actions to do so. These, and other such experiences, have shown me the value of steady leadership, strategic thinking and hard decisions that can move an organization forward in the long term, even in challenging times.
I commit to work with you all to provide strong, informed and steady leadership through such complex times. Working together, we will ensure that our university, community and state emerge as strong and as vibrant as ever.
Sincerely,
Ed Seidel, President Designate