Strengthen prospective student communications and engagement

Executive Sponsors: Jenny Petty, Vice President for Marketing & Communications; Mary Kreta, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives

Project Leads: Joey Crowley, Data Analytics Manager, Sydney Hovenkotter, Associate Director of Enrollment Management

Project Description: This project aims to enhance the University of Montana's communication with prospective students, ensuring a more personalized and engaging experience that starts with students in their freshman year of high school. Additionally, this project intends to strengthen our communications with known influencers such as Parents and High School Counselors. By leveraging various communication channels such as emails, social media, etc., UM seeks to provide tailored information about its academic programs & value (cost), campus life, and application-through-enrolled process. This approach will build trust between UM and prospective students, parents, and high school counselors. Ultimately leading to better-informed applicants and increased enthusiasm for joining the UM community.

Refine and implement strategic admit-to-enrollment process

Executive Sponsors: Leslie Webb, Vice Provost for Student Success; Mary Kreta, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives 

Project Leads: Joey Crowley, Data Analytics Manager; Noah Adams, Operations and Personnel Manager

Project Description: Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives and Student Success and Campus Life are partnering to ensure a smooth transition for an admitted student from the point of admission to being registered for classes. Each term iterates from the previous one with the aim to continually improve processes and communications—both for external audiences (admitted students and their families) and internal audiences (campus offices).

Remove barriers and expand financial access through financial aid, fundraising, and advocacy

Executive Sponsor: Mary Kreta, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives; Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

 Project Leads: Leslie Webb, Vice Provost for Student Success; Andrea Janssen, Director, Financial Education

Project Description: This project includes three foci: strengthening financial aid processes and clarity, raising funds for need-based aid, and helping students to understand the financial resources available.

Increase incoming class headcount (Enrollment)

Execute and operationalize sophisticated Admissions strategies and tactics (Enrollment)

Improve consistency and stability to financial aid staffing and processes (Enrollment)

Focus on forward-looking marketing strategy that relies on inbound and outbound strategies (Marketing and Communications)

Enhance existing and launch new retention efforts to promote student well-being, provide proactive case management, build emergency funds, and support faculty in the classroom (Campus Life and Student Success)

Grow parent and family programs in support of student success (Campus Life and Student Success)

Partner across Campus Life, Academic Units, Grizzly Athletics & Club Sports, and Brand Experience efforts to build a vibrant campus, a sense of belonging, and a uniquely Griz identity. 

Executive Sponsor: Leslie Webb, Vice Provost for Student Success; Jenny Petty, Vice President for Marketing & Communications; Kent Haslam, Director, Intercollegiate Athletics

Project Leads: Nic Hallisey, Associate Athletic Director, Marketing and Communications; Karen Schlatter, Brand Experience Manager

Project Description: This project explores ways to engage students on campus to enhance University of Montana engagement and provide opportunities to increase the sense of belonging, ultimately helping retention efforts. It includes collaboration across campus to create these meaningful and memorable experiences.

Enhance student well-being through a robust community of care to include expansion of the well-being coordinator program, increased access to Curry Health Center services, and faculty outreach focused on student demographics 

Executive Sponsor: Leslie Webb, Vice Provost for Student Success

Project Lead: Kayli Julius, Wellness Director; Faculty Senate representative

Project Description: This project will create a holistic model for enhancing student well-being at UM. The expansion of the Wellbeing Support Coordinator program will give us the opportunity to proactively support student wellbeing in a way that is effective and scalable. By supporting students more upstream with support, we hope to increase access and utilization of Curry Health Center mental health resources for students who need support before it becomes a crisis intervention.

Improve advising through staffing, technology, and partnership 

Executive Sponsor: Leslie Webb, Vice Provost for Student Success; Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Project Lead: Brian French, Executive Director, Office for Student Success

Project Description: The University of Montana (UM) Office of Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk (OIER) recently conducted an academic advising audit at UM to assess current practices and ensure compliance with UM policies, federal/state laws, and industry best practices.  The Office for Student Success (OSS), in partnership with the campus advising community, has begun implementing corrective actions in response to recommendations from the aforementioned audit.  The proactive measures taken by OSS, and operationalized through the UM Academic Advising Council and the campus advising community as a whole have shown significant progress in addressing the issues identified in the academic advising audit.  Ongoing corrective actions that respond to audit recommendations will largely serve as the actions of focus for the FY 24 project implementation plan on improving advising.

Work toward a seamless digital experience for UM students from prospective student to alumni (Information Technology)

Embed career readiness across the curriculum and co-curriculum  

Executive Sponsor: Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Project Lead: Andrea Vernon, Director of Experiential Learning & Student Success

Project Description: ElevateU is UM’s framework for guiding students toward personally fulfilling and financially viable careers post-graduation. Experiential Learning & Career Success (ELCS) is the centralized unit on campus spearheading ElevateU efforts across the curricular and co-curricular student experience. ELCS works closely with Institutional Research, and other units, to create and manage systems for implementing and tracking students’ participation in career readiness activities in and out of the classroom. 

Identify, enhance, and develop successful cross-college collaboration and relevant interdisciplinary programs  

Executive Sponsor: Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Project Lead: John DeBoer, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Project Description: Enhancing and developing successful cross-college collaborations requires commitment to scale and efficiency. It requires thoughtful consideration of market demand from both a student and economic/workforce perspective. This project will primarily focus on identifying the current state of interdisciplinary programs drawing from the work of the 2021 Interdisciplinary Workgroup. With the right framework and attributes in place, interdisciplinary programs can be a responsible and proactive approach to resource management, cultivating innovation and ensuring a robust, interconnected learning environment.

Develop a cross-campus effort to model civil dialogue and promote civic and democratic engagement 

Executive Sponsor: Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Project Lead: Michael Rohd, Director, Co-Lab for Civic Imagination

Project Description: By taking inventory of what democracy-related pedagogical, co-curricular, scholarly and outreach activities exist on campus currently, and learning what aspirations various campus bodies are working to realize, we will learn how UM is and soon hopes to be serving students, our community and the state of Montana. We will discover what gaps exist, what values and priorities are driving activities and planning, and begin to assess what comprehensive approach the University might want to take as the President’s Office and other campus collaborators work to develop and articulate a coherent, shared sense of purpose and vision for UM as a community committed to the practices of democracy and civil discourse, both on campus and beyond.

Support campus effort to model civil dialogue and promote civic and democratic engagement (Academic Affairs)

Clarify and streamline curricular and co-curricular pathways for students (Academic Affairs)

Implement Griz Career Skills Certificate program across campus for UM Student Employees and their Supervisors to “skillify” the student employment experience (Student Success)

IT Career Advancement and Mentoring Program (IT-CAMP) – ensuring our student employees have career pathways that enables them to be “career ready” upon graduation (Information Technology)

Establish and refine institutional processes to remove barriers to learning opportunities for different learner types and to facilitate learner movement between non-credit and for-credit learning 

Executive Sponsor: Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Project Leads: Paul Gladen, Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development; Shara Tscheulin, Vice Provost for Educational Initiative and Innovation

Collaborate with federal, state, and industry partners to expand workforce initiatives and strengthen UM’s position as the cybersecurity training and education hub for Montana  

Executive Sponsor: Brad Goan, Senior Advisor for Strategic Innovation

Project Lead: Tom Gallagher, Dean, Missoula College

Identify and implement market-driven online learning opportunities 

Executive Sponsor: Adrea Lawrence, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Project Lead: Shara Tscheulin, Vice Provost for Educational Initiative and Innovation

Combined Project Description: This integration of projects listed above will seek to equip UM, Missoula College, Cyber Montana and Accelerate MT to serve a wide range of learners with relevant, flexible, accessible pathways. Specifically, we plan to use increased engagement around a portfolio of cybersecurity education and training offerings as a means to identify, assess, design and test policies, processes and systems for engaging a wider range of learners and removing barriers to access and completion.

Collaborate with partners to address health needs across Montana, with a particular focus on mental health

Executive Sponsor: Brad Goan, Senior Advisor for Strategic Innovation

Project Leads: Ashby Kinch, Dean, Graduate School; Michael Rohd, Director, Co-Lab for Civic Imagination

Project Description: We aim to marshal the talent and expertise of UM faculty, students, and researchers in the areas of mental and behavioral health to address the glaring need for better mental health support in the state of Montana. These efforts build on existing work across campus in a number of academic programs (Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work, in addition to Public Health), colleges (Education, Health, and Humanities and Sciences), and research centers (Office of Health Research and Partnership, Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development, National Native Children’s Trauma Center). The goal is to increase the available workforce in the mental and behavioral health spheres; enhance training in those areas to maximize the effectiveness of Integrative Behavioral Health Models; and increase the rate of placement, co-ordination, and telehealth opportunities for a broadened workforce in this area, and shift public conversation about behavioral/mental health across the state.

Engage state, federal, and private partners in key research areas, e.g., AI/machine learning, human performance, cyber, biotech, climate, integrated environment, and autonomous systems 

Executive Sponsor: Scott Whittenburg, Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship

Project Leads: Paul Gladen, Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development; Drew Reinert, Research Liaison

Project Description: This project will seek to build collaborative, interdisciplinary communities of research faculty aligned around the key research areas listed above. The Research Development, Tech Transfer, and Accelerate MT teams will provide proactive outreach and economic and workforce development capabilities to assist in identifying and engaging with state, federal and private entities around high-impact research opportunities, activities and outcomes. The project will also seek to expand opportunities and exposure to impactful research initiatives for students (undergraduate and graduate).

Strengthen institutional processes for respectfully partnering with tribal communities, serving Indigenous members of the Griz community, and recognizing the sovereignty of Indigenous nations 

Executive Sponsor: Kelly Webster, Chief of Staff and Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning and Implementation

Project Lead: Karla Bird, Tribal Outreach Specialist

Project Description: The University will work to build and refine lasting institutional principles and processes that nurture respectful relationships between tribal nations and UM. We will do this through employee training and education as well as through experiential learning. This will include

• development of an online and in-person professional development series for those seeking to partner with tribes,
• development of a self-serve toolkit, and
• development of opportunities for experiential learning both here on campus and in tribal communities.

Implement new strategies and processes in seeking, attracting, and onboarding talent  

Executive Sponsor: Shawn Blair, Interim Associate Vice President of Human Resource Services

Project Leads: Libby Newman, Compensation Manager; Marcie Briggs, Director of Recruitment and Compensation

Project Description: Our goal is to create and implement strategies to increase the number of qualified candidate applications for existing and future vacancies. Additionally, streamline the recruitment process to assist campus leaders with filling vacancies efficiently and quicker. We will streamline the recruitment process to reduce hiring manager frustration and reduce length of the hiring process time. We will also enhance the onboarding process to improve the new hire experience and foster a sense of belonging and community.

Design improved processes for developing managers and supporting performance management

Executive Sponsors: Shawn Blair, Interim Associate Vice President of Human Resource Services; Amy Kinch, Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Assistant on Campus Relations

Project Lead: Jasmine Laine, Director, Office of Organizational Learning and Development

Project Description: The aim of this project is to enhance all UM employees’ leadership capabilities, with a particular emphasis to support people managers. The project involves the development of leadership programs that will define essential leadership skills and provide the necessary resources to guide the university's managers, leaders, and employees. By adopting a comprehensive approach, this initiative seeks to enhance the effectiveness of the university's management team and cultivate a more supportive organizational environment.

Build deeper organizational capacity in HRS and conflict prevention and resolution 

Executive Sponsors: Seth Bodnar, President, Amy Kinch, Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Assistant on Campus Relations

Project Leads: Alicia Arant, Associate Vice President of Conflict Resolution and Policy; Shawn Blair, Interim Associate Vice President of Human Resource Services

Project Description: This project is intended to establish an accessible, predictable, and compliant response to conflicts at UM. In this project, HRS will build a business partner model to provide day-to-day guidance and support for managers and departments so they can prevent conflicts or address conflicts in the early stages. Additionally, with the establishment of the Office of Conflict, Resolution, and Policy (“CRP”) and a centralized university investigatory process, UM will have a “one-stop shop” to address escalated conflicts and misconduct.

Implement new strategies and processes in seeking, attracting, and onboarding talent (Academic Affairs)

Develop leadership training for managers (People & Culture) 

Develop new resources for conflict, resolution, and policy (People & Culture) 

Revise recruitment and compensation review processes (People & Culture) 

Develop new onboarding resources for campus (People & Culture) 

Launch a new HRS Business Partner model (People & Culture)

Invest in staff wellbeing across the division (Student Success)

Shape the UM narrative and empower external partners to promote and showcase the University of Montana’s brand, accomplishments, and impact   

Executive Sponsor: Jenny Petty, Vice President for Marketing & Communications

Project Leads: Andy Chapman, Director of Brand Strategy; Dave Kuntz, Director of Strategic Communications

Project Descripton: UM Marketing and Communications will utilize resources and personnel from the communications and marketing sectors to guide publicity and campaign efforts to positively affect perception in Montana regarding UM. We will achieve this through traditional advertising mediums and traditional news outlets.

Expand and deepen Alumni’s campus and community partnerships  

Executive Sponsor: Mary Kreta, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives 

Project Lead: LeAnn Layton, Director, Alumni Relations

Project Description: The Office of Alumni Relations team will initiate a multi-step approach to strengthen the alumni community through strategic collaboration. We will establish a dedicated liaison team, comprising alumni and university representatives, to identify potential opportunities for partnership and assess ongoing collaborations. We will leverage our alumni network's expertise and resources to create meaningful engagement, while seeking feedback from both our alumni and community to ensure our partnerships are mutually beneficial and sustainable. We will regularly evaluate and adjust our strategies to foster long-term, fruitful relationships to create a vibrant ecosystem where alumni play a pivotal role in fostering growth, innovation, and social impact to further the mission, values and prospects of UM.

Develop a joint UM/UM Foundation strategy for impactful growth in philanthropic giving

Executive Sponsor: Cindy Williams, President and CEO, UM Foundation

Project Lead: Kate Jennings, Vice President of Development, UM Foundation

Project Description: Collaborate with UM to determine resources needed to significantly grow philanthropic support of UM and the timeframe in which those resources could be allocated to fuel growth.

Adapt Grizzly Athletics and the Adams Center to position shared facilities as a hub for community and statewide engagement

Executive Sponsors: Kent Haslam, Director, Intercollegiate Athletics; Paul Lasiter, Vice President for Operations and Finance

Project Leads: Sheryl Brown, General Manager, Adams Center; Chuck Maes, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Facilities and Events

Project Description: Washington-Grizzly Stadium and the Adams Center are nationally known sports and entertainment venues bringing together large and diverse audiences. Maximizing the quantity, quality and profitability of events is essential to create a stronger sense of community and to contribute to the economic health and quality of life at the University of Montana, Missoula and the entire region.

Improve physical and digital presence throughout Montana (Marketing and Communications)

Strengthen alumni and campus networks to engagement around career initiatives (Alumni)

Design data structures and processes that support decision making   

Executive Sponsor: Zach Rossmiller, Associate Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Project Lead: Pope Ashworth, Interim Director of Institutional Research

Project Description: The goal of this data project is to increase trust in institutional data. Data must be accessible to be used and must be trusted in order to have a positive impact on decision-making. In order for constituents to understand institutional data, they must first be able to determine where data are stored and have the data literacy to appropriately leverage them. Improved data structures and processes are in support of this goal.

Modernize Banner to increase efficiencies and capabilities for employees and students 

Executive Sponsor: Zach Rossmiller, Associate Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Project Lead: Corey Cardoza, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Enterprise & Strategic Technology

Project Description: The UM IT Enterprise Technologies division is working with Ellucian to update our Banner software architecture and processes. This project will fix and improve current Banner processes, systems, and interfaces and introduce new systems connected to Banner. These upgrades to UM's technological infrastructure will bring us closer to industry standards, address security and compliance issues, identify and eliminate redundant systems and processes, and explore new functionality to improve efficiency. The result will be an improvement of the student and employee experience, including streamlining and automating business processes and workflows, new electronic document storage solutions with built-in retention policies, a new mobile-friendly portal for students to access electronic services, and a transition to a more integrated learning management system.

Implement One Digital Identity— provide a simple, modern, automated, and resilient user experience for students and employees while improving the university’s information security posture

Executive Sponsor: Zach Rossmiller, Associate Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Project Lead: Jonathan Neff, Chief Information Security Officer; Scott Holgate, Executive Director of Cyberinfrastructure

Project Description: UM IT is working with Okta to implement a new Identity and Access Management infrastructure for the university. Currently, individuals may have multiple digital identities on our campus, with different usernames for different services and for different roles; NetID, NetID+e, NetID@umontana.edu, first.last@umontana.edu, first.last@mso.umt.edu, NetID@umconnect.umt.edu, and first.last@umt.edu to name a few. With the One Digital Identity project, individuals will primarily have a single username and password to access UM’s various information and technology services. This will provide a more seamless experience for both our students and employees.

Strengthen UM’s Cybersecurity Posture to comply with new industry standards (Information Technology)

Work towards decommissioning/replacing old systems (Information Technology)

Advance UMT.edu information architecture and restyling project (Marketing and Communications)

Implement Nelnet, Chrome River & Argos (Operations and Finance)

Advance Waste/materials management/recycling projects (Operations and Finance)

Advance energy generation & conservation efforts (Operations and Finance)

Major campus construction and renovation efforts (Campus Operations and Risk)

Implement a UM Parking Operations Plan and improved integration with transportation/access broadly (Campus Operations and Risk)

Complete construction and begin operation of Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility (Intercollegiate Athletics)

Secure private funding to relocate Hackney Athletic Equipment Center and construct Lady Griz Basketball Center in the vacated space (Intercollegiate Athletics)