The Arizona Board of Regents presidential search committee has been meeting with potential candidates for NAU president, and it is expected that regents themselves will start meeting prospects by the end of the month. According to Roy St. Laurent, associate professor of statistics and committee member, a candidate could be announced soon after regents meetings take place.
President John Haeger said a new president will face several transitional issues as he or she takes office. The new president most likely will evaluate the university’s organizational structure in terms of service to students and the institution’s mission. Filling faculty positions and establishing a new relationship with the Faculty Senate also will be on the agenda as well as joining ABOR’s Enterprise Executive Council.
Sarah Bickel, vice president and chief of staff, said the Student Safety Task Force will have a draft report ready for the Arizona Board of Regents during the scheduled June 5-6 meeting at NAU. The report will contain the many programs NAU already has in place to help protect students as well as suggested improvements and additions.
Orientation for students and their families begins May 27 and runs through June. Jane Kuhn, associate vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, said about 3,900 people have registered. She also invited NAU faculty and staff to attend the start of orientation sessions to welcome students and families, share expertise and answer questions.
While it remains early in the enrollment process, NAU is showing the potential for a slight increase over last year’s numbers, said Laura Jones, associate vice president for Planning and Institutional Research. The President’s Cabinet Report also shows Personalized Learning with 156 students.
Pat Haeuser, vice president for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, reported on the annual AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey, which shows that NAU has moved up slightly among peer institutions. The faculty compensation numbers are from November and do not reflect recent increases, she pointed out.
Haeuser also gave an overview of the projected FY15 NAU budget, which totals about $518 million. She expects a net asset increase of about $5.6 million over last year’s break-even operating budget.