'Embracing Change': Highlights from UT-Tyler's 2023 Convocation
(UT-Tyler President Kirk Calhoun addressed Fall 2023 Convocation. Source: UT-Tyler YouTube.)
In higher education, convocation refers to the formal assembly of faculty and staff convened to welcome students back to the university.
Here is a recap of the convocation ceremony that occurred among faculty and staff on Aug. 18.
Under the theme of “Embracing Change” UT-Tyler President Kirk Calhoun delivered a state-of the-university-type speech in which he outlined his vision for the university in the next year.
In his remarks, The President cited UT-Tyler’s growth and emphasized its new identity with UT Healthscience Center.
As recent accomplishments, Calhoun listed the the university’s new medical school, its inaugural class, UT-Tyler’s championship women’s athletics, faculty research with NASA and other achievements.
Calhoun then presented how the growing institution faces challenges in the higher education industry.
He said these new challenges require all to “embrace change” for the new institution’s success.
Calhoun outlined six challenges to the university within higher education:
1. Increasing competition in student recruitment and retention as the U.S. College-age population declines.
2. Reducing the cost of higher education and managing costs in healthcare. "We need reasonable cost control while making substantial investment in our workforce, equipment and facilities," he said.
3. New Technology. New tech is "revolutionizing the way we teach, learn and do research," and new developments such as artificial intelligence and robotics will "drive us away from our comfort zones," he said.
4. Traditional degrees may no longer be the "ultimate path" to a "meaningful career", he said. Adjusting the university's offerings and curricula to prepare students for "a new reality"is appropriate, he said.
5. The growing demand for life-long learning. "Education is no longer about simply earning a degree," Calhoun said. "It's about continuous discovery, adaptation and collaboration."
6. Relevance. "UT-Tyler is working to be relevant to the entire community,” he said, “to offer more opportunity and to be welcoming to students and stakeholders.”
With respect to reaching the university’s goal for 15,000 student enrollment, The President said though enrollment is growing, UT-Tyler must focus on recruitment and retention to attain its goal.
These are the six challenges in higher education Calhoun outlined in his speech.
Vision: "Embracing Change"
“In the turbulent landscape of higher education, our ability to adapt to change is not just a survival skill. It's a prerequisite for success,” he told the assembly.
Calhoun relied upon Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s speech at The Berlin Wall in 1963 for inspiration about how UT-Tyler should approach the future. Calhoun said that, at the time in 1963, The U.S. and Germany faced a challenging period where the two countries had many similarities but also unique differences.
Calhoun said Kennedy called for the two nations to build on their similarities while also respecting each other’s differences. An idea of cooperation and partnership ought to guide their relationship, Kennedy said, according to Calhoun.
The UT-Tyler President said this approach should also shape how UT-Tyler and UT Healthscience Center wings work together: respecting differences, but working towards collaboration and partnership. He called on members to embrace change towards that goal.
"Together our impact is strengthened," he said.
Driving home the importance for faculty and staff to embrace change, Calhoun quoted Kennedy, who said, "For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future."
After laying out the challenges and opportunities for the future, Calhoun concluded his speech saying his main objective for this year “is to remind people that change is not a bad thing.” This concluded his speech.
“Embracing change” is the theme.
Discussion Format
Next, the convocation shifted to a round table discussion with executive vice presidents who updated the assembly on points of business such as recent activity with the medical school, the status of departmental budgets and some questions about academic curriculum. (This section starts at 48:05 on the YouTube video.)
Here are some highlights of the news that broke from convocation overall:
UT-Tyler Won't Raise Undergraduate Tuition
UT-Tyler will leave in-state undergraduate tuition "unchanged" this year in an effort to keep UT-Tyler affordable, Calhoun announced.
He also noted UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife’s priority to keep higher education affordable.
Pay Raises for Faculty and Staff
Executive Vice President Dwyane Morris announced that UT-Tyler will grant qualified faculty and staff a merit (pay) increase effective Sept. 1.
He also announced that adjustments according to The CUPA (The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources) Median by discipline will take effect Oct. 1.
Morris said increases are part of the university’s strategic commitment to invest in faculty and staff.
UT-Tyler’s Commitment To "Equal Pay"
When discussing possibilities for future pay raises, Morris also said “[the university] will look that we are equitable across the organization always”, apparently referring to ensuring female and male employee pay are the same.
Morris acknowledged the university’s two main sources of revenue for these pay raises are student tuition and legislative appropriations. This acknowledgement came in response to a softball question from Calhoun who asked, “And what will be the source of funding of future pay increases and other development at UT-Tyler?” (To which Morris replied: student tuition and legislative appropriations.)
Late Delivery of Department Budgets
The university attempted to modify departmental budgets to provide more detail and therefore make them “more useful”, Calhoun said. However, the new budget rollout was late this year, for which Morris expressed regret.
Morris said he hoped the new budgets, when delivered, would allow for recipients to do better planning. He stressed he understood that a budget is an important planning tool for those who have one.
New University Website By Spring
Calhoun said the VP of Marketing and Communications Jeffery Noblitt promised him a new university website by spring.
Microcredentials
The university will seek to offer more microcredentials, Provost Amir Mirmiran said. He described them as a "new value proposition" for higher education.
They "provide a flexible pathway for the students to get in [to industry] and also lets the student highlight those high demand skills that goes beyond the broad education that they get," he said.
Students could include them in their resume to help with their career.
The ceremony concluded after the roundtable.
The full ceremony broadcast is available on UT-Tyler's YouTube page.
Twitter: @Jhescock12
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Feature Image: University of Texas at Tyler YouTube.
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