|
Dear Colleagues,
I hope that the end of the summer season finds you rejuvenated and excited at the prospect of returning to the classroom. Your work there is truly the heart of who we are as an institution, and the difference you make in the lives of our students is profound. Thank you, truly, for your commitment to them.
Speaking of changing seasons, this academic year will be marked by a variety of exciting beginnings and bittersweet endings. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to wish President Satterlee well and thank him for his sizable contributions to our community before he begins his well-deserved retirement at the end of December. The cultural values that he has championed — trust, compassion, stability and hope — are a legacy worth honoring, and we do so by perpetuating these even in his absence. His departure will seed the beginning of a new season at ISU as we welcome his successor into the institution in January. The State Board of Education is in the process of identifying a search firm now, which should be followed by the constitution of a search committee including faculty, among others.
Other notable changes in our leadership have occurred, as well. We are thrilled to be welcoming Gerald Anhorn, our new Dean of the College of Technology to Idaho State University. Dean Anhorn comes to us from Walla Walla Community College where he most recently served as Dean of Workforce Transfer and Trades. Debra Ronnenberg, who has been serving as the Interim Dean of the College of Technology is returning to her previous role as Associate Dean and we are extremely grateful for her very valuable service to the college and institution. In addition, as many of you may already know, Deans Scott Snyder and Walter Fitzgerald have returned to the classroom and concluded their administrative appointments. I’m deeply grateful to them for their efforts on behalf of the institution, and I’m similarly grateful to those that have stepped into the roles they’ve vacated in an interim capacity, Dr. Lyle Castle in the College of Science and Engineering, and Dr. Tom Watson in the College of Pharmacy. I’m also personally indebted to Dr. Tracy Collum for assuming the role of Interim Dean of the Graduate School while I serve in my current capacity.
There are also changes of other sorts that we are navigating. Most of you will, by now, have heard that we are engaging in a hiring pause as we look to close the structural budget deficit we have long had. While such news naturally creates anxiety, please know that this pause simply represents wise, proactive stewardship and positions us to close a budget deficit that, if left uncorrected, has the potential to create significant fiscal challenges in the next few years — we choose to solve the problem now before it becomes a crisis down the line. The team in Academic Affairs and I will visit your units in person beginning this fall to talk about any aspect of this you’d like. In addition, the Office of Budget and Finance will be holding a town hall shortly after the beginning of the year to talk about this hiring pause and the budget deficit. We are committed to navigating this process openly and transparently to allay fear and instill trust. In the meantime, you can find additional information about the hiring pause here.
In closing, let me thank you again for your commitment to our students and our community. That commitment deserves to be met with diligence, transparency, and compassion by those of us who have the privilege and responsibility of supporting you in your work. You’re truly inspiring, and I’m grateful and privileged to call you colleagues.
Best,
Adam
| 
