October

MSU and CHM Strategic Planning Process

• CHM needs to integrate into MSU’s strategic plan.
• MSU’s plan core objectives/metrics reviewed https://strategicplan.msu.edu/
  • Student Success
  • Career Development & Well Being Staff & Faculty
  • Discovery
  • Enhance Health & Systems of Health
    • This is where CHM will be most useful to university partners and the health colleges will be expected to lead
  • Stewardship for Sustainability
  • National Leader in DEI & Eliminating Disparities
• Discussed various issues of MSU strategic planning such as need for formal evaluation of leaders and feedback, due process, and accountability for executive leaders, focus on outcomes, DEI recruitment and retention.
• We are working with Health Management Associates to help facilitate the college’s strategic plan and they recommend a four-phase approach beginning October through July. We will be collecting data until a dean has been named and then engage in actual planning.
• Discussed structure of core planning team and a task force consisting of 16-21 individuals who will engage faculty representation, students, staff, community stakeholders and health partners:
  • Conduct an open call
  • Develop a slate for first level vetting and conduct vote/appoint good candidates (CAC should coordinate)
  • Approach advisory groups asking for recruitments
  • Recommend consultants speak individually with shareholders at regional campuses
  • Best strategic plans are focused with finite goals
  • Create partnership with consultants and create job descriptions to be mindful and find people motivated to create a work product
  • Advocate for CHM business administrators to participate
  • Ensure organizational structure and financial plan aligns to maximize goals and objectives

LCME – Dianne Wagner

• Reviewed history of LCME visits, current team structure and timeframe of the process culminating in March 2023 visit.
• Communication will consist of monthly email updates and website postings.
• Discussed possibly obtaining advanced knowledge of data to plan best way of aggregating. More of an electronic process has been established.

Returning to the Office – Nara Parameswaran

• No updates to report.

Finding Joy in Teaching Initiative – Kelly Hodges

• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) purpose is to elevate a culture of teaching excellence focusing on the joy and satisfaction both educators and students receive from teaching.
• Launching October 2021, Winter 2022, and Spring 2022
• Creating an audio series featuring CHM faculty, stories, suggestions, perspectives and asking for faculty who embody teaching excellence to participate in short interviews. Please think of faculty who would be a good fit, who particularly enjoy their teaching and can speak to the aspects of their work. Please email nominees asap to randis@msu.edu

Dean’s Update – Aron Sousa

• Introduced and welcomed Eileen Hug, Henry Ford Community Assistant Dean, and Wayne McCullough, Interim Director of DPH.
• Congratulated Anna Moore and team on their 6OC grant. Anna and Eileen will be panelists at Friday’s Town Hall.
• Grand Fondo went remarkably well, and the team and their efforts were applauded as $100K for derm research was raised.
• There is a MSU/HFHS branded template for PowerPoint use. However, no decision yet on availability of branded white coats, jackets. etc.
• HFHS collaborations are progressing as we work toward:
  • Creating first departments in areas we do not have at CHM and integration of existing departments
  • Addressing a timeline for Medicare enhanced reimbursement or a modified version within next two years
  • Working on HR issues allowing MSU faculty, not MSU employed people, to better supervise MSU employed community
  • Education and RPT equivalence continues to be addressed
• MSU/SH Alliance meetings over the summer involved a successful pilot funding model for good sized grants requiring collaboration between Spectrum Health and MSU faculty. We are working to establish a baseline and create a mechanism for people applying for additional support. Jeff MacKeigan and Walt Esselman are core members involved in helping us participate in this process of additional Alliance funding.
• We have a series of donor meetings and tours planned for the new Doug M. Meijer Innovation building (DMMIB), and President Stanley is presenting at the GR Econ Club in a few weeks to tie this event in with those meetings.
• FDA is going to release information for COVID vaccine for kids, boosters available at all communities, EDP rolling along, and Flu Clinics in GR and FL are scheduled for October 21 and 22 respectively.

August

Dean’s Update – Aron Sousa

• Introduced, Tom O’Halloran-Director of Elemental Health Institute, John vanSchagen-Interim Chair Family Medicine, Eileen Hug-HF Community Assistant Dean, and Steve Kalkanis-Associate Dean for Henry Ford
• Vaccine/mask mandate discussed and clarified.
• September 2 Chair Collaboration is focused on Returning to the Office.
• CAC meets in a few weeks for the new academic year
  • If you head a division, you need to request representation
  • It’s important to attend or send a representative in your place as the committee is working through department status, and integration with HFHS
• Thanked Jennifer Johnson as Chair of Academic Governance Steering Committee for her work and recognized Karen Kelly-Blake as the new chair.
• Gran Fondo is scheduled for September 18. Highly advised to train!
• Successful May meeting with President Stanley in Flint and working with Mott Foundation on philanthropic initiatives.
• Budget cuts are finalized, and Aron thanked the finance group for working to harvest more money. A minimum 1% cut across the board was established.
• White Coat ceremony is August 22 and masks are mandatory.
• New class stats reviewed; we are up 50% over the last three years with 11,371 applicants.
• Please email names of faculty and students to be featured at our weekly Town Halls to Allison, Cyndi, or Aron to be added as a panelist.

Return to Office - Barbara

• Mask mandate discussed and some alternatives to in-person meetings include zoom and using outdoor areas to meet mask free. This mandate will be evaluated monthly.
• We have been working closely with department administrators and supervisors providing suggestions on how to talk to staff regarding returning to office. We have been surveying people and found most units are bringing administration staff back to work in hybrid situations.
• Cautioning people about permanent arrangements and asking them to provide an end date to review situations to see if the needs of the university and employee are still being met.
• We are also providing resources for hybrid arrangements that are not working.

Other Business

• Unfortunately, we have been informed there will be no faculty/academic staff raises. The university will send more details regarding the market raise process. We are trying to use analytics to help inform the university in decision making; with a lack of merit increases, more market requests will be expected. For those involved with formal retention packages – we will do our best to honor our commitments.
• Discussed the APA and APSA membership vote for reducing retirement matching from 10% to 5% with a bargained timeframe of no more than two years for staff. Out for membership vote.

May

Dean’s Update – Aron Sousa

• HCI meeting with departments and will present a Shared Risk Model proposal during the Chairs’ Research and Education meeting next week.
• COVID related work during the last year totaled an impressive 51,000 hrs. or approximately 26 FTE of additional work above and beyond normal activities. Thank you all!
• DEI efforts of the college have also been remarkable over the past year. We submitted a 17-page explication of DEI work and look forward to next steps.
• Graduation weekend with a livestream link from the Breslin parking lot is scheduled.
• President Stanley will visit our Flint campus May 28.
• Budget expectation includes a 3% plus 1% cut for fiscal 2022 and a flat cut for units. No official announcement from the board of trustees as to ending faculty cuts or reinstating retirement match for faculty next year; however, there are discussions on this topic.
• Student debt decreased this year. $235K is our median graduate debt with an average graduate debt of $206K which is driven by 16% of students with no debt. 16% have $300k or more, and 40% have a debt range of $150-200K. Reducing student debt is consistent with our projections and design of the SDC.

Return to Office - Barbara

• The remote work initiative team is charged with providing a recommendation to leadership for short and long term by end of May. Multiple workgroups have been meeting since April looking at remote and hybrid situations for staff and administration including looking at feasibility, compliance, training, managing issues, inequity, culture and workplace norms, and logistics/support.
• Trying to balance the needs of the college and the university with the needs, desires, and expectations of employees. Guidelines will be established based on university policies and the principal place of business.
• No changes currently; however, may change very soon as MIOSHA and the state are signaling new recommendations which can be expected by end of May.
• The impact, both pros and cons, were discussed and there will be conversations at the Chair level.

JANUARY

Dean’s Update

• Introduced Sean Valles, Director for Center of Ethics, Nara Parameswaran as Associate Dean of FAD, and Anne Dorrance, Interim Chair for Pharmacology & Toxicology.
• Students are on the list to be vaccinated and all are encouraged to receive vaccinations when available.
  • Students are volunteering to be vaccinators. If you know of a student volunteer opportunity, please inform Dianne at wagnerd@msu.edu.
• Saliva testing is a requirement for first- and second-year students as well as those students who participate in Sim and clinical activities. The early detection program has expanded to GR and is mandatory for both MS1 and MS2 with the future hope of including GRRC.
  • Staff is working to get clear directives to students returning from vacation.
  • Many people have worked on the logistics of this program, coordinating the lab in EL, hiring people, kit assembly, etc., to accommodate 3,700/tests a week.

Budget / Fall Plan

• The university is requesting 4% reduction from our general fund. If you have any questions, or need further clarification, please contact Brad Kline.
• A college finance committee was created at the start of the pandemic and meets bi-weekly. Members are devoted to discussions specific to budget reductions and have thoughtful, tough conversations as they finalize proposals to present to Dean Sousa. Revenue, as well as cuts, reserves management, and growth opportunities are some of the topics being considered.
• A Teams site has been created and communicated to chairs/directors regarding fall planning input.
  • Item #4 of the initial letter specifically requests suggestions, opportunities, and cost saving measures both in and outside your unit - please use Teams site to upload ideas.
  • Aron reviewed items of contributions needing input. Email Brad or Aron if you wish to discuss sensitive issues, or Brad is happy to pass along items
  • Deadline is January 22^nd to submit.
  • Barbara sent reminders before Christmas to units eligible for A&I funding to submit early as it requires preliminary cost estimates from IPF.
  • Wanda suggested chairs submit research/diversity projects for fall planning items as this is great opportunity to share outreach activities faculty are involved with to inform the university.
  • Faculty feel planning and budgets are non-transparent. It was suggested chairs have conversations with faculty to discuss the planning process and use as educational opportunity to help people understand expectations, directions of the college and university and how cost reduction decisions are made.

Henry Ford

• A formal announcement is planned next Tuesday and will include the Lieutenant Governor, Senator Stabenow, President Stanley, and CEO of HFHS.
• Basic construct revolves around education and following the announcement, we will begin planning on how to add 100 slots online across three health colleges.
• Ford is responsible for the affiliation fee which will be allocated to health sciences as a grant to be invested into further advancing academic partnership.
• Committees will be formed to manage and allocate funds and this work starts January 13.
• Norm will share FAQ’s to further help discussions with faculty and staff regarding this news.
• Please direct any questions or concerns to Norm.

LCME

• Team of Dianne, Carol and Lisa Galbavi reviewed timeline leading to October 2022 onsite visit.
• August 2021 is an important time when we will initiate Self Study Task Force subcommittees.
• Download Data Collection Instrument (DCI) for Full Accreditation Surveys https://lcme.org/publications/
• Any concerns or questions, please forward to lcme@msu.edu

OTHER

• University wide interest in the NIH FIRST Award (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation) to be used for recruiting a diverse cohort of faculty and to make the university a great place in terms of retention, recruitment, and culture change in a systemic way. If interested in participating in working in formation of a steering committee, contact Jack Lipton. https://commonfund.nih.gov/first
• Would like to see more recruitment of physician scientists as a priority
• Aron mentioned minority supplement grants and an administrative supplement is available around ethics and encourages faculty to consider these opportunities. Please contact Sean who will connect people to help.
• The Department of OB/GYN is transitioning the fertility consortium https://oncofertility.msu.edu/ from Northwestern to MSU. Currently reorganizing as an ongoing project. Our provost originated this program.

Next meeting is February 4, 2021.