Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the position of deputy provost has been posted with an application deadline of Aug. 20. It is important that this opportunity receives high visibility among our administrators and 9-month faculty, encouraging aspiring leaders to apply. Additionally, the associate provost for accreditation position has also been posted, with its deadline extended to Aug. 20. Search committees are prepared to conduct these internal searches swiftly.

Last week’s data summit was attended by approximately 40 data professionals from various campus offices. The event featured six presentations in the morning and group discussions in the afternoon, focusing on identifying and addressing gaps in our data services. Key priorities from this meeting were: improving onboarding and training for end users, establishing a clear channel to source data potentially through a chief data officer, and developing a clear organizational structure. Concerns were raised about the effectiveness of Banner and Cognos Analytics, leading to extensive discussions on data access. One emerging opportunity is to expand the services of the Center for Community Analysis to assist faculty with data-involved research. The Office of Institutional Analysis was commended for producing hundreds of reports for internal and external purposes. I am convinced of the need for additional staffing in this office to ensure timely and high-quality reporting. Emphasizing data integration and considering the needs of community colleges remain crucial.

We must promote synergy between the Offices of Institutional Analysis, Student Success Center, and the Information Technology Division. I am pleased to report productive partnerships among these offices. President Torres and I have decided to move IT reporting to the Office of the Provost to house all data units in one organization, enhance collaboration, and encourage resource leveraging. We will share the updated organizational structure with the campus community soon.

While identifying areas for improvement, we also celebrated our strengths. It was heartening to hear comments such as “we help each other” and “we work together well because we are a small place.” My thoughts were validated: We may not have refined processes in place, but we have the right people willing to come together to make them effective. We are NMSU.

Lakshmi N. Reddi
Interim Provost
New Mexico State University