From: Niemiec, Walter
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 3:09 PM
To: Coleman,Scott; Whitesell, Ted; Geri,Laurance; Walton, Sherry; King,Cheryl; Austin,JT; Foran, Maggie; McGhee, Mary; McCanna, Mike
Cc: Coghlan, Laura; Bantz,Don
Subject: Waivers

Attachments: FY 07 Grad. Waiver Fellowship Support Summary.xls

Dear Grad Program Staff:

 

First, I want to announce that your requests for additional 2006-07 waivers as detailed in your November 8, 2005 memo have been approved (MES and MIT $30,000 each and MPA $5,000). These funds are one-time (for the 2006-07 recruitment/retention-year) and earmarked for nonresident students only. I have attached a revised “Graduate Program Waivers and Scholarships Summary for 2006-07” summary that include these new waivers.

 

I know that all the grad programs are about to review applications. Before any of these new funds are released, Laura Coghlan and I need to meet with all the grad directors and assistant directors to better understand how current base waivers and scholarships are awarded for each program. The goal is to develop new/better strategies for the investment of waivers and scholarships to improve recruitment and retention outcomes. These new waivers should not be awarded until we have agreed on a strategy and associated model for monitoring outcomes.

 

Given the time factor, I request that Scott (thanks in advance) talk to the staff and provide  2-3 two-hour time/date options in which all the grad directors and assistant directors can meet. Laura and I will then need to adjust our schedules accordingly. I request that you begin looking at dates anytime starting as soon as next Wednesday, February 15.

 

In preparation for the meeting I request that the assistant directors provide a four-year history of scholarship/waiver awards. Ultimately, this information will be tied to Laura’s annual admissions and enrollment report for each program for monitoring desired outcomes.

 

The discussion should also address the grad programs financial role in generating net tuition revenues for the college, student access issues, design/quality of the curriculum as it relates to access and recruitment and retention and associated resources required to deliver the program as designed. Obviously, we will not be able to discuss all of this in one two-hour meeting. For this first meeting, we will focus on determining an understanding/strategy for the prudent award of these new waiver funds for nonresidents.  

 

Walter