Leadership Message: Mary Miller, Vice Chancellor for Administration
January 16, 2013
Happy New Year. Welcome to the first Panorama issue of 2013 and the beginning of another exciting semester. I hope your winter break was fun, fulfilling and refreshing.
The past several months have been as eventful for the Division of Administration as they have been for the entire campus. The campus received funding for the design of the Classroom and Academic Office Building, which will be located on Ranchers Road behind the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, and the architects are busy at work. And construction on campus is robust – Housing 4, Science and Engineering Building 2 and the Student Services Building are all in various stages of construction. It's an indication that UC Merced is growing and thriving.
As for administrators in our division, we have gained some new leaders and lost others. David Ott was hired as the director of Environmental Health and Safety, and Zuhair Mased is the new director of Energy and Sustainability. On the other hand, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management Tom Atkins has retired after 12 years of dedication to the success of this campus. Tom was one of our pioneer employees, who took on any job necessary to get UC Merced up and running. He instilled a culture of customer service in his department that will continue to benefit us all. A search is under way for his replacement, and I expect the position to be filled within the next two months. View Tom’s interview on our website. In addition, Steve Murray, director of operations for PPD&C, has left to fill a position at the UC Office of the President.
Finally, the Budget Office and the Department of Capital Planning and Space Management have been moved to a newly formed Office of Planning and Budget. They are combined in the new division with the Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis. The synergy formed by the merging of these functions will be very productive for the campus.
The Division of Administration's focus is on service and enhancing the quality of work life for those on campus. We strive continuously to improve our processes and to ensure we are helping faculty, staff and students to achieve their goals. To that end, over the past few years we have established numerous advisory committees, including a Student Advisory Board and other communication networks to garner input and feedback on our departments. We seek your guidance regularly on how we can better serve your needs. During 2013, a major goal is to strengthen our communication mechanisms to enable more efficient, effective and interactive communication with the campus.
We are in the fifth season of the Arts UC Merced Presents... program, which enriches the cultural life of the campus and the Merced community. Last year, the Lula Washington Dance Company entertained more than 600 people at the newly renovated Merced Theatre downtown. This year's program will include Dael Orlandersmith’s one-person play, "Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men," as well as the Merced Symphony, the Bobcat Family Art Show and the UC Merced Chorale Spring Concert.
As we start the new year, the campus is also kicking off the annual United Way campaign. I will close by encouraging you all to do what you can to help those less fortunate in our community. Generosity is good for the soul.
I look forward to another great year in the life of UC Merced.
