President's Charge

Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier, President, Savannah State University
Charge to the
Strategic Alignment of Resources (SAR) Planning Committee

September 19, 2018

Context and Purpose

The Savannah State University community has a long history of adapting to change and budget challenges. One of our current challenges is how to align our institutional budget with our strategic priorities. The university is preparing for a reduction in state funding based on the decline in enrollment over the last two academic years. To align resources with what likely will be our new normal for the next few years, we must determine how to most efficiently and effectively execute our university mission and strategic priorities. The University System of Georgia (USG) has been working with the senior leadership team in preparing us for the process of rightsizing our university for this reduction.

This ad hoc Strategic Alignment of Resources Planning Committee has been created with the goal to make recommendations on how to strategically align our institution with our new reduced budget. You were nominated to serve on this committee because of your strategic and critical thinking skills, which will help determine the future of SSU.

This committee is co-chaired by Ms. Elaine Campbell, Acting Vice President for Business and Fiscal Affairs, and Dr. Michael Laney, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Charge

I charge this ad hoc Strategic Alignment of Resources (SAR) Planning Committee with re-imagining Savannah State University for the future with fewer students and fewer resources over the next couple of years. Your recommendations will help to shape the future direction of SSU, enabling us to continue to serve our students as we prepare them to compete in the high demand careers of today and tomorrow.

The realigning of Savannah State University coincides with two University System of Georgia initiatives: the College 2025Initiative, which aims to create a road map for Georgia’s public universities and colleges, and the Comprehensive Administrative Review, an ongoing study that focuses on streamlining processes and being more efficient with resources.

Yes, we must do more with less resources but with increased talent, skills and the abilities of our most competent faculty and staff, we can work collectively to address this situation. Our “M” words can describe our task at hand, which is to meticulously measure and monitor our resources and make recommendations for more effective and efficient use of those resources. The task ahead requires us to think institutionally rather than by departments; the outcome must be what is best for Savannah State University.

Your recommendations will be forwarded to the Institutional Budget Committee for review and then to the Cabinet for final approval.

I ask that you respect the committee process and be confidential regarding proposed recommendations that may include reductions until they are reviewed and accepted.

I am confident that we can do this working collectively and cooperatively. Thank you for accepting the charge to help take us to and beyond 2020.