Recapping the Investiture and Developing our Data Strategy
April 24,2023
Team,
Last week was a very active, exciting week. Perhaps the apex for our entire campus community was the Investiture, and our opportunity to formally honor Charles Robinson as our seventh chancellor.
As I shared on LinkedIn, the Investiture events further highlighted the excitement that both our campus and the broader community feel to see Charles’ leadership in action and the legacy he will leave.
While working through the 150 Forward strategic planning process with Dr. Robinson, it’s been clear that we have an immense opportunity to lead important initiatives that have a lasting impact for the people, communities and world our university serves.
The chancellor’s impassioned speech perfectly captured what we hope to accomplish through the strategic planning process. He said, “I am here counting on you to not only help me continue building on these important past successes, but to further transform our beloved institution into the preeminent land grant that lifts while it rises, strengthens while it builds, trains while it educates, and empowers while it inspires.”
As the Division of Finance and Administration, let’s work together to do all we can to move the university forward to reach new heights in student success, research and becoming an employer of choice. Each of us plays a key role – by stewarding resources well, by building and maintaining the physical and digital infrastructure needed to support students, employees and researchers, by fostering a safe and welcoming environment and so much more.
Developing a Cohesive Data Strategy
We also shared an update on our data strategy, which will ultimately serve as an important enabler to our strategic priorities and our land-grant mission.
Overall, I believe we have an incredible opportunity to use data like we never have before. Our academic, research and employer efforts will be even more impactful when we have more access to high-quality, real-time data and we habitually integrate analytical insights into all our decisions.
This week, we started collecting names of data specialists across campus to participate in focus groups and play a critical role in:
- Building an effective data management and technology structure with defined roles and responsibilities for data consumers
- Increasing data literacy across campus by sharing common knowledge and having meaningful conversations about data
- Developing best practices for reporting and analytics that optimize the value of data
Any faculty or staff members who own or manage data sets and are accountable for their accuracy are invited to email data@uark.edu to be added to the list of data specialists who will participate in focus groups.
Even though we don’t have an Investiture event this week, there is still plenty to be excited about. I hope each of you will join me in striving to appreciate each of the “magical moments” the chancellor mentioned that happen on our campus every day. And, together, we can build a campus where those moments happen even more frequently for all who call our campus home now, as well as those who will in the years and generations to come.
Ann Bordelon
Executive Vice Chancellor
Finance and Administration