MIT
Reports to the President 1994-95
This report is the first annual report for the offices reporting to the Vice
President for Administration. These offices were combined in reporting last
year through a reorganization of Institute support services. The offices
include the office of the Vice President, Admissions, the Department of
Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation, the Bursar's Office, Career
Services and Preprofessional Advising, the MIT Medical Department, the
Registrar's Office, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and the Student Financial
Aid Office. Additionally, the Vice President for Administration has Institute
responsibility for coordination of MIT's legal affairs.
Our mission is to manage effectively these offices in a time of Institute
financial constraint and to develop a management team that is fully aware of
the goals and objectives of Institute leadership, is positioned to provide
input on how to achieve these goals, and is cooperatively involved with others
in the area to communicate these goals effectively to our own community members
and to our customers. Much time this year has been devoted to team building
while continuing to perform effectively the specific jobs required of each
department. In addition, the area has been preparing extensively for a major
reengineering of student services, in coordination with other Institute
reengineering efforts, and that major effort will begin in October 1995.
The reports of each department that follow this section highlight the major
activity that occurred during the year. While they describe many of the
activities, they cannot adequately express the amount of care and effort of
staff to ensure that each area is effectively managed. I extend my sincere
appreciation to all members of the staff for their outstanding efforts, and
would like to particularly thank all the many members of the staff who
contributed so well to the successful implementation of Phase 1 of the new
Student Information System (MITSIS). As mentioned by the Registrar in his
report, "It was an awesome accomplishment by a truly extraordinary team." My
sincere appreciation and thanks.
Major priorities for the Vice President for Administration area developed this
year by staff for implementation in 1995/1996 are listed below:
- Facilitate and support current Reengineering efforts, particularly student
services reengineering.
- Implement the Federal Direct Loan Program to replace the Stafford (Federal
Family Education) Loan Program for student financial aid.
- Continue to seek, with others at MIT, the wisest and most effective balance
in the student aid program using the competing vectors of fairness, cost, and
diversity in the student body.
- Continue to improve effectiveness in counseling and support of students in
all student-related areas.
- Assure MIT interests are served in interaction with sponsors, government
agencies, congressional committees and other organizations.
- Continue the implementation of more reliable, accurate, and timely financial,
academic and other data and the electronic processing and transmission of
information through computerized efforts. Concentrate this year on completing
phase II of the Student Information System (SIS) which had initial
implementation in October 1994; implement the Athletics Department
Administrative Computing Plan to provide computer processing capability to meet
the intermediate needs in communication (and those envisioned over the next
five years); and facilitate Medical Department review of the present computer
system needs for the future.
- Implement the MIT Medical Department Strategic Plan. Receive report of Blue
Ribbon Panel which will examine how MIT should provide health care to its
students and employees and provide options for the future, including the range
of health care benefits MIT now offers and the value to MIT of internally
provided health care services.
- Build on successful strategies to increase, strengthen and rethink enrollment
of students from traditionally underrepresented groups, including working with
the Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs to assure the best
match between student preparation and MIT demands and support; work with CUAFA
to devise ways to ensure maximum faculty involvement in and understanding of
the admissions decisions.
- Continue to promote the outstanding achievements of our students in all
sports while operating a fiscally sound athletic program. Maintain the
momentum for funding and development of the Phase III 50 meter swimming pool
and support facilities. Continue efforts to identify and utilize funds to
prevent the deterioration of existing athletic facilities.
- Recruit more faculty, physicians, and administrative staff to serve as
pre-med advisors, and continue to help students and alumni frustrated by the
poor job opportunities in many sectors, including PhDs who face few openings in
academia and industry.
- Develop automation and computerization within the Office of Sponsored
Programs, including creating a database for proposals and sponsored programs
which allows automated access for document approval and processing, review and
monitoring of accounts, interface with the Institute's accounting systems, and
access on a need-to-know basis by Institute personnel.
- Continue priority in affirmative action hires, performance evaluation, and
job development.
- Continue to assure that replacements, new hires, and promotions adhere to the
long-term objectives of succession planning, affirmative action, and
development of a dynamic staff.
James J. Culliton
MIT
Reports to the President 1994-95