Roudebush Hall
Roudebush Hall, home of Miami's administrative offices

Annual Address 2014

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David C. Hodge
September 3, 2014

Finally, it is imperative that we sustain our exceptional value proposition by relentlessly focusing on the cost side of the equation, as well as outcomes, to provide affordable excellence. Given the high quality experience, terrific outcomes, and a stunning campus, most people assume that we are a well-funded university and are surprised to learn that our funding per student is actually less than the average of our peer groups. However, we do more with our resources because of our focus, commitment, and innovation. Last year we were ranked as the second most efficient university in the country for producing high quality results. To continue to achieve affordable excellence we need to continue pressing forward on several fronts.

First, we need to continue to limit tuition increases preferably to no more than two percent per year. This will make Miami more affordable for entering students while reassuring families that annual increases will be limited while their student is at Miami. 

Second, we need to increase the size of our endowment and gift-giving, especially for scholarships. Miami has an undersized endowment, and we were late to develop a culture of giving back or paying forward. In more recent years we have done much better in engaging our passionate alumni and friends in supporting current and future Miamians. Hopefully you followed the #MoveInMiami campaign that saw more than 3,200 donors contribute more than $500,000 to Miami in less than one day. What an outstanding example of what can be done when we come together to rally around our students! We will extend this effort with a new scholarship campaign, Match the Promise, which will be formally announced soon. Scholarships are opportunity, the opportunity to attend and excel at Miami, and, indeed, tomatch the amazing promise of our students.

Third, we need to continue our quest to increase productivity, performance, and alternative revenue. I say continue because of our terrific success in implementing “Lean” strategies. More than 1,400 people have been trained in Lean and more than 100 teams are currently addressing opportunities on campus. Lean teams have now accounted for $24 million in annual economic impact on the campus. That is already a very big number and growing steadily. Embracing Lean is both stimulated by and contributes to Miami 2020 Foundation Goal One—to “ensure vitality and sustainability by building a forward-looking, efficient, and caring culture that stimulates, recognizes, and rewards creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and exemplary performance.” Let me give a shout out to all of you who have been or will be involved in Lean teams. You are making an incredible impact on our bottom line, on the quality of our performance, and on our “forward-looking, efficient, and caring culture.”

Final Thought

Let me end my remarks today by returning to the core message of this address. In a world of change, we must change. But to ensure an enduring and sustainable course, we must create change that builds on and advances our core mission. We have a strong mission statement for the entire university, and we have a deep understanding of the different missions that the Miami Regionals and the Oxford campuses play. We have an exceptional strategic plan, Miami 2020, that serves as a guide to operationalize our mission. We have a faculty and staff second to none in our commitment to taking up the opportunities and challenges I have outlined in my remarks today.

In short, we have all the elements in place to be the very best. We must aspire to nothing less.

For Love and Honor.


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