FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –

Jim Coleman, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, sent his annual message to faculty and staff Monday, reviewing the University of Arkansas’ progress in achieving its academic goals in the past year, and previewing the next steps in the U of A’s strategic plan.

The provost, an ecologist, noted that the university is an “ecosystem” composed of interdependent units working together to adjust and adapt to a rapidly changing climate in higher education.

Coleman encouraged campus faculty and staff to use the “ecosystem perspective,” to weigh how each decision they make works with the inputs into the system – students, faculty, staff and financial resources – to improve the output of a healthy system: “1) propelling graduates on to successful and meaningful lives; 2) producing research, scholarship and creative works that advance fields and matter to people; and 3) improving the lives of Arkansans and beyond.”

In his overview of the past academic year the provost highlighted controlled enrollment growth, with the incoming freshmen class setting new records in academic quality and the number of Arkansans, while one in five of our them are the first in their family to go to college. In addition the U of A set records for the freshman retention rate and the six-year graduation rate.

On the faculty level, he pointed out that nearly 100 new faculty joined the university this fall, while sixty-four current faculty members were promoted and/or earned tenured. The U of A also set a record for funded research activity, with nine faculty members winning National Science Foundation CAREER awards,  while others earned awards, recognition, and prizes for their creative and scholarly works.

The provost also reviewed progress on the past year’s goals and action items for the campus strategic plan and  goals for the coming year.

I am inspired by the passion of people on this campus for the work they do at the University of Arkansas,” Coleman said. “Drawing on this passion, and working together across disciplines and across units is the way the U of A can continue to thrive and ultimately represent the best of public higher education by advancing Arkansas and building a better world.”