Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

Since UNO’s finances have been in the news, I am writing to reiterate some information about our budget realignment. The recent round of position eliminations was made after a careful review of our entire operation. Since we had 62 unfilled positions, we were able to limit layoffs at this time. However, we are still facing a significant gap between our current expenses and our anticipated revenue—a gap that we are expected to close by June 30, 2025.

We are rightsizing to better align our budget with our current student enrollment, and we must adapt as a university to align with the needs of our region today. Being fiscally responsible is an important step in our growth strategy. These position eliminations, coupled with our invigorated enrollment and strategic plan, UNO 2030, will place us on a path to financial stability and growth.

It has never been more important to promote the indispensable work of our university as we transform lives through education, conduct research and serve as an economic engine for the region. In recent years, most of our marketing dollars have been used, understandably, to target prospective students and parents using digital tactics. That work will continue. In addition to that, through a $100,000 allocation from the UNO Research & Technology Foundation, the University will also enhance its brand awareness and tout our distinctive identity throughout the metro area, as well as explore new tactics for recruiting students.

I have previously mentioned the Gardner Institute—a nonprofit organization with a long history of partnering with colleges and universities to improve equitable outcomes associated with teaching and learning, as well as undergraduate retention and completion. We have joined the second group of colleges and universities that will work together as a community of practice to improve student retention and success throughout the first two years of college. The new development is that a donor has agreed to pay for our participation in the Gardner initiative for the first two years.

In my eight months as UNO president, I have been overwhelmed by the tremendous outpouring of support and love for our institution on campus and in the community. I am confident in our ability to meet these ongoing challenges and to grow and succeed as one of the region’s most important public universities.

I urge you to keep abreast of our progress by reading the latest updates on the budget alignment page: Budget Alignment | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu).

I am so appreciative of the loyalty of our supporters. Their commitment to our university is a source of great encouragement to me and a testament to something that we all know: UNO matters so much to so many.

With Privateer Pride,

Kathy Johnson, Ph.D.
President
The University of New Orleans