The 17-member committee began meeting in August to explore opportunities for selective enhancements and cost-cutting efficiencies across the campus. During September and October, the committee gathered reams of information from USC's 18 colleges and its multiple centers, institutes, and departments. Four 90-minute forums were held to get input from faculty, staff, and students.
"Clearly, it's been an education," said Russ Pate, associate dean for research in the School of Public Health and an SDI committee member. "The meetings have been long and exhaustive, but they've provided an excellent foundation for the work we have left to do, which is to develop meaningful recommendations."
The SDI Committee is scheduled to meet for about four hours every Tuesday and Thursday through early December, sorting through information presented in the previous sessions. By the end of November, the committee will have considered human resources and enrollment issues, information technology, the Graduate School, indirect costs, research issues, administrative units, and the University's colleges, centers, and institutes.
"One of the things I've been struck by is that people at this University have done an awful lot without a lot of money," said Mike Sutton, a mechanical engineering professor and committee member. "I think we'll make progress with our recommendations, but this University won't get there all the way without getting some stability in state funding."
The recent 4-percent state budget cut and looming cuts in appropriations for 2002–03 have lent an added sense of urgency to the committee's work although committee members are trying to take a longer view of their decision-making process.
"It's been difficult to look long range in light of these budget cuts, but we have to try to get past that and ask ourselves where we want this University to be positioned in 2005 and beyond," said Provost Odom, chair of the SDI Committee. ""We can be a comprehensive university but, strategically, we have to make priorities."
Reaching consensus on every recommendation, particularly those that might call for downsizing or merging units, could be difficult, but committee members say they believe the group is up to the task.
"I will be very disappointed if we don't do our job," Pate said. "These are not simple issues, and nobody wants to think about their units being downsized or earmarked for flat funding. But everybody I talk to says we need this--we need strategic direction for USC."
Fellow committee member Bill Hogue, USC's chief information officer, concurred: "I have high hopes that in the next six weeks we will look at issues and make recommendations that are so substantial that 10 years hence, the University still will be talking about the success of this committee."
Although he isn't officially scheduled to do so, President Palms might be asked to meet with the committee before it finishes its list of recommendations. The committee likely will meet at the end of November with members of the Washington Advisory Group, a group of higher education consultants who will be presenting their own recommendations aimed at enhancing USC's research efforts.
When the SDI Committee's recommendations are finalized, Odom will present them to President Palms, who will make his recommendations to University trustees. The committee's recommendations also will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate.
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