Remarks by Sheri Everts, Chancellor

Good morning and welcome to App State's annual campus budget presentations.

Thank you for joining us today. We are glad to return to an in-person format for these presentations.

Today, you will hear about the university's major goals and accomplishments over the last year, as well as budget priorities for the coming year.

I'd like to extend my thanks to Provost Heather Norris and to Vice Chancellor of Finance and Operations Dan Layzell for organizing this event, and to the deans of our academic units, who developed the presentations you will hear today. I know a lot of thoughtful consideration and work has been put into what you will hear.

I initiated campus budget presentations in 2016 because I firmly believe our university's budget should be transparent and easily accessible. The budget of a university need not and should not be a secret, nor should it be difficult to understand for the very people it serves.

I look forward to these presentations each spring. They are a thoughtful and informative opportunity for members of our campus community to be included at the beginning of each year’s budget process, AND to gain insight into resource allocation. They also offer opportunities for informed discussion.

We want to hear from you today, and we have a process for doing so throughout the day, as Megan Hayes will explain.

In these presentations, we will see that our university community has been tenacious in its efforts to overcome every challenge and difficulty, and innovative in vision for the future. We have achieved so many important accomplishments this year as we have emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever, and even more determined to find new and innovative ways to meet the educational needs of our state in a post-pandemic world.

As a direct result of your hard work and dedication, our sound financial footing, and years of strong enrollment, App State is well positioned to move into the future. 

Again, thank you to everyone who has worked to develop these presentations and to all of you who have taken the time to become more invested in — and informed about — App State’s budget process.