Our students are important to us at LU and we are working hard to improve our retention rates. November 15 is the date of the workshop designed to help all units design retention plans. Just another step in maintaining the student-centered focus at LU. Two words that always get a reaction out of faculty are promotion and tenure. The process for both is often complex but Provost Steve Doblin promises to demystify the policy at the Lunch and Learn on November 22. To fully prepare for this event, we encourage you to take a look at three important documents which will be emailed to you upon registration: the Ad-Hoc Committee's Foundational Agreement on P&T; the LU tenure and/or promotion recommendation form; and, the second and fourth year review form. We are accepting pre-registration for both events at cpmumbach@lamar.edu. Visited the Department of Nursing on Friday to talk about the Center and QEP. What a positive group of folks. I know that our nursing students are in good hands. The Professional and Organization Development Network annual conference is being held later this week in St. Louis and we are attending so look for some new and exciting ideas upon our return.