Dr. Keith Joiner

In his first Council of Department Heads meeting, Dr. Joiner outlined his general strategy for approaching the many opportunities he sees in the College of Medicine and provided a glimpse of his personality at the same time.

Dr. Joiner is a self-avowed believer in short-, medium- and long-range planning based on a quantitative and data-driven approach, and he is a multitasker. For the first six months of his tenure, he intends to focus on a small number of agenda items as centerpieces of other initiatives. While he is open to discussing other items and welcomes additions to his list, he believes that developing a strategic plan for Kino Hospital and for the Phoenix Campus must receive high priority. Faculty recruitment and plans for space management may also figure prominently in the first six months.

In advance of individual meetings with members of the Council, Dr. Joiner asked each to consider the following: * What are the biggest challenges that they face in the near future?

* Why are their units facing these challenges?

* What are the most promising unexploited opportunities for growth?

* What must happen to exploit these opportunities?

* What short-term wins can contribute toward becoming longer-term goals?

The answers are not limited to individual chairs and directors. Dr. Joiner has asked that anyone who has appropriate input communicate that.

"This process will work best if you can provide input that you think is relevant and important to your chair or center director in the near future," he said. Comments and suggestions also can be e-mailed to kjoiner@email.arizona.edu