STRATEGIC
PLAN
2010-2015
Updated July 2010
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OUR VISION
…while never losing sight of the fact that our primary focus is to serve the Permian Basin
region, we seek to advance our baccalaureate and graduate degree programs through
continuous improvement to a level that students beyond the region will see us as a viable
educational option.
MISSION STATEMENT
The College of Business and Engineering (COBE) mission statement was last updated in
Spring 2008 after discussions and recommendations from the various stakeholders. We
consider the three part amplification to be a complementary part of the mission – it is
advertised as such.
COBE Mission Statement
The mission of the College of Business and Engineering at The University of Texas of
the Permian Basin is to offer both undergraduate and graduate educational
programs that are high quality and evolve with our ever changing economy; to
foster the success of our students in their professional careers; to promote our
community of scholars’ excellence in teaching, intellectual contributions, and
service; and to advance economic development within our region.
Amplifications to the mission:
To Our Students:
The College of Business and Engineering seeks to create an academic environment in
which teaching and learning are emphasized and enhanced through distance
learning and instructive innovations. We value each student as an individual and will
provide that personalized attention to all qualified students from admission, through
classes and on to their professional career recruitment. All programs, while
specifically geared to meet the uniqueness of our traditional and nontraditional
students, will ensure all of our graduates are competitive in the global economy.
To Our Faculty and Staff:
The College of Business and Engineering seeks to foster continuous professional
growth for our faculty and staff. We are dedicated to assisting our faculty and staff
in remaining marketable—the best faculty members a university can have are those
that would be sought by other universities. Thus, the College of Business and
Engineering sees its responsibility as keeping these highly qualified professionals
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motivated to stay. Through their motivation, the College of Business and
Engineering will be recognized as a center of excellence. Efforts of our faculty and
appropriate rewards thereby will be focused proportionately in three key areas:
Teaching
Research
Service
40-60%
25-35%
15-25%
To Our Community:
The College of Business and Engineering recognizes its responsibility to help advance
the economic base of the Permian Basin and West Texas. By serving as a resource of
intellectual, social, economic and technological advancement, College of Business
and Engineering serves as a valuable research asset for the region’s economic
development. Our greatest contribution is to provide well-prepared graduates to
West Texas employers and instill a life-long love of learning.
Core Values:
 We understand our responsibility as the primary provider of baccalaureate
business education to the students in Permian Basin and West Texas.
 We are committed to academic excellence
 We recognize that students and effective teaching are our primary concern and
are committed to providing an individualized approach to meeting each
student’s needs
 We foster the idea of continuous improvement in each component within the
College of Business and Engineering
 We firmly believe that ethical behavior both from the faculty and staff as well as
future graduates is of utmost importance
 We hold that mutual respect for all members of our academic community
including external constituents is a necessity
 We are committed to effective and efficient use of educational and technological
resources
 We embrace our role as a resource for meeting the needs of the business
community of our region
 We involve and encourage participation from all of our constituents to actively
participate in the planning and implementation of our programs
 We support innovation in the classroom, research and our outreach into the
local community
 We embrace all forms of diversity in students, faculty and staff
 We recognize the importance of understanding and using technology by our
students in the future marketplace
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 We understand our role in improving written and oral communication,
reasoning, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and integration of functional
knowledge
Our mission statement was established in 2003 before our initial AACSB accreditation
and emphasized the relative importance of teaching, intellectual contributions and
service. As part of a regular review cycle the faculty, students, and community leaders
are asked for input concerning the mission. Minor changes occurred in 2005 and in 2006
the last word was changed from Texas to “region” as a service area. Then in 2008 the
mission statement was amended to further clarify and emphasize the importance of
teaching for our College of Business and Engineering.
Both UT Permian Basin and the College of Business and Engineering have a primary
emphasis on quality teaching with an expectation for faculty research and service. As the
primary College of Business and Engineering within the Permian Basin we recognize that
our principal area of responsibility is that of providing high quality undergraduate
classroom instruction. Likewise, since we are also the key provider within this area for
master’s programs, we also have an inherent responsibility for our faculty to remain
current in terms of their intellectual efforts. Further, because we were uniquely
positioned within this region of West Texas, we recognize our responsibility to our
communities to be a resource for economic advancement. We also recognize that we
have a responsibility to our faculty to support their needs to be well rounded in each area.
The College of Business and Engineering, therefore, has established policies to address
the relative weights given to each dimension. We further recognize that each faculty is
gifted more in certain areas. By recognizing these differences we have established goals
for the collective faulty of 55, 30, and 20 for teaching, research and service respectively.
The Dean adjusts the proportion to achieve the best advantage for each faculty member
thereby providing faculty with some ability to suit individual interests.
This mission statement has been prominently displayed in key COBE areas for the past
ten years as a reminder to faculty, staff, and students. The mission statement continues to
be aligned with the mission statement of the university as well as the University of Texas
System.
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PROGRAM OBJECTIVES FOR THE COBE
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY
1. The School will continue to be actively
involved in the University’s student
recruitment efforts. The School will strive
to grow at the rate of 5% per year in
student headcount and SCH production or
to match the growth of the institution as a
whole. The School will implement and
expand specialized tracks.
1. The School’s Coordinator of Business
Studies and the Dean’s Office will
participate in student recruitment activities
with the Office of Admissions. Activities
may include Freshman Orientation and
Falcon Days plus developing relationships
with junior colleges. Develop ways to
introduce new programs.
2. The School will continue to maintain the
level of accreditation quality that is
expected by AACSB International and
continue toward accreditation of the
technology program.
 The School will continue efforts at
improving programs and assessment
efforts to fully satisfy the AACSB
standards.
 The School will finalize AACSB
maintenance visit plans.
 The School will initiate accreditation
procedures for the new mechanical
engineering program. It will attract and
hire appropriate program faculty.
2. Supporting accreditation:
 The Assessment Committee will
complete plans for re-accreditation in
business and begin initial accreditation in
engineering.
 The accreditation plan will show marked
improvement as it matches each assessed
area.
 The School’s AACSB plans will be fully
accepted by the agency.
Initial plans for engineering will be in
place.
3. The School will continue to actively
cooperate with all programs of the
University that focus on student retention.
3. The School will maintain contact with all
student support functions on campus, and
will provide information to students as to
the availability of such services on a needs
basis.
4. The School will continue to fund activities
that will enhance faculty development and
research opportunities.
4. Faculty will all be academically or
professionally qualified while the quality
and quantity of publications will increase.
5. The School will continue its partnership
5.
with the University of Texas TeleCampus.
The School will participate in assessment
discussions with other UT components
regarding the MBA Online.
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The Dean and other representatives to the
academic council for MBA-O will bring
recommendations from that body to the
graduate faculty for program adjustments.
SUPPORT FOR MISSION
Specific action items for the immediate future to support the mission follow.
GROWTH AND RETENTION
a) The COBE “business side” experienced an overall headcount increase of 5
percent (675) for Fall 2008 over Fall 2007. Unfortunately, there was a 3 percent
decrease for Spring 2009 (641) over Spring 2008 and a 3 percent decrease for
Spring 2010 (624) over spring 2009. This may be attributed to the increased SAT
score requirement for entering students.
b) Assurance of Learning (AOL) committee meetings are held monthly to review
assessment results and to make an effort to close the loop on the cycle. The
process partially occurs at the discipline level where possible. We conduct a
faculty meeting bi-annually to review results.
c) This has been the fifth year of implementation of the ETS Major Field Test
(MFT) as a basic AOL device to measure achievement of student learning
objectives. Averages are in line with national averages and are constant. Findings
showed growing strength in finance and accounting. The lowest area was
Marketing but we have since placed a new coordinator, hired new faculty, started
a marketing club and believe performance will now improve.
d) Students were surveyed in 2008 to determine what they felt was of greatest value
and what could be done to improve the quality. Students felt their greatest skill
was their written and oral communication while their greatest weakness was
global business. We recently hired 2 professors with international degrees
(marketing & finance) and an emphasis on global business research. We
developed an international entrepreneurship elective to boost student knowledge
in this area.
e) The STEPS tracking program was refined by providing training and familiarity
for the entire faculty during a seminar in Fall 2008. Course assessment data is
entered into the system by a dedicated administrative clerk. Consultant Steve
Adams provided advice.
f) A formal Honors Ceremony is conducted every April to recognize student
accomplishments It is well attended by other students and the community.
Students are also inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma during this ceremony. (We
received a national award for 2008 as an exemplary chapter).
g) The COBE implemented new student clubs for Marketing (MODE) and Finance
(Falcon Finance) in addition to existing SIFE and Accounting Business
Association (ABA).
h) The number of Graduate Assistant slots has steadily increased from one in 2004
to eight in 2009. These are used to reduce faculty workloads in research and
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course preparation. We also use two undergraduate students to assist with office
help.
i) A survey of graduates was accomplished during summer 2008 and statistics were
compiled into an information booklet. The findings are distributed to our
constituents and are incorporated in to strategic plans.
j) Specific recruiting efforts accomplished include:
1. A visit to West Texas College in April 2009 to speak with potential students.
2. Midland High School focus group for student needs.
3. High school boot camp to introduce business via Roden Center
4. Several junior college focus groups at UTPB for recruiting and relations with
the community.
5. Odessa Chamber of Commerce research study conducted to increase number
of students attending university and to determine factors affecting higher
education.
6. Lee High School (in Midland) coordination visits to encourage seniors to
attend UTPB.
7. Midland College meeting with counselors to coordinate their needs for course
transfer.
8. The COBE administrators visited several community colleges to establish
letters of agreement making transfer of credit more streamlined.
9. The Oil Show (50,000+ attending) included a booth to represent the COBE.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
a) During the 2009-10 academic year, the COBE lost one finance faculty that was
replaced. The COBE is fully staffed with faculty and administrators.
b) During the 2008-09 academic year, the COBE lost one marketing faculty but
replaced with two more, lost one management faculty that was replaced, and lost
an advisor that was replaced. The Chair of Graduate Studies was changed to Dr.
Scofield. The COBE is fully staffed with faculty and administrators.
c) Implemented the School Reorganization Plan in Spring 2008 by positioning an
Associate Dean and three Chairs (undergraduate, graduate, technology). This
allows the COBE to better serve students and faculty and allows the Dean to focus
more on strategic objectives.
d) The faculty continued to publish and create intellectual contributions during the
recent 2009-10 academic year at the same pace and all faculty have published at
least at the minimum level of two publications each rolling five year period. That
faculty member is actively working with others to complete two publications in
the Fall semester. The number of acceptable publications maintains steady.
e) The number of annual faculty awards was increased by the new Dean as a better
way to incentivize faculty performance.
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f) Dr. Saran has been doing focus groups for ECISD, MISD, Odessa College and
has other focus group meetings scheduled to make the public aware of UTPB.
g) Administrators attended the AACSB Annual Conference, Dean’s Conference,
Maintenance of Accreditation Seminar, and Continuous Improvement
Conference. The Associate Dean attended a leadership conference conducted by
the University of Texas System.
ONLINE PROGRAM
a) Four new UT TeleCampus (UTTC) courses for the online MBA were added
during the 2009-20 to bring the total to ten courses in Marketing and Finance.
b) Three new undergraduate courses were offered for the first time during 2010 to
provide more scheduling options to students.
c) Two new faculty are now trained in online instruction via the UTTC system.
QUALITY INITITATIVES
a) New catalog concentrations were added in Energy and Entrepreneurship plus
several focused finance concentrations. These not only serve the employer better,
but allow the student to be more marketable upon graduation.
b) Internships increased from 11 to 16 for the 2009-10 year. All interns are
compensated by employer sponsors.
c) The Advisory Committee grew in membership as it is now headed by the Texas
Railroad Commissioner (regulates the Texas energy industry).
d) A new director of the Small Business Development Center was in place during
2009.
e) There was an “Innovative Energy Commercialization Opportunity Seminar and
the keynote speaker was Henry Groppe – the foremost authority on oil prices.
f) The Dean is active in developing outside funding for important programs for the
school. As a result of the School Reorganization Plan, the Dean can now engage
in building external relationships and possible funding sources.
g) Admission standards (SAT/ACT) is being raised each year for five years
beginning in 2009 for the university which improves the quality of entering
students.
h) TurboTrac grant ($90,000) for work on commercialization of energy saving by
efficient transmission.
i) The faculty as a whole authored 23 journal articles during the past year.
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GOALS FOR COBE
2010 – 2011 Short Term Goals (Business, Engineering, Technology) ^
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Faculty and COBE records and stored on O Drive *
Faculty Handbook updated **
Intellectual quality improvement – research seminars
ITEC lab tech position #
Engineering secretary position #
2010 – 2015 Long Term Goals
1. AACSB Maintenance February 2011.
2. Fill full-time faculty position for management.
3. Student SCH growth rate in Business averages of 5% per year.
4. Business faculty intellectual contribution growth in quality.
5. Expansion of business classrooms (after new classroom building).
6. Dedicated computer labs for Business.
7. Online degree completion available – BS in Business.
8. Operating funds increased to support growth. ^
9. Faculty development fund increase to support growth. ^
10. Endowment fund of $10,000 and grants increased significantly. ^
11. Offer faculty classes to improve pedagogical skills ^
12. Community outreach initiatives (SBDC, Roden Center, energy studies) ^
13. External stakeholder involvement increased (alumni, Advisory Cmte, assessors)^
14. ABET Initial accreditation for technology in 2011. #
15. ATME Initial accreditation for mechanical engineering in Fall 2011. #
16. Student SCH growth in Technology and Engineering averages of 5% per year #
17. Fill faculty positions – mechanical-1, petroleum-1, and nuclear engineering-1 #
Footnotes for goals:
All goals were developed in Spring 2010 by College of Business and Engineering Strategic
Planning Committee and reviewed in detail by the faculty.
^ applies to Business, Technology, and Engineering
# Applies to Technology or Engineering goals only
* The O drive should include all faculty PRJ publications since 2005 (later other faculty
publications), faculty vitas, syllabi, course assessments, committee minutes. Difficulty if not
available as electronic copy from the publisher. To be managed by faculty clerk.
** The faculty handbook will need revisions. Consider: a) grants as part of AQ qualification, b)
appeals process, c) definitions, d) promotion to full prof., e) provisions for engineering promotion
if accelerated. May look at office hours definitions in relation to P/S and online teaching.
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AACSB PROGRESS UPDATE
The status of Maintenance Review Issues Identified by AACSB Peer Review Team
during our Initial Accreditation visit in December 2005 is noted below. The team
required the COBE to include in each of its next five Annual Maintenance Reports
progress on the strategic management of available resources, including implementation
and results of the strategies over the previous year on existing action items. These action
items are stated below exactly as worded in the exit letter. The Standards noted refer to
the “old standards” which, of course, were changed in late 2006. The action items and
current status are:
1. Academically
Qualified/Professionally Qualified
faculty definition and intellectual
contributions (Standard 10: Faculty
qualifications).
2. Continued refinement of an
Assurance of Learning (AOL) plan
(Assurance of learning standards 1520).
3. Changes in programs and/or new
program development (Standard 4:
Continuous improvement).
In the Spring of 2008, the College of Business and
Engineering engaged a consultant to come to the UTPB
campus and make an assessment concerning continued
compliance with AACSB Standards. The consultant
encouraged the faculty to revisit definitions for AQ & PQ
faculty. The Faculty/Staff Committee for the College of
Business and Engineering took up consideration of the
definitions and recommended changes to the faculty.
After much deliberation the College of Business and
Engineering faculty adopted several resolutions clearly
defining AQ and PQ faculty.
In July 2007 the COBE had a new Dean in place and the
University stepped up work on a SACS reaffirmation visit
scheduled for spring of 2010. In conjunction with these
changes the COBE AOL Committee of the College of
Business and Engineering proposed a new and
significantly expanded Assurance of Learning plan that
was adopted by the faculty of the COBE in 2007. In
addition, UTPB administration approved the purchase of
Student Tracking, Evaluation, and Portfolio System
(STEPS) to manage the new plan.
In 2008 the Dean and Associate Dean of the COBE
attended an AACSB AOL seminar in Tampa, Florida. As a
result of this Seminar, the AOL Committee was asked to
revisit the school’s AOL plan and the Committee
proposed a more streamlined plan that was significantly
easier to implement than the plan adopted in 2007. The
faculty adopted the new plan after careful consideration.
The plan adopted in 2009 has been implemented, new
learning objectives have been assessed, results reviewed
and changes made based on results.
The UTPB College of Business and Engineering has not
added any new business discipline majors. In an effort to
better serve the needs of the Permian Basin region and
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4. There is an immediate and critical
need for: (Standard 8: Staff
sufficiency - student support)
a. No fewer than 1 additional fulltime staff support person for the
College of Business and Engineering
b. Appropriate separate work space
allocated for a copy/fax/mail room
that does not interfere with College
of Business and Engineering ongoing
operations
5. Despite having an extremely
diverse faculty, increasing the
percentage of Hispanic faculty will
help the College of Business and
Engineering advance its ability to
serve its students (Standard 7:
Student retention, Standard 9:
Faculty sufficiency and Standard 4:
our students we have added electives to permit students
to pursue certain career interest through tracks inside
our existing business degree programs. We have added
tracks in energy, finance and entrepreneurship. Through
our Roden Center for Entrepreneurship we have also
added a minor in entrepreneurship for students not
pursuing a degree in Business. The College of Business
and Engineering has also implemented other programs to
broaden student and faculty learning opportunities.
-
The Administration provided resources to employ an
Administrative Assistant I for the College of Business and
Engineering faculty. This position is in addition to the
Administrative Assistant II who works in the College of
Business and Engineering office and supports the
administration for the College of Business and
Engineering. The position was created and filled in fall of
2006. In addition, the College of Business and
Engineering has been provided resources to employ five
Graduate Assistants (four more than during our initial
accreditation visit) to assist faculty and help us
accomplish our mission. The use of undergraduate
student workers has increased in the College of Business
and Engineering as well. These students assist faculty and
staff by tutoring students, grading, filing, research and a
variety of other support duties.
The university also afforded us resources for a separate
work space for the faculty where the Administrative
Assistant I is housed. In this faculty work space is also
housed the following:
1) Faculty mail boxes
2) Scantron grading machine
3) High speed black and white printer
4) Color laser printer
5) Xerox copier
6) High speed scanner
7) Icebox, coffee maker and new microwave
At the time of our initial accreditation we had one full
time Hispanic faculty member. This faculty member is no
longer at UTPB. We have been fortunate to hire one new
full time Hispanic female faculty member for our
Marketing Department. In addition, we have been able
to hire several Hispanic adjunct faculty members.
Further, The Small Business Development Center has a
new Hispanic director who works closely with our faculty
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Continuous improvement objectives).
and students as well as the Permian Basin community.
Our faculty as a whole continues to be extremely diverse.
Additionally, there are 5 faculty that are recent
immigrants from other nations.
6. Given a diverse, bi-lingual, student
population, the College of Business
and Engineering should pursue more
international business exchanges,
study abroad programs, course trips,
Fulbright awards, etc (Standard 4:
Continuous improvement objectives
and Standard 15: Management of
curricula).
7. The University must expand career
services and increase awareness of
career services to both BBA and
MBA/MPA students. Special attention
to the needs of graduate students is
essential (Standard 8: Staff sufficiency
- student support and Standard 4:
Continuous improvement objectives).
The management elective part of International
Entrepreneurship includes an annual trip to Chihuahua
Mexico, however, the trip was cancelled due to civil
unrest in that country this year. None-the-less, we have
been able to bring in speakers such as a representative of
the Governor for that state did visit and spoke to a School
class on entrepreneurship.
8. The School should enhance
linkages between UTPB business
alumni with students for job
placement, compensated co-ops and
internships (Standard 8: Staff
sufficiency - student support and
Standard 4: Continuous improvement
objectives).
There is greater interaction between the Advisory Council
and the Student Advisory Group. Conducted a luncheon
with business alumni in Spring to enhance interest in all
school activities. New offers for student internships are
now compensated. Over 80 percent of students are
offered and accept jobs in the local area. The Advisory
Board has grown in numbers and provided meaningful
advice on community expectations for the School. The
school employs a professional academic advisor that also
assists in Freshman Orientation Days, visits to high
schools, and various job fairs in the region. The
Entrepreneurship Program also promoted and conducted
a small business seminar to induce students to consider a
business minor.
A recent survey of graduating seniors indicated that 87%
of MBA, 88% of Marketing, and 91% of Management
students had jobs or were accepted to graduate school
upon graduation. A much lower percent of other majors
reported jobs. Career Services continues to serve
students actively with job placement, on campus
interviews, and job search seminars. Special programs
such as Career Fairs, Dress for Success, and campus
recruiting by national firms are in place. Weekly bulletins
are distributed to students showing employers desiring to
hire new graduates. Internships are readily available; for
example, two accounting firms added interns, Mexco
Energy placed two, and Hilton & Stripes Stores added one
each.
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ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
Advisory Committee
The College of Business and Engineering has a Business Advisory Council made up 40
successful and respected members of the business community or government. The
Council contributes to the development and continuous updating of the School's
curricula, faculty, and students and serves as a liaison between academia and the business
field.
The Advisory Board most recently met in October 2009 and March 2010 to discuss
improvements for the College of Business and Engineering. The Committee completed a
survey in the fall and indicated:
 The most important knowledge and skills for their company are: communication
skill, problem solving skill, people skills, and time management.
 The most important ways for the COBE to help businesses in the community are
(no clear answer): be more visible, offer more community programs, and
internships.
 The best ways to encourage prospective students to attend UTPB are: promoting
the School as social events or meetings, visit local schools, value of education,
internships, more promotion.
Student Advisory Committee
A Student Advisory Council comprises approximately 15 juniors, seniors and graduate
students. Both councils meet at least twice a year during each long semester to discuss
matters pertinent to their memberships and to the College of Business and Engineering.
These bodies are among the constituents involved in the continuous improvement efforts
of the School.
To improve School recruiting, we should visit high schools and community colleges more
frequently. We should also include current COBE students that are past high school / community
college students during these visits.
The skills, knowledge and abilities most needed when you graduate are:
 Communication Skills - Oral and written
 Professionalism and Personal Accountability
 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
 Computer skills
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

Practical Business Standards
Business Etiquette
Areas of curriculum that need to be improved or added are:
 Business Ethics-make it mandatory
 Computer Science for Business-MS Office Classes
 Business Professionalism
 Introduction to Business for Freshman-Required Class
 Finance – Basic Concepts
 Emphasize the Writing Center
 Conflict Resolution
 Independent Study
 Focus on Small Business
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STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE 2009-2010

Jack Ladd, Dean

Bill Price, Associate Dean

Paul Haensly, Chair Undergraduate Programs

Barbara Scofield, Chair Graduate Programs

Raj Desai, Chair Technology

Leslie Toombs, Pinkie Roden Professor
MEETINGS AND CHARGE

The Committee’s charge is:
o Provide College of Business and Engineering academic leadership
o Compliance with AACSB standards 1 through 5.
o Ensure that mission is appropriate and is implemented.
o Ensure continuous improvement
o Provide guidance for high priority items.
o Ensure financial resources are sufficient to achieve the
mission and action items.
o Overall responsibility for AACSB accreditation
o Update and submit Annual Maintenance Report
o Coordinate AACSB Maintenance Team visit
o Explore new program offerings

The COBE Strategic Planning Committee generally meets bimonthly during the academic year.

Committee minutes are available in the Associate Deans office.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
Influence:
State funding
Higher Ed Board
Enrollments
Budget
constraints
UTPB Mission
and Planning
Influence:
Advisory
boards
AOL findings
SWOT
COBE Mission
and Strategic
Plan
Strategic
Planning
Committee
Faculty
Staff
Feedback
and
adjustment
COBE Compact
and Budget
Implementation
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University of Texas System Mission Statement
The mission of The University of Texas System is to provide high-quality
educational opportunities for the enhancement of the human resources of Texas,
the nation, and the world through intellectual and personal growth.
UT Permian Basin Mission Statement
The mission of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is to provide quality
education to all qualified students in a supportive educational environment; to
promote excellence in teaching, research, and service; and to serve as a resource
for the intellectual, social, economic, and technological advancement of our
diverse constituency in Texas and the nation.
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