CLAA STRATEGIC PLAN
2012-2017
Building a bridge to a
lifetime of success
CLAA
College of Liberal and Applied Arts
O VERVIEW
The College of Liberal & Applied Arts is Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA)’s home to humanities and
social sciences disciplines. This mission places the College at the heart of the institution because no university
can be successful in meeting its commitment to student achievement without a strong liberal arts (humanities
and social sciences) foundation. The College houses ten academic units: Department of English, Department
of Government, Department of History, Department of Languages, Cultures & Communication, Department of
Mass Communication, Department of Military Science, Division of Multidisciplinary Programs, Department of
Psychology, School of Social Work, and Department of Social & Cultural Analysis. Interdisciplinary minors in
American Studies, Classical Studies, Gender Studies, International Studies, Latin American Studies,
Leadership, and Religious Studies enhance the curriculum by offering students a wider variety of educational
options.
M ISSION
The College of Liberal & Applied Arts (CLAA) is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, scholarship,
creative work, and service. The schools, divisions, departments, and programs of the College prepare students
for their future endeavors in the global community and encourage lifelong intellectual and aesthetic enrichment.
V ISION
Our commitment is to deliver an education that combines intellectual with practical approaches toward
knowledge. Since the job market of the future will be different in unknown ways, students must be equipped to
make connections between bodies of information, to interact in an international environment, and to shift easily
from one career to another. We are shaping our curriculum to accomplish these goals and, as a result, to
provide an education designed for the 21st century.
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The Strategic Plan
A L ITTLE B ACKGROUND
The College of Liberal & Applied Arts was established in 2006 and, as a relatively new creation, it has been
lacking a roadmap on where its programs are headed. For general direction, the College has sought to
implement the objectives outlined in the university’s strategic plan, Preparing for the Future, which was
adopted in 2008 (http://www.sfasu.edu/strategicplan/plan2013.asp). Yet the College confronts unique
challenges not shared by the institution as a whole. A clear sense of priorities must be developed to provide
guidance in building a solid set of programs that benefit students, faculty, and the community. It is for this
reason that an exercise in strategic planning was deemed crucial in an effort to position the College at the
forefront regionally, if not nationally, in certain areas.
The goal is not merely to enhance what was already working but to prepare for the future workplace that
students will experience during their lifetimes. “Strategic planning,” in the words of Peter Drucker, “aims to
exploit the new and different opportunities of tomorrow, in contrast to long-range planning, which tries to
optimize for tomorrow the trends of today” (Drucker, 1980:61). The outcome of the process should be a new
agenda rather than a repetition of past success. Even if you’re on the right track, to paraphrase Will Rogers,
you’ll get run over if you just sit there. Moreover, the College could no longer remain inert in the face of a
rapidly shifting landscape in higher education that, on many levels, was not favorable to the disciplines in the
humanities and social sciences. The College was being compelled to address its vulnerabilities, but also some
emerging possibilities, in a proactive fashion.
Perhaps the most disturbing trend is a downward spiral in enrollment for the degree programs—both
undergraduate and graduate—serviced by the College. As the table below reveals, bachelor degrees in the
humanities have shrunk from 18 percent of all degrees conferred in the late 1960s to a mere 8 percent today.
An almost identical pattern exists for graduate degrees in the humanities. Business now constitutes the
overwhelming preference for an academic major among current undergraduate students, accounting for 21.7
percent of all degrees awarded in the 2008-2009 academic year, or more than double the next most popular
field of study in the social sciences (Wall Street Journal, 2012). As the national economy has fluctuated
inconsistently over the last several decades, students and their parents are drawn toward programs that offer
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concrete and direct career paths. A survey by UCLA found the top reason given by incoming freshmen for
attending college was “to get training for a specific career,” with the desire “to get a better job” trailing closely
behind (Saturen, 2010). In short, the social sciences and humanities are losing ground as destination degrees
because, at least in the public mind, they seem to lack a causal connection to job opportunities. A 2011 report
by the National Governors Association even labeled a liberal arts education an impediment in equipping a
workforce competent to compete in the 21st century (Sparks and Wait, 2011). Yet this perception is misplaced
when considered in a broader context.
While degrees in the humanities and social sciences may not open doors immediately, they provide the base
upon which subsequent success is better assured than through almost any undergraduate alternative. In the
first place, a bachelor degree is becoming less likely to represent the “end game” in an education. Liberal arts
majors not only attend graduate school at a higher rate than other students (Value of Liberal Arts Degree), but
they also thrive in professional occupations after completion of graduate programs of study. “More Fortune 500
CEOs have had liberal arts B.A.s than professional [undergraduate] degrees. The same is true of doctors and
lawyers” (Greenwald, 2010). The humanities and social sciences, without a doubt, remain relevant to the
contemporary job market by serving as the first stop on the road to a lifetime of achievement.
What does the College deliver that continues to make its programs appropriate preparation for the real world?
This question is answered by examining the types of capabilities employers are seeking in new hires. Since
narrow and specialized knowledge often becomes obsolete within a decade or less, human resource officers—
in a survey of 400 employers—concluded that applied skills “trump” basic knowledge as the key to success
over a normal career (Casner-Lotto, 2006:6). The survey identified the following skills, in rank order, as most
important to possess in the contemporary workplace (Ibid:20):
Employer Ranking of Applied Skills
Applied Skill
Employer Rating
Oral Communication
Teamwork
Work Ethic/Professionalism
Written Communication
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Ethics
Leadership
Applied Technology
Creativity
Self-Direction
95.4%
94.4%
93.8&
93.1%
92.1%
85.6%
81.8%
81.0%
81.0%
78.3%
Conference Board Survey, 2006
In other words, the skill-set that is desired by employers is the skill-set acquired through a liberal arts
curriculum. Yet a survey of corporate executives identified most of these same skills as the areas requiring
greatest improvement in college graduates:
College Graduates Lack of Preparedness
Applied Skill
Not Well Prepared
Global Knowledge
Self-Direction
Writing
Critical Thinking
Adaptability
Self-Knowledge
Oral Communication
Quantitative Reasoning
Social Responsibility
Intercultural Skills
46%
42%
37%
31%
30%
26%
23%
23%
21%
19%
How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning?
Washington, D.C., Peter D. Hart Research Associates (2008)
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It is evident that normal recruitment patterns are not fulfilling expectations in assembling a qualified workforce.
What accounts for the stubborn persistence of employers in continuing to tap the same pool of ill-prepared
applicants when graduates in the humanities and social sciences could better satisfy their needs?
The answer to this question reverts back to the widely shared belief about the dead-end nature of degrees in
the liberal arts. A gap exists between what these students can actually contribute and how businesses assess
their readiness to perform in a professional situation. At least part of the solution advocated by leaders in
higher education resides in revamping the liberal arts curriculum to demonstrate the tangible and practical
skills that are obtained through the disciplines in the College. The Association of American of Colleges and
Universities (AAC&U) has proposed the most influential set of recommendations in a report entitled Liberal
Education and America's Promise (http://www.aacu.org/leap/). The AAC&U found weakness in skill levels
across the board as businesses report that less than 25 percent of college graduates are adequately equipped
for the responsibilities of the workforce (Bok, D. et al., 2007:8). The remedy, according to the AAC&U, is to
invigorate the liberal arts. “In an economy fueled by innovation, the capabilities developed through a liberal
education have become America’s most valuable economic asset” (Ibid:13). Translated into curricular terms, a
liberal education should incorporate the following principles:
•
•
•
•
•
Knowledge from an interdisciplinary perspective
An understanding of science, cultures, and society
High-level intellectual and practical skills
A commitment to personal and social responsibility
A demonstrated ability to apply learning to complex problems and challenges
It has proven easier to define what a renovated curriculum should include than to outline how it could be
implemented with respect to content and pedagogy. Richard Freeland suggests moving a liberal education
“beyond a narrow range of intellectual qualities” to emphasize “connecting ideas with action” as a way of
cultivating analytic skills (Freeland, 2009: 6). He identifies a number of strategies already in practice across the
nation that accomplish this goal: civic engagement activities, off-campus work placements, internships,
undergraduate research, study abroad, and practice-oriented pedagogies like simulations and case studies.
Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University (ASU), chastises the silo model of rigid academic
disciplines as “ossified” and argues for “cross-disciplinary organizational structures,” such as ASU’s School of
Evolution and Social Change, that are aimed at addressing critical social problems (Stripling, J., 2010:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/16/crow). The learning preferences of the current generation of
students must also be factored into the equation. Culled from research findings, Alecia Moore advocates
multiple methods that would be effective in today’s classroom: problem-solving exercises with real-life
applications, group projects, and faculty-led research (Moore, 2007: 46). Above all, a curriculum must remain
relevant and, at least for the next decade, a roundtable discussion by college and business leaders
recommended—among other things—embracing globalization, promoting experiential learning opportunities,
and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration (Flynn and Vredevoogd, 2010). These guidelines, when taken
together, yield a picture of a much different approach to the delivery of a liberal arts curriculum, one that is:
•
•
•
•
•
Experiential
Multi- and inter-disciplinary
Collaborative
Problem and research driven
International in focus
With the liberal arts placed in an updated framework, the College must surmount one additional hurdle to
enhance its future. How can the College compensate for the negative view shared by many parents and
students about degrees in the humanities and social sciences? A report by Deloitte LLP, a worldwide
consulting firm, provides a series of insights on the ways institutions of higher education could reinvent
themselves to become competitive in the upcoming century. It will require that institutions not only “overthrow
the status quo … but also aggressively execute new approaches and seek out best practices from around the
world and perhaps from outside the academic sphere itself” (Making the Grade, 2011: 3). As applied to the
College, the report recommends a variety of steps that could augment enrollment, including differentiating its
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programs, adopting a global recruitment strategy, developing distance education outreach, and designing
programs that align with marketplace demands. The bottom-line is that the College must “brand” itself to
“assure prospective students and parents that upon graduation, students will be prepared to participate in a
technologically advanced and global society” (Wilen-Daugenti and McKee, 2008: 4).
Put simply, it is through “differentiation” and the promotion of practical skills within the context of the liberal arts
that the College can confront the future with confidence and purpose.
T HE P ROCESS
The strategic plan was a collaborative effort that involved the entire College. The plan was designed after
careful examination of literature, input from focus groups, and feedback from the College Council, Chairs
Council, and academic departments. A faculty committee produced the final draft because legitimacy would not
exist otherwise. Each academic unit as well as the College Council appointed a representative to serve on the
steering committee:
Strategic Planning Committee
Representative
Academic Unit
Ken Collier
Ray Darville
Andrew Lannen
Mark Ludorf
Brian Murphy
Charles Patterson
Kelly Salsbery
Captain Steven Sanchez
Mark Sanders
Peter Simbi
Owen Smith
Government
Social & Cultural Analysis
History
Psychology
Dean’s Office
Modern Languages
Communication & Contemporary Culture
Military Science
English
Social Work
College Council
The steering committee initially convened on October 6, 2011 to discuss operating procedures, deadlines, and
goals. Meetings continued on an almost weekly basis for the next two semesters. On November 1, 2011, the
committee’s preliminary ideas were circulated via email to the College’s faculty and staff for review at the
departmental level. Comments were channeled through the committee’s membership and were used in
completing the preliminary draft of the strategic plan. Dean Brian Murphy presented the draft to faculty and
staff at the College’s Spring Semester meeting on January 17, 2012. Faculty responses were considered at the
Chairs Council on February 6 and again on March 5. The College Council conducted a formal assessment of
the plan and reported its suggestions to the Chairs Council on April 16. A motion to approve the plan, as
modified by the College Council, was unanimously approved at this time. The steering committee met for a
final session on April 27, 2012 to construct an implementation strategy for each action item contained in the
strategic plan.
This comprehensive and inclusive process culminated in a strategic plan that reflects a consensus vision on
how the College of Liberal & Applied Arts should deal with the challenges and opportunities for a five-year
period (2012-2017). A balance between change and stability has been achieved in a way that deepens the
traditional liberal arts education while making it functional to the needs of the next generation.
T HE F RAMEWORK
The strategic plan for the College of Liberal & Applied Arts required an objective that would guide deliberations,
foster consistency and focus, and establish expectations that are meaningful, significant, and feasible. As
such, the College’s strategic plan adopts the overriding objective of seeking to deliver the best liberal and
applied arts education by accomplishing excellence in four areas:
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•
•
•
•
Developing a cutting-edge curriculum
Retaining and supporting an innovative faculty
Upholding rigorous academic standards
Recruiting and inspiring high performing students
Excellence is a lofty ambition but, as Jesse Jackson once declared, “No one rises to low expectations.” These
four areas of excellence constitute the framework around which the strategic plan is built. Specific action items
were identified to implement each of these goals in tangible and worthwhile ways.
Additionally, the strategic plan had to address the negative enrollment trends that jeopardized long-term
funding and even the survival of certain programs within the College. But as René Dubos long ago wrote,
“Trend is not destiny.” Three assumptions, collected from research, were factored into the planning process in
an attempt to reverse the slide in student interest:
•
•
•
The liberal arts will remain relevant to the future because its disciplines deliver the knowledge and skills
that equip students to compete successfully in a marketplace dominated by career mobility.
The College must convey the practical value of the knowledge and skills developed in our students.
The College should distinguish itself through branding and convey this image consistently to all
stakeholders.
The College of Liberal & Applied Arts, armed with its strategic plan, is poised not merely to endure but to
flourish in the upcoming five years.
P LAN OF A CTION
“Excellence” is an ambiguous concept that lacks clarity unless applied in practical contexts. The strategic plan
presents a series a concrete “action items” that translate the four areas of excellence—cutting-edge
curriculum, innovative faculty, rigorous academic standards, and high performing students—into real-world
steps that should be taken by the College. Once completed within five years, the end product will be the best
liberal and applied arts education that can be provided to the current and future generations of students.
A Cutting-Edge Curriculum
Education revolves around the curriculum, or the set of courses that must be fulfilled to earn a degree. This
experience should equip students with the knowledge and skills that prepare them for the job market as well as
life-long learning. A university must maintain its curriculum on the cutting-edge in order to meet this
responsibility. The College’s strategic plan proposes a number of action items to ensure that a cutting-edge
curriculum is being delivered.
Action Items
Explanation
The College should develop an identity that distinguishes its
undergraduate curriculum and should promote efforts by its
graduate programs to develop distinctive identities.
The College needs to “brand” itself to differentiate its identity and
to serve as a recruitment attraction. The creation of niche
programs is a key avenue in this effort.
Interdisciplinary programs compensate for the shortcomings of
departmental silos. These programs should also augment the
College’s branding effort and recruitment of top students. Higher
standards should contribute to a culture of academic rigor.
An interdisciplinary awareness should be a part of the curriculum
for all students at SFA and can be accomplished through the
examination of a common topic across introductory courses. This
approach also emphasizes the enduring value of a broad-based,
comprehensive education that cultivates habits of the mind and
blends specific knowledge with big questions.
Experiential learning weds students to their major and provides a
credential on transcripts that demonstrates practical skills.
A capstone course is an opportunity for students to verify that
they have mastered the learning goals of their academic major.
The College should create a set of interdisciplinary programs with
higher admission and continuation standards.
Introductory courses in the College should include a “big
question” theme that bridges disciplinary boundaries.
Students should be engaged in an experiential learning project
prior to graduation.
Students should complete a capstone experience either within
their academic major or in an interdisciplinary format.
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An Innovative Faculty
The faculty drives a curriculum by determining both its content and its daily implementation in the classroom.
Therefore, the goal of a cutting-edge curriculum is largely dependent upon empowering a faculty to innovate so
that programs remain relevant and even ahead of the curve. The College’s strategic plan identifies a set of
action items intended to promote and support the professional development of its faculty and staff.
Action Items
Explanation
The ongoing personal and professional growth of all faculty and
staff members is essential to the strength and vitality of the
College. Opportunities to facilitate such growth should be made
accessible and, where feasible, sponsored by the College.
An “innovative” faculty must move beyond traditional pools of
institutional funding to tap into the lucrative monies available
through governmental agencies and private foundations.
The cut back in public funding for state universities requires a
dedicated effort to replace the lost financial resources.
Fundraising has become mandatory to maintain current
operations at present levels.
Alumni have expertise, contacts, and occasionally financial
donations that can be leveraged to the advantage of students,
programs, and faculty.
An award is a means of encouraging and recognizing efforts that
promote teaching excellence through innovative approaches.
Role models raise the bar.
Effective communication prevents misunderstanding, conveys
information, and facilitates an exchange of ideas. Dialogue is a
vehicle to building consensus.
Regular workshops should be offered to enhance faculty and staff
skills and knowledge.
A priority should be placed on securing grants to supplement
faculty, staff, and program resources.
A College-wide development council should be established to
coordinate and enhance endowment opportunities.
The College should schedule alumni programs (e.g., summer
seminars, travel abroad) to generate revenue and reconnect.
A teaching award for innovation should be created to promote
cutting-edge pedagogy.
Regular College-wide forums should engage faculty and staff in
informal discussions on topics of interest.
Rigorous Academic Standards
Students are only as good as the challenges set before them because they tend to achieve at the level of
expectation. Consequently, a reputation for academic excellence must ultimately be authenticated through the
performance of students. The rigor of academic standards holds the key since these standards establish the
expectations that students are required to attain. The College’s strategic plan prescribes a set of skills and
competencies for students that exceed what regional competitors typically stress.
Action Items
Explanation
The College should expect its departments to meet one or more
of the following goals within a five-year time frame:
•
Critical thinking/creative problem solving/integrative
thinking
•
Communication (oral, digital, and written)
•
Experiential learning
•
Capstone experience
•
Collaboration among students and faculty
•
Coordination with other institutions
Those programs that seek to accomplish these goals will be
allocated new resources.
The skills needed for success must be embedded in a liberal arts
degree by becoming a more visible and pervasive part of the
curriculum.
Program performance should be externally validated.
External validation ascertains whether the College’s programs
are comparable to those of regional competitors. Such validation
is a means of assessment, best practices analysis, and trend
identification.
High Performing Students
A quality college must have quality students. The admission process constitutes the initial filter but a public
university like SFA is limited in its selectivity since it is mandated to serve the educational needs of a specific
region. Two avenues exist to produce the desired goal of overall student quality. The first, as already reflected
7
in the strategic plan, is to maintain rigorous academic standards. All students are entitled to an education that
is not at the low end of the spectrum. Challenge must be demanded in every classroom of the College. A high
bar, after all, yields better students. The second avenue is to recruit students of a caliber that might not
normally consider SFA. A sufficient number of these students could contribute to building a culture focused on
excellence. The College’s strategic plan makes a calculated effort to graduate high performing students.
Action Items
Explanation
A positive campus experience prior to the application process
could be a significant factor in influencing superior students in the
selection of a university to attend.
The College has the lowest retention rate at SFA. An attempt
must be made to bond students with a program of study from the
onset of their arrival at the institution.
Portfolios demonstrate learning, contribute to assessment, and
provide a credential for employment purposes.
Students must be directed toward a career path to convince them
of the marketability of their degree. The selection of appropriate
courses each semester is a critical but incremental step in this
long-term process.
Alumni are in a position to supply targeted advice to guide the
career preparation of students.
The College’s profile must be elevated across the state to
expand its recruitment base.
A summer residency program should be established for high
performing high school students.
An incoming student experience should be launched to build
student identity with College programs.
Students should develop a digital portfolio.
Course selection and academic advising should be separated and
emphasized.
An alumni-mentoring program should be formalized.
Multiple forms of media should effectively disseminate information
about the College’s excellence.
I MPLEMENTATION S TRATEGY
To quote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” The College’s strategic plan runs the
risk of gathering dust unless it is accompanied by a comprehensive implementation strategy that assigns
responsibilities and deadlines. The steering committee formulated a detailed blueprint on who is accountable
for accomplishing each action item, the priority (with “1” the highest and “3” the lowest) importance of each
item, and the date by which an item should be in place. The blueprint further calls for assembling a steering
committee composed of faculty, students, and alumni to supervise the implementation process. Vigilant
oversight is the linchpin that promises to bring about a fully executed strategic plan. The implementation
strategy for each of the four goals is contained in Appendices A-D.
CONCLUSION
Although the College of Liberal & Applied Arts has a solid record of accomplishment, it lacked an
understanding on how to address the unprecedented changes confronting higher education. A strategic
planning exercise culminated in a wide range of benefits:
•
•
•
•
An awareness of needs, opportunities, and threats
A sense of direction and specific objectives for achievement
A basis for measuring performance
A uniform vision shared among all members
As Alan Key said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” The College has done what it can to take
control of its destiny. The only job that remains is to deliver on what has been carefully planned.
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References
Bok, D. et al, 2007. College Learning for the New Global Century. Washington, D.C., Association of American
Colleges and Universities
Casner-Lotto, J. 2006. Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and
Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce. New York: The Conference Board, Inc.
Drucker, P. 1980, Managing in Turbulent Times. New York: Harper & Row
Flynn, W. and Vredevoogd, J. 2010. “The Future of Learning: 12 Views on Emerging Trends in Higher
Education,” Ann Arbor, MI: Society for College and University Planning
Freeland, R. 2009. “Liberal Education and Effective Practice: The Necessary Revolution in Undergraduate
Education,” Liberal Education, Vol. 95, No. 1: pp. 6-13.
Greenwald, R. October 1, 2010. “Liberal Arts II: The Economy Requires Them,” Inside Higher Ed,
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/10/01/greenwald#ixzz1xhrRlXut
Making the Grade 2011: A Study of the Top 10 Issues Facing Higher Education Institutions. 2011. Ontario,
Canada: Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Moore, A. 2007, “They’ve Never Taken a Swim and Thought of Jaws: Understanding the Millennial
Generation,” College and University Journal, Vol. 82, No. 4: 41-48.
Saturen, V. January 2010. “Losing Liberal Arts: Liberal Arts Education and the Growing Class Divide,” In These
Times, http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/5312/losing_liberal_arts/.
Sparks, E and Waits, M.J. 2011. Degrees for What Jobs? Raising Expectations for Universities and Colleges in
a Global Economy. Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.
Stripling, J., July 16, 2010. “As the Crow Flies,” Inside Higher Ed,
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/16/crow.
“Value of a Liberal Arts Degree,” Students Over 30, http://www.studentsover30.com/preparing-forcollege/value-of-liberal-arts-degree/.
Wall Street Journal. April 5, 2012, Wealth or Waste? Rethinking the Value of a Business Major.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304072004577323754019227394.html
Wilen-Daugenti, T. and McKee, A. 2008. 21st Century Trends for Higher Education: Top Trends, 2008-2009.
Cisco IBSG
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Appendix A
Goal: Cutting-Edge Curriculum
Priority
Implementation Process
Action Item
The College should develop an identity
that distinguishes its undergraduate
curriculum and should promote efforts by
its graduate programs to develop
distinctive identities.
The College should create a set of
interdisciplinary programs with higher
admission and continuation standards.
Introductory courses in the College should
include a “big question” theme that bridges
disciplinary boundaries.
Students should be engaged in an
experiential learning project prior to
graduation.
Students should complete a capstone
experience either within their academic
major or in an interdisciplinary format.
1
1
2
Faculty, students, and alumni (steering
committee)
Faculty committee(s)
[in consultation with the steering committee]
College Council
Report Spring 2013; implement: fall 2014
Deadline
December 19,
2012
March 1, 2013
May 15, 2013
2
Departments
Fall 2014
2
Departments
Fall 2014
Appendix B
Action Item
Goal: Innovative Faculty and Staff
Priority
Implementation Process
Regular workshops should be offered to
enhance faculty and staff skills and
knowledge.
A priority should be placed on securing
grants to supplement faculty, staff, and
program resources.
A College-wide development council
should be established to coordinate and
enhance endowment opportunities.
The College should schedule alumni
programs (e.g., summer seminars, travel
abroad) to generate revenue and
reconnect.
A teaching award for innovation should be
created to promote cutting-edge
pedagogy.
Regular College-wide forums should
engage faculty and staff in informal
discussions on topics of interest.
Deadline
1
Dean
Nov 15, 2012
1
Dean’s office
Feb 15, 2013
1
Steering committee & Chairs
December 15,
2012
3
Steering committee & Dean
Summer 2015
2
Steering committee
Fall 2014
3
Chairs Council
December 19,
2012
10
Appendix C
Action Item
Goal: Rigorous Academic Standards
Priority
Implementation Process
The College should expect its
departments to meet one or more of the
following goals within a five-year time
frame:
• Critical thinking/creative problem
solving/integrative thinking
• Communication (oral, digital, and
written)
• Experiential learning
• Capstone experience
• Collaboration among students
and faculty
• Coordination with other
institutions
Those programs that seek to accomplish
these goals will be allocated new
resources.
Program performance should be
externally validated.
Deadline
Fall 2014
1
Chairs Council develops guidelines;
Departments implement plan
Dean/Provost
2
December,
2016
Appendix D
Action Item
Goal: High Performing Students
Priority
Implementation Process
A summer residency program should be
established for high performing high
school students.
An incoming student experience should
be launched to build student identity with
College programs.
Students should develop a digital portfolio.
Course selection and academic advising
should be separated and emphasized.
An alumni-mentoring program should be
formalized.
Multiple forms of media should effectively
disseminate information about the
College’s excellence.
Deadline
3
Dean
Summer 2014
1
Dean’s office
Fall 2012
2
Dean’s office/Dean
Nov 1, 2012
Fall 2013
1
Deans and departmental offices
May 1, 2013
1
Dean
Fall 2012
1
Dean
Feb 15, 201
11