Strategic Plan
Mission
The mission of the School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration is to educate students
for lives of active citizenship as contributing members of their local, regional, national, and
global communities, and for professional careers in public, nonprofit and health care
organizations. We are committed to developing in undergraduate and graduate students the
capacities for ethical judgment, critical thinking, and the core competencies necessary to fulfill
multiple roles as effective managers and public servants.
Vision Statement
We aspire to be a pre-eminent source for public service education by providing an innovative
professional curriculum with dedicated and inspired teaching, scholarship, and service to the
community.
Value Statement
We value:
Liberal education and academic excellence in learning, teaching and research
Critical thinking and professional education
A culture of collegiality and collaboration
Diversity, civic discourse, and democratic communities
Experiential learning
International perspectives and experiences
Management skills
Ethical commitment
Service to the local community
Study of public/nonprofit relationships
Diversity of ideas
Attention to technological innovations
Informed decision making
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Goal and objectives
Goal 1: Enhance SPNHA programs to maintain and strengthen its position as a
regional leader in educating students for active citizenship, professional careers,
and leadership in public, nonprofit and health care organizations.
Objective: Advance the MPA program to new levels of excellence.
Actions:
1. Maintain modest growth.
2. Assess curriculum (within 2 years) for courses that must remain capped at 20 students.
3. Review curriculum for all shared courses to maximize shared learning for the HA and
PNPL programs (within 2 years).
4. Develop and implement syllabi of record with oversight by SPNHA tenure-track faculty
for graduate courses taught by adjuncts (within 2 years).
5. Set target range of no more than 40% of courses taught by adjuncts with a goal of 30%
preferred.
6. Review curriculum for all courses to assess potential for raising caps (within 2 years)
7. Develop and implement a recruitment strategy for the Urban Planning/Public
Management track.
8. Using the common SPNHA Learning Assessment rubric, attain scores of 2.0 or above on
each category and for each rubric (aggregated).
9. Prepare for and implement (within 3 years) for a switch to competencies based learning
assessments.
10. Develop and implement (within 3 years) a common portfolio for all graduate students.
11. Maintain and strengthen emphasis on core competencies related to organizational
communication and information technology.
Objective: Advance MHA program to next level of development.
Actions:
1. Maintain growth.
2. Pursue CAHME accreditation with internal University partners.
3. Align curriculum to focus on nonprofit health administration.
4. Develop and implement syllabi of record with oversight by SPNHA tenure-track faculty
for graduate courses taught by adjuncts within 2 years).
5. Set target range of no more than 40% of courses taught by adjuncts with a goal of 30%
preferred.
6. Review curriculum for all courses to assess potential for raising caps (within 2 years)
7. Assess curriculum (within 2 years) for courses that must remain capped at 20 students.
8. Using the common SPNHA Learning Assessment rubric, attain scores of 2.0 or above on
each category and for each rubric (aggregated).
9. Prepare for and implement (within 3 years) for a switch to competencies based learning
assessments.
10. Develop and implement (within 3 years) a common portfolio for all graduate students.
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Objective: Launch MPNPL program.
Actions:
1. Launch the program.
2. Set target range of no more than 40% of courses taught by adjuncts with 30%
preferred.
3. Using the common SPNHA Learning Assessment rubric, attain scores of 2.0 or above on
each category and for each rubric (aggregated).
4. Prepare for and implement (within 3 years) for a switch to competencies based learning
assessments.
5. Develop and implement (within 3 years) a common portfolio for all graduate students.
Objective: Maintain and monitor for excellence the Undergraduate PA program
Actions:
1. Maintain modest growth.
2. Monitor enrollment caps for PA 270.
3. Develop and implement syllabi of record with oversight by SPNHA tenure-track faculty
for undergraduate courses taught by adjuncts (within 2 years).
4. Set target range of no more than 40% of courses taught by adjuncts with a goal of 30%
preferred.
5. Using the common SPNHA Learning Assessment rubric, attain scores of 2.0 or above on
each category and for each rubric (aggregated).
6. Prepare for and implement (within 3 years) for a switch to competencies based learning
assessments.
Objective: Promote interactions among faculty and adjuncts to increase transfer of
knowledge
Actions:
1. Form Adjunct Peer Committee to review and establish clear standards on adjunct
recruitment and hiring and provide supportive materials and opportunities for
engagement (Year 1).
2. Determine which courses only tenure-track faculty should teach (Year 1).
Objective: Financially sustain SPNHA
Actions:
1. Recruit good students to maintain high enrollments.
2. Utilize university, local, state and national funding opportunities.
3. Continue to build the endowment.
4. Create collaborations to maximize resources and organizational capacity.
Objective: Enhance research and service capabilities
Actions:
1. Provide rewards for research and scholarship through workload policy
2. Recruit high-quality graduate assistants, both locally and internationally
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3. Provide for acquisition of software, hardware, data, training, and books that support
research agendas.
Objective: Create decentralized internal administrative structure to implement strategic plan
designed to recognize growth and maturation of SPNHA.
Actions:
1. Create SPNHA policy and procedure handbook (Year 1 and 2).
2. Define common roles and position descriptions for program coordinators for all four
programs (Year 1).
3. Hire program leads (replace leads with coordinators) for each of the four programs (Year
2).
4. Develop and implement decision flow charts to support decisions based on SPNHA
policy, while maintaining appropriate space for administrative flexibility (Year 3).
5. Form a Scholarship Committee to promote and review SPNHA Scholarships.
Objective: Improve recruitment and admissions process to better identify, attract, and admit
high quality graduate students
Actions:
1. Draft new unit Admissions Policy to define common rules for admission (Year 1).
2. Implement a clear graduate admissions policy (Year 2).
3. Form an Alumni Chapter of SPNHA (Year 2 or 3).
Objective: Improve relationships with students that encourage their academic and
professional development.
Actions:
1. Promote and support the Graduate Student Association and the Health Professionals
Graduate Student Association.
2. Encourage students to join professional associations and provide support to attend
professional and academic conferences.
3. Encourage students to participate in university-based, college-based and communitybased activities that complement our curriculum.
4. Support student participation in Student Scholarship Day and provide other forums for
students to present their independent study and thesis research.
Objective: Strengthen relationships with alumni that increase their engagement with our
students and programs
Actions:
1. Increase communication and interaction with alumni through use of the Internet and inperson activities.
2. Facilitate alumni volunteering for guest lectures and to serve as student mentors
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Objective: Enhance relationships with professional, academic, and community organizations
that improve study and practice in the public and nonprofit management fields.
Actions:
1. Serve on civic, public, and nonprofit boards.
2. Serve as technical and management consultants to public-private, community-based,
and university-outreach projects and partnerships.
3. Support local, national and international organizations, conferences and publications
which study and promote ethical, effective, and democratic public service.
Objective: Maintain collaborations with the Johnson Center that build the future leadership
of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.
Actions:
1. Facilitate cross participation in educational and research activities
2. Provide experiential opportunities for students seeking careers in nonprofit
management
3. Develop connections for students and faculty with external networks.
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