U n i versity of Northern Iowa BUILDING ON EXCELLENCE 2000 NCA Self-Study Report CRITERION I MISSION 29 CRITERION I MISSION U n i versity of Northern Iowa CRITERION I: The institution has clear and publicly stated purposes consistent with its mission and appropriate to an institution of higher education This section of the self-study report describes the purposes of the University of Northern Iowa as an institution of higher education as reflected in its mission statement. Descriptions of the decision-making and strategic planning processes at the University of Northern Iowa are provided, with special attention given to changes made in those processes in the last 10 years, the time following the previous institution-wide evaluation by the North Central Association. The long- and short-range institutional and educational goals of the University are presented by way of the recently approved 2001-2006 Strategic Plan, “Focused on Excellence” (see Appendix C, http://www.uni.edu/pres/2001-2006strategicplan/), and a description is provided of the University’s efforts to keep the public informed of the strategic goals of the institution. This section concludes with evidence of the University’s support for freedom of inquiry for faculty and students and the institution’s commitment to excellence in both the teaching provided by faculty and the learning expected by students. The University focuses both on undergraduate education that emphasizes a personalized learning environment and on selected master’s, doctoral and other graduate programs that provide students with specialized educational experiences. The Mission of the University “The University of Northern Iowa is a comprehensive institution committed to providing a diverse, dynamic learning environment, founded on a strong liberal arts curriculum and characterized by excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The University focuses both on undergraduate education that emphasizes a personalized learning environment and on selected master’s, doctoral and other graduate programs that provide students with specialized educational experiences. UNI programs incorporate scholarship and service to individuals, communities and organizations throughout the state, the nation and the world.” (Approved by the Board of Regents, Nov. 2000) The mission celebrates the core strengths of the University, proclaiming the value of excellence at the undergraduate level and celebrating a 124-year-old tradition of what we have come to call “Great Teaching.” The University entered the 1990s amidst local, state and national recognition that quality teaching plays a central role in making a student’s higher education experience a valuable, lifelong benefit. In the mid-1990s, the University made significant strides in expanding in the areas of experiential learning and technology. The University understands the importance of research to academic vitality and expects its graduate programs, though smaller in number, to be commensurate in quality with undergraduate offerings. In addition, UNI’s down-to-earth, practical and people-oriented service approach has helped make a significant difference in the quality of the University’s efforts to meet a growing 30 demand for community, business, and educational services throughout the state. The character of the University of Northern Iowa is embodied in seven values embraced by the University community and stated in the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan: (1) excellence in all its endeavors, (2) intellectual vitality, (3) intellectual and academic freedom, dialogue and the free exchange of ideas, (4) individualized learning (5) an ethical, caring and diverse community, (6) the well being of its students, faculty, and staff, and (7) service to the CRITERION I MISSION U n i versity of Northern Iowa citizens of the State of Iowa, the nation, and the world. As noted, commitment to undergraduate students distinguishes UNI among Regents institutions. All students are required to take an academic core curriculum in general education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. Class sizes throughout the University generally are small (90 percent of classes have 50 or fewer students, and 56 percent have 25 or fewer students), thus encouraging a high level of faculty-student interaction (see Table I.1; Figure I.1). This level of interaction and personalized attention extends as well to the co-curricular areas, such as student services. The character of the University of Northern Iowa is embodied in seven values embraced by the University community and stated in the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan. Table I.1: Percentage of Organized Class Sections By Size The second distinctive feature of the University of Northern Iowa among the Regents’ institutions is that UNI primarily serves the educational needs of Iowans. Approximately 93 percent of UNI’s students are Iowa residents, representing all 99 counties in the state. Although recruitment efforts are being intensified to increase the number of out-of-state students in order to achieve greater ethnic diversity of the student body, the University plans to maintain an enrollment that will be composed largely of students from within the state. 31 CRITERION I MISSION U n i versity of Northern Iowa Figure I.1: Percent of Organized Class Sections by Size A third distinctive feature of the University of Northern Iowa is the balance its academic programs provide between liberal arts education and professional education. On the one hand, the University’s general education program requirements, which are a part of every 90 percent of classes have 50 or fewer students, and 56 percent have 25 or fewer students. undergraduate major, provide the foundation needed for lifelong learning that is so critical in a world undergoing rapid change. It provides students with the skills to think critically, to reason quantitatively, to communicate effectively, and to synthesize new information and new patterns of thought. It instills in students an appreciation and understanding of the many cultures of the world; it introduces them to the rich heritage of major intellectual and aesthetic achievements of humankind and, in the process, prepares them to live and work in a truly multicultural and global society. In addition, many of the undergraduate and graduate programs now provide students with an array of experiential learning opportunities in the form of undergraduate and graduate research, internships, co-ops, field trips, and studyabroad programs in an effort to strengthen the connection between classroom learning and “real world” experiences. In the College of Education, the teacher education program and the practitioner-oriented emphasis of the doctoral programs stress applied research and field-based experiences. In the College of Business Administration, the MBA program emphasizes the functional areas of business in order to provide graduates with a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical business operations. Also within the College of Business Administration, the Business and Community Services division provides consulting in areas such as marketing, planning, and economic development for communities throughout the state. In other areas at the University, such as the Industrial Technology doctoral program in the College of Natural Sciences, much of the research is of an applied nature, designed to meet technological needs of industry throughout the state. Also, the Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center 32 and the Metal Casting Center in the College of Natural Sciences promote applied research in solid waste reuse and recycling and metal casting technology, respectively, as well as CRITERION I industrial outreach for purposes of technology transfer. MISSION The mission of the University specifies its commitment to teaching, scholarship and service. The faculty of the University of Northern Iowa are expected to have nine-credit hour teaching loads each semester and to maintain research/scholarly/creative/artistic pursuits. U n i versity of Northern Iowa The University embraces the teacher/scholar model, in which teaching and research complement each other and the faculty member’s enthusiasm for one activity is enhanced by the pursuit of the other. As approved by the Regents, the University will not offer programs in agriculture, architecture, dentistry, engineering, forestry, hospital administration, law, medicine, pharmacy, or veterinary medicine. Iowa State University and the University of Iowa offer these programs. Processes Through Which the Institution Evaluates its Purposes The University’s Strategic Plan The version of the UNI Strategic Plan in place during the self-study was completed in December 1996 (see Appendix C, http://www.uni.edu/infosys/fsp/index.html). The new UNI Strategic Plan for the years 2001-2006 was approved by the Board of Regents in November 2000 (see Appendix C, http://www.uni.edu/pres/2001-2006strategicplan/). Each plan has been viewed as a dynamic and evolving document. As circumstances change, corresponding changes in the plan have been made. The document also is viewed as the foundation upon which the budget is constructed . The strategic goals have challenged everyone on the campus in some way. The budget cycle The University embraces the teacher/scholar model, in which model teaching and research complement each other and the faculty member’s enthusiasm for one activity is enhanced by the pursuit of the other. has included evaluation of activities linked to implementation of the plan. Strategic Planning Processes at UNI Over several decades the University of Northern Iowa has been engaged in various major academic planning initiatives. However, it was not until 1989 that UNI formally adopted a strategic planning process. In that year, President Constantine Curris established the University Strategic Planning Committee. This committee was charged with preparing a strategic plan that would be built upon the mission of the University of Northern Iowa and the strategic goals adopted by the Board of Regents for the Regents universities. The President asked the committee to give special attention to three areas: the achievement of national prominence by the College of Education, actions to further improve student excellence, and the strengthening of the University’s graduate programs. 33 The committee identified seven goals that formed the basis of the initial strategic plan, CRITERION I which was intended to present a framework for assessment and serve as a model for future MISSION planning iterations. The Board of Regents approved the first strategic plan in May 1990 (see U n i versity of Northern Iowa Appendix C). During the next four years, the University provided to the Board of Regents annual progress reports in implementing the strategies and achieving the goals set forth in UNI’s strategic plan. In 1991, each college developed its own strategic plan consistent with the broader institutional goals described in the University plan, and other divisions of the University crafted appropriate strategic plans as well. As anticipated, over the next few years, adjustments were made in the strategic planning process to encourage broader participation in establishing institutional and collegiate priorities. Shortly before the arrival of President Robert Koob in 1995, the University Strategic Planning Committee was assigned the task of generating University-wide “priorities” suitable for guiding key decisions over the next five years (FY1996-2001) at the University of Northern Iowa. In carrying out this task, the committee agreed that priorities would be defined as goals that represent choices about the desirable direction of the University and position the University to be effective in acquiring needed resources and fulfilling its mission. The new strategic planning process under the leadership of President Koob began in fall During the past four years, the strategic plan has been the foundation upon which the University budget has been constructed and strategic initiatives have been identified and prioritized. 1995 with a seminar that brought together eight distinguished Iowans who presented their views about the University in the context of developments projected to occur in the State over the next few years. The preliminary draft of the new strategic plan was shared with the campus, and input was solicited and obtained, resulting in a number of significant modifications by a committee representing faculty, staff and students. During the past four years, the strategic plan has been the foundation upon which the University budget has been constructed and strategic initiatives have been identified and prioritized. Colleges and departments, both academic and administrative, have been responsible for implementing and supporting the University strategic plan. The budget allocation process has included consideration of relevance to implementation of the plan. UNI began the strategic planning process for 2001-2006 in early 1999. A leadership group including the President, members of the Cabinet, deans, and other University leaders met for an extended retreat to identify key issues that led to the development of a “model” plan. In October 1999, the President appointed a 20-member Strategic Planning Committee comprised of individuals representing all segments of the on-campus constituency (students, staff, faculty, and administration) as well as representatives of the off-campus community. While the Committee was given the model plan as a starting point, it was made clear that this model was intended as a guide and not a final document. The Committee’s responsibility was to challenge every assumption and develop a strategic plan that when implemented would improve the University at the core and at the margins. In addition, it was the Committee’s responsibility during the course of the plan’s development to gain input from campus constituencies at a level sufficient to ensure the plan represented total campus thinking. 34 Early in the process there was a general consensus that a new plan, rather than a modified one, was needed to focus the University more tightly on achieving excellence in all CRITERION I its activities. The Committee worked with the following objectives in mind: (1) refine the MISSION vision, mission, and values to represent the University as we see it today and over the next several years, (2) develop a plan that represents the whole University, (3) gain input from University constituencies, and (4) develop performance indicators and targets that are U n i versity of Northern Iowa reported annually to the Board of Regents (see Appendix C). From the beginning, the strategic plan represented campus thinking simply because the Strategic Planning Committee represented all on-campus constituencies as well as off-campus groups. But the Committee was diligent in sharing the document and seeking responses during the development process. This was accomplished in several ways: • The planning process was published in campus publications including the Northern Iowan (campus newspaper) and CNN (Campus News Network newsletter). • The draft strategic plan was posted on the University Web site and feedback solicited via electronic (UNIonline) and print (Northern Iowan, CNN) vehicles. Three drafts were posted on the Web: first, when the committee had addressed Vision, Values, Mission, and Goal elements; second, when the plan included specific goals, objectives, and actions; and, third, when the first report on the plan was presented to the Cabinet. Anyone looking at the plan on the Web could respond electronically to the committee with comments. After each posting, the feedback received from the campus was considered by the Committee and incorporated as appropriate. • The Committee hosted an electronic discussion board where members of the University community could comment about the plan, see what others were saying, and engage in dialogue. • Members of the Committee also presented the draft documents to University governance groups for discussion and feedback. Many individuals and groups around campus took time to review and offer comments on The decision-making processes at UNI for the latter half of the accreditation period have been characterized by a transition to a relatively decentralized environment and by an evolution toward consensus-building within that environment. the draft plan documents. The ability to have this discussion electronically encouraged far greater input from the campus to the development of the plan and helped ensure that UNI has a strategic plan that represents the thinking and commitment of the entire University. Both the planning process and the new Strategic Plan seem to have met with approval by UNI’s community, constituencies and by the Board of Regents. 35 CRITERION I MISSION U n i versity of Northern Iowa Decision-Making Processes that are Appropriate to the University’s Stated Mission and Purposes The decision-making processes at UNI for the latter half of the accreditation period have been characterized by a transition to a relatively decentralized environment and by an evolution toward consensus-building within that environment. With a strong tradition of service to students, members of the University community have grown accustomed to having more control over day-to-day budget and programmatic matters and have gradually learned the power of consensus-building to further the common successes of the University. Several examples demonstrate the appropriateness of this combination of decentralization and consensus: “Qualities of an Educated Person,” a very productive, campus-wide, multi-year dialogue to identify desired qualities of UNI graduates; the “Leading, Building, Sharing” capital campaign; and a new Integrated Marketing program. Another hallmark of the Koob administration has been a commitment to accessible and powerful technology that makes decision-oriented information directly available to constituents at their desktops. Our new decision-making processes appear to be more closely aligning the University’s practices with its principles. The University of Northern Iowa prides itself on being in touch with and accessible to its constituencies. Understanding of University Purposes by Institutional Constituencies The University of Northern Iowa prides itself on being in touch with and accessible to its constituencies. However, in the spirit of continuous improvement, the University also undertakes a broad range of more systematic assessments of constituency needs, attitudes, and understanding of University purposes. For example, in 1997 UNI contracted with the Crawford Johnson Group of Des Moines, Iowa, to prepare a survey titled “Attitudes Toward the University of Northern Iowa.” The survey polled consumers, state legislators, and business decision-makers from around the State. Highlights included: • The most effective methods of reaching consumers and business decision-makers are web, newspapers, and hometown events. • UNI was most clearly defined as a university with a solid core of academic programs, high standards, and a strong undergraduate focus. • The level of awareness of UNI among consumers was comparable to those of Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. Familiarity with specific programs, classes, and services was somewhat lower. Consequently, highlighting exemplary programs of the University has been identified as a marketing priority. Survey instruments administered by UNI staff at varying levels of frequency include an Incoming Freshman Survey, Graduating Senior Survey, Alumni Survey, Computing and Library 36 Services Satisfaction Survey, and Student and Employee Climate Surveys. At the time of this report, research was under way to measure attitudes in the surrounding Cedar Falls and CRITERION I Waterloo area, as well as attitu des statewide related to minority recruitment issues. MISSION Efforts to Keep the Public Informed of the University’s Institutional and Educational Goals U n i versity of Northern Iowa The University’s mission and goals are shared on an on-going basis with everyone on campus and the larger community through the presence of the strategic plan, and much other information, on the World Wide Web. Anyone accessing UNI’s homepage (http://www.uni.edu) will find easy access to the current strategic plan. Also, during the drafting of a new strategic plan, faculty, staff, and students were encouraged and given ample opportunity to review the progress and offer input. Similarly those outside the University had the opportunity to check the progress, as well. Another method of sharing the University’s mission and goals involves the Constituency Relations Management Group that was formed in Fall 1995. Chaired by the Director of Public Relations, with membership from outreach-oriented offices such as Admissions, Alumni Relations, Development, Placement, and Continuing Education, this group assists the University in its efforts to develop coordinated, comprehensive and consistent communications enhancing the awareness of UNI, both on and off campus. Members of the University community, including the President, Cabinet members, faculty, staff, and students, have been conducting a comprehensive and consistent “Community Visitation” program for the past several years. This effort brings an energetic and well- The University remains strongly committed to the 1948 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Principles on Academic Freedom. rounded University presence to selected communities for a day, focusing on community connections to UNI, such as current students and alumni from the local area, and on local service activities. While these experiences provide the opportunity to share with local residents information about the University’s mission, goals, and activities, they are also valuable in terms of getting input from the residents regarding their perceptions of the University and how it could better serve them. In another major initiative, led by President Koob and the Office of Public Relations, the University embarked in 1998 on a series of “Envisioning Education” presentations throughout the State. By both invitation and initiation, the President and senior-level representatives from throughout the academic and administrative divisions made thought-provoking presentations to service groups, guided by mutually developed PowerPoint slides and other visual aids. The presentations focused on both the future of higher education in general and the University’s role in that future. 37 CRITERION I MISSION U n i versity of Northern Iowa Support for Freedom of Inquiry by Faculty and Students As part of its ongoing efforts to create a teaching and learning environment of the highest quality, the University continues to strengthen its support for freedom of inquiry by all members of the University community. The University remains strongly committed to the 1940 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Principles on Academic Freedom. The University supports and rewards unfettered scholarship, research, and creative activities by faculty and students through a variety of programs, including Professional Development Leaves, Faculty Summer Research Fellowships, University Distinguished Professor Awards, the McKay Research Award, and summer undergraduate research programs in several of the sciences. The University also provides travel support for faculty and students to attend scholarly conferences and meetings. When appropriate and especially in the sciences, the University provides start-up funds for new faculty to initiate their research programs. The establishment over the past ten years of several applied research centers in the colleges has further helped to foster innovative and entrepreneurial research among faculty and students. Recognizing the importance of encouraging cross-fertilization among academic disciplines, the University has established and supported several interdisciplinary programs at both the All tenure-track University faculty hired in the last decade have the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree. undergraduate and graduate levels. Freedom of inquiry is so integral to UNI’s mission and purposes that it constitutes an explicit focus of the University’s Strategic Plan. See both the 1996-2001 Strategic Plan (Appendix C) and the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan (Appendix C). Library resources play a vital role in preserving freedom of academic inquiry at any university. The Rod Library has enjoyed strong resource support over the last decade in a variety of ways, including the addition of a fourth floor, the enlargement of its book and periodical collections, the infusion and development of CD-ROM, locally-mounted databases, and Web access to remote databases. With the emergence of the Internet and World Wide Web, the University has implemented policies regarding the use of information technology to ensure considerable freedom for all members of the University community related to access and use of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Institutional Commitment to Excellence There is a strong institutional commitment to excellence in the teaching provided by UNI faculty. This commitment is demonstrated by the high quality of the faculty who are recruited and retained by the University. All tenure-track University faculty hired in the last decade have the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree. Many of the faculty hired at UNI come with post-doctoral experience. The high quality of the student body is reflected by the mean ACT score of the entering freshman class (23.0 in 1999). The University’s physical plant has 38 received much attention over the last decade in the form of new and renovated academic buildings, attention to safety and handicapped-accessibility issues, and the building of a CRITERION I computer technology infrastructure that is essential to a modern teaching and learning MISSION environment. The Rod Library’s commitment to excellence is evidenced by the many services it provides to the University community, including inter-library loans, photocopying, a dedicated microforms facility, document delivery, CD-ROM databases, and access for teaching U n i versity of Northern Iowa and research purposes to ever-growing book and periodical collections. The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching, opened in 1993 and centrally located in the Library, serves as an important faculty resource for reaching new levels of excellence in their teaching. The University’s commitment to teaching excellence is further demonstrated by its assessment of the quality of the teaching and curricula at all levels through sets of internal and external measures. Student assessments of teaching are regularly conducted of probationary, of tenure-track faculty and, at least every five years, of tenured faculty in all departments. In addition, departments often use classroom peer observations and review of faculty teaching portfolios to evaluate teaching performance. Excellence in teaching is recognized and rewarded at UNI through several outstanding teaching awards at both the college and university levels. Innovative teaching and redesign of the curriculum are encouraged and rewarded through the annual Faculty Mini-Grant Program and various college programs. Several programs at the University are accredited by national accreditation organizations, thus requiring periodic reaccreditation visits and actions. All academic programs are subject to external academic program reviews on a seven-year cycle with followup reports on how review recommendations are addressed or appropriately implemented. UNI has a strong commitment to the learning expected of its students. Every student with a declared major is assigned a major advisor who receives copies of advisees’ transcripts and graduation evaluations. All five undergraduate colleges are responsible for offering the All academic programs are subject to external academic program reviews on a seven-year cycle with follow-up reports on how review recommendations are addressed or appropriately implemented. General Education Program that forms the liberal arts backbone of the curriculum. More than 90 percent of UNI students engage in at least one form of experiential learning course for credit prior to graduation (Source: UNI Graduating Senior Survey, 1999). Examples of these experiences include internships, co-op programs, research or teaching, and study abroad. In each of these activities, students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a UNI faculty member. In summer 2000, the University received permission from the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, to implement a University Honors Program. Several measures have been identified and used to assess student learning success. Every department is now engaged in a continuous student outcomes assessment through an individually designed assessment plan. Departments are required to report periodically on their student outcomes assessment efforts and on how the curriculum has been modified as a result of the analysis of the assessment data. Excellence in student services is also a distinctive quality of the University of Northern Iowa. In 1991, NCA evaluators identified student services as an institutional strength: 39 “Overall, the Division of Educational and Student Services is very student centered and CRITERION I integrates well with Faculty Affairs” (NCA Team Report, p. 41). This quality has been MISSION continued through active participation of student services staff in the strategic planning U n i versity of Northern Iowa process, as well as strong concurrence on the part of student services with efforts to maintain high admissions standards, support diversity, expand experiential education opportunities, institute an honors program, and provide improved student access to information systems and related technology. Since 1992, 22 student services staff members have been recognized for their exemplary service, and five staff members have received Regents Staff Excellence Awards. Factors contributing to strengths in student services are: • adequate funding • appropriate facilities • responsiveness to student needs • leadership by a team of diverse and experienced professionals Departments are required to report periodically on their student outcomes assessment efforts and on how the curriculum has been modified as a result of the analysis of the assessment data. 40