THE STRATEGIC PLAN – PART I
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan
We have adopted the following Strategic Plan to guide our School, its academic and research units as we continue to work towards accreditation as a
School of Public Health; and towards excellence among each of its components. The Plan includes strategic initiatives that parallel those in the University
of Maryland Strategic Plan – Transforming Maryland: Higher Expectations (2009) and reflect our vision, mission, and values. Each initiative is followed by
specific objectives (or action steps) and metrics that will be used to assess whether objectives have been achieved. Our Plan will be annually reviewed
and refined through active consultation with School administrators, faculty, staff, student, representatives, and members of our Board of Visitors, alumni,
and other stakeholders. We recognize that successful implementation of our plan will require the targeting of financial resources to our strategic priorities
and a continuous process of assessment.
Vision, Mission and Values
Vision
Mission
Our vision is to be a leader in the discovery,
Our mission is to promote and protect the
application, and dissemination of public
health and well-being of citizens of
health knowledge in the state of Maryland,
Maryland, the nation, and the world through
the nation, and the world.
interdisciplinary education, research, public
policy, and practice.
Values
As our college completes its transition to a
School of Public Health, we remain true to
our core values: excellence, discovery,
innovation, diversity, lifelong learning,
leadership, and service
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Part 1: School Priorities
Part 1 describes the four priorities that are central to the mission of the School of Public Health. The section on Accreditation of the School of Public
Health identifies the broad landscape toward which the school is moving. Sections on excellence in our academic programs, at both the undergraduate
and graduate level, research and scholarship, and partnerships, outreach and engagement reflect the mechanisms through which the school itself will
thrive and at the same time contribute to the excellence of the University as a whole. These priorities, while occasionally focusing on what may be
measurable at individual academic unit level require the active engagement and collaboration across the units in the school and among the broader units
of the entire university and system in order to succeed.
Goal 1:
Achieve and maintain the essential infrastructure and academic support that ensures a fully accredited
School of Public Health
Vision: We will create and maintain a mid-Atlantic, regionally prominent, nationally ranked, and internationally recognized school of public
health at a public university that serves its state’s needs for data and professionally trained leaders, emphasizes leadership mentoring and
entrepreneurship, facilitates collaborations within the University System of Maryland, other national, and international partners, and
contributes to sustained growth at the University of Maryland College Park.
Objective
Strategy
A. Increase support for academic information
technology, including training and support services
to assist faculty with curriculum redesign and use of
technology-based courseware.
B. Improve and expand the School’s physical
infrastructure.
Objective 1: Ensure an
administrative, operational, and
physical infrastructure that fully
supports a first-class accredited
School of Public Health
C. Provide a clearly explained and accessible
academic advising system for students, as well as
readily available career and placement advice.
D. The school administration and faculty shall have
clearly defined rights and responsibilities concerning
school governance and academic policies.
E. Students shall, where appropriate, have
participatory roles in conduct of school and program
evaluation procedures, policy-setting and decisionmaking.
F. The School should provide appropriate
budgetary support for its programs.
Description
Establishment of information technology
laboratory and personnel
Target
Create School information technology
laboratory with appropriate staffing by FY
2011
Number of School educational presentations
posted to appropriate electronic infrastructure
Increase postings to electronically accessible
technologies by 10% annually through FY
2013
Number of new and/or renovated research
laboratories in the School
Eight new or renovated laboratories by FY
2013
Amount/quality of new space in the planned
School renovation
Add 28,379 NASF of renovated space by FY
2013
Student reported satisfaction with academic
advising and career counseling
By FY 2011 at least 80% of students satisfied
upon graduation exit interview
Current Plan of Organization
Current School Plan of Organization available
for review by faculty on School intranet
Student participation in standing committees
as defined by Plan of Organization
100% compliance with Plan of Organization
by FY 2010
Institutional expenditures per FTE student
(1.6.m)
Steady-state through FY 2013
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Objective
Objective 2: Develop and
implement a planning and
evaluation system that provides
routine monitoring and
documentation of progress and
guidance for self-improvement of
the School of Public Health
Objective 3: Build a top quality
external relations and development
program which facilitates success
in attaining the strategic priorities of
the School of Public Health
Strategy
Description
Target
A. Develop an explicit process for evaluating and
monitoring the school’s ongoing efforts against its
mission, goals and objectives; for assessing the
school’s effectiveness in serving its various
constituencies; and for planning to achieve its
mission in the future.
Strategic Planning Evaluation committee with
2-year appointments to the committee charged
with developing the plan
By the end of FY 2010 plan available on
School intranet; year end evaluation reports
reported every two years to School Assembly
B. Ensure that the School’s Plan of Organization is
reviewed and that it is implemented as codified.
Approval of current Plan of Organization
School Plan of Organization reviewed and
approved by School Assembly every three
years
A. Develop a plan to increase an institutionalized
donor base for the School.
Percent of alumni for whom we have
established a process for contact and
communication to mechanisms cultivate as
supporters
Percent of known alumni and friends with
cultivation contacts who have historically
supported the School and could potential
become Major Donors
Communication media promoting the
scholarship and related achievements among
faculty, staff and students of the School
Increase alumni donor base by 10% each
year beginning in FY 2009 through FY 2013
Increase number of alumni contacted by 10%
each year beginning in FY 2009 through FY
2013
Beginning in FY 2009, bi-Annual publication
of School Newsletter; Creation and
maintenance of School Healthy Turtle Blog
B. Establish relationships with relevant foundations
and corporations that support public health issues.
Number of visits with relevant foundations and
corporations
Increase visits with foundations and
corporations by 2 each year through FY 2013
C. Develop relationships with “natural partners” not
currently involved with the School to create a
“pipeline” of funding for the future.
Number of visits facilitated with other leading
corporate and community philanthropists
Increase contacts with other leading
corporate and community philanthropists by 2
each year through FY 2013
Number of events conducted annually that
foster a culture of giving
Annual support for annual Dean’s Scholars
Dinner; monthly breakfasts with the Dean;
and at least two special events per year
Number of new contributions to the SPH
Family Tree
Increase contributions by 5% per year
through FY 2013
Successful conduct of marquis events that
foster fund-raising
Annual support for at least two major fundraising efforts
Percent of graduating seniors who make
contributions to the school.
By FY 2013 at least 40% of graduating
seniors will make a contribution to the School
within three (3) years of graduation.
D. Create a grass roots effort that will connect
current students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and
the outside community to the School that will foster
a culture of giving (time, talent, treasure).
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Goal 2:
Build and extend excellence in our graduate and undergraduate academic programs and workforce
training programs
Vision: In a student-centered environment we will deliver excellent instructional courses, degree programs and certificate programs designed
to create and support leaders and enhance the public health workforce in practice, research and service and designed to meet the changing
needs of society.
Objective
Strategy
Description
Target
Objective 1: Provide competencybased curriculum in all areas of
public health knowledge and
achieve program quality through
learning objective assessments.
A. All degree program directors will monitor and
assess competency-based learning objectives and
develop quality improvement plans.
Each degree program’s set of competencybased learning objectives, annual assessment
reports, and quality improvement plans.
Program directors assessment reports
submitted to the Dean annually
A. All students will complete an advising
questionnaire at the end of each semester
registration period.
Student advising satisfaction
90% of students will report high levels of
satisfaction with mentoring and advising
provided by the School's Student Services
80% Graduation rates (2.7.c)
By FY 2011, at least 80% within 6 years for
undergraduate, within three years for
masters, and within seven years for doctoral
students
Average time to complete degree
By FY 2011, average time to completion will
be 4.5 years among undergraduate, 2.5 years
among masters, and 5 years for post doctoral
student coursework
Attrition rates
By FY 2011, less than 10% of each cohort will
be lost due to poor academic performance or
non-academic reasons
Ratio of degree seeking graduate students
(non duplicated head count) to faculty (4.4.f)
By FY 2013, the School will achieve a 10 to 1
ratio among degree seeking graduate
students
Job placement rates (2.7.c)
By FY 2011 80% employed in disciplinerelated position within 2 years of graduation
Completion of capstone experience (2.7.c)
By FY 2011, 100% of professional degree
students will complete a required capstone
experience
Scheduled reviews
By FY 2009 each academic unit director will
provide the Dean with a 3-year schedule of
planned program reviews
Objective 2: Ensure effective
mentoring and advising for every
student to achieve timely
completion of requirements and
graduation.
B. Students in all programs will make appropriate
progress towards degree completion.
Objective 3: Provide instruction in
essential work-life skills for public
health practice, academic careers
and other professional positions to
support successful student
transition from school to work.
A. All public health professional degree programs
will include a mentored independent
study/internship experience emphasizing disciplinerelated professional work skills.
Objective 4: Periodically review
existing curriculum to identify
changes needed to enhance the
preparation of students to meet
A. Each degree program will undergo periodic
internal and external review and be revised as
appropriate.
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Objective
emerging needs of society and of
disadvantaged populations relevant
to School mission.
Strategy
Description
Target
Completed program reviews
100% of programs scheduled for review will
be completed as scheduled
Program change
Each academic unit director will report
annually to the Dean report detailing results of
program reviews and changes which will
result from such reviews
Objective 5: Offer programs that
provide all students in the School
with the essential knowledge in the
five areas of public health.
A. All undergraduate and graduate students are
required to demonstrate completion of exposure to
required public health competencies by: 1)
completion of required coursework relevant to the
five core public health disciplines; or 2) completion
of the Public Health Passport Program.
Completion of competency requirements
By FY 2011, 100% of School graduates have
documentation showing that they have
completed the competency requirements
Objective 6: Ensure excellence
and/or maintain full accreditation for
degree programs beyond those
required by CEPH as appropriate.
A. All academic units and programs complete the
mandatory internal and external reviews as required
by the University of their disciplinary accrediting
body at appropriate intervals.
Successful completion of reviews and final
approval by the University and/or accrediting
body
By FY 2010, 100% compliance with
accreditation and review requirements
Public Health Practice Coordination
By FY 2010 create leadership that oversees
workforce development
Workforce development program
By FY 2010, complete a workforce
development / implementation plan in the
National Capital area and review every three
years
Number of SPH conferences, seminars,
lectures, workshops, etc. available to the
public health community at-large matching
areas of public health practice and need.
By FY 2011, at least 50 activities [10 per core
unit] promoted to the community at-large each
year
Objective 7: Engage in activities
that support the development of the
workforce.
A. Create a public health practice workforce
development strategy to oversee work on this
objective.
B. Prioritize and engage in regional workforce
development efforts consistent with implementation
plan.
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Goal 3:
Conduct and disseminate high-quality research and scholarly activities
Vision: We are committed to scholarly work and discovery to advance knowledge and we will conduct high-quality and interdisciplinary basic
and applied biomedical, behavioral and population-based research aimed at promoting the public’s health and eliminating health disparities.
Objective
Objective 1: Increase the
involvement of faculty and students
in research and scholarly activities
by providing essential research
training and administrative support.
Strategy
Description
Target
A. Continue support for the positions of Associate
Dean for Research and Research Coordinator to
ensure adequate infrastructure for faculty and
students seeking extramural research funding.
Continued funding for these Associate Dean
for Research and Research Coordinator
Beginning FY 2009, the Dean will continue to
provide support for both an Associate Dean
for Research and a Research Coordinator
B. Encourage faculty to build increased support in
their extramurally funded research to support
involvement of students throughout the research
lifecycle.
C. Provide on-going training on research issues,
opportunities, skills, and strategies for faculty, staff,
and students in the school.
Objective 2: Increase the external
funding for research and scholarly
activities.
Percentage of research awards supporting
student involvement (3.1.d)
Number of students participating in faculty
research
By FY 2013, 90% of extramural research
awards will provide opportunities for students
to participate
By FY 2012, 100% of academic program
graduates report having participated in faculty
supported research at exit interview
Number of training programs
By FY 2009, conduct at least one researchrelated training program per year available for
faculty, staff, and / or students
Amount of sponsored grant dollars per full-time
faculty member (1.6.m)
$100,000 per faculty member by FY 2013
Extramural funding as a percentage of total
budget (training and service) (1.6.m)
50% of total budget by FY 2013
Research awards dollars (3.1.d)
15% increase annually in research awards in
School through FY 2013
Number, amount and source of grant
applications and grants per each faculty
member
The number of full-time tenure and nontenure track Assistant-Full Professor faculty
who participate in efforts to obtain external
funding each year will increase by 10%
annually from FY 2010 through FY 2013
A. Provide essential infrastructure for faculty to
submit proposals and receive awards.
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Objective
Objective 3: Increase the number of
research projects that are
community oriented and
community-based by pursuing
innovative, multi-disciplinary and
interdisciplinary research to
address complex health problems.
Strategy
Description
Target
B. Participate with other units on this campus and
across the University System of Maryland in joint
seed money grant programs that encourage and
support new research efforts that will lead to
subsequent extramural funding opportunities.
Number of cross unit collaborations in seed
money programs
By FY 2010, maintain at least one Schoolbased and one inter-unit seed money funding
program per year
Number of community-based and/or
community-oriented research projects
By FY 2009, every School unit will be
involved in community-based and/or
community-oriented research projects
Annual funding for community-based research
Increase the extramural funding for
community-based research by 10% per year
through FY 2013
A. Create a research center structure with the
mission of encouraging and maintaining university /
community collaborations for community-based
research.
By FY 2010,funding will be available to
support annual events
Objective 4: Develop and
implement strategies for the
dissemination of research findings
to practitioners, policy-makers,
educators and the public.
A. Create infrastructure for dissemination and
reporting efforts.
Acquire funding for coordination of annual
events (e.g., Research Interaction Day; etc.)
Increase the annual participation in Research
Interaction Day by 10% per year through FY
2013
By FY 2010, the School will produce at least
three research press releases each year
By FY 2010 The School will produce an
annual research report distributed to
appropriate practitioners, policy-makers,
educators, and the public
B. Faculty support for research dissemination
efforts through individual publication of research
related publications.
Faculty publications in peer reviewed journals
(3.1.d)
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5% increase annually through FY 2013
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Part 2: Strategic Initiatives
Consistent with the University’s Strategic Plan, these two strategic initiatives are seen as transformational and significant and dramatic ways. Engaging
and enhancing the communities through service provides a foundation that is the touchstone of public health. Working with communities on their priorities
is the foundation of community empowerment and capacity; and seen as an essential component of replenishment of the public health workforce.
Partnerships, outreach, and engagement is the operational mechanism through which opportunity is provided to our students, but also the process through
which our school becomes a vital component of the health of communities. It will also be the principal mechanism through which we maintain currency in
our academic and research programs in a rapidly changing world. And, as with the University’s Plan, these initiatives both relate to and are essential to
the achievement of our School’s Priorities.
Goal 4:
Engage and enhance communities in Maryland and beyond through service and outreach
Vision: We are committed to a program of actively engaging the public through service and outreach in decision-making and action for health
promotion, health protection, and disease prevention.
Objective
Objective 1: Pursue service
activities consistent with the stated
mission of the School and its units.
Objective 2: Develop and maintain
collaborative partnerships with
local, state, national and global
institutions, agencies and
communities to improve health.
Strategy
A. Create effective collaborations with
organizations and agencies within the community.
Description
Target
Number of formal partnerships with
organizations and agencies within the
community (3.2.c)
The School will have at least 25 current
agreements with community-based
organizations and agencies by FY 2013
Number of faculty and students engaged with
organizations and agencies within the
community
Increase the percentage of faculty and
students in professional programs engaged in
community-based efforts by 10% annually
through FY 2013
By FY 2013 the School will co-sponsor at
least 10 events per year with external
organizations
B. Extend the communication, collaboration,
consultation, and provision of technical assistance
to organizations and agencies within the community.
Number of programs/events co-sponsored
between the school and other community
groups (3.2.c)
A. Increase partnerships with government
agencies/laboratories, industry, non-profit and
community-based organizations, professional
associations, and academic institutions to address
salient public health issues.
Number of School partnerships with
government agencies/laboratories, industry,
non- profit and community-based
organizations, and professional associations
that share our interests
The School will increase the number of
partnerships by 10% per year to a minimum
for 25 by FY 2013
Number of school-wide service projects
serving community need. (3.2.c)
By FY 2013 support 10 School-wide service
projects per year serving community need.
Number of community-based service projects
that focus on underserved/disadvantaged
populations
By FY 2011, at least 50% of all the School’s
community-based projects are focused on
underserved/disadvantages populations
Number of international collaborations for
research, teaching, and service
In each five-year review cycle, each academic
unit has at least one international
collaboration which results in faculty and / or
student research or service activities
B. Provide service to citizens, health professionals,
and policy-makers in Maryland and the neighboring
region, with a particular focus on underserved and
disadvantaged populations.
C. Expand School involvement with international
partners.
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Objective
Strategy
D. Extend the School learning community through
provision of workforce training and continuing
education programs.
E. Increase opportunities for alumni and friends to
participate in School activities and support School
initiatives.
Description
Target
Number of visiting international scholars in the
School, by year
In each five-year review cycle, each academic
unit has had at least one international visiting
scholar contributing to the mission of the unit
Number of professional/workforce training
conferences held annually
By FY 2010, the School will offer at least one
annual professional / workforce training
conference
Number of continuing education programs held
annually
By FY 2010, the School will offer at least ten
annual continuing education programs
Number of new programs
By FY 2013 the School will add at least three
new programs consistent with its mission
Number of programs that allow alumni to
contribute service to the School (assisting with
recruitment, delivering networking or other
professional preparation workshops/events for
students, hosting interns, serving as a student
mentor, etc.)
By FY 2009, the School will have active
alumni groups involved in Unit functioning
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Part 3: Critical Enablers
Part 3 focuses on the “critical enablers” – in our case the human resources that makes it possible to implement and succeed at our strategic plan. As with
the University’s Strategic Plan, the School of Public Health makes a significant commitment to recruit, retain, and nourish these resources as an essential
component of the plan itself.
Goal 5:
Ensure excellence among and provide support for our human resources
Vision: We will create a School environment that fosters and supports a culture of excellence and continual improvement among the members
of its workforce and student body.
Objective
Objective 1: Recruit and retain
faculty, staff, and students from
diverse backgrounds.
Objective 2: Provide our human
resources with opportunities for
continuous development,
recognition and input into their
work/school life.
Objective 3: Build a world-class
faculty with the qualifications to
address contemporary public
health-related challenges through
excellence in research, teaching
and service.
Strategy
A. Develop and implement recruitment strategies
with internal and external advisors.
A. Create opportunities for confidential human
resources feedback to top administrators within all
units and at all levels.
A. Model “best practices” of faculty recruitment,
retention, and reward of aspirational peer
institutions.
Description
Target
Recruitment strategy plan
By the end of FY 2009, the School will have
on record its recruitment plan to ensure a
diverse student body and workforce
Proportion of racially and ethnically diverse
and female / male faculty and staff (4.3.f)
By FY 2010, the School will have greater
diversity among faculty and staff comparable
to the University as a whole.
Proportion of racially and ethnically diverse
and female/male students (4.5.d)
By FY 2010, the School will have greater
diversity among students comparable to the
University as a whole.
Number of departments in which all junior
tenure-track faculty and staff members have a
mentoring plan and one or more assigned
mentors
By FY 2009, 100% of junior tenure-track
faculty in all academic units in the School will
have an identified mentor and mentoring plan
Number and percent of eligible faculty and
staff successfully tenured/promoted (4.1.d)
By FY 2009, the School will have a three-year
rolling average success rate for promotion /
tenure decisions at the University level
greater than 90%
Rate of faculty/staff turnover
By FY 2009, the School will have a three-year
rolling average of faculty / staff turnover less
than 10%
Number & proportion of faculty with
appropriate academic and / or professional
degrees
By FY 2009, 95% of tenure, tenure-track will
have PhD or equivalent academic and / or
professional degrees
Number and proportion of faculty with past or
current public health practice experience
(4.1.d)
By FY 2013 at least 50% of faculty will have
past or current public health experience
Number and proportion of adjunct faculty from
external communities (4.1.d)
By FY 2010 at least 50% of new adjunct
faculty hires will be from external communities
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Objective
Strategy
Description
Student evaluations of teaching
Proportion of faculty involved in service
activities
Objective 4: Recruit and retain
students who have the potential to
become professional, academic
and scientific leaders in public
health and its related disciplines.
Objective 5: Recruit and retain
highly skilled staff members
committed to contributing to the
mission of the School.
A. Identify students for leadership roles (advisory
committees, governance committees, etc.) within
the SPH
A. Model “best practices” of faculty recruitment,
retention, and reward of aspirational peer
institutions.
Target
By FY 2009, 90% of courses will be evaluated
as “good” or better by students each
semester
90% full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty will
report service activities on their annual FAR
report
Number of faculty presentations at scientific
meetings
80% of full-time tenured, tenure track faculty
will report having made presentation at a
scientific meeting on their annual FAR report
Number of leadership positions in professional
associations
By FY 2009, 100% of academic units will
have at least one faculty member report a
leadership position in their disciplines major
professional associations on their annual FAR
report
Number of committees with students in
governance roles
By FY 2009, all appropriate committees as
defined in the School’s Plan of Operation will
include students as voting members
Racial/ethnic, age, and gender diversity of
student participants in School governance
By FY 2010, the School will have greater
diversity among students when compared
with the University as a whole.
Yield rate (percent of those offered admission
who enter the program) (4.4.f)
By FY 2013, the School will achieve a 70%
yield rate among graduate applicants.
Percent of staff who have attended at least
one professional training program annually, by
unit.
By FY 2013, increase to 80% the number of
staff who participate in appropriate training as
supported by their Annual PRD
Number of Outstanding Staff Awards in the
School.
By FY 2010, each academic unit will annually
support at least one outstanding staff member
for an award presented annually.
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University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
PART II: OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND
Page 13 of 22
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Overview and Background
Opportunity for Transformational Change
Our School of Public Health has the potential to become one of the top schools of public health in the nation. Because: 1) The nature of public health is
undergoing change; 2) The demand for training is increasing; 3) No other public institution, accredited school of public health can be found in the region; 4)
No other accredited school of public health in the region is found at a flagship institution that also is charged with the land grant mission for the state; and
5) We are at a comprehensive university with considerable strengths in the behavioral, social, environmental, and policy sciences we believe we have the
building blocks of excellence.
Introduction
The School of Public Health (SPH) at the
University of Maryland College Park was
originally created as the Department of
Physical Culture in 1898. With a century-long
mission of promoting the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and
communities through education, research,
policy, and practice, the College has made
major contributions to the University of
Maryland, the State of Maryland, and the
nation. We have seen our three departments
– Public and Community Health, Kinesiology,
and Family Science – grow into some of the
most prestigious academic units of their kind.
Our Center on Aging is recognized
internationally for its contributions to helping
older citizens live healthy, productive lives.
The College’s close proximity to both our
state and national capitals provide
unparalleled opportunities for faculty and
students to work with key government health
agencies, non-profit associations, public
policy organizations, and private corporations.
th
As the University celebrated its 150 year, a
unique opportunity existed to transform our
College into a School of Public Health.
Recent threats to our nation’s health and
security underscore the need for superior
public health programs to train the future
public health workforce, assess the health of
individuals and their environments, and
develop programs and policies that help our
citizens to lead healthier lives. It was
proposed that the UMCP School of Public
Health would enable us to build on our
Page 14 of 22
tradition of excellence in public and
community health, kinesiology, and family
science. In creating a new School, we added
to these strong departments and the Center
on Aging by developing new
departments/programs in the areas of health
services administration, biostatistics,
epidemiology, and environmental health. The
proposed School created new positions for
faculty and staff and allowed us to enhance
our graduate and undergraduate programs,
increase our interdisciplinary research,
broaden our community outreach, diversify
our faculty and student body, and foster
meaningful partnerships with the government,
non-profit, and private sectors
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
The School and Its Current Environment: Below is a profile of our School at the beginning of FY 2009 as made available through the
University of Maryland Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment:
Indicator
Number of tenured faculty/tenure track faculty
Number of instructors and lecturers
Number of other faculty
Number of clerical staff
Number of executive staff
Number of professional staff
Number of undergraduate majors
Number of graduate majors
Number of B.S. degrees awarded
Number of Masters degrees awarded
Number of Ph.D. degrees awarded
Number of student credit hours taught (2004-05):
State Budget
Research expenditures
FY 2009
49
20
29
6
5
27
1530
201
415
37
17
38,191
$8.2 million
$6.7 million
Overview of the Strategic Planning Process
The SPH Strategic Plan for 2006-10 was
originally guided by the strategic plan adopted
by the University of Maryland in 2000 and
adapted in 2008 to maintain consistency with
the newly written University of Maryland
Strategic Plan – Transforming Maryland:
Higher Expectations. This new plan replaces
all earlier strategic plans of the University.
world class university is vital to Maryland’s
future. We propose here, capitalizing on our
assets in both current and new units, to
become one of the top 20 Schools of Public
Health in the nation by 2013.
These plans articulate the University’s goal to
become “one of the nation’s preeminent
public universities, an institution recognized
both nationally and internationally, for
excellence in research and instruction, which
makes the results of its research available for
the use and benefit of the State of Maryland
and its people” and further asserts that such a
Page 15 of 22
The School began its strategic planning
process with a faculty retreat in August 2005.
Working together, faculty completed a SWOT
analysis, identifying School strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. All
faculty and staff were administered a
questionnaire asking them to identify the
School’s salient values, areas of unique
strength (current and future), and strategic
priorities. Results were summarized and used
as a foundation for planning. The Dean
appointed a Strategic Planning Committee of
12 members that included department chairs,
the director of the Center on Aging, and
faculty from the departments and the Center.
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
2008. 8 additional members of the SPH staff
and student body augmented the original
Strategic Planning committee in March 2006.
This group met five times during Fall 2005
and twice in Winter 2006 to prepare the
mission and vision statements, summarize
the SWOT analysis, identify and prioritize
strategic objectives, and determine areas of
interdisciplinary strength that will be
emphasized in the future School of Public
Health. The committee also selected 8
strategic objectives, including establishing a
School of Public Health, that became the
focus of our strategic agenda for enhancing
academic excellence in FY 2007 and FY
The group reviewed a draft of the plan and
made suggestions for improvement. The
Strategic Plan was then posted on the
College website for faculty, staff, students,
our Board of Visitors, and other stakeholders
to provide feedback on the proposed
initiatives, objectives and priorities by April 7,
2006. This feedback was used to inform a
Page 16 of 22
final draft of the Strategic Plan, which was put
to a vote of the College Assembly in April. At
that time the Plan was unanimously
approved.
In FY 2008 the University embarked on a
revision of its strategic plan that was fully
approved in May 2008. Following that
approval, the SPH engaged in a number of
processes to bring its five-year strategic plan
into concordance with the University’s plan.
To that end, several meetings were held with
leaders of each of the school’s academic
units and members of the school’s executive
leadership. At three retreats members of
these two groups were asked to identify
connections between the existing strategic
plan of the SPH and the new University plan.
Following those retreats in May, June, and
July 2008 a summary document was
produced that was informed both by these
retreats and the year long process of selfstudy required for accreditation. The result
was an updating of the full strategic plan of
the School
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
Our Strengths
The School has significant strengths that
enable us to achieve even greater excellence
in existing academic, research, and outreach
programs, and that lay the foundation for
establishing a new School of Public Health.
Outstanding Faculty. SPH has a core of
exceptional faculty members who are from
diverse academic disciplines and who are
nationally and internationally recognized for
their scholarship, teaching, and service. New
faculty members are recruited from top
research universities, highly ranked doctoral
programs, and prestigious post-doctoral
fellowship positions. Many faculty members
hold leadership positions within their
disciplines, serve as editors/editorial board
members of scholarly journals, and are
fellows of prestigious professional
associations.
Cutting-Edge Research. Our School has a
record of innovative, high impact research in
all three departments and the Center on
Aging. SPH faculty members have a strong,
consistent, and increasing level of external
research funding from NIH, other federal
agencies, and private foundations. Faculty
and graduate students have made significant
contributions to the advancement of
knowledge about health promotion and health
behavior, aging, physical activity, and family
functioning. One unique strength of our
School is its focus on basic and applied
research aimed at enhancing health and wellbeing across the lifespan. SPH faculty
members generate new scientific knowledge,
which is then applied in 1) the design,
implementation, and evaluation of
interventions to improve individual/family life
and community health and 2) the analysis of
public policies that affect citizens in our state
and nation.
Nationally Ranked Programs. Three
programs within SPH already boast national
rankings:
 Our Master’s program in Public and
th
Community Health was ranked 12 in
the nation by US News and World
Report in 2004.
 Our Kinesiology Department was
rd
ranked 3 among all departments in
the nation by the American Academy
of Kinesiology and Physical
Education in 2005.
 The American Association of
Marriage and Family Therapy rated
our Master’s program in Marriage and
Family Therapy among the top three
in the nation in 2000.
Page 17 of 22
Accredited Master of Public Health (MPH)
Program. Our School has an accredited,
nationally-ranked MPH program in Public and
Community Health, providing the foundation
for development of a new School of Public
Health. With support from the University of
Maryland System, the UMCP President and
Provost, and many other campus
constituencies, the School has the capacity to
establish an accredited School with MPH
degrees addressing the five core areas of
public health practice: biostatistics,
epidemiology, environmental health sciences,
health services administration, and social and
behavioral sciences. The Departments of
Public and Community Health, Family
Science and Kinesiology will all contribute to
a School of Public Health by offering doctoral
and/or other academic programs in areas of
public health knowledge.
Talented Students. SPH has a growing
student body of bright, accomplished
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
undergraduate and graduate students who
are actively involved in their departments and
in their respective fields. The academic
profiles of Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D.
students are more impressive every year, and
there has been a recent increase in the
number of graduate students earning national
and international awards. Growing numbers
of SPH students are engaged in basic/applied
research and are participants in community
internships or service learning programs that
improve the lives of local citizens.
Furthermore, many of them are employed
within their field at local, state, and national
organizations and agencies.
Growth in the Health Professions. There is
currently an urgent need for well-trained
public health professionals. In 2003, the
Institute of Medicine estimated that 80% of
public health workers lacked formal public
health training, and that only 22% of chief
executives of local health departments held
graduate degrees in public health. The
American Public Health Association further
projected that 50% of the federal public health
workforce and 25% of the state public health
force will retire by 2010, creating a critical
shortage of public health personnel. Such
data suggest a strong demand for
professionals with public health degrees, and
underscore the need for new training
programs to address this need.
Location. The University of Maryland’s
location near Washington DC, Annapolis, and
the Baltimore-Washington high-tech corridor
offers unparalleled opportunities for research,
internships, and outreach. Faculty and
students draw on a variety of national
agencies for expertise and extramural
funding, including the National Institutes of
Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the
National Science Foundation and the U.S.
Departments of Health and Human Services,
Agriculture, and Education. Our location, with
its diverse cultural and socioeconomic
groups, urban communities, private
industries, and international health
organizations, provides a rich environment for
teaching, learning, research, and service.
Public Policy Focus. Our proximity to the
U.S. Capitol, federal agencies, and the state
capital of Annapolis provides abundant
opportunities for research and leadership in
areas of policy-making, policy analysis, and
public service. Through initiatives such as the
Family Policy Impact Seminar, Legacy
Leadership Maryland, the Maryland
Adolescent Traffic Safety Project, and Cash
and Counseling Project, our School informs
legislators and citizens about public policies
and programs that may improve citizens’
health and well-being.
Page 18 of 22
Collaboration and Outreach. In the spirit of
a public, Land Grant University, SPH faculty
and students actively share their knowledge
and skills with individuals and families in the
state, the nation, and the world. Three SPH
Cooperative Extension faculty provide
educational programming throughout the
state, and several faculty participate in
international research and service projects.
The Graduate Certificate program in
Gerontology has a required internship that
places students in state and federal agencies.
Two School Departments require
undergraduate internships that contribute
thousands of student service hours to local
communities. Numerous outreach programs
facilitate professional development, promote
civic engagement, and foster the translation
of theory and research to service to improve
the health and well-being of diverse
individuals, families and groups. School
outreach programs include the Center for
Healthy Families, the Children’s
Developmental Clinic, the Adult Health and
Development Program, Osher Lifelong
Learning Institutes, RSVP International, the
Gliner Center for Humor and Communication,
and the ongoing partnership between the City
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
of Seat Pleasant and the Department of
Public and Community Health.
inclusive environment, promoting learning,
teamwork, and high morale.
Diversity of Our People. Our School is
proud of the rich diversity of its faculty, staff,
and students. Currently, 24% of our faculty
and 31% of our staff are persons of color. Our
undergraduate and graduate students are
from many racial/ethnic backgrounds: 42% of
our undergraduate and graduate students are
students of color, giving SPH one of the most
diverse college student bodies on campus.
The UMCP President’s Commission on Ethnic
Minority Issues in 1992 named the Family
Science Department the outstanding diversity
unit, 1997, and 2004. Our School fosters an
Page 19 of 22
Dedicated Staff. Our knowledgeable and
hardworking staff members enhance the
quality of School operations and create a
welcoming, productive workplace. Many SPH
staff members make significant contributions
to departmental, school, and campus
committees and have been recognized for
their exemplary service.
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Our Challenges
While SPH has significant strengths,
increasing our academic excellence and
establishing a School of Public Health will
require bold but careful investments in our
future. Strategic planning requires that we
identify challenges or areas of vulnerability
that demand attention as we work to achieve
our goals.
Departmental Identities. Establishment of a
new School of Public Health may raise
concerns among faculty in the Departments
of Family Science and Kinesiology because
these units are not traditionally allied with
public health programs (in spite of their
health-oriented areas of research, teaching,
and service). However, our goal is to
continue supporting the missions, academic
programs, scholarship, and service of these
departments, while drawing on their strengths
to build exciting new public health programs.
The School must continue its commitment to
excellence in the disciplines of family science
and kinesiology even as it strives to develop a
top-ranked School of Public Health.
Incentives for Interdisciplinary
Partnerships. While School faculty members
have participated in a number of
interdepartmental and cross-campus
partnerships, there remains an untapped
potential for greater future interdisciplinary
collaboration in research, instructional, and
service projects. Such partnerships have the
potential to advance scientific knowledge and
increase our competitiveness for large,
interdisciplinary grants. Creating greater
incentives for interdepartmental and crosscampus centers, projects, and programs
should increase School visibility, expand our
community outreach, and increase our
potential to secure external funding for
important, interdisciplinary initiatives that
make significant contributions to the greater
community.
Graduate Student Support. In recent years,
there has been a significant reduction in the
amount of university fellowship funding
available to our graduate students. Additional
fellowship and graduate assistantship support
is necessary to recruit and retain diverse
graduate students of the highest caliber and
to compete with peer institutions that have
superior resources.
Undergraduate Retention and Graduation.
Recent increases in undergraduate tuition
have challenged the School and the
University to provide students with sufficient
financial and advising support so that they
can graduate within a reasonable time period.
SPH’s six-year graduation rates between
1994 and 1999 are slightly below those of the
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larger University for four of the five years
(although the number of school majors
admitted as freshman is small). The School
has greatly strengthened its student services,
but we must continue to pursue creative
fundraising, advising, and instructional
strategies to retain and graduate our majors
in a timely manner.
Physical Infrastructure. Renovations to the
School of Public Health Building and Marie
Mount Hall during the last five years have
greatly improved our research laboratories,
clinical facilities, and classroom instructional
technology. However, our School will need
new funding to construct offices, laboratories,
and instructional space for new faculty and
staff hired for a School of Public Health.
Maintaining current technology for research,
resident instruction, distance learning, and
outreach is also important to ensure that we
are competitive with benchmark departments
and universities.
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Staffing, Operating Budgets, and Research
Infrastructure. Both the School and the
larger university have lower administrative
staffing than our designated peers,
constraining our educational, research, and
fundraising activities. The SPH Academic
Units need larger operating budgets to
provide adequate administrative and other
support for their growing programs. Our
School has benefited from the hiring of a
Research Coordinator but needs additional
resources to create a first-class research
infrastructure.
Fundraising Support. Although SPH has
recently strengthened its connections with
alumni and friends and has experienced
significant growth in gifts and foundation
support, we need to vigorously pursue
fundraising to address our strategic priorities.
An aggressive development effort is essential
to support the ambitious goals of the new
School of Public Health. Increased support
from individual donors, corporations, and
foundations will enable us to create endowed
chairs, scholarships/fellowships, improved
facilities, and new academic programs of the
highest quality.
Our Opportunities
The rapidly rising University reputation,
coupled with the excitement and momentum
generated by the proposed School of Public
Health, brings a wealth of new opportunities
to our School, the University, and the State of
Maryland.
Accredited Maryland School of Public
Health. The University is poised to join its
five aspirational peers and a total of 40
schools/universities that have Schools of
Public Health accredited by the Council on
Education for Public Health. With support
from UMCP, the University of Maryland
System, and the State Legislature, the
proposed School will provide state-of-the-art
education for health professionals, cuttingedge research, and outreach to citizens,
health providers, communities, and policymakers.
Distinguished Faculty. With University
support for a School of Public Health, our
School has the opportunity to recruit
outstanding faculty who are recognized as
leaders of their disciplines. The addition of
faculty in health services administration,
biostatistics, epidemiology, and
environmental sciences will add new
expertise to our instructional, research, and
service programs.
agencies and laboratories; private
corporations; professional associations; and
other colleges/universities. Growth of the
biotechnology sector in the BaltimoreWashington region presents unique
opportunities for cooperation between School
faculty and bioscience firms.
Research Support. Creation of a School of
Public Health provides our School with the
opportunity to attract substantially more
research funding from the National Institutes
of Health and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. The School will be able to tap
into the high percentage of federal funding for
public health research and training projects
that is available only to faculty and
professionals affiliated with accredited
schools of public health.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Both the
strategic planning process and the
development of a School of Public Health will
reveal new opportunities for interdisciplinary
collaboration on and off campus, including
joint research, outreach, and instructional
programs; cross-listed courses; and
adjunct/College Park Professor affiliations.
There is new potential for faculty to develop
interdisciplinary projects within the School
and to forge stronger relationships with
existing UMCP centers, such as the Maryland
Population Research Center, the Center for
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology,
the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition, the National Center for Smart
New Partnerships. A School of Public
Health will bring new possibilities to develop
partnerships with other UMCP colleges,
schools, departments, and centers; federal
Page 21 of 22
University of Maryland School of Public Health Strategic Plan
Growth, and the University of Maryland
Institute for Advanced Computer Studies.
Student Recruitment and Professional
Development. Growing societal interest in
health, physical activity, aging, and family
functioning, together with predicted job
growth in these areas, presents an excellent
opportunity to recruit gifted undergraduate
and graduate students to our programs. With
the creation of a new School of Public Health,
more Maryland students will be able to earn
high-quality, affordable graduate degrees
from our accredited professional programs
(public health, physical education, marriage
and family therapy) and will be well-prepared
to provide their expertise to Maryland citizens.
Diversity. The focus of our academic
programs and the diversity of our region
provide unparalleled opportunities to recruit a
larger pool of talented and diverse students,
faculty, and staff to our School. Given the
high percentage of ethnic minority students in
other Schools of Public Health, our new
School will contribute to both School and
University goals of creating a more diverse
graduate student body. Our location and
faculty expertise further position us to
become a leader in ethnic minority health
issues and health disparities research.
Global Programs. Increasing faculty
involvement in international activities and our
recruitment of excellent international students
provide the potential to develop new,
international research and training projects
that capitalize on our faculty expertise. The
School has special opportunities to expand
public health collaborations and
faculty/student exchanges in the areas of
physical and mental health with China, the
Central Asian Republics, Central America,
and South America.
Donor Support. Campus support for a new
School of Public Health, including investment
in a full-time development officer, offers a
major opportunity to obtain resources for a
named School, research centers, and clinical
facilities; endowed chairs; endowed
scholarships; and exemplary programs that
will define and sustain us for years to come.
Threats To Our Growth
Unstable and Unpredictable State
Funding. • Building a great university
requires stable and predictable revenue
sources. Yet the nature of the State’s
annual appropriation process leads to
abrupt changes, both up and down. The
University should pursue ways to
reduce the volatility of the state funding
and tuition-setting processes.
Nontraditional Structure of Our School:
We have two departments that are outside
the traditionally defined disciplines in public
health – Kinesiology and Family Science.
While there are several accredited schools of
public health that have such departments,
there is no currently accredited school that
contains both of these units. Although we
see this as an asset and a foundation for
st
building our vision of a school for the 21
century and beyond, there are some
traditionalists in public health who will have to
be convinced.
Presence Of Competing Schools of Public
Health: This region has two accredited
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schools of public health at the current time –
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health and the George Washington
University School of Public Health. However,
both are private institutions and far more
costly to students interested in training in
public health. Only we are able to provide
affordable access to meet the current
demand for training. Further, neither of these
two institutions has as its primary mission the
state and the region