HUNTER COLLEGE
SENATE STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes: February 23, 2011
Committee Members
Members Present: Philip Alcabes, Cristina Alfar, Judith Aponte, Eija Ayravainen, Sarah
Bonner, Barbara Barone, Elizabeth Beaujour, Sandra Clarkson, Sherryl Graves, Robert
Greenberg, Jacqueline Mondros, Elizabeth Nunez, Andrew Polsky, Vita Rabinowitz, Richard
Stapleford, Bill Sweeney, Patricia Woodward, Len Zinnanti
Task Force Members Present: Robert Buckley (Resource Development), Case Willoughby
(Student Success and Engagement)
Consultants: Anthony Knerr, John Braunstein (Anthony Knerr & Associates)
Proceedings
Meeting called to order at 10:40 a.m.
I.
Approval of Minutes of February 9, 2011 SSPC Meeting
Meeting minutes of February 9 will be submitted for the Committee’s approval on March 2.
II.
Review and Discussion of revised Draft Strategic Plan for Hunter College revised by
SSPC Subcommittee
The subcommittee convened on February 9 for the purpose of revising AK & Associates’
January 28 Draft Strategic Plan for Hunter College, met on February 16. Andrew Polsky (AP)
presented the Subcommittee’s substantially revised draft of February 23, attached, and asked that
the entire Committee consider and comment upon each of five “planks”: I) Enhance Hunter’s
Academic Identity as an Emerging University; II) Increase Student Success and Engagement; III)
Foster a Commitment to Accountability, Openness, and Inclusion; IV) Address Hunter
Infrastructure Needs Boldly; and V) Develop Hunter’s Resources in Innovative Ways to Solidify
the College’s Financial Foundation. Preambles introducing each plank (a sample preamble for I
was drafted and provided to the Committee by Cristina Alfar), SP’s general Introduction, and
Values statements will be included in the next draft.
Detailed editorial comments were provided by the Committee for incorporation into the next
draft. A summary of the discussion’s main points follows.
1
I.
Enhance Hunter’s Academic Identity as an Emerging University
Organization: This section has more subheadings than others. Keep in mind “high
altitude” thinking/language of SP, and balance (detail/big picture) among major planks.
--In addition to use of Appendices contemplated by this draft, there can be
multiple version of the plan with more and less detail, so important points are not
lost and different constituencies/audiences (e.g. Senate, Middle States) have
access to information tailored to their concerns.
Order of Goals: Should “Excellence in Scholarship…” be the first goal (I.3.)?
--Though giving curriculum primary place reflects Hunter’s commitment to
teaching, putting the role of faculty and research at the very front of the plan
sends a different, important message about what we want to promote in the future.
--“Strengthen Curriculum…” (I.1.) is about our focus on the relationship between
faculty and students, but the way the research plank is currently written really
doesn’t emphasize role of students. Revise “Excellence in Scholarship,
Research…” to emphasize relationship between faculty and students?
--“Clarifying tenure and promotion expectations…” (I.3.) as a College-wide
strategic goal might erode crucial authority of departments to arrive at and
communicate tenure expectations to junior faculty. Increasingly important issue as
College tries to find new equilibrium between teaching and research. This is a
goal individual for schools to take up in their respective plans.
Technology: Consider whether promoting use of technology should be a separate goal,
or how to call attention to the fact that technology goals are folded into the entire SP.
II.
Increase Student Success and Engagement
Need to reorganize and reduce numbered goals in this section, not all of which seem to
have equal force. New draft will reflect suggestions to:
--Lead off with strong suit (II.2. “Promote … a Strong Sense of Intellectual
Academic, and Career Purpose” should be II.1.?).
--Emphasize impact of “academic road map” on retention, graduation (II.4.) and
determine whether retention is adequately emphasized in proposed preamble to
Student Success plank.
--Reinforce commitment to promoting cohorts, learning communities (II.5.).
2
III.
Foster a Commitment to Accountability, Openness, and Inclusiveness
Group compared Sandra Clarkson’s revised plank III
--Need to make a strong point about getting better or stronger at “systematic,
ongoing” assessment. SC’s perspective is that really what we’re trying to do is
identify and protect standing committee on assessment and departmental
assessment, as separate from the office of assessment.
“Improve Planning and Increase the Use of Data…” (III.2.) needs reorganization.
--III.2. (comprehensive calendar) belongs at III.4. with communications
initiatives.
IV.
Address Hunter’s Infrastructure Needs Boldly
Clarify that “Manage Information Efficiently (IV.3.) goes to technology infrastructure?
V.
Develop Hunter’s Resources In innovative Ways to Solidify
the College’s Financial Foundation
Consider whether this section is the best place for language about visibility of Hunter
College, having eliminated a section in previous draft of the plan which talked about
Hunter’s place in the City.
External Partnerships: Try redrafting this plank with partnerships as an umbrella,
thinking of City resources in terms of natural partners, not in terms of Hunter’s public
image or brand.
III.
Next Steps
The Committee proposed the following schedule of meetings and presentations of the SP to the
community, with the goal of seeking final approval from the Senate on May 4.
·3/2, 10:30-1:00: Discuss revised draft SP w/ President; review with Committee; identify
key steps to circulate draft to Hunter community
·3/9, 10:30-1:00: SSPC reviews draft and approves for distribution to Senate (&
circulation to Hunter community)
·By Friday, 3/11: Distribute draft SP to Senate members
·3/23, 3:30-5:30: Senate meeting to discuss draft SP
·4/6, 10:30-1:00: SSPC meets to discuss revisions made in light of Senate and other
feedback from H. community.
·4/13, 10:30-1:00: SSPC reviews and approves final draft of Plan & sends to Senate.
3
IV.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 1:03 pm.
Minutes submitted by Simone White, Administrative Assistant to the Committee.
4
Working Subcommittee Draft of
February 23, 2011
Attachment I
Hunter College
Strategic Plan,
Academic Years 2012 - 2020
Draft for Discussion Only
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION
MISSION, VISION AND VALUES
STRATEGIC GOALS
I.
Enhance Hunter’s Academic Identity as an Emerging University
II. Increase Student Success and Engagement
III. Foster a Commitment to Accountability, Openness, and Inclusion
IV. Address Hunter’s Infrastructure Needs Boldly
V. Develop Hunter’s Resources in Innovative Ways to Solidify the College’s Financial
Foundation
CONCLUSION
POSSIBLE APPENDICES
A. Hunter College Strategic Planning Process
B. Membership of the Hunter College Senate Strategic Planning Committee
C. Strategic Accomplishments to Date
D. [Strategic Planning Task Force Reports]
6
INTRODUCTION
[to be drafted]
[Description of Hunter’s current status and its rationale for undertaking a strategic plan:

Key strengths of the institution and most significant challenges at this juncture.

Relevant external forces

What Hunter hopes to accomplish by conducting this planning process and creating a strategic plan. (I.e., the
purpose and goals of the planning process itself – such things as increased collegiality; clear, widely-shared
understanding of the College’s direction and priorities; improved accountability; etc.)

Other planning assumptions]
MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES
Mission [Draft of 02-11-11]
Hunter College of the City University of New York, a distinguished public university, values learning in the liberal
arts and sciences as a cornerstone of individual development and a vital foundation for a more just and inclusive
society. Continuing our long tradition of expanding opportunity, we welcome students from all backgrounds to
engage in a rigorous educational experience that prepares them to become leaders and innovators in their
communities and in the world. Hunter also contributes to intellectual discourse by supporting excellent scholarship
and creative activity by its accomplished faculty.
Hunter undergraduate, graduate, and professional curricula challenge students to think critically – to approach
problems from multiple perspectives, distinguish the questions each raises, and recognize the kinds of evidence each
values. The college’s academic programs stress the significance of human diversity, emphasize research and artistic
creation, and invite students to extend their education beyond campus. We cultivate the qualities our graduates need
to thrive in their chosen careers and make a difference as active citizens.
We embrace our setting at the heart of New York City – we seek to draw on its energy, capitalize on its remarkable
resources, weave it into the fabric of our teaching, research, and creative expression, and give back to it through our
service and citizenship.
7
Vision
The best of what we are is the foundation of what we will be. We will continue to excel as educators, training
students to lead the way in ideas and achievement as citizens of New York City. Our students will be eager, capable
learners who aspire to reach beyond their campus and their city to take their place in a worldwide global community.
We will be more attentive to our responsibilities to our students. They will receive better advising about course
selection, career opportunities, and degree programs appropriate to their interests. Through assessment, an active
and well-funded Teaching Excellence Center, and the sharing of best classroom practices, faculty will target their
classroom efforts to improve students’ ability to learn and their research, critical thinking, and communication skills.
We will be a vibrant physical presence in the Upper East Side, centering on our three major campuses: the present
Lexington Avenue sites at 68th Street and at 118th Street and the new architecturally renowned Science and Public
Health Building. Dramatic lighting and embracing neighborhood-friendly facilities will at last identify Hunter to
New York residents as an institution proud of its achievements and ambitious for its future.
Within the buildings students will find a place of warmth and physical comfort, an oasis of support in a
polymorphous city. Nestled among the classrooms throughout the College will be areas designated for
extracurricular activity, intra-curricular support, and relaxation. The Library will be a multifaceted learning
engagement and research center. Coherence of movement and focus of destination will be created by electronic
signs and advanced lighting systems. Rather than fleeing the buildings (and the institution) in frustration, students
will be drawn to the clarity of the space and the accommodating character of the system. They will like being here.
Even as Hunter’s research profile rises, we will be celebrated as an institution that values teaching as our principal
academic activity. New faculty will be introduced to successful teaching strategies. Excellence and achievement in
the classroom will be recognized and rewarded. Staff of the several academic learning centers will be trained and
rewarded for their success in guiding students to improve their performance.
Hunter will be what it has always been: a center of educational excellence. But it will rise to embrace its destiny as
a nationally renowned institution worthy -- in its active embrace of all its students and in its exceptional physical
presence -- of being a model for
Values
[To be drafted. Brief description and reaffirmation of the core values, principles, commitments that inform Hunter’s
academic and campus culture.]
8
STRATEGIC GOALS
To realize its vision and mission over the next five years, Hunter College will achieve the following goals.
I.
Enhance Hunter’s Academic Identity as an Emerging University
[brief introduction to be added – Cristina is drafting]
1. Strengthen the Curriculum at All Levels



Reinforce the elements of undergraduate liberal arts and sciences that distnguish Hunter College within CUNY
and promote academic rigor and innovation.
o
Improve student writing, public speaking, and presentation skills.
o
Increase opportunities for student research and for student creative projects in the arts
o
Broaden students’ global awareness through language study and in-depth knowledge of world cultures.
o
Encourage quantitative reasoning across the curriculum.
o
Reduce obstacles to and increase incentives for cross-disciplinary curriculum innovation.
Strengthen and promote the professional schools and graduate/professional programs within Hunter and CUNY.
o
Place and mentor effective professionals in high profile jobs.
o
Establish additional dual-degree programs and interdisciplinary courses among the professional schools.
o
Create more opportunities for internships, translational research, training and program partnerships, and job
placements.
Promote the development of skills that students will need as citizens and members of the workforce in the 21 st
century.
o
Achieve student competence in the use of appropriate information technologies.
o
Increase pre-professional educational opportunities.
o
Introduce, formalize, and publicize pathways from undergraduate majors into professional graduate
programs at Hunter.
o
Increase internships and off-campus creative opportunities, while assuring that field work maintains high
academic standards.
9
2. Encourage Effective Teaching

Reinvigorate a teaching and learning center to encourage informed pedagogy and the systematic exchange of
information about best practices in the classroom

Mentor and support adjunct faculty members to assure high quality instruction.

Recognize the scholarship of teaching as part of the tenure and promotion process.
3. Promote Excellence in Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity




Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and exceptional faculty.
o
Clarify tenure and promotion expectations through a collaborative process that involves faculty at the
department level.
o
Stimulate faculty research and creative activity by, among other things, providing more support through the
sponsored research process and increasing resources for faculty travel for research.
o
Support unsponsored scholarship and creative activity in fields with limited external grant funding.
Raise Hunter’s profile as a center for major scientific research.
o
Establish a secure institutional foundation for the sciences, including increased research space and
enhanced leadership.
o
Create a foundation for faculty success in the sciences through better guidance, adequate start-up support,
and transparent expectations.
o
Improve and rationalize funding for Ph.D. students to meet the needs of Hunter’s expanding doctoral
programs in the sciences.
Pursue a research focus in the professional schools that recognizes their important connections to New York
City.
o
Recruit, hire, and promote faculty with strong applied research profiles, as appropriate.
o
Establish an infrastructure and create and implement a development plan for the professional schools to
support interdisciplinary research, collaborative activities, and community-institutional partnerships.
Use Roosevelt House to encourage faculty collaboration on research on social issues and connect Hunter
scholars to the broader New York City intellectual community.
10
II. Increase Student Success and Engagement
[add brief introduction]
1. Develop a Clear and Comprehensive Enrollment Plan

Recruit and retain an intellectually ambitious student body that reflects the city’s racial, ethnic, cultural, and
socio-economic diversity.

Coordinate recruitment efforts and admissions practices with program availability and course offerings so that
students’ expectations are aligned with what is available .
2. Promote among Entering Students a Strong Sense of Intellectual, Academic, and Career Purpose.

Develop orientation programs, guidance, and tools to help students early on to connect their interests and
abilities to possible majors and career options.

Communicate to students the value of a liberal arts education to their career and life goals

Establish accurate expectations of Hunter College academic time demands and standards among first-time
college and transfer students.
3. Improve Student Advisement across the College

Recognize the distinct advising needs of entering transfer and first-time students and provide suitable guidance
to them in making informed choices on courses, majors, and career options.

Enhance academic advising through increased use of technology, faculty and staff training, and the provision of
appropriate advisement at all ability levels.

Improve advising across the college at all levels (professional and pre-major advising, departmental advising,
and career/advising), with special attention to the points where students transition into majors and programs.

Identify students at high risk of attrition and address their needs before they face serious academic difficulty.

Expand the alumni-student program that matches undergraduate students and alumni for mentorship, career
advising and, potentially, employment opportunities.
11
4. Increase Course Availability to Expedite Student Progress

Coordinate annual planning between academic and administrative units to make more seats available for
students in high-demand courses, particularly those that fulfill the General Education Requirements and other
graduation requirements.

Increase use of data in scheduling courses and assigning rooms to best meet student needs

Design a student academic road map to facilitate the planning of cohort course offerings at the discipline/major
level. [What does this mean?]
5. Implement Pedagogical and Curricular Initiatives to Enhance Student Engagement and Retention

Encourage active and collaborative teaching and learning in order to engage students with individual faculty
and their disciplines.

Promote student-faculty interaction at the department level to foster the sense of academic community among
faculty and student majors.

Assess and build upon the successes of the Block Program for incoming freshmen.

Expand transition services and activities for new transfer students, to parallel programs for first-time college
students.
6. Make the Hunter Student Experience More Enjoyable and Stimulating

Promote extracurricular activities to increase interaction with other students and encourage faculty and staff
involvement.

Enhance cultural and recreational opportunities on campus.
7. Capitalize More Fully on Staff Contributions to Student Success

Encourage collaboration between faculty and staff to provide opportunities for enhanced
student development and learning opportunities.

Encourage more collaboration between faculty advisors and professional advisors.
12
III.
Foster a Commitment to Accountability, Openness, and Inclusiveness
1. Support Systematic, Ongoing Assessment of Learning Outcomes at the Department and Program Level.

Increase administrative support and resources for the office of assessment.

Safeguard the autonomy of assessment to assure full participation by departments and programs.

Promote broader faculty-driven assessment efforts at the department and program level.
o
Encourage use of national assessment research as appropriate.
o
Develop optional templates for program and department self-studies that include identification of
assessment benchmarks, a report on department/program assessment efforts, and an evaluation of the
department’s/program’s contribution to the realization of the Hunter’s strategic goals.
2. Improve Planning and Increase the Use of Data Across the College

Facilitate strategic planning by each of Hunter’s schools and academic units, focusing especially on how
their goals support attainment of the college’s overall vision.

Establish clear and concrete guidelines for faculty reassigned time, complete with a process to plan faculty
assignments as part of the annual schedule and anticipate adjunct appointment needs.

Develop a transparent comprehensive calendar for all administrative and planning processes and
events/deadlines.

Identify and disseminate “best practices” across the institution, including faculty development, internships and
in-service learning, department advising, and more.
3. Involve All Hunter Constituencies More Deeply in the College as a Learning Community

Foster the development of faculty leadership at the department level and in college administration.
13

Recognize and promote staff as vital contributors to the Hunter community.
o
Recruit, develop and retain a diverse and talented staff.
o
Encourage the fuller participation of staff in college activities.

Broaden opportunities for adjuncts to engage with the college and participate in activities on campus.

Engage Hunter alumni in diverse and ongoing relationships with the College.
o
Implement a comprehensive alumni-relations plan that offers them a menu of opportunities to
revive/continue their engagement with their alma mater.
o
Use Roosevelt House for programs of interest to alumni in the New York area, potentially engaging them
with current Hunter students to strengthen the “pipeline” from student to alumnus.
4. Make Hunter “User Friendly” Through More Effective Communications

Develop communications oriented around user needs and preferences.

Redesign the College web site to make it the “go-to” source of information about Hunter for both current and
prospective members of the campus community and, ideally, a forum for the lively exchange of information and
ideas.

Use communications and technology to integrate faculty, adjuncts, and staff more effectively into the Hunter
community.

Promote effective and creative informal/alternative channels of communication among Hunter constituencies
that address ad hoc communication needs and support and build on individual media preferences.
IV. Address Hunter’s Infrastructure Needs Boldly
As Hunter’s enrollment, research level and breadth of campus activities have grown, the College is increasingly
constrained by its limitations of its physical facilities. Space has become such an overriding need at Hunter that its
lack now threatens Hunter’s ability to sustain the recognition and quality it has achieved. At the same time, the need
for more space represents a widely-shared goal that might serve to unify a sometimes fractious community. Adding
more space is likely to facilitate increased collaboration across disciplines, schools and programs, and create a
stronger sense of Hunter community and affiliation with the College among students, faculty and staff.
14
1. Evaluate Current Facilities Usage and Plan for Future Needs

Perform a comprehensive campus-wide study of physical space utilization to establish a baseline of room use,
and update it regularly thereafter.

Develop a comprehensive campus facilities master plan that identifies Hunter’s space needs, prioritizes them,
and delineates short- and long-term options to address them.

As part of the master planning effort, identify external space that might meet College needs, and work with
CUNY and local community boards to determine the steps Hunter should take to secure the space.
2. Make More Productive Use of Existing Space and Undertake a Focused Program of New Construction

Seek creative means to optimize Hunter’s existing space.

Provide new dedicated space for the sciences, ideally identifying space that can become available within the
next 12-18 months while continuing to work toward breaking ground on a new science facility.
3. Manage Information Efficiently

Develop and implement a strategic technology plan.

Renovate the Wexler Library at 68th Street to incorporate current modes of information management and
encourage student interaction and collaboration.
4. Improve Administrative Efficiency and Reduce Waste

Continuously assess the College’s administrative offices and business practices to create efficiencies and reduce
or avoid costs.

Promote environmental sustainability as a means of cost reduction as well as an important example of how
Hunter integrates real-world challenges with its educational program for a positive affect on its neighborhood
and New York
15
V.
Develop Hunter’s Resources in Innovative Ways to Solidify the College’s Financial Foundation
[add brief introduction]
1. Elevate the Visibility of Hunter College and Communicate Its Importance to the City

Create a coherent Hunter College identity (or “brand”) that clearly conveys Hunter’s core distinctions, and use
this brand consistently in communication with constituencies within and outside of the College.

Increase the profile of Hunter public programs, both scholarly and artistic, to establish Hunter’s presence within
the city.

Increase the public profile of Roosevelt House as a Hunter College landmark.
2. Re-energize Hunter’s Development Infrastructure and Fundraising Processes

Upgrade the Hunter College Foundation structure over time so that it becomes a fully self-sustaining
philanthropic foundation.

Define short- and long-term funding requirements and develop budgets and plans to meet various specific
targets, including but not limited to programmatic, student services, and capital funding needs.

Continue to increase Annual Fund yield in order to generate fungible resources in addition to the more
dedicated/restricted fundraising of other development areas (e.g., bequests, major gifts, corporate donations,
etc.).

Prepare a comprehensive corporate and foundation relations strategy.

Expand the role of students and faculty in targeted fundraising and donor cultivation.
3. Identify New, Creative Sources of Revenue.

Aggressively increase the College’s non-tax-levy revenues through its Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation.

In cooperation with relevant faculty and governance structures, explore the potential of high-margin executiveeducation programs that fit demand in the New York City region and are suited to Hunter’s academic strengths.

Evaluate the potential of non-degree academic and co-curricular programs targeted toward members of the
College’s surrounding community.
16
4. Increase Sponsored Research Funding and External Partnerships

Strengthen and reorganize Hunter’s research infrastructure to facilitate sponsored faculty research, support
faculty research with patent, licensing or copyright potential, and undertake fee-based entrepreneurial activities.
[My notes are not clear about how we resolved to change this.]

Develop and expand partnerships with area organizations and institutions that will bring new human resources
to Hunter, provide facilities, increase the College’s course offerings and/or potentially reduce costs through
economies of scale.

Develop a more comprehensive planning and reporting relationship among the Office of Research
Administration, the President’s Office, the Provost, and the Hunter College Foundation.

Establish a process to oversee efforts to tap non-traditional (including corporate) research funding opportunities.

Work with the Hunter College Foundation to identify new and heretofore untapped granting agencies,
corporations, and foundations.
17