HUNTER COLLEGE
SENATE STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes: November 24, 2010
Committee Members
Members Present: Philip Alcabes, Judith Aponte, Eija Ayravainen, Barbara Barone, Elizabeth
Beaujour, Sarah Bonner, Sandra Clarkson, Robert Greenberg, Jacqueline Mondros, Elizabeth
Nunez, Andrew Polsky, Vita Rabinowitz, John Rose, Krishan Sharma, Makram Talih, Richard
Stapleford, Len Zinnanti
Task Force Members Present: Robert Buckley (Resource Development), Meredith Halpern
(Communications)
Consultants: Anthony Knerr, John Braunstein (Anthony Knerr & Associates)
Proceedings
Meeting called to order at 10:44 a.m.
I.
Approval of Minutes of September 29 and October 27, 2010 Meetings
Richard Stapleford asked for corrections and amendments to the draft minutes of the September
29 and October 27 meetings. The minutes were accepted and approved as submitted by
unanimous consent.
II.
Status Report on Overall Task Force Progress
John Braunstein acknowledged the high quality of content of all the TF reports, all of which
provided a great deal of material for AK Associates to work into first draft of Strategic Plan (to
be presented for discussion at next SSPC meeting).
The “Evolving Hunter University” TF report raised several questions germane to work of all
TFs: (a) What level of detail should TFs should aim for? Reports might ultimately go into
appendices if they are very detailed, or TFs can be consulted later for additional details if
necessary; (b) Why did Anthony Knerr & Associates ask for rationale for goals? Helps tie
initiatives to specific goals, highlighting at each step the “so what” question, identifying specific
benefits of initiatives in the documents.
Richard Stapleford urged that discussion of TF reports begin to approach the goal of focusing in
on the broad outline of the SP. RS will distribute a chart that groups/regroups content shared by
multiple TFs under a few broad headings.
II.
Individual Task Force Presentations1
Evolving Hunter University: Andrew Polsky and Jacqueline Mondros (Attachment I)
EHU sent liaisons to existing science and language TFs. TF members from professional schools
and A&S were able to identify many common goals. Noted that the report was silent on things
that Hunter is doing well, with intention of bringing them out at a later stage of drafting the SP.
EHU bracketed particular recommendations in favor of presenting big ideas to the larger
community. It is likely that specific recommendations will be included in appendix to SP.
Feedback:
Krishan Sharma noted the need for improved accessibility/rationalization of procedures
providing students access to research opportunities (more opportunities, better
communicated). Vita Rabinowitz emphasized the importance of supporting one-on-one
connections with faculty, which are proven to change students’ perspectives on their
futures.
Decade of the sciences (2005-2015) initiative was initiated when funding
picture was very positive. An initiative that proposes extensive expansion of any kind
needs to say something about what happens in worst case funding scenario. Generally,
Committee will have to decide how to treat economic realities. SP should act as if
priorities will be funded, while recognizing that College and faculty will have to be more
aggressive about going after resources that support our work.
Discussed how SSPC could address goal of improving numeracy. GER Committee is
converging to plan for quantitative reasoning courses beyond the math department.
Student Success and Engagement: John Rose (JR)
This TF presented an interim report reflecting discussions to date, and has scheduled additional
meetings. JR highlighted main principles emerging from report (see Attachment II).
Discussion focused on:
Need to clearly communicate credit requirements (enforce maximum credit rule?) and
graduate students who meet credit requirements.
How to gather data and assess effect of working significant number of hours on student
success, especially that of transfer and returning students, and students with high GPAs.
Eija Ayravainen will provide Committee with recent study of number of hours worked by
students. Noted connection between external obligations and low participation in on1
Individual reports of TFs are included with these minutes as attachments.
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campus opportunities.
Dean Greenberg suggested that Hunter use the WebAttendance system to facilitate
reporting on progress of incoming freshman (i.e., faculty would be asked to input
information on student progress through WebAttendance.)
Providing incentives for faculty to take ownership, share responsibility for performance
of students as a whole; need to improve faculty understanding of academic requirements
and expectations.
--Honor teaching by clearly communicating retention and graduation rates as
problems; reward and support good teachers.
--Faculty members should be given information about effective methods of
improving retention (e.g. early feedback).
--Better articulate the connection between scholarship and good teaching. Active
involvement in research transfers excitement to students.
Communications (Sarah Bonner and Meredith Halpern) (Attachment III)
Presentation and discussion highlighted:
Need for mission definition and expertise in how to succinctly explain what Hunter is
and how it is good for students.
Way-finding
--Macro: Drabness, uniformity of 68th St. campus. Physical changes to the
environment may be difficult, but something like electronic signage might help to
differentiate and identify spaces. This issue permeates this area.
--Micro: Lack of informative directories, adequate signage.
Communication with faculty
--Develop initiatives that effectively integrate adjunct faculty and new full-time
faculty into Hunter community.
Need for more effective publicity for Hunter programs, with comprehensiveness as main
theme. One-stop shopping, searchable, customizable, with information about faculty
research, campus activities.
--Consider ways to make website (in course of redesign) more customizable.
--Emphasize need for Hunter community and faculty calendars.
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Resource Development: Len Zinnanti (Attachment 4)
Responses to Len Zinnanti’s presentation focused on the following:
Largest impediment to grant-getting isn’t lack of support for finding grant opportunities
but administrative support for writing grants. Need to put energy behind maximizing
efficiency of grant administration.
Need to address possible conflict between goal of moving students through by offering
more required courses and scheduling priorities in the departments, considering:
--real economic impact of course scheduling (adjuncts hired to fill gaps).
--effect of standardized general education requirements on course planning.
--how to help faculty to advise students about course availability; continue to cut
down on class schedule changes once registration has begun; move toward preregistration of majors.
Need to develop a clearance process for approaching corporations (currently have good
clearance process for private foundations.)
III.
Next Steps for Task Forces and SSPC
AK and JB suggested that all TFs use form of EHU report as template for final submissions,
including, where appropriate (esp. in Resource Development report), relevant metrics. As reports
are further shaped and refined, each TF should consider whether their document contributes
distinctly to shaping a vision of what it wants Hunter to be.
JB will summarize discussion of today’s TF reports and circulate for comment. That document
will function as a first revision of preliminary SP framework, reflecting focus points that have
emerged from TFs.
At its next meeting (December 8), the Senate will be asked for comment on the Committee’s
work. Richard Stapleford, as Chair of the Committee will lead the discussion. Anthony Knerr
and John Braunstein will attend.
IV.
Additional Business
SSPC meetings were scheduled for Wednesday, December 15, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm and
Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm.
V.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 1:17 pm.
Minutes submitted by Simone White, Administrative Assistant to the Committee
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Attachment I
SSPC Task Force on the Evolving “Hunter University”
Working draft, updated 11/17/10
Andrew Polsky and Jackie Mondros, co-chairs
Notes and issues for the SSPC to address
As we reviewed and revised our working draft, several issues arose that we thought best referred to the full
committee for discussion and resolution.
First, we were not sure about how much specificity should be in the plan or where it should appear. As you
review our recommendations, you will see language in brackets that struck us as too specific for the plan itself, at
least as firm recommendations. Should these be listed as possible actions? If so, where in the plan would they
appear?
Second, we agreed that there is a need to reaffirm somewhere in the final document a number of core
academic commitments that do not necessarily require additional actions now. For example, we believe the
pluralism and diversity component of our graduation requirements remains an important, distinctive feature of our
curriculum, but not one about which we propose new initiatives. We thought that the vision statement might be the
place to reiterate things Hunter now does reasonably well and should continue. We were mindful, too, that if we try
to identify everything at Hunter that ought to continue, we will surely overlook things and thus inadvertently send
the message that we regard them as unimportant or dispensable.
Third, in our draft report, a rationale is given only for the science recommendations. These
recommendations were framed in consultation with several science faculty members and reflect their ideas.
Finally, please note that the committee discussed recommendations 1-5, and will meet again on December
1st to complete the remainder. All of this is still provisional, but items 6-8 should be seen as especially so.
Strengthen the Curriculum at All Levels
1. Strengthen undergraduate liberal arts and sciences, especially those features that distinguish Hunter within
CUNY:
a.
Improve student writing through more carefully designed, sequential writing requirements, both in general
education and in the major. [including the selective use of an additional credit hour in advanced courses
with intensive writing-feedback expectations]
b.
Enhance opportunities for student research, including research with faculty members. [through studentfaculty grants for collaborative research, creation of an office of undergraduate research, and publicity for
off-site research]
c.
Promote opportunities for students in the arts to undertake creative projects, individually and
collaboratively.
d.
Foster foreign language study by maintaining a significant language requirement and encourage in-depth
knowledge of foreign cultures. [by increasing study abroad (supported by non-tax levy funding) and by
greater linkage of foreign language courses with related courses across the arts and sciences]
e.
Use the college’s core objectives as the standard by which to judge the appropriateness of new programs.
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2. Strengthen and promote the professional schools and graduate/professional programs within Hunter and CUNY:
a.
Place and mentor effective professionals in high profile jobs in New York City.
b.
Establish additional dual degree programs and interdisciplinary courses among the professional schools.
c.
Identify, create, and strengthen relationships with key organizations including City and State departments
related to the professional disciplines for internships, translational research opportunities, training and
program partnerships, and job placements.
3. Promote the development of skills that students will need as citizens and members of the workforce in the 21 st
century:
a.
Increase students’ opportunities to improve their public speaking and presentation skills. [by making public
presentations a standard expectation for departmental honors and through the selective addition of a full or
partial credit hour to courses with formal public-speaking components]
b.
Achieve student competence in the use of appropriate information technologies. [by incorporating
classroom information technology use in curriculum proposals and by evaluating technology use in
program and department self-studies.]
c.
Increase pre-professional educational opportunities. [by using the more flexible minor system that has been
recently introduced at Hunter to create, for example, a legal studies minor.]
d.
Establish/formalize and publicize pathways from undergraduate majors into professional graduate
programs at Hunter.
e.
Increase internships and off-campus creative opportunities, while assuring that field work maintains high
academic standards. [by holding periodic meetings of faculty to share “best practices” for internship
placements and oversight.]
Encourage the Integration of the Different Units that Constitute the Evolving Hunter University
4. Facilitate collaboration across the different departments and schools that constitute “Hunter University”:
a.
Support cross-disciplinary research and teaching, including both Arts and Sciences and professional
schools faculty. [through faculty seminars and regular symposia, especially at Roosevelt House, and teamtaught courses]
b.
Reduce obstacles to and increase incentives for cross-disciplinary curriculum innovation [by expanding
multi-year scheduling for interdisciplinary programs and making general the practice of compensating
departments (with adjuncts and GTFs) for faculty members who teach in interdisciplinary programs].
c.
Establish an infrastructure and create and implement a development plan for the professional schools to
support interdisciplinary teaching, research, collaborative activities, and community-institutional
partnerships
Build upon CUNY’s Commitment to a Decade of Science
5. Establish a secure institutional foundation for Hunter to raise its profile in the sciences
a.
Identify and develop adequate space in one or more locations near the 68th Street campus for the expansion
of scientific research at Hunter.
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b.
Establish an appropriate institutional structure for the basic and applied sciences and define an appropriate
leadership position to meet their needs. – rationale: the nature of bench research physically located at
Hunter College is fundamentally different from research done in the social sciences, humanities, or the
arts. This is exacerbated by the presence of PhD programs on the campus. The requirements for a
successful research program include substantial time demands, continuous external funding, and well
functioning physical facilities. The need for an administrator at the level of Dean or Vice President to help
the sciences flourish is clear, and Hunter is alone among the senior CUNY colleges in not providing direct
administrative support of some kind at this level. Member Departments and Programs might include
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, portions of the Psychology, Anthropology, and Geography Departments,
Computer Science, and Mathematics and Statistics.
6. To meet Hunter’s increasing role in doctoral education in the sciences, improve and rationalize funding for
doctoral students
a.
Rapidly develop appropriate mechanisms to respond to the changed mechanism of funding students in the
Hunter doctoral programs in the sciences.
b.
Establish a mechanism for graduate student support bridge funding consistent across all PhD-granting
departments – rationale: while grant funding is required for faculty to take on a new graduate student, the
grant may expire and not be renewed during the graduate students time in the laboratory – this is a
structural flaw.
c.
Find funding to allow significant increases in the number of PhD students that can be supported at Hunter
College – rationale: while the new mechanism for funding graduate students is a real step forward, it does
not provide a sufficient supply of graduate students. The reality is that successful research labs often
(usually) have more than two graduate students, and as a consequence even well funded labs will be
starved for graduate students with some increase in the numbers. A reasonable target would be a 30%
increase in the number of admitted graduate students over the next five years, but linked to similar
increases in PI-generated external funding.
7. Establish a foundation for faculty success in the sciences through better guidance, adequate start-up support,
and transparent expectations
a.
Start beginning research faculty on a trajectory for success. [including structured mentoring, clearly defined
tenure and promotion goals, and adequate start-up funding including three years of postdoctoral support or
the equivalent in graduate student support, and laboratories ready for immediate use] – rationale: for a
successful hire, a faculty member must rapidly obtain significant external funding so that they can support
graduate students. This is a change from past practice that allowed a slower development of a faculty
member’s career. Under the current student funding mechanism, if grant support is not obtained in the
early phase of the career, a new faculty member would not be allowed continued access to the graduate
student pool, potentially crippling their chances for scholarly success.
b.
Establish appropriate career paths for education-research faculty, including agreed upon criteria for tenure
and promotion – rationale: the limited supply of graduate students and space argue that in the future the
most appropriate hires will include both traditional research and education specialists. Establishing
sensible scholarly and service criteria for the hiring of education specialists will support growth in
excellence in science education, and help provide an alive and productive faculty. Models for this can
already be found in hires that have been made in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry.
c.
A three hour release time for faculty with significant grant funding should not require buy-out by the
faculty in the direct cost budget – rationale: The requirements of support of graduate students after the
first year provides a significant drain on available funding, and directing graduate students is extremely
time consuming. To facilitate productivity, a no-cost course release should be provided. This was policy
and practice when there was a Division of Science and Mathematics, and the case for this is even stronger
now. Research-active faculty members already use direct costs to pay for (or themselves engage in) many
grant-administrative tasks that are provided by the institution at other research-active institutions. At the
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same time, research-active faculty are always engaged in training undergraduates as they carry out their
research (substantial drain on resources and time, but essential to making our undergraduates competitive
for post-graduate work/jobs). In addition, costs for research materials are higher at Hunter (taking extra
dollars from direct costs) because of the limited ability to negotiate for lower prices based on volume (3
departments of faculty using a particular resource, at best, versus dozens at medical schools, for example).
Asking faculty to use direct costs to pay for release time, given these extra college-related drains on their
time, supplies, and effort, makes no sense.
Promote Faculty Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity and in the Classroom
5. Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and exceptional faculty:
a.
Develop a comprehensive program of support for faculty at all stages of their careers. [including aggressive
faculty recruitment; mid-career professional development; and preparation for and support in the tenure and
promotion process]
b.
In the professional schools, recruit, hire, promote faculty with strong applied research profiles as
appropriate.
c.
Develop a transparent faculty workload plan that considers Hunter’s expanding research identity.
d.
Clarify tenure and promotion expectations through a collaborative process that involves faculty at the
department level.
e.
Foster the development of faculty leadership at the department level and in college administration.
6. Stimulate faculty research and creative activity:
a.
Increase sponsored research.
b.
Expand resources to support faculty travel for research.
c.
Pursue research and creative partnerships with a broad array of New York-area scientific, non-profit,
cultural and other institutions.
d.
Re-engage faculty who have ceased to pursue an active research agenda. [through research seminars for
senior faculty].
7. Promote a strong commitment to excellence in teaching at all levels:
a.
Support the systematic exchange of information about best practices in the classroom. [through seminars on
the scholarship of teaching and learning and workshops on technology and teaching]
b.
Recognize the scholarship of teaching as part of the tenure and promotion process. [with standards
developed at the department level]
c.
Train faculty in student advisement and mentoring.
d.
Encourage effective teaching by adjunct faculty and opportunities for adjuncts to contribute to Hunter
outside the classroom. [Disseminate “best practices” in the recruitment of adjuncts and coordination with
graduate education (especially the CUNY Graduate Center); expand support for adjunct faculty
development; increase engagement and interaction with full-time faculty; support out-of-classroom activity
(e.g., advising, mentoring, service, research); engage greater numbers of accomplished and highlyrespected “practitioners-in-residence.”]
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Foster an Academic Culture of Informed Planning and Accountability for Results
8. Improve use of data throughout the college as a guide to informed decision making:
a.
Reward systematic, ongoing assessment of learning outcomes at the department and program level.
b.
Make use of available national assessment research at the department and program level
c.
Require departments and programs to report on their assessment measures in self-studies.
d.
Extend use of data in scheduling courses and assigning rooms.
e.
Develop a system to track internships college-wide, to make possible assessment of their substantive
effectiveness and increased participation.
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Attachment II
Interim Report, Task Force on Student Success and Engagement (draft of 11-19-10)
The Student Success and Engagement Task Force held two meetings during the month of November to
discuss, review, and identify “academic and student support initiatives necessary to increase engagement
with Hunter and to improve the academic and personal success of its students.”
As the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) knows, no single silver bullet will address the challenges in
student engagement and success. Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) suggested that “rather than seeking
single large levers to pull in order to promote change on a large scale, it may well be more effective to
pull more small levers more often” (p. 655). Kuh et al (2005) took this notion a step further by saying
that “Effective educational practices are synergistic and ‘sticky,’” meaning that promoting engagement
in one area of college life can have salutary effects on others for students.
This report will first list general principles that were surfaced from the Task Force’s conversations and
represent more “big picture” thinking. These principles will be followed a more detailed list of broad
initiatives that can promote student success and engagement. It should be noted that the initiatives/levers
listed below do not imply that the College is not in some way already working toward these ends, but
rather that additional efforts may be warranted.
Principles:
 Intrusive measures for “at-risk” students to catch them as early as possible
 Promoting reasonable expectations / acculturation to college-level work
 Web of engagement: each strand of the web (initiative) is one more chance to “catch” students
based on their curricular, co-curricular and personal characteristics
 Learn from our successful programs (e.g. pipeline programs) and our failures to determine which
services/initiatives they use the can be scaled out to impact more students
 Remember “the middle class” – students who are neither high- nor low-achievers, but will benefit
from services and programs to increase their engagement and success
Initiatives & Levers
Active and Collaborative Learning
 Encourage class presentations at part of the curriculum
 Encourage group assignments both in and out of the curriculum
 Encourage participation of research activities in the discipline
 Creation of spaces – classrooms that facilitates collaborative learning
Academic Advising: Assessing, supporting and improving it across the College
 Assessing strengths and weaknesses of all forms of advising on campus (academic departments,
Advising Services, MHC, SEEK, etc.)
 Promoting use of technological resources for basic advising information (e.g. DIG)
 Provide professional development opportunities to faculty and staff who advise to support their
efforts and share best practices
 Provide academic advising at all levels. For example, at the end of each class, faculty could
advise students of how to concentrate in different disciplines
 Reward faculty for developing/utilizing engaging pedagogies
 Reinvigorate Center for Learning and Teaching to promote professional development in teaching
excellence
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Acculturation to Hunter College / college-level work
 Helping students understand the rigors and time-demands of college academic work
 Helping students develop time-management skills
 Teaching students the value and meaning of a liberal arts education
 Develop a sense of belonging at Hunter College
o Creation of activities that will help students to develop a Hunter Culture: For example
develop a “Hunter Citizen Program in which students will be rewarded for service to
community. A possible “President List” equivalent to the Dean List, will track students
that have outstanding community service.
o Develop more “hang-out” spaces at Hunter.
o Continue and encourage activities in which students develop community identity:
 Tournaments
 Coordinated Club activities
 Possible venues for this include: Orientation; freshman block courses; Hunter Horizons courses;
advisors; electronic media; syllabi
Block program. Assess and build upon the successes of the Block Program for incoming freshmen
 How does student faculty interaction feature in the current program?
 How are active/collaborative learning techniques used?
 What actual outcomes are realized through the blocks?
 What additional student engagement and success outcomes can be realized? How?
Course availability: if students are unable to get needed courses then all else is secondary
 Academic Affairs and departmental use of available resources (DIG reporting features) to
determine the most needed courses needed to be offered for majors, pre-requisites to majors, and
GER courses
Enriching Educational Experiences:
 Service Learning: volunteer opportunities that enrich and are connected to curricular learning
and/or coursework
 Volunteer/Community outreach opportunities (members of the Hunter community volunteer in
local service projects; create teams to participate in a Race for the Cure or AIDSwalk, etc.)
 Internships: increase the numbers of students who take advantage of these opportunities
 Student activities: according to the 2010 CUNY Student Experience Survey, 73% of our students
do not take advantage of these opportunities
Major/Career/Liberal Arts. Increased promotion of major and career exploration in a liberal arts context
 Finding ways to help students develop the tools to search for a major early in their academic
career that connects to their interests and abilities
 Finding ways to help students develop the tools to explore career options early in their academic
career that connects to their interests and abilities
 Helping students understand the goals and relevance of a liberal arts education
 Possible venues for this include: orientation; academic advising; career development services;
introductory courses in academic departments; Hunter Horizons courses; Catalog; and
convocation.
Space: the Final Frontier
 Space for students to socialize and relax
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

Space for student events and programs
Space for students to study collaboratively (as previously noted)
Student faculty interaction
 Early feedback from instructors in coursework
 Encouraging academic departments to work toward a sense of community with their major
students
 Increase the faculty ability to advise and help students during their tenure at Hunter
 Encourage faculty to engage in extra-curricular activities of students, including volunteer work
Targeted support to students at risk and early warning systems
 Hunter’s Office of Institutional Research can use predictive modeling to identify new students
who are more likely to attrit. Interventions (including summer bridge programs, advising and
academic skill building) can be targeted toward these students before they actually have
academic difficulty
 Systems can be created to allow faculty to refer students with academic performance or personal
issues to support services (counseling; advising; learning centers, etc.) early enough in the term so
that their grade may be salvaged
 Expanded resources to support students in jeopardy
Technology to engage students, e.g. a new software program called “Retain” will be coming to Hunter
over the next few months that can help with engagement / success measures. Some of its features
include:
 A personalized webpage for each student that can have different content based on information
that we have in SIMS and other data locations, including major, gpa, etc.
 The webpage has an event management tool (sign up for the “X” event)
Source data and reference materials reviewed by Task Force included:
 Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Witt & Associates (2005) Student Success in College:
Creating Conditions That Matter, (section on Clusters of Student Engagement).
 Pascarella, Ernest, and Patrick Terenzini, Jossey-Bass (1991) How College Affects Students:
Findings and Insights from Twenty Years of Research.
 Data provided by Hunter and CUNY Institutional Research including the CUNY 2010 Survey of
Student Satisfaction; the 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE); and
retention/success data of Hunter undergraduates
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Draft of November 18, 2010
Attachment III
Task Force #3: Communications
Co-chairs:
Meredith Halpern, Sarah Bonner
Members:
Pat Woodard—Library
Bill Herman - Film & Media Studies Dept
Ellen Trief - Curriculum & Teaching Dept.
Frank Steen - Instructional Computing & Information Technology
Eija Ayravainen - Student Affairs
Fred Joseph – Student, USG
Task Force Reports: COMMUNICATIONS
With respect to your task force’s area of focus:
1) List succinctly 5-10 specific initiatives that you recommend to help Hunter achieve its emerging strategic goals,
a) indicate a clear rationale for each suggested initiative (i.e., what overall goal or aspect of Hunter’s future it
supports).
b) List two to four things that describe the initiative further or are tasks that it will entail.
c) Indicate how you’ll know the initiative has been successful, identifying possible metrics for measuring
progress (“milestones”) as well as success.
SPECIFIC COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES, with rationale, description/subtasks, & milestones:
A. Branding of Hunter College for constituencies within and outside the College
1. Rationale: Hunter lacks consistent, recognizable symbols, logos, and statements that powerfully and
immediately convey core parts of what makes us unique to the outside world and enhance a coherent
sense within the College of belonging
2. Description/subtasks:
a.
defining the public image we want to convey, related to mission;
b.
hiring a branding/marketing consultant
c.
working (internally?) on area branding to convey departmental identities or otherwise separate
spaces within the college (see Way-finding initiative below)
3. Milestones
B.
Way-finding initiative at 68th St. campus
1. Rationale: Poor signage and the interior sameness of East & West buildings and of floors within North
make navigating the 68th St. campus confusing for newcomers and visitors.
2. Description/subtasks:
a.
improvements to lobby directories/elevator signage;
b.
communication devices (electronic?) to establish area identities (see “area branding” above)
3. Milestones
C.
Website redesign
1. Rationale: The current website is static, dull, & hard to search. It conveys little about what makes Hunter a
great institution and can be frustrating for users.
2. Description/subtasks:
a.
Website redesign initiative is already in progress:
b.
needs to be supported by focus groups of students and other users
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c.
3.
Should include consolidation and promotion of access to institutional knowledge—improved access
to forms and information
d.
Should include adoption of interactive calendar and/or similar features that allow users to jump to
information about Hunter events they most want and filter out unwanted information.
Milestones
D. Initiative on using technology to integrate adjuncts into the Hunter community
1. Rationale: Reliance on adjuncts for teaching & challenges in communication with adjuncts have been
identified as concerns for maintaining quality control across multiple sections of many courses
2. Description/subtasks
a.
Develop general adjunct training modules for online orientation that can be used College-wide that
include features such as creating a BB site, accessing and using technology, Hunter policies on
plagiarism and student accommodations
b.
Support development of course-specific modules add-ons or course-specific websites for adjuncts
and new instructors, possibly through FIT awards
c.
Conduct usability studies of adjunct training modules & pilot testing
d.
Use internet-based training models to orient adjunct faculty Hunter-wide
3. Milestones
E.
Developing communications centered on student needs
1. Rationale: Communication of important updates and general information to students remains a challenge
at Hunter
2. Description/subtasks
a.
Data-gathering:
b.
Identifying and using effective emerging student leadership to inform communication initiatives
and other Hunter initiatives
c.
Conducting focus groups with students regarding communication preferences
d.
Environmental scan of current communication methods and their effectiveness
e.
Adoption of appropriate methods based on results of data-gathering above
f.
Alongside official channels adopted (above), promotion of effective and creative informal or
alternative channels of communication for Hunter constituencies, alongside official channels
3. Milestones
F.
Communications that build community relations and partnerships
1. Rationale: Hunter should have high public awareness about its valuable community partnerships and take
steps to enhance those partnerships or make them more widely known as appropriate
2. Description/subtasks
a.
Assess effectiveness of marketing strategies and public awareness of Hunter initiatives such as
Roosevelt House, Parliamo Italiano, Kaye theater, partnerships with Asia Society, Urban Teacher
Residency
b.
Enhance as needed public profile for Hunter initiatives such as those listed above
c.
Develop and advertise as appropriate new partnerships afforded within the community surrounding
the new School of Social Work building.
3. Milestones
G. Staff development on communications, esp. 21st century communications skills
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1.
2.
3.
Rationale: Staff members need to be using 21st century communication skills (including email) effectively
and appropriately
Description/subtasks
a.
Support administrative staff development on using email professionally
b.
Explore technology-based programs such as iCritical Thinking™ Certification
www.certiport.com/iCriticalThinking
Milestones
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Attachment VI
Resource Development Task Force – Strategic Plan Initiatives
FINAL – 11/17/2010
1. List succinctly 5-10 specific initiatives that you recommend to help Hunter achieve its
emerging strategic goals, indicating a clear rationale for each suggested initiative (i.e., what
overall goal or aspect of Hunter's future it supports).

Academic Planning and Resource Allocation:
o Hunter will incorporate academic planning and enrollment management functions
to better coordinate its administrative processes to support student services and
satisfaction, retention, and graduation while maximizing administrative and
physical space resources.

Increased Productivity:
o Hunter College will continually assess its administrative offices and business
practices to develop new strategies and opportunities to reduce or avoid costs, as
well as create efficiencies wherever possible.

Fundraising:
o The College will invest in and develop its current Foundation structure in order to
eventually realize a fully self-sustaining philanthropic foundation at Hunter
College.
o The College will develop new approaches to fundraising, through targeted
cultivation methods, in order to increase donations from alumni and other friends
of Hunter College. In particular, the College will target middle-level donations—
amounts ranging from $10K to $250K.
o The College, in particular the Hunter College Foundation, will develop a
comprehensive corporate donation and sponsorship strategy, introducing a
heretofore untapped resource. In concert with this, the College will also ramp-up
its strategies to attract donations and strategic partnerships with various private
philanthropic foundations.
o The Foundation will work with College administration to establish short term and
long term funding requirements and develop budgets and plans to meet various
specific targets, including but not limited to programmatic needs, student services
needs, and capital funding (labs, libraries, student space, etc.).
o The HCF will continue to increase its annual fund to have fungible resources to
increase fundraising potential such as: staff, upgraded systems, etc.
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
Research Funding Through Grants:
o The College will further develop plans to target traditional and non-traditional
(including corporate) research funding opportunities. In addition, the College will
provide more support to faculty seeking and/or receiving grants to support
research at Hunter College.
o Hunter College will develop a more comprehensive planning and reporting
relationship between the Office of Research Administration, the President’s
Office, the Provost, and the Hunter College Foundation.

Strategic Partnerships:
o The College will build and expand upon its relationships with external and
internal partners at the local, state, national, and international levels.
 Hunter will seek to build more partnerships with peer institutions, akin to
its relationship with Weill Cornell, to expand the offerings it can make to
both students and faculty. Leveraging these partnerships will further
enhance the College’s financial and academic standing.
 Internal interdisciplinary partnerships in research, academics, and service
will be strongly encouraged. More collaboration across schools and
disciplines within the College will encourage stronger academic prowess
as well as more opportunities for grant and research funding.
 New Revenue Enterprises:
o The College will aggressively seek to enhance its non-tax levy revenues through
its Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation by developing rental/retail space within its
current footprint, reviewing and renegotiating its existing contractual
relationships, and seeking new contractual opportunities.
 Space Utilization Planning:
o Hunter College will continue to seek to optimize its current space utilization as
well as seek out new space in the neighboring or nearby areas. The College will
develop an automated system to better track classroom and public space usage
and reservations, as well as work with its internal constituents to perform a
comprehensive space use study and analysis.
2. Go back to each initiative and elaborate briefly on its components.
• List two to four things that describe the initiative further or are tasks that it will entail.
o Academic Planning—
 Develop and implement a transparent comprehensive calendar for all
administrative and planning processes and events/deadlines to improve
planning and policy implementation.
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


Enhance the planning and reporting relationships between the Academic
Departments, Admissions, Registrar, and Budget Office.
Develop a complete student academic road map to better plan cohort
course offerings at the discipline/major level.
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.
o Increased Productivity—
 Develop and implement a web-based system to control full-time Personal
Services spending, provide for transparent tracking and management of
the full-time hiring process, and increase accountability through
notification of full-time funding and position control.
 Develop and implement a web-based purchasing and invoicing system for
Hunter’s non-tax levy funds.
 Work with CUNY on a possible reevaluation of job functions in the trade
titles and other areas.
 Implement the final phase of the NextGen scholarship system.
o Fundraising—
 Invest in Foundation staffing to acquire a full-time corporate cultivation
specialist.
 Identify short- and long-term goals and targets to enable the college to
realize their short term and long term budgetary needs.
 Expand the opportunities for direct student and faculty involvement in
targeted fundraising and donor cultivation.
o Grants—
 Provide more assistance and guidance, especially for new and junior
faculty, on seeking out and applying for research grants.
 Work with the Hunter College Foundation to identify new and heretofore
untapped granting agencies, corporations, and foundations.
o Strategic Partnerships—
 Expand upon existing connections with peer institutions.
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

Encourage faculty involvement in growing Hunter’s partnerships by
supporting conference attendance and research grant proposal
applications.
Build community-campus partnerships for research, practice, and service
opportunities with local, state, national, and international non-profit and
for-profit agencies.
o New Revenue Enterprises—
 Begin developing space within Hunter’s current footprint for rental/retail
space.
 Explore royalty and licensing agreements to generate additional revenue.
 Reevaluate current long-term space rental agreements.
 Expand the Hunter OneCard use on campus as well as extend use to
neighboring vendors.
o Space Utilization—
 Perform a complete campus-wide study of space use on campus.
 Bring departmental rooms as well as registrar/central reservations
controlled rooms into a comprehensive space booking and management
system.
 Explore the concept of multiple-occupant/mixed-use laboratories on
campus.
 Consolidate administrative offices into more modern, efficient
workspaces.
•
Indicate how you'll know the initiative has been successful, identifying possible metrics
for measuring progress ("milestones") as well as success.
o In order to properly assess the progress of the listed initiatives, accurate baseline
data must be collected and analyzed for all Hunter’s current practices.
 Academic Planning—


Retention and Graduation Rates:
o Better planning and class offering analysis should lead to
higher rates. Look at 4- and 6- year rates in 4 years and
again in 8 years.
 Maximizing Teaching Resources:
o Look at budget 2 years and 5 years down the line.
Productivity—
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

Overall College Spending:
o By monitoring and managing TS/OTPS/Overtime/PS
spending, the College should see a slower growth of
expenses over time.
Fundraising—

Targets:
o Baselines and Benchmarks will be set, in order to inform
and feed the planning process. The goals and targets
should be set higher each year, however still be achievable.


Corporate Giving:
o The College should see a rise in corporate giving with
significant increase of attention to this initiative.
Grants—

Application Numbers:
o With more support, the College’s grant application
numbers should grow each year.


Grant Funding:
o With more applications, the College should see a higher
overall dollar amount in grant funding each year.
New Revenue Enterprises—


New Targets for Growth:
o The College’s non-tax levy revenue should increase
significantly over the years given new initiatives.
Space Use—

Maximize Room Usage:
o The College will perform a comprehensive space use study
on a regular basis to ensure best use of space.
3. Prioritize your initiatives. Consider those you've recommended and:
• Identify "low-hanging fruit." Can any of the initiatives be accomplished within six
months? With relatively minor resources? Would any be exceptionally visible and
thereby provide Hunter momentum and credibility?
o “Low-hanging fruits” include initiatives in the Revenue Enterprises category,
Grants category, and Fundraising category. In particular, taking steps to grow
Hunter’s visibility in the corporate world for both grants and fundraising would
raise the College’s profile significantly.
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•
Attempt to rank and sequence the strategic initiatives. Which are most important, and
why? Is there a natural order in which they should be undertaken (e.g., some are
prerequisites)?
1. Fundraising
2. Strategic Partnerships
3. Research Funding Through Grants
4. New Revenue Enterprises
5. Academic Planning and Resource Allocation
6. Space Utilization Planning
7. Increased Productivity
4. Now, step back and consider Hunter's overall vision and goals.
• Does your list of initiatives, taken collectively, suggest a vision or overarching goals for
Hunter - what the College aspires to be? Yes. The list of initiatives is informed directly
by the College’s overall goals of improving Student Recruitment, Retention, and
Graduation Rates. With best practices in place for academic planning at Hunter, as well
as enhanced physical and financial resources, the College’s mission will be upheld by
strengthening the level of Student Success at Hunter.
• Would any of the initiatives -- either through their uniqueness or through the high level of
excellence achievable -- make Hunter truly distinctive? N/A
5. Additional points to consider;
• What other groups or individuals already working on any of the issues your task force is
looking at? N/A
• Have you touched base with them to determine if their work addresses your concerns?
N/A
• What questions -- that require greater in-depth examination or go beyond the time frame
of the planning process n would you like them to address on your topics? N/A
• What questions for future study does your work suggest? N/A
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