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University Planning Council
Annual Report for 2008-09
Members:
Maria de la Camara; Kari Gibbons; Alan Gorr; Eileen Kolich (Chair); Marco Masini; Susan Mikula;
Mercy Robb; Peter Seely; Nancy Stoecker.
Ex Officio: Jonathan Lewis
Duties (as per Faculty Handbook):
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To make recommendations to the President on the Strategic Plan;
To assist the President in the oversight of the strategic planning process and in the
implementation of the University’s Strategic Plan;
To communicate regularly with the faculty and solicit their input on matters the
committee has under consideration;
To assist the President in the formulation of the University’s Financial Exigency Plan;
To serve as the AQIP Steering Committee;
To report to the President.
Membership:
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Chairperson of the Faculty Assembly
Two Regular Faculty Members
Two Academic Deans
Vice President for Business and Finance
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Associate Vice President for Enrollment
Executive Director of Operations
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
Major Focus of the UPC to Date:
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Developing an infrastructure to support the above duties;
Prepared for the Higher Learning Commission’s Campus Visit (Feb. 18-20, 2009);
Collected information and updates related to opportunities for improvement identified
in the HLC Team Report for each of the nine AQIP quality categories and prepared a
Quality Program Summary for the Commission;
Establishing the AQIP/University Strategic plan as the cornerstone for all institutional
visions and plans;
Positioning the UPC as the conduit that fosters collaboration and shared responsibility
across the university when planning for the future and affecting change.
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Summary of Activities
Meeting Schedule: Typically every other Tuesday for 1.5 hours
October 8:
Council members discussed their roles and responsibilities relative to strategic planning and
AQIP oversight. Each member agreed to obtain information about one or more of the nine
AQIP Categories relative to areas targeted for improvement by the HCL Reviewers as an initial
step toward updating the university-wide planning process.
October 22:
Members reported on their findings relative to their respective AQIP category. A Chair for the
Council was elected.
November 5:
UPC roles and responsibilities were clarified and members discussed ways in which the
opportunities/challenges, as per the System Appraisal Feedback Report (OO and O Items),
either had been addressed or could be converted into actions (e.g., AQIP Action Projects).
November 19:
Members reported on the current status of activities relative to their respective
category/categories and proposed some areas for improvement.
December 3:
Jon Lewis incorporated the information collected by the Council members into a draft of the
Quality Program Summary and shared the report with the group for feedback.
Members approved a proposal from the UPC Chair to lay the groundwork for a preliminary
strategic planning process, which will include strategic goals for each category (as per the
opportunities for improvement in the HLC feedback report) and potential Action projects for
enhancing growth and affecting change.
December 17:
Members shared the strategic goals for their respective AQIP category/categories. The Chair
provided a draft of the AQIP/University Strategic plan, which included some updates for
Category 1 Helping Students Learn.
2009
January 7:
Don Taylor presented an academic vision/plan to the UPC. Don indicated that the President
and Executive Vice President were unavailable for the meeting but he would provide them with
an update.
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January 27:
Don Taylor met with the UPC to discuss how the Council can support the academic vision/plan
within the context of the AQIP/University Strategic Plan. Don indicated that the AQIP process
connects and compliments the academic vision and further shared the need for assistance for
prioritizing short and long term goals. As per Don, Dr. Carroll, as President, is ultimately the
steward of the university vision.
February 3:
Dr. Carroll met with the UPC to discuss progress to date and strategic planning initiatives. Dr.
Carroll provided an overview of the state of the institution and expressed his support and
appreciation of the work completed by the Council relative to AQIP and the University Strategic
Planning process.
February 17:
The Council reviewed the final preparations for the Quality Checkup Visit. Jon Lewis provided
updates on the documents that will be provided to the team: Institutional Overview; Program
Review sample; Vision for the Institution; University Planning Council Activities to date; Annual
Updates to the Strategic Plan; Annual Assessment Guidelines; Adjunct Faculty Handbook;
Student Handbook; Faculty Handbook; and the Parental Letter of Support.
March 3:
Jon Lewis was congratulated for the successful HLC Quality Check-up Visit; the members
continued to recommend and promote strategic goals for their assigned categories; JLewis
provided updates on the current Action projects; the Council requested that the President
attend the March 17 meeting to discuss future planning and the vision/s for the university
within the context of a strategic planning process that addresses the growth and preparedness
of the university to meet the needs of students (traditional, nontraditional, local an distant)
through over the next five years.
March 17:
The President provided an overview of the university relative to growth and new initiatives and
addressed a number of issues: the relationship between AQIP, Strategic Planning, budgeting
and the UPC’s role; the impact of the current economic situation on the institution; the
importance of Program Review and Development; the need to strengthen the infrastructure for
academic affairs and student support services to ensure viable program growth.
Other initiatives discussed included the university’s relationship with Springfield, including the
ESL program and the China vision. As per the President’s recommendation, the UPC invited
Charlie Gregory and Allan Gozum to the next meeting to share information regarding the
university’s finances and initiatives. As the UPC’s role becomes more defined, the Council will
explore and discuss representation and operational processes, with other applicable groups,
such as Faculty Welfare.
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April 14:
Charlie Gregory and Allan Gozum indicated that there will be no expenditures funded through
the endowment in the upcoming academic year. The university will focus on recruitment,
retention, revenue-generating initiatives (new programs and entrepreneurial endeavors) and
reduced spending. Dr. Carroll shared the vision for China and Vietnam programs, which
includes: increased partnerships; utilization of faculty within China; student, faculty and staff
exchanges; and on-campus, global studies courses in Chinese history and politics. The
President expects to create a robust and dynamic relationship with China and Vietnam that will
provide a significant market advantage for the university and its students and graduates.
The UPC recommended that Dr. Sandra Gill, Dean, College of Business be invited to the next
meeting to discuss progress to date relative to the China/Vietnam initiative.
April 28:
The scholarships and recruitment planning presentation by KGibbons was postponed until May
12. NStoecker provided a record of Abbey Endowment Funds and expenditures from 2006-07
through 2008-09 for the Council’s review. The Council spent most of the meeting discussing the
information shared by the President, Charlie Gregory and Allan Gozum at the April 14 meeting.
No specific proposals or actions resulted from the discussion. JLewis provided an update on the
status of the Systems Portfolio and suggested that each Council member provide updates on
their previously assigned categories.
May 12:
Dr. Sandra Gill, Dean, College of Business provided an overview of the China business programs.
Her presentation addressed: major goals of the China programs relative to AQIP Category 1,
Helping Students Learn; Accomplishments to date for Category 1; the overall impact of the
China programs on students and faculty, the College of Business, and the University; next steps
and areas needing improvement. A question and answer session followed. The program has
been operating since 2004 and is evidencing increased enrollments as new sites have been
added (currently at 4), with a total of 8 sites projected for 2009-10. As with any new program,
creating and maintaining an efficient and effective infrastructure to support the academic and
operational components is an ongoing process.
KGibbons provided an update on enrollments for fall 2009 and indicated that the Enrollment
Center has created a new Conversion Team that works with Admissions to address student
needs and explore ways to assist with financial aid planning, school choices, etc.
May 26:
JLewis provided AQIP updates relative to the Systems Portfolio. He reiterated the Council
members’ respective AQIP category assignments and indicated that he would work with each
member regarding the specific updates needed for the Systems Portfolio. He also indicated
that LiveText training will be scheduled in early June.
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The Council requested that the Provost be invited to the next UPC meeting to discuss ways in
which the UPC can assist with the planning and implementation of the academic vision.
August 5:
Don Taylor, Provost, presented the academic vision entitled, Benedictine 2015: A Roadmap to
Excellence. Dr. Taylor provided an overview of the plan and indicated that a number of the
initiatives will be addressed in the upcoming academic year, e.g., Career Flexibility , which will
be introduced at the Aug. 24 Summit; globalization of the campus; and a review of the Core
Curriculum. Don indicated that the UPC will be instrumental in overseeing the AQIP Action
Projects that will evolve as the plan becomes more operational. Subsequent to his
presentation, Council members expressed the need to address how student services can
support and enrich the plan. The Council recommended that Charlie Gregory be invited to the
next meeting to discuss possible opportunities and options for including input from Student
Affairs.
Meetings for 2009-10 are to be scheduled and a fall faculty election will be planned for filling
one faculty position on the Council. Charlie Gregory will be asked to identify a replacement for
Gillian Hacker.
UPC Agenda and Minutes
Available on the S-drive:
UniversityInfo/Committees/AQIP/UniversityPlanningCouncil
Eileen Kolich, Ph.D.
University Planning Council Chair
2008-09
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