FIU iREAL Commission CAC Update
October 18th, 2013
iREAL is integrating:
Research
Engagement
Assessment
Learning
President’s Charge
“Multiple movements are emerging, and, for FIU, business
as usual is no longer an option.”
— Mark B. Rosenberg
As we complete our Worlds Ahead Plan, now is the time to
develop a new plan that:
• builds on our significant accomplishments
• prepares FIU for a future of unprecedented changes in
higher education
FIU iREAL will:
• Be “Worlds Ahead”-bold and innovative and open to
exploring non-traditional approaches
• Focus on problem solving for FIU and our stakeholders and
investors
• Identify, quantify and elaborate a series of transformational
goals for FIU
• Include broad scale consultation with faculty, staff, students
and community, to ensure effective harvesting of ideas and
expertise
• Be based on the best available studies and reviews pertaining
to the future of universities and their role in society
Outcomes
• Provision of a clear road map for transforming FIU
to meet challenges and opportunities
• Identification of specific areas where philanthropic support can
facilitate positive transformation
• Promotion of University and community debate
• Guiding and influencing FIU next strategic plan
• Opportunity to promote FIU’s bold plan nationally
Questions for Working Groups
• What are the major drivers of change, now and in the foreseeable future, in
the delivery of educational services, and how will they likely impact FIU and
our predominantly minority and non-traditional (working) students who have
been shown to have a greater need for high-touch educational experiences?
Connie Boronat
• What are the major drivers of change in the assessment of learning at the
university level, and how will they impact FIU? Elizabeth Bejar
• How will new modalities of education impact the six-year graduation rate of
our first-time-in-college students, the primary performance funding indicator
used by the Board of Governors? Kathleen Wilson
• How can the research university survive if the focus is on providing validation
of individual learning in ways that are “less expensive than ever before”? Ken
Furton
• What alternative scenarios of institutional change should we consider, and
what are the pros and cons as well as the costs of the initiatives proposed?
Jerry Cohen
Questions for Working Groups
• How can faculty, staff, students, and the community be thoroughly engaged
with changes that are proposed? Pablo Haspel
• How will FIU respond to, and benefit from, the changes in the global
educational market? Expanding overseas educational activities Mihaela
Plugarasu
• How do we balance the pressure to deliver inexpensive degrees with the need
to maintain a high quality product that represents excellent value to our
students and maintains FIU’s trusted brand status? Carlos Becerra
• How can we best harness the innate entrepreneurial spirit of our students,
staff, faculty, and alumni? Christina Jardim
• How can we get maximum benefit from FIU’s growing health related initiatives
that include building on existing FIU expertise and demonstrating value to our
university, South Florida, and global constituencies? Yogi Hernandez
How do we engage all of our stakeholders?
• White papers from FIU stakeholders posted on website
• Concept papers and published articles posed on website
• Have discussions with groups starting with the Deans and VP’s
• Poll groups to examine importance of various issues
• Other ideas?
1. FIU is student centered in its commitment, services and resources.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
2. All FIU faculty should be excellent teachers and assessed through a
comprehensive student and peer evaluation process.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
3. FIU's students, most of whom work and commute to campus, need greater
access to more flexible approaches to learning such as hybrid courses (part
online and part in person) as well as fully online courses and degrees.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
4. FIU's students should be allowed to obtain credit for prior learning and
experience in order to expedite completion of degree requirements (e.g.,
competency-based learning).
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
5. A direct link exists between FIU's research quality and its ability to deliver
an effective education to its students.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
6. FIU delivers value for the cost of degrees for its students.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
7. FIU needs to reduce the cost of degrees even if quality suffers (Note: FIU
tuition and fees = $6,416/year; national average for public 4-year universities =
$8,655/year; national average for private nonprofit 4-year universities =
$29,056/year).
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
8. FIU should take a leadership role in reducing its carbon footprint (e.g.
reducing electricity use and reducing the number of required campus visits).
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
9. FIU should have fewer students and be more focused.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
10. The South Florida business community will significantly benefit from
greater engagement of FIU students with local, national and global business
priorities through increased access to opportunities such as fieldwork,
research, and internships.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
11. FIU should expand the number of students it recruits from other states.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
12. FIU should expand its overseas educational opportunities.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
13. FIU should develop and maintain a life-long relationship with its students.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
14. FIU should offer a variety of free universally accessible online courses
(often referred to as Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs).
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
15. FIU faculty should conduct research that ties into the community.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
16. FIU should be more focused on entrepreneurship to create additional
opportunities for students, faculty and the community.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
17. FIU should make targeted contributions to meeting South Florida's and the
nation's growing health care needs.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
18. FIU's athletics play an important role in recruiting and retaining current students
and keeping alumni connected to the university.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
19. FIU's degree programs represent a trusted brand to employers and the
community.
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
20. FIU should expand access to accelerated degree completion programs
such as dual enrollment (college credit while in high school) and accelerated
degree programs (e.g., 5-year BA/MA degrees, 5-year MA/PhD degrees).
VPs / Deans
Faculty / Staff
Students
Community
Strongly Disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Agree = 3
Strongly Agree = 4
Rank the importance of the following for FIU for the next strategic plan (20152020). 1=most important and 15=least important (use each number only once)
Topics
Becoming more student centered
Improving teaching
Becoming more community engaged
Improving graduation rates
Keeping cost of degrees low
Expanding access to online & hybrid classes & programs
Improving FIU’s trusted brand status
Providing educational opportunities for all qualified students
Increasing research
Expanding and diversifying income streams
Increasing doctoral production
Expanding overseas educational activities
Leading in sustainability
Maintaining a life-long relationship with graduates
Improving athletics
n=
High priority = 1-5 on scale of 15
Medium priority 6-10 on scale of 15
Low priority 11-15 on scale of 15
Percent
High
Priority
74
63
49
46
38
36
35
34
31
28
18
16
12
11
10
1,908
Percent in High Priority
By Group
Students
Faculty
Staff
Community
Leaders
78
65
46
42
49
39
34
30
26
26
16
18
12
8
11
1,086
69
60
52
54
23
30
35
40
38
30
21
14
13
13
8
777
69
58
60
33
22
29
49
38
38
27
22
9
4
22
20
45
Priorities for Students, Faculty, Staff
and Community Leaders
Percentage
High Priority
65-74
55-64
45-54
35-44
25-34
15-24
<15
Student centered, Improve teaching
Community engaged, Improve graduation rates
Low cost degrees, online/hybrid, Trusted brand status
Access to qualified students, increasing research,
diversifying income streams
Increasing PhD production, expanding overseas
Sustainability, life-long relationships, improving athletics
Timeline
• 10/4/2013 iREAL commissioners appointed
• 10/10/2013 First iREAL commissioner meeting
• 10/16/2013 Submit names of proposed committee members
including :
– Faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community representatives
– Dean’s Office distributes template for commission reports
•
•
•
•
•
•
10/18/2013 Confirmation of working group members
10/19/2013 – 10/25/2013 Initiate working group meetings
11/15/2013 First working group drafts due
11/29/2013 Final working group reports due
12/13/2013 Draft of iREAL white paper
12/23/2013 Final of iREAL white paper