Participant Answers to Proposed Questions
September 5, 2012
Proposed Mission Statements
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We will connect to student through learning, campus life, jobs, community engagement and
opportunity.
WSU's mission is to prepare citizens to be lifelong learners who are adaptive and culturally aware in an
evolving global society. This is accomplished through active learning and research, creative activities,
and engagement in local, regional, and international communities.
WSU's mission is to be in the top 35 urban serving communities.
WSU is an urban serving research institution that is committed to promoting active learning, knowledge
creation, excellent creative activity, and community engagement. Through comprehensive educational
opportunities the university produces scientifically and technologically literate global citizens with the
communication and higher order thinking skills in today's complex world.
Provide the educational foundation necessary to prepare people for success i a rapidly emerging future.
Provide new exciting ideas, engagement with the community, lifelong learning experiences, and where
theory translates into practical success.
WSU' s mission is to lead innovation to foster the cultural, economic, and social development of a
diverse metropolitan community and the state of Kansas.
Because we are situated in a strategic place in a richly diverse community, we can offer targeted,
focused learning opportunities.
Mission is to provide accessible and affordable education with a long learning network for the
community.
Distinguish the university as a distinct experience that serves a niche not served by other major
universities or the community college/trade schools by integrating new and emerging technology as a
vehicle and a catalyses to compete more effectively for urban and traditional students, to better provide
training and education through research, enhance the ability to more effectively and efficiently meet the
university's community service and cultural responsibilities to our urban environment, and invest in
those amenities and attributes that reinforce the university's current urban educational experience and
creates the environment that appeals to more traditional students.
My vision for WSU is to go to a football game featuring our Shockers in front of 50,000 screaming fans
(half of whom are students) as we quality for a BSC Bowl Playoff.
Proposed Core Values/Statements
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Multidimensional learning - we're focused on outcomes, not just giving students a piece of paper. This
includes giving them opportunities to learn beyond the classroom through research opportunities,
internships, student organizations, etc.
Community connection - we have a two-way street with the community that allows our students, faculty
and staff to go into the community to serve them and for the community members to serve us as
adjunct faculty, guest lecturers, employers of students and grads.
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Professional and personal growth - for our faculty and staff, WSU provides the opportunity to grow
through continuing education and maintain healthy lives with access to Heskett Center.
Student focused.
Experienced based learning and continuing education.
Quality education and student engagement.
Diversity among student population, traditional and nontraditional students.
Innovation and research.
Connecting community, university, and students.
Tradition, our past.
Providing a high quality, relevant education with high academic standards.
Quality in all aspects.
Opportunity for inclusion, all aspects of diversity.
Efficiency - responsible, effective, thoughtful, stewards of all resources.
Adaptive competence for the population, remaining relevant,
Faculty value the students and their learning.
Community connection - us to them, them to us.
Multi-dimensional learning, not just the four walls of the classroom, it's students going into the
community and community coming into the university, focused on outcomes not just degrees.
We should be a school our alumni "want" to send their children.
Self-actualization through emphasis on critical thinking.
Culture that enables all of these and effective knowledge management.
Experiential learning connected to the community and industry.
Opportunities outside of the classroom that engage students in the local industry and community while
they are at WSU, providing more incentive and likelihood of students settling in the Midwest and giving
back to the communities they grew up in.
Student centered education model that is continually evolving.
Providing students with an education that focuses not only on their core degree but also experiences
and peripheral knowledge and awareness in communication, team work and critical thinking to serve
them as contributing members of society.
Fostering relationships with communities specifically faculty, student community, student life, WSU and
community, WSU and alumni.
WSU should provide a broad and challenging general education to students of Kansas and beyond along
potential career paths connecting liberal arts and professional foci as the students complete their
college experience.
WSU faculty will engage in the highest level of learning, scholarship and engagement.
Sustainability.
Community connection.
Globalization.
Entrepreneurial thinking.
Interaction and engagement.
Experiential learning.
Creativity.
Desire to move forward, overcoming obstacle.
Practicality and pragmatism.
Truly doers.
Adaptability.
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Diversity.
Respect and strong morals.
Integrity.
Quality in all we do.
Collegiality.
Excellence.
Diversity.
Develop critical thinking.
Relevant research.
Experiential teaching.
Global awareness.
Innovation.
Public engagement, we value our role in providing higher education as a cornerstone of a functioning
democracy.
Excellence, we seek to product highly competent and reflective graduates to contribute meaningfully to
society.
Innovation, we strive, through innovation, research and development, to provide leadership in
advancing the economic and cultural vitality of the region and nation.
Access and opportunities, defined as access to funding (scholarships, financial aid, personal finance) as
well as influence location plays as recruiting community, regionally and abroad.
Scholarship, research, defined as reflecting a track record of production and dissemination that
demonstrated being a leader as Subject Matter Experts.
Focus on students, faculty and the constituents we serve.
Develop the oneness of the WSU family which has been missing for some time.
Suggested Strengths
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Community engagement.
Location within the city and within the state.
Value versus cost of education.
International students/diversity/age of students.
Size of university.
Strong loyalty from community to WSU, passion for WSU.
Athletics
Cultural arts/fine arts and support from community in this area.
Engineering/innovation of this area and community partnerships.
Cooperative Education, more opportunities in metropolitan area.
Broad number of degrees in undergraduate studies.
Landscaping and sculptures, beauty of campus.
Athletic facilities.
Small campus, easy to get around.
Accessibility to youth with sports camps, TRIO programs, fairs, etc.
Good place to work.
NPR stations.
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Location and relationship with community.
Services we provide to students - creative approaches to classes, programs in certain areas.
Diversity of student body.
Diversity.
Loyalty from community.
Location.
Opportunities for students to gain hands on experience before graduation.
Urban university.
Strong faculty.
Commitment of faculty and staff to WSU.
Known in area.
Good recruitment from campus visits.
Less expensive than other regional schools.
Less of a "number" at WSU.
Integrated communications.
Physical size.
Service-oriented.
Strong alumni association.
Urban institution.
Sense of community with community.
Unique location within state.
Athletic programs with exception of lack of football.
Opportunities for interaction with medical community.
Campus appearance helps with community perception.
Sculpture collection.
Excellence in teaching.
Diversity of students and faculty.
Technology Lab - CISCO, engineering, NIAR.
Relationship of WSU and community.
Cooperative education and real work experience before graduation.
Good working relationship with other area schools.
Collective effort to move forward and strive for excellence.
Student housing centrally located.
Small classes.
Available land with golf course.
1.5 mil levy that no other university in the United States enjoy.
Technology.
Location.
Student services.
Freshmen orientation programs.
Campus-wide technology support for classrooms.
Faculty with real-world experience.
Partnerships with public and private companies.
USD 259 relationship.
Center for Management Development.
Good sports facility for basketball and baseball.
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International students.
Low cost of state tuition.
Suggested Weaknesses
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Activities.
On-campus connection between departments, silos, don't work together toward vision.
Commuter campus, getting and keeping students involved and staying on campus.
Residence halls not connected to university lotion.
Campus life.
Signage on campus - lack of directions, all red brick building.
Pride in WSU lacking.
Surrounding area of WSU - little to walk to, no Aggieville type area.
Parking for visitors on campus, meeting space for visitors.
Lack of professional schools - PhD programs, lack of loyalty to grad school.
Bureaucracy y for external funding.
Each college operates so differently, not to lose individuality, but can be a challenge working together.
Brand identify overall, identity crisis of some individual units, don't label themselves a WSU (CMD)
market self.
Facilities - worn down.
Technology in classroom and in general - how they connect with students. Stay up with what
professionals are using.
Lack of large event space.
Lack of football.
Distance and web based learning.
Assessment - not sharing the data we have.
Not very progressive, risk taking.
Centralized student services.
Campus recreation center.
Student run radio station.
Perception of safety on campus.
Lack of being able to communicate.
Could improve the relationships we have.
Student engaging with all types of students on campus.
More ability to tap into diversity as a learning opportunity.
Retention of faculty and staff.
Need to do a better job of embracing our identity.
Do better job of building campus life and an identity.
Breaking down communication silos university-wide.
Silos of communication.
Lack of space for faculty and staff to intermingle and exhcnage ideas.
Commitment more to their interest areas.
City has identify crisis.
Community college image.
What is our "compelling" story?
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Trouble keeping minorities.
Considered behind KU and KSU.
WSU ranking nationally, except aerospace.
Systems inefficient and unfriendly.
Archaic procedures.
State regulation but little state support.
Poor student life.
Short on faculty/aged faculty.
Low grad rate.
Urban institution.
Perception of location and security.
Lack of football program.
Perception as "Hillside High".
Tangible appreciation for excellence.
Lack of offerings and evening programming.
Don't know what each other does, not engaged, poor internal communication.
Outside of Wichita buy-in.
Lack of marketing.
Don't capture kids before community college.
No joint university interaction, missed opportunity.
Communication.
Parking.
Perception.
Safety.
Dorm facilities and Heskett Center need a face lift.
Lack of new programs.
Limited PhD programs.
Suggested External Opportunities
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Collaboration with small businesses, competing universities, McConnell AFB, and community
organizations.
Extend reach of online learning for nontraditional students and increase enrollment.
Seizing opportunity to engage and recruit our local diverse students.
Right in the center of I-35 corridor.
WSU is the state's only urban university.
Relatively education work force that can transition.
Marketing to out of the area.
Cost at WSU compared to other universities.
Location.
Evaluate needs - do we need a dental school? A law school?
Fill the Boeing hole.
International students, influx from China.
Cooperative education opportunities.
Internships.
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High school partnerships.
Concurrent enrollment.
AACSB accreditation.
Attracting high quality students.
Increase outside funding sources.
Closer ties to the community.
Location.
Location.
Strong engineering college
Good reputation with arts community.
Health Sciences center of region.
Diverse community.
Barton School has good reputation.
Develop area around WSU.
Increase distance learning.
Create a physical presence in the Middle East.
Marketing.
Globalization - opportunities to expand past Wichita.
Growing importance of image and branding in higher education.
Availability of funds for special programs.
Reach out to international students.
Create a community relations position or centralized office that can be a single contact for community
organizations.
Allow community organizations the opportunity to cheaply reserve physical space on campus and create
a community-friendly culture that would let them reserve all needs through a single office.
Create partnerships with private developers for business residential development in physical space near
campus.
Use the new leadership to form new partnerships in the community.
Seek out business leaders to use for consulting.
Integrate corporate offices within the campus.
Create partnerships with other higher education institutions for research and funding opportunities.
Form more bonds with school districts all along the I-35 corridor.
Create a level of excitement on campus that is pervasive with students and faculty and staff.
Be creative in publicizing our excellence.
Better marketing of program.
Belong to community.
More personal student focus.
Suggested External Threats
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Competition with other universities.
Not having revenue and resources without increasing student tuition.
Lack of space to grow programs.
Online courses from other universities.
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Wichita has the most blue collar work force in the US per capita.
Dwindling budgets.
Loss of other large employers like Boeing.
Weak or weakening primary and secondary education in Kansas.
Not equipped to do the remedial classes - losing students to Butler, Cowley, etc.
Decreasing state tax collection.
Decreasing support from the state legislature.
State funding.
Online threat - quality programs.
Other state universities.
Known as "commuter" school.
Competition from Kansas and Oklahoma universities.
Lack of ability to attract and retain high quality faculty and students.
Technical innovations.
Economy.
Kansas Board of Regents.
Competition from other universities.
Right-wing conservative attitude about knowledge, education, private good.
Community colleges, lack of football.
Lack of online courses.
India predicted to create 50,000 universities in the next 15 years.
Loss of high-paying jobs, replaced with minimum wage jobs.
Students worry they won't get jobs.
Community perception.
Cost of education increasing.
State legislation and funding.
Transfer credit mandate leads to lower enrollment in lower division courses.
Other schools have a competitive edge in online education.
Regulation related financial aid, assessment, and learning outcomes.
Economic woes.
Lack of willingness to change.
Competition in higher education, especially online programs.
Lack of sense of community within the campus.
Government pressure to education all.
Poorly prepared incoming students.
Push from accreditation regarding graduation rates.
Campus department operating in silos.
Overall negative perception that higher education ho9lds no value.
Commoditization of degrees.
The notion that we are still "Hillside High:.
Severed relationship in the community.
Competition.
Image.
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Suggested Obstacles
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Building revenue without increasing tuition.
Technology advancing rapidly making online learning a challenge.
Lack of knowledge how to market and expand programs.
Competing with amount of online experiences from other universities.
Locality does not create diversity.
How to compete with the football power houses.
Perception that WSU is "less than" KU or KSU.
Cost of education rising.
Lack of good marketing.
Inferiority complex.
Insufficient budget for aspirations.
Low number of traditional students.
Lack of traditional university culture.
No football program.
No law school, etc.
Difficult to change the culture.
Location.
Campus housing due to people working full time, married, kids. etc.
No increased parking with increasing enrollment.
What student population do we want to cater to?
New federal financial aid rules.
Lower cost of community colleges.
Confusion about what we want WSU to be.
Image.
Urban school with rural mascot.
Suggested Goals
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Become larger, top research university, with increased enrollment, increased research, and more
government cooperation.
Medical research center of Kansas.
Comprehensive educational opportunities.
Faculty exchange.
Interdisciplinary fields.
Maximizing flexibility in curriculums and programs.
Identify the factors that will make WSU truly unique among the three major PhD granting institutions in
Kansas.
Increasing the stake for students and faculty in the well-being of the university.
Academic distinction/premier institution of higher education.
Student engagement/retention.
Facility planning and housing.
Interaction/collegiality of campus departments.
Focus on student learning and student success.
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Establish partnerships with K-12.
Focus on partnerships with local businesses and industry to foster entrepreneurship.
Diversification of sources of funding.
Define specific numbers-oriented goals for retention, graduation, enrollment, etc.
Gain Carnegie classification - become a fully-engaged university.
Offer the right mix of academic programs to serve the region and state.
Be the institution of choice for individuals seeking professional advancement, recertification and higher
education.
Prepare students for success in a global economy.
Use technology as an enable to improve administration and student proficiency.
Find a balance between providing access to the under-served and attracting top students.
Improve the quality of student life.
Increase our graduation rate.
Recruit, retain quality faculty and staff.
Develop a strategy for online delivery.
Integrate technology into every curriculum.
Partner with employers to better understand their needs.
Increase diversity.
Continue to break down silos on campus.
With enrollment growth also grow staff, facilities and parking.
Emphasize problem solving and team work.
Protect the broad literal arts education.
Establish global identity as a unique university with urban mission.
Enhance the alignment of our student experiences with our urban setting and mission.
Increase enrollment, retention, graduation rate, and placement rates.
Develop outcomes metrics that go beyond graduation.
Increase external funding in ways consistent with our urban mission.
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