University of Hartford Academic Strategic Pathways

Transcription

1 University of Hartford Academic Strategic To Inspire Inquiry, Imagination, and Leadership Since the University of Hartford s last Strategic Plan, adopted in 2002, the University has experienced a period of steady expansion, consistently positive financial results, and intellectual vibrancy unmatched in its history. In light of a challenging international economic environment and declining demographics in the traditional American undergraduate age group, the University must now chart a course that builds on its traditional strengths and adopts innovative approaches and initiatives to remain a vibrant institution that makes a difference in the community and the lives of our students. Specifically, we will build on these distinguishing characteristics of the University: We are a university comprising distinctive professional schools, uniquely enriched by the visual and performing arts, arrayed around a vibrant liberal arts core a university that combines the intellectual and artistic energy of a university with the intimate community associated with a liberal arts college. We are a university in which students transform themselves intellectually, personally, and socially through engagement with faculty, staff, one another, and the external community. Relationships between students, faculty, and staff are the essential and transforming characteristics of a Hartford education. We are a private university with a public purpose, a university founded by the leaders of the Hartford community to serve our region, a university that sees engagement with its various communities as central to its learning environment and its purpose. With these traditional strengths in mind, we at the University have adopted this mission statement: As a private university with a public purpose, we engage students in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to thrive in, and contribute to, a pluralistic, complex world. October 2, 2013 update

2 In order to realize this mission, we are committed to these objectives: We will build and maintain high-quality academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. We will encourage interdisciplinarity, internationalism, and innovation. We will keep the faculty and staff vital, strong, diverse, and renewed. We will continue to renew the campus through strategic management of our facilities. We will expand connections to communities and resources beyond our campus our alumni, the Greater Hartford community, Connecticut, our country, and our world. We will sustain strong resources human, financial, and philanthropic. We will weather the challenges of the current economy and continue to build endowment to support competitive salaries, financial aid, technology, and innovation; and raise funds to renew our existing facilities and construct a select number of new ones. We will become a university known for its core values: At the University of Hartford, we are committed to community. We are an academic community that values integrity, curiosity, creativity, excellence, responsibility, and accomplishment. Enriched by our diversity and our engagement with one another, we take pride in our shared traditions and experiences. We are dedicated to building a culture that respects all of its members and celebrates their contributions as we work together to strengthen our community. We will pursue and assess continuous improvement. We will communicate and celebrate our progress. Academic Mission As a private university with a public purpose, we prepare students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to thrive and be engaged in a pluralistic, complex world. Our academic community of faculty, staff, and students forms a dynamic, interdisciplinary learning environment that arises from outstanding teaching, innovative research, scholarship, and creative attainment. We are committed to the personal attention associated with a small college, enhanced by the expertise, breadth, and intellectual excitement of a university. Diversity of every sort is integral to our academic mission, along with connections to local, national and global communities. Objectives and Values At the University of Hartford, we are committed to community. We are an academic community that values integrity, curiosity, creativity, excellence, responsibility, and accomplishment. Enriched by our diversity and our engagement with one another, we take pride in our shared traditions and experiences. We are dedicated to building a culture that respects all of its members and celebrates their contributions as we work together to strengthen our community. Our academic strategic pathways are designed to guide our focus on maintaining our existing programmatic and institutional competencies while developing centers of academic excellence. Page 2

3 University of Hartford Academic Strategic Area of Impact Community Programs Infrastructure Direction (A) (B) (C) Focus Further invest in fostering a diverse academic community that embraces our mission and values Encourage and sustain continued academic excellence and innovation in line with our mission Enhance development and realization of a state of the art academic infrastructure Goal 1 Expand strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining diverse, high-achieving faculty Support and motivate transformational teaching, learning, and scholarship Support learning resources and versatile learning spaces matched to a variety of pedagogical approaches Goal 2 Enhance recruitment and retention of a diverse student body who have high potential and will thrive in the context of our vision and mission Develop and support mission-centered programs that are high quality and financially viable Explore the enhancement of digital/physical spaces to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary scholarship and research Goal 3 Address opportunities for advancement and recognition of achievement for academic staff Enhance interdisciplinary programs, experiences, and courses Promote best practices related to academic administration and organization Pillars of Performance Engagement Individual Attention Interdisciplinary Learning Diversity Global Connectivity Innovation Page 3

4 DIRECTION A: COMMUNITY Model our commitment to community and express our values openly through words and action. Goal A-1: Expand strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining diverse, high-achieving faculty Increase the visibility of high-achieving faculty, student accomplishment, and successful academic programs Assess the Jackie McLean fellows program and deploy new strategies for future success in diversifying our faculty Enhance our investment in professional development for faculty and academic staff Implement recommendations for an integrated marketing/branding campaign. Quarterly reports made to UEC and Board Profiles of student success used in Admissions/Recruitment New nomination process began AY 12; AY 12 fellow hired as TT faculty. Exploration of Targeted Opportunity Hires in progress Investment has been steady at the central level for faculty. College levels fluctuated. One time dollars to A&S, Hartt and HAS Branding/Marketing roll-out in process; initial brand camps offered to core group of campus contacts Goal A-2: Enhance recruitment and retention of a diverse student body who have high potential and will thrive in the context of our vision and mission Prioritize the creation of merit and need-based endowed scholarships in partnership with Institutional Advancement Assess and enhance strategies to recruit and retain undergraduate, graduate, and international students. Improve or maintain diversity in each college or academic unit In process In process; coordinated with branding/marketing message of rigor, support, success Diversity Toolkit compiled by Faculty Senate Diversity Committee Goal A-3: Address opportunities for advancement and recognition of achievement for academic staff Institute an annual recognition program for excellence amongst academic staff Continue to support professional development of academic staff Encourage annual professional development planning for all academic staff as part of annual evaluations Now in 3 rd year of Academic Staff Excellence Award EmPower series supported through Provost, HRD, ITS, and others Ongoing Page 4

5 DIRECTION B: PROGRAMS Engage students in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to thrive in, and contribute to, a pluralistic, complex world Goal B-1: Support and motivate transformational teaching, learning, and scholarship Increase and extend engaged learning/teaching methods and expand areas of impact Increase opportunities to identify and celebrate teaching excellence Provide increased support and incentive for faculty members to engage in scholarship collaboratively and individually Deepen assessment in order to improve undergraduate core learning, programspecific, and discipline-specific outcomes in graduate and undergraduate programs Reinforce the importance of the liberal arts while integrating applied learning strategies in all academic programs Define goals for integration of e-learning into a variety of teaching and learning platforms Expansion of honors program, hybrid grants, engaged learning fellows, Davis grant, NSF grant for flipping the classroom Showcases Faculty support for research and sponsored projects All programs TracDat trained. Assessment report and rubric format developed Written communication finished. Critical thinking in pilot stage In process Goal B-2: Develop and support mission-centered programs that are high quality and financially viable Review and prioritize all academic programs against campus-wide criteria Promote the exploration and development of new degree-granting and non-degree academic programs that are sustainable and cost effective Develop embedded, robust international experiences into appropriate courses and majors Completed Refer to institutional strategic planning Refer to institutional strategic planning Page 5

6 Goal B-3: Enhance interdisciplinary programs, experiences, and courses Promote the creation of interdisciplinary majors and minors that make use of the Refer to institutional strategic planning rich variety of existing courses and faculty expertise Increase interdisciplinary, team-led, short-term study abroad experiences Increased activity in Spring 2013 Develop cross-disciplinary and cross-college service learning experiences Refer to institutional strategic planning Review and revitalize the interdisciplinary All-University Curriculum Initial review completed. Refer to institutional strategic planning DIRECTION C: INFRASTRUCTURE Continue to renew the campus through strategic management of our facilities Goal C-1: Support learning resources and versatile learning strategies matched to a variety of pedagogical approaches Assess and enhance classroom learning environments Identify and promote the use of collaborative learning spaces among faculty and students Include collaborative learning space in any new construction or renovation of campus buildings Promote and facilitate internships for undergraduate and graduate students Sympodia, new generation smart boards, math classrooms, ENHP classroom Dana 236, Hillyer 242, Dana 205 Regents Commons (Shaw Center) No action Page 6

7 Goal C-2: Explore the enhancement of digital/physical spaces to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary scholarship and research Define and implement e-learning environment parameters through an educational Process initiated technology strategic planning process Complete University Library Master Planning exercise in order to create an Completed master plan. Referred to Institutional intellectual center of the community Advancement for fund raising strategy Develop enhanced technological infrastructure to support needs of learners Policies developing; WebEx, Lecture Capture, Library C- Pods; pilot programs in hybrid and flipped classrooms Goal C-3: Promote best practices related to academic administration and organization Evaluate staffing levels in the academic units and identify efficiencies and improvements Model responsible use of human, physical, and fiscal resources Increase integrative planning and assessment with other University offices and services Ongoing, informed by Foundation of the Future Ongoing Institutional Effectiveness, informed by Foundation of the Future Page 7