Academic Planning
Task Force
J-161 -- 12:00 PM
October 15, 2007
VPAA Szafran was off campus, so A&S Dean Gabrielli
conducted the meeting.
The Task Force was split into four groups to discuss each of
the four goals established at previous meetings. Each group had 40 minutes to discuss their
assigned goal and recommend how this goal should be treated in the plan. After 40 minutes, each group presented their
conclusions to the Task Force.
Goal 1: Quality
Instruction, including Assessment and Professional Development
- Terms
need to be defined
- Major
faculty effort will require more resources – some increased faculty
workloads should be offset with reassigned time
- How to
increase academic rigor without negatively affecting student success. A faculty committee will need to
address this.
- Wrap
instruction around applied learning – define terms
- Provide
meaningful support for faculty scholarship and for professional
development in support of instruction
Goal 2: Comprehensive University
- Increase
number of graduate programs, including DPS degree, PSM degree, more
graduate certificate programs for those not needing the MS credential
- Develop
and/or expand program offerings in STEM Education and Engineering
- Expand
offerings in Business
- Continue
to add new academic programs in areas that fit our mission.
Goal 3: Funding
- Raise
an endowment
- Identify
and study other endowed universities in USG
- Seek
naming opportunities
- President
should take more active role in fundraising
- Go
after more than just alumni
- Contact
Lilly and Danforth foundations for funding for
“colleges in transition”
- Offer
to earmark endowment money for specific purposes
- Use
unique engineering programs as “grant bait”
- Ask
companies who hire our graduates
- Contact
big business in Cobb and GA
- Fund
grant-writing workshops for administrators and dept. chairs
Goal 4: Student and
Community Needs
- Survey
HS seniors and 2-year college students about needs
- Match
needs to SPSU goals and agenda
- Talk
to faculty and counselors at 2 year schools, focus group of transfer students