August 2002/ Strategic goals

1. Viable academic programs: 

SPSU needs to provide academic programs that respond to student interest, economic demand, and changes in knowledge, application, and societal needs…

Elements of this goal will include

…using rigorous, regular program reviews to assess and make decisions about the relevance and sustainability of current programs.

… developing new programs that respond to new or changing needs – and which fit the “hedgehog” idea

…engaging the business community in developing curricula, providing guest lectures and field trip locations, offering sites for internships and co-operative education experiences, and in providing financial support for academic programs – including “the world of work” in all aspects of our academic programs

…and ensuring that, at a school that is best in the world at applying technology, we are applying technology appropriately in our academic programs

2. A strong sense of place: 

This goal is characterized by

Student engagement in extra-curricular activities – more campus life in general --

By a community (on-campus and off-) that is proud of the University

By faculty and staff who are engaged in community

By loyalty and genuine commitment from faculty, staff, and students – and by retired and emeritus members of the community

            And by a pride in what we can do that you can feel when you’re on campus.

3. Enrollment to support the mission:

4.

SPSU needs to have…a sustainable balance between available resources and programs and services provided.

We talk about needing to increase enrollment – but there’s an unspoken assumption there. 

What we really want to do is have the enrollment (and therefore revenues – from tuition and from the state allocation, which is based heavily on enrollment) be sufficient for what we want to do here.

      Enrollment includes recruitment – of those superior students, who are capable of developing balanced, mature minds and who are interested in applying technology –

      Also retention, which has many moving parts, including everything from housing and food service to the quality of academic advising

5. Private resources to support the mission:

This University needs to have sufficient resources within its control to support its programs and to protect the institution against fluctuations in annual sources of public, private, or tuition support.

There are many elements to this goal, as well, including

raising funds,

developing an endowment,

strengthening the Foundation,

involving the alumni,

and ensuring that the information and technology support good stewardship of the resources.

6. A campus-wide ethic of customer service:

In a way, these five goals are intersecting circles, too.

Customer service is all about one of our fundamental values – respect.

Strong customer service characterizes a mature organization, which we hope reflects the mature minds studying, teaching, and working here.

We all have anecdotal stories about students – or employees – leave because they were treated rudely, or poorly, or not served at all. 

The quality of customer service affects our ability to attract and retain faculty, staff, and students

…the understanding of who we are and what we do here – what we value

…our ability to seek outside support for our mission