Strategic Planning Concepts 11-2-05

Vision: Vision of Metropolitan State College by President Jordan: The new “metropolitan” college will incorporate an extended and applied service mission, while it is constructed upon mutually beneficial partnerships. It is grounded on the arts and sciences, but it is informed by the professions. It is entrepreneurial, while it serves a wide spectrum of student constituencies through multiple pedagogies and modalities. First, the college must set as its vision, a Metropolitan State College of Denver that aspires to be the preeminent public urban baccalaureate college in the country. By setting this goal we are saying to the metropolitan Denver communities we intend to be a place of hope, pride and accomplishment.

Purpose: Strategic planning is part of the first phase of a ten year plan described previously by President Jordan. Strategic planning helps describe the future of Metropolitan State College of Denver. The process of planning brings the MSCD community together to think and plan about the future, the issues we face and what we vision ourselves to be in the future. The planning must involve all levels of the organization in the process and be a combination of a top-down and bottom-up process. The ideas of the metropolitan area community and the college community must be reflected in the plan. This plan must reflect the College’s desire to offer quality education to the community. The document must be dynamic and able to change as we move through the next ten years. Metropolitan State College of Denver must be open to the ideas of others, the ideas of the college community and the environment in which we exist. President Jordan has specified four areas that should receive special focus: (1) A continued concerted effort to uniformly develop a faculty cadre that is widely acknowledged consisting of individuals who demonstrate through their actions their commitment to teaching; (2) A critical analytical review of what it means to be a modified-open admissions institution and to affirmatively assert what our collective and individual responsibilities should be to the students we admit;

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(3) A commitment to actively engage with our communities with a particular emphasis on partnerships with the Denver Public Schools and the metropolitan area community colleges; and (4) Provide service learning initiatives and opportunities in an interdisciplinary environment so that our various departments work together to provide our students tools and experience so they are well prepared to enter the work force when they graduate. In addition the Metropolitan State College of Denver Board of Trustees has adopted the following values for the college. The strategic plans must consider these values as organizational priorities. Metropolitan State College of Denver has 1. High expectations for student success 2. High standards for student competence 3. Faculty who prize student achievement, their own professional selfappraisal and teaching excellence 4. A curriculum that emphasizes the integration of theory and practice, and one that prepares students for success in their profession 5. Generous admissions policies coupled with precise diagnosis of student skills and reliable advising based on those evaluations 6. Widespread student and faculty engagement with the metropolitan Denver community 7. Affordability recognizing the importance of financial aid for low income students as well as the financial and other benefits deriving from a high quality college degree 8. Graduates who are well prepared for the responsibilities and opportunities offered by life, their families, their communities and their careers

Strategic Planning – Process: Background: The process described in this document is based on the ideas of many, President Jordan, Interim Vice President Joan Foster, other members of the administration, the Department Chairs, the Faculty Senate and others. Much is owed to the work of Raj Khandekar, Jerry Geisler, and Debora Gilliard who worked with the various individuals and groups that helped design this process. Metropolitan State College of Denver is a comprehensive, baccalaureate degree granting, urban, non-residential “College of Opportunity.” The College primarily serves individuals from Adams, Arapaho, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. The students are served through a combination of primarily on-campus classes and also through distance learning. MSCD is a

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diverse college and the planning must incorporate the need for the process to reflect this diversity. The College is a teaching institution and research by the faculty often reflects the action research that has direct application in the classroom and to the communities that are served by the College. The final document must be a dynamic document, but it is expected that the following time frames can be met by the College: Stage One:

College planning process starts immediately and will be completed by the start of the fall semester 2006.

Stage Two:

College divisions (vice presidents) begin the planning process and determine the completion dates in conjunction with the Steering Committee. The division planning committees may wish to form subcommittees as appropriate.

Stage Three:

School planning process to start when the school determines and end at a time to be determined by the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The school planning committees may wish to form subcommittees as appropriate.

Stage Four:

Department planning process to start at a time determined by the Department and end at a time determined by the dean. The department planning committees may wish to form subcommittees as appropriate.

Stages: Stage One: Tasks: 1. Form Steering Committee Members: Vice President Academic Affairs/Provost Vice President Student Services Vice President for Institutional Advancement Vice President Administration and Finance Faculty Senate President

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Dean (1) Chair representative Faculty Senate Representative Faculty LAS (2), one representing social sciences, humanities, fine arts and the performing arts, with another representing sciences and math Faculty SPS (1) Faculty Business (1) Classified Staff Representative Administrative Staff Representative Member of the HLC/NCA Committee appointed by the members of the Committee Foundation Board Member or Alumni Board Member Student, appointed by student government The Vice President for Information Technology will attend meetings to offer advice and information to the Committee. In forming the Steering Committee and selecting the other participants in this planning process it is critical that the committees reflect the diversity of the college community. Faculty Members: Raj Khandekar, Jerry Geisler, and Debora Gilliard will serve as consultants to the Committee. Each of these individuals will take a lead consultative role in different parts of the process as we move forward. 2. Purpose: a. Review the Revised Role and Mission Statement that has been approved by a number of campus constituencies for reference in planning. b. Review the plans of the vice presidential areas if plans are available. c. Define measurable outcomes for the goals. d. Identify and draft College goals from a review of the plans. Determine if there should be new or additional goals. e. Identify task groups to determine activities that will move the college toward its goals and/or address specific issues such as those identified by Dr. Jordan. f. Review existing statements related to strategic planning g. Identify what is needed to be done and develop process guidelines.

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h. Identify parameters of strategic plans for the Schools and Departments i. Seek input/consensus from “stake holders” j. Coordinate the process. k. Identify the role of the President and the President’s Cabinet. l. Identify and define those issues that are primarily college wide, division, school and department areas of concern and interest. m. Integrate the work of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) committee work with the strategic plan. n. Identify a strategy and plan to determine community needs. 3. Time Frames: a. Complete College strategic plan by the start of the academic year 2006. b. Coordinate goals with the schools and departments.

4. Sub-Committees: The college-wide steering committee may wish to form subcommittees to make recommendations concerning ways to achieve the college’s goals and the values/organizational priorities determined by the Trustees. Progress: In progress or completed: 1.

What can be started: a. Education of those involved in the process at all levels. b. Discussions at the division, school and department level as to how to proceed. c. Surveys of “stake holders” identifying what they think are important and what should be included in the strategic plans.

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What has been done: a. Vice Presidents, Deans have been provided information about strategic planning.

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b. Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate has attended a one hour session on strategic planning. c. Chairs hare attend a one hour session on strategic planning.

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