04.14.08.01 – Final
Dist. Exec. Com. 4/14/08
Academic Senate Action Item/Approval on 4/23/08
To: Academic Senate
From: Planning and Finance Committee
Re: 2008-09 Institutional Goals and Priorities Report - Revised
Date: April 10, 2008
The Planning and Finance Committee seeks the Academic Senate’s endorsement of the priorities listed below for submission to the President.
Introduction
The achievement of the ideals embedded in the University mission statement and strategic plan is a shared obligation of all members of the university community. Whatever the University does should be explained in terms of how it contributes to moving the University in the right direction towards reaching these goals and ideals. These goals can be achieved only over time, through the development, implementation, and thoughtful assessment of policies and programs intended to make the ideals of the mission statement and Educating Illinois real in the lives of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
The Planning and Finance Committee has developed a list of priorities on which it believes the University should focus over the next few years in the specific fulfillment of its mission and strategic plan. The Committee has produced priorities reports since the 2003-04 academic year. We have had presentations by a number of administrators and have engaged in conversations about the many cross-pressures facing university finances, goals, and ambitions. Additionally, we have reviewed the latest version of the Educating Illinois document and the responses to the 2007-08 priorities report we received from the Vice Presidents. The recommendations offered in this report are grounded on these consultations, reviews, and conversations.
Priorities
1. Continue efforts to improve competitiveness of faculty and staff salaries with the effect of achieving at least peer group median salaries within 3-5 years.
The Academic Senate calls on the university leadership to continue their work on this multi-year, fundamental institutional priority with the goal of achieving and surpassing peer group medians for Illinois State University faculty and staff This plan should continue to intermix annual, general merit-based raises with mid-year, targeted pay raises to address salary inversion and compression and under-rewarded merit within categories of employees who are below peer group medians. The Senate asks for the maintenance of transparency in this process and for sharing with faculty/staff the criteria and specific methods used for determining their raises.
The Committee recommends that the focus of the program remain on increasing median salaries (as opposed to averages) since the use of medians will result in a more equitable distribution of funds. Further, we recommend that within colleges/programs/units, wherever possible, discipline-specific median salaries be used as the basis for determining the raises.
The Senate also urges the university leadership to review the salary of other employees, particularly graduate assistants and NTT faculty, to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all, including negotiated employees.
2. Enhance student experience.
The Academic Senate calls on the university leadership to devise and implement strategies to enhance the student experience at ISU. Particular attention should be paid to the following: 1) providing necessary resources toward increasing enrollment capacity in majors based on student demand and workforce needs so that qualified students who have been admitted to the University can be accommodated; 2) improving communication and teamwork between the departments and Enrollment Management and Academic Services (EMAS) so that students are better served, admission to majors are more predictable, and department resources are not strained beyond their capacity; 3) developing outreach programs for transfer students, similar to the first-year experience, to help them integrate into the university community; 4) continuing to offer small class sizes, especially for first-year students, to help in their transition and retention and to promote a small-college atmosphere; and 5) diversifying the student body, the faculty, and the curriculum in support of our educational mission.
The Planning and Finance Committee believes that an enhanced educational experience will improve student retention and performance and will make students more committed to this institution and its future.
3. Continue efforts in enhancing the safety and security of the campus.
The Academic Senate supports the university leadership in their efforts to develop and maintain an updated safety and security plan for campus, including investment in equipment and technology, developing safety procedures, enhancing communication, and training and informing the campus community.
4. Enhance library resources.
The Academic Senate calls on the university leadership to assess the resources of Milner Library and to ensure they meet the needs of the university community. We have a particular responsibility to maintain Milner, the cornerstone of the university, in a state that is at least comparable to our peer institutions.
5. Increase operations budgets.
The Academic Senate calls on the university leadership to work with deans, chairs, directors, and other unit administrators toward enhancing department and unit operating budgets. These budgets have been effectively reduced for a number of years, even as new pressures for travel, faculty start-up costs, computer upgrades, and other requirements have been placed on these budgets.
6. Explore expanded programming.
The Academic Senate calls on the university leadership to support the Senate in leading a discussion to explore the feasibility and desirability of offering an increased number of distance courses, as well as courses during the summer and winter breaks. This exploration should include the potential implementation of new distance courses and consideration of alternative summer school and winter break offerings for existing students as well as an expanded pool of students that might include off-campus and international students. These new offerings would be in addition to the courses offered under our current summer school policy. Pursuant to this exploratory study, the University needs to develop a long-term plan, vision, and mission for distance education programs and courses.
There could be many benefits associated with distance, summer, and winter break course offerings if it is concluded that such courses can be offered successfully with a high level of quality. The advantages include increasing the educational capacity of the university during periods that facilities and other university resources are underutilized, increasing the availability of courses that would lead to higher flexibility in student schedules enabling them to complete their degrees in a shorter period of time, providing additional employment opportunities for faculty, and producing new forms of income for ISU.
Requested Administrative Action
The Planning and Finance Committee asks the President to charge the Vice Presidents and College Deans to make a formal, written response to the recommendations above, either supporting or rejecting them. The Committee requests that those units that agree with these goals and are taking steps to fulfill them explain what they are doing to support these goals. Moreover, and in accord with the Memorandum of Understanding between the University administration and the Academic Senate, if an administrator rejects or opposes a recommendation or recommendations, the Committee expects that the administrator explain this position to the Committee.
As this is an administrative process, the Committee asks the President’s office to receive these reports and then forward them to the Planning and Finance Committee no later than November 1, 2008, to inform the Committee’s 2009-2010 Priorities Report. The Committee further asks the President to use the transmission of these reports as an opportunity to update the Senate on the University’s progress in each of these areas through whatever means the President finds appropriate.