Goal 1

Ensure high-quality experiences for all students.

• Objective 1.1
• Objective 1.2
• Objective 1.3
• Objective 1.4
• Objective 1.5
• Objective 1.6
• Objective 1.7
• Objective 1.8
• Objective 1.9
• Objective 1.10
• Objective 1.11

Objective 1.1

Refine the College's department/unit review process to ensure systematic and consistent emphasis on program improvement.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.1.1 - Determine extent of data availability, establish evaluative rubrics, establish review procedural protocol, and set timelines.
• Strategic Action 1.1.2 - Impliment reviews.
• Strategic Action 1.1.3 - Implement program improvement recommendations.

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Objective 1.2

Establish or further develop a clear set of intended student outcomes for every curricular area including general education, majors, and minors, and implement a systematic, college-wide student outcomes assessment program.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.2.1 - Determine a standard college-wide protocol for statement and assessment of student outcomes.
• Strategic Action 1.2.2 - Identify student outcomes for each academic major.
• Strategic Action 1.2.3 - Develop and implement departmentally-based student outcomes assessment designs for all major programs.
• Strategic Action 1.2.4 - Review and, if necessary, revise general education program outcomes.
• Strategic Action 1.2.5 - Develop and implement a student outcomes assessment design for general education.
• Strategic Action 1.2.6 - Identify student outcomes for each academic minor.
• Strategic Action 1.2.7 - Develop and implement student outcomes assessment designs for all minor programs.

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Objective 1.3

Develop a long-term plan that links departmental/unit reviews and student outcomes assessment to resource allocation.
(Vice President for Administration and Finance)

• Strategic Action 1.3.1 - Assign responsibility for resource allocation review to the College Budget Task Force.
• Strategic Action 1.3.2 - Review college-wide student outcomes assessment and department review results, develop suggestions for funding processes, and recommend priorities for resource requirements.
• Strategic Action 1.3.3 - Consider the task force's priorities and recommendations for incorporation into the College's long range financial planning.

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Objective 1.4

Continue library enhancements and transformations to support its role as a central and critical core of the student learning experience.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Administration and Finance)

• Strategic Action 1.4.1 - Continue physical improvements in Adams Library.
• Strategic Action 1.4.2 - Develop a proposed long-range plan for Adams Library that (a) reflects emerging trends in college library acquisitions and services, and (b) responds to anticipated changes in student needs for learning resources.

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Objectives 1.5

Expand and emphasize internships and off-campus learning experiences in academic majors.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.5.1 - Conduct an inventory of the availability and utilization of existing internship and off-campus learning experiences.
• Strategic Action 1.5.2 - Investigate opportunities for additional internships and off-campus learning in areas where such opportunities are now absent or underdeveloped.
• Strategic Action 1.5.3 - Develop departmentally-based plans - making curricular modifications where necessary/desired - to ensure the availability of relevant, meaningful, and high-quality internships/off-campus learning experiences.
• Strategic Action 1.5.4 - Implement strategies that encourage students to enhance major-field study through participation in well-planned internships or off-campus educational experiences.

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Objectives 1.6

Strengthen and support faculty and professional staff development that encourages the College's commitment to excellence in teaching and student achievement.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.6.1 - Extend new faculty and professional staff orientation to ensure that all new members understand the College's commitment to excellence in teaching and student achievement.
• Strategic Action 1.6.2 - Initiate a series of informal, ongoing opportunities for faculty development such as brown-bag series, continuing colloquia, teaching circles.

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Objectives 1.7

Where they exist, use standards of nationally recognized accreditation organizations to guide qualitative expectations for academic programs.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.7.1 - Identify accreditation agencies that have been approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and have established accreditation standards for programs offered at the College.
• Strategic Action 1.7.2 - Conduct programmatic curriculum audits to determine compliance with identified accreditation standards.
• Strategic Action 1.7.3 - Make desired curriculum modifications as appropriate to meet national standards.

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Objectives 1.8

Identify academic characteristics of the College that are considered to be distinctive in order to ensure their sufficiency of support, continuing qualitative improvement, and public visibility.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.8.1 - Develop statement on academic distinctiveness, and criteria and assessment rubrics for determining distinctiveness.
• Strategic Action 1.8.2 - Determine what programs/activities meet the criteria.
• Strategic Action 1.8.3 - Determine resource/programmatic needs in order for identified distinctive programs/activities to maintain elements of distinctiveness as well as to improve in quality.
• Strategic Action 1.8.4 - Develop a plan to ensure internal and external visibility of and attention to identified distinctive programs/activities.

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Objectives 1.9

Respond to changing demands in emerging academic, intellectual, and professional fields such as biotechnology, science-based allied health, technology-assisted human wellness, and environmental concerns.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.9.1 - Identify academic programmatic opportunities in the broad areas of biotechnology, science-based allied health, technology-assisted human wellness, and environmental concerns; propose program development priorities.
• Strategic Action 1.9.2 - Explore opportunities for partnering with private and public sector entities to expand College programming in emerging academic, intellectual, and professional fields.
• Strategic Action 1.9.3 - Develop proposals for new programs and seek necessary approvals for implementation.

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Objectives 1.10

Consider the reorganization of the Nursing Department into a School of Nursing; ensure continued excellence in professional preparation and increase extramural support for nursing education.
(Vice President for Academic Affairs)

• Strategic Action 1.10.1 - Determine resource needs, advantages, and costs associated with converting the current Nursing Department to a School of Nursing, or a School of Nursing and Allied Health; present alternative organizational suggestions to the College President.

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Objectives 1.11

Further strengthen employee recruitment/employment efforts in order to achieve a more diversified faculty and staff.
(Vice President for Administration and Finance)

• Strategic Action 1.11.1 - Reallocate faculty/staff vacancy advertising dollars to increase advertisements in minority-oriented publications, and target recruitments to placement offices at multicultural institutions.
• Strategic Action 1.11.2 - Develop a tracking system to identify primary sources of multicultural applicants.

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