Strategic Planning

Action Steps:

1. Seek the most efficient, effective and technologically sound business and service best practices and regularly compare ourselves to national peers. (BOR Goal 7)
   
2. Provide and maintain superior facilities, funded by innovative mechanisms, that increase the speed with which they are usable. (BOR Goal 8)
   
3. Increase, diversify and strategically allocate resources. (BOR Goal 10)
   
4. Define, develop and assess benchmarks.
   
5. Define core values and principles to guide us as we implement the strategic plan.
   
6. Generate an accountability process that integrates VSU's core principles and values and is directly related to the strategic plan.
   
7. Allocate resources based on the strategic plan.
   
8. Develop a usable four-sentence or less mission statement that summarizes the spirit of the strategic plan.

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Successful Outreach
Goal 2: VSU actively identifies, cultivates, and encourages private support through the enhancement of alumni, community, and corporate outreach.

Action Steps:

1. Assess current fund-raising efforts. (What are we doing, how, etc. Compare and benchmark against other successful foundations. Determine successes, set future goals for new efforts. What is available, current endorsement levels, etc).
   
2. Identify commonly used resources, grants research; compare to benchmarks of successful models.
   
3. Analyze endorsements, scholarships and matching funds for grants, corporate sponsorships. Review restricted funds, etc.
   
4. Continue alumni identification/communication. Enhance Homecoming and other activities to encourage return to campus and continued involvement with VSU.
   
5. Evaluate current financial situation; determine existing deficiencies, take corrective actions. Determine additional funds and prioritize to initiate capital campaign drive.

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Excellence in Student Learning and Retention
Goal 3: VSU encourages continuous enhancement of curricula and research opportunities, resulting in highly informed graduates and increased student retention and graduation rates.

Action Steps:

1. Develop graduates who are intellectually and ethically informed individuals with defined skills and knowledge, capable of leadership, creative endeavors, and contributing citizenship in an interconnected world. (BOR Goal 1)
   
   1. Encourage academic structures that promote interdisciplinary learning, learning communities, and highlight the interconnectedness of knowledge.
      
   2. Integrate ethical studies and diversity more fully into the core curriculum and general studies.
      
   3. Develop new and greater opportunities for internships and cooperative programs with businesses, government, and community service organizations.
      
   4. Set goals for the percentage of graduates involved in service learning or other forms of civic engagement.
      
   5. Set target pass rates for professional licensure tests, including PRAXIS, Nursing, Law, etc.
      
2. Improve continuously the quality of curricula, research activities and international opportunities. (BOR Goal 3)
   
   1. Concentrate on quality within all programs by ensuring that comprehensive program review is fully implemented.
      
   2. Examine ways to increase study abroad opportunities.
      
   3. Establish 4 percent as the target for the yearly percentage of students who have a foreign study experience to be achieved by 2007.
      
   4. Encourage more collaboration with two-year institutions in the revision of curricula and the refinement of course objectives.
      
   5. Develop programs to bring academia and business closer together by promoting ICAPP liaison officers as point of contact for business/industry.
      
   6. Work with constituents outside academia to improve their understanding of what a professor's job entails.
      
3. Increase academic productivity through improved recruitment, increased retention, accelerated graduation, expanded credit generation, augmented continuing education opportunities, and current technology. (BOR Goal 4)
   
   1. Expand the use of freshman experience programs, sophomore experience programs, learning communities, and other programs designed to increase student retention.
      
   2. Develop a best-practices information base so that information about successful retention practices and programs can be shared.
      
4. Conduct a feasibility study for additional and improved student housing. Continued renovation of existing student housing to include creative solutions.
   
   1. Identify what other comparable universities are doing to meet needs.
      
   2. Use national consultant to aid in identifying trends and viable solutions.
      
   3. Develop a timetable for renovation of existing residence halls. Also, develop budgets.
      
   4. Develop a timetable, cost schedule and locations for new housing.
      
   5. Survey students to identify needs and how VSU is not currently serving those needs.
      
   6. Identify and plan for housing needs of married or other nontraditional students.
      
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the Freshmen Year Experience Program. Improve student advising.
   
   1. Evaluate characteristics of FYE students and their success rates, destinations (majors).
      
   2. Evaluate advising programs at comparable universities and compare to programs in place at VSU.
      
   3. Investigate the implementation of the Banner degree audit or comparable program.
      
   4. Develop a program to recognize and reward successful academic advising.
      
6. Ensure faculty staffing is adequate to meet student course demand.
   
   1. Develop and implement plan for recruiting and hiring faculty at least one year in advance of projected needs and areas.
      
   2. Develop and follow through with mandated program reviews and actions based in those reviews.
      
   3. Develop plans to reward and retain successful faculty members.
      
7. Build upon the Partners in Campus Excellence program to create a student-friendly service environment.
   
   1. Develop and strengthen orientation programs for new faculty and staff.
      
   2. Develop cross-training programs for all staff at all levels.
      
   3. Survey students, faculty, and staff regarding current services, problems, and ways to improve.
      
8. Provide social and educational programs and services that provide opportunities for student development. Continue and improve support of student organizations and Greek life.
   
   1. Identify and develop ways to utilize the new student recreation center.
      
   2. Enhance weekend programs, especially in residence halls.
      
   3. Develop ways to provide enhanced employment opportunities for students on campus and in the region.
      
   4. Identify and implement ways to enhance welcoming practices for new students at opening of school.
      
   5. Survey nontraditional students as to needs and develop programs to serve needs.

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Access and Participation
Goal 4: VSU promotes expanded access, participation, and quality through a comprehensive marketing plan.

1. Expand participation by increasing access while maintaining quality, enhance diversity, focus on the needs of nontraditional students, increase distance education opportunities, advance public library usage, and market the advantages of a postsecondary education to all Georgians. (BOR Goal 2)
   
   1. Develop additional programs in which VSU four-year degree programs are offered at two-year colleges.
      
   2. Assure that where demand exists, opportunities to access degree programs are available at off-campus sites.
      
   3. Identify the factors that serve as barriers to access to higher education for minority and nontraditional students and implement programs to overcome the barriers.
      
   4. Integrate the public libraries into the delivery of higher education.
      
2. Create a university marketing committee.
   
3. Conduct an environmental scan on VSU infrastructure to support enrollment targets (academics, housing, teacher support staff).
   
4. Establish institutional budget for marketing plan.
   
5. Establish visual identity and mission slogan.
   
6. Develop specific marketing strategies to support institutional goals.

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Student Preparation
Goal 5: VSU works actively with K-12 education to increase the pool (number) of high school students from our service area who are eligible to attend the University.

1. Make University System of Georgia education seamless with K-12, DTAE, and independent colleges. (BOR Goal 9)
   
   1. Improve academic feedback between educational levels.
      
2. Gather benchmark data to inform the goal and measure progress. How many students can't meet requirements? What are they lacking? Is there a relationship between graduation test requirements and what we require? (Or what they are lacking?)
   
3. Identify people and units within the local schools already concerned with or attempting to address the issue.
   
4. Determine current and near-term technologies that could help in reaching out to these students and aid in their preparation. GSAMMS to offer workshops. Computer programs for prep work.
   
5. Improve cooperation and connection between the university and service area schools to better inform all concerned partners. Help schools identify deficiencies in eligibility. Create liaison with each school.
   
6. Create program to encourage students in freshmen and sophomore year of high school to prepare for college.
   
7. Create program/workshop to help students understand how to apply to schools (VSU) and what is required; explain scholarships (HOPE).
   
8. Create "culture of education" - see education has value and promote to students in high school and middle school - lifelong.
   
9. Create peer mentors with current students at VSU and local high schools (tie to workshops, etc…..)
   
10. Work with area teachers to incorporate college prep into all courses and value of education concepts. Make local teachers aware of student eligibility deficiency and partner to make changes.
    
11. Use current partner schools in community to run pilot programs to see if we can increase preparedness/admission.
    
12. Advocate higher teacher and classroom standards in local schools.
    
13. Identify how consortium could be better utilized, and what the relationship is between student eligibility and consortium goals. (Such as: do we retain consortium students?)
    
14. Tie into marketing plan - once we prepare students to get in, make them want to get in.

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High Quality Personnel
Goal 6: VSU pursues excellence by recruiting, developing, and retaining quality faculty and staff in an environment of shared governance across the campus community.

1. Emphasize the recruitment, hiring, and retention of the best possible faculty, staff, and administration. (BOR Goal 5)
   
   1. Develop more intra-institutional co-operative programs and internships to take advantage of the talent being educated.
      
   2. Create mentorship programs (using current or former employees)
      
   3. Develop new and expand existing programs to recognize and celebrate faculty and staff achievement.
      
2. Identify the existing barriers to the recruitment, development and retention of faculty and staff.
   
3. Identify the existing barriers to developing a faculty and staff of diversity.
   
4. Identify the elements of shared governance in existence at VSU.
   
5. Identify and implement steps to achieve greater participation in shared governance.
   
6. Develop a recruitment, retention, and development plan for all faculty and staff with adequate support. This will reflect an examination of:
   
   1. An internal merit system
      
   2. Resources for evaluating services or individuals and/or contract in privatized areas
      
   3. Mandatory leave
      
   4. Dental insurance offerings
      
   5. Parking issues
      
   6. VSU code of ethics
      
   7. Existing salaries and wages
      
   8. Procedures for conflict resolution
      
   9. Evaluations
      
   10. Job descriptions (B codes)
       
   11. Staff training
       
   12. Possible 5-year vesting
       
   13. Sick leave bank
       
   14. Flextime and tuition remission
       
7. Expand opportunities for professional development for all faculty and staff.
   
8. Develop a plan to identify students and staff who want to pursue professional careers in higher education. Develop ways to support them and bring them back to VSU as professional colleagues.

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Engagement in the Community and Region
Goal 7: VSU continues to develop its important cultural and economic impact, enhancing the quality of life for the region as well as attracting new students, residents, industry, and visitors.

1. Accelerate economic development by providing, when feasible, needed graduates, appropriate academic programs, and expanding marketing of the System and its institutions as an economic asset of the state. (BOR Goal 6)
   
   1. Develop academic-business partnerships to enhance entrepreneurship, innovations, commercialization of research, and provide support to business.
      
2. Review current delivery systems of cultural activities.
   
3. Based on review of current offerings, review allocation of resources - "bang for the buck".
   
4. Review Small Business Administration offering.
   
5. Develop campus experts to assist with startup of new business. All fields/areas of campus - not just College of Business.
   
6. Serve on Economic Development Boards of the region.
   
7. Continued participation in ICAPP initiative.
   
8. Form partnership with the city and county using SPLOST funds to build a Performing Arts Center.
   
9. Build Performing Arts Center on Norman Drive - ability to serve Valdosta-Lowndes County Convention Center and new hotels built in area.
   
10. Develop new Allied Health program, which will bring new students and provide employees to current economic structure. Provides base to expand economic development in area
    
11. Develop Small Business Incubation Center. Includes yearly evaluation on number of start-ups and a 5-year evaluation of businesses still in existence
    
12. Develop list of experts for mentoring relationship. Put online and distribute
    throughout community

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Continuous Communication
Goal 8: VSU fosters strong alliances with key leaders through ongoing, two-way communication with the Board of Regents.

1. Maximizing cooperation with other state agencies, boards, the Office of the Governor, and the General Assembly, while maintaining the constitutional authority of the Board of Regents. (BOR Goal 11)
   
   1. Create "think tank" to grapple with issues facing state.
      
2. Monthly meetings - focus on a different aspect of the university.
   
3. Create opportunities for Board of Regents members, individually and collectively, to visit campus annually.
   
4. Strategic decision makers at state and BOR level are identified and included as part of the university's marketing plan.
   
5. Prepare the VSU strategic plan to complement the BOR strategic plan.

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