--DRAFT--
TIME TO GET IT RIGHT:
A Review of the Blue Ribbon Task Force’s Recommendations for UMKC
and
A Proposal of Actions
Interim Report
UMKC Trustee Initiative Teams
September 15, 2006
BACKGROUND
In early 2005, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation convened a group of nationally-renowned educators, economists, urban experts, and scholars to evaluate higher education in the greater Kansas City area and offer a comprehensive planning strategy. This group, commonly referred to as the Blue Ribbon Task Force (“BRTF”), issued its Time To Get It Right report in October of 2005. A copy of the report can be found in the appendix. Unlike many reports of its kind that often end up gathering dust on shelves, Time To Get It Right was quickly recognized as an extraordinary blueprint for the region’s education and economic planning, due in part to its perceived objectivity, breadth and strategic quality.
While the scope of the BRTF report extended to all institutions of higher education in Kansas City, the UMKC Board of Trustees was particularly interested in those recommendations that pertained to UMKC. The timing of the report was excellent: after a period of difficult relationships among the prior chancellor, the UMKC community, and the broader Kansas City community, a new chancellor had just been named; the Trustees believed that the report could serve as a catalyst for fresh thinking and new ways of working with the constituent groups. The Trustees’ goal was straightforward: working in collaboration with the University, and grounded in the strategies outlined by the BRTF, develop and implement a set of bold initiatives that would solidly position UMKC as a great urban university.
The BRTF report offered a solid grounding for this work, with its focused and clear recommendations for UMKC. Based on these, the Trustees identified six initiative areas for concerted work, and in early 2006 chairs for each of the six initiatives were named:
· The Bloch School Tom Bloch
· The Law School The Honorable Ann Mesle
· Life Sciences Crosby Kemper
· Private Endowment Support Betsey Solberg
· Urban Education (PreK-12) Hugh Zimmer
· Visual and Performing Arts John Readey
The charge of each of these Initiative Teams was twofold:
- To review the recommendations of the BRTF and, through broad-based discussion, affirm or refine these recommendations; and
- To propose those prioritized actions that, with Trustee/University collaboration, could best drive the accomplishment of the refined recommendations.
Between March and August 2006, the chairs developed multi-constituent teams, including deans and faculty from the respective Initiative areas, and engaged in a broad dialogue with community and university leadership. At the same time, ongoing discussions ensued with the Chancellor and the Provost to ensure the linkage of the Initiative efforts with the Administration’s own strategic planning, including the work of three commissions constituted by the Provost in fall 2005.
What follows are the Interim Reports of the Initiative Teams, consolidated and highlighted for ease in reading. The purpose of this document is single-minded: to bring to the table ideas and actions for additional discussion and partnership. The Trustee leadership feels strongly that the best (and perhaps only) way to bring to fruition the BRTF’s strategic recommendations is to work in collaboration with broad University constituents. This philosophy is stated particularly well in the Urban Education report:
All of the foregoing … envision the UMKC Trustees working with the University administration and faculty to create programs and secure funding … In order for these objectives to be achieved, there must be a larger partnership formed of all of the stakeholders in this issue. This means that education (at the primary, secondary and university level), business, philanthropic interests, and government (local, state and federal) must recognize that the education and training of a diverse work force is not only a social issue, but is one of the most important economic development issues Kansas City will face in the coming years. The UMKC Trustees can assist the University in becoming a strong leader in creating this partnership of stakeholders.
The following, therefore, should be read and regarded as a “thought piece,” not as an end product. It is our hope that readers – Trustees, University leaders and other community constituents – will focus on the common ground discussed by the Initiative Teams as well as the goal we share for UMKC: to be a great urban university.
As a final note, virtually all the ideas and actions proposed by the Initiative Teams have funding requirements; some are substantial. Clearly, one of the “cross-threads” running through the Interim Reports is the need for a system of benchmarking to measure the progress of various programs—to build credibility for funding support. This is discussed in more detail in the Next Steps section of the Executive Summary.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Executive Summary: Overview 5
Interim Reports
The Bloch School 6
The Law School 9
Life Sciences 11
Private Endowment Support 12
Urban Education (pre K-12) 13
Visual and Performing Arts 18
Executive Summary: Next Steps 21
Detailed Reports 22
The Bloch School
Urban Education
The Blue Ribbon Task Force Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: OVERVIEW
Highlights from the Interim Report of each Initiative Team (in alphabetical order) are provided in the following pages. Each Report starts with a restatement of the most relevant recommendations from the original Blue Ribbon Task Force report. This is followed by an affirmation or a refinement of those recommendations by each Initiative Team. Each team then proposes a series of prioritized actions for achieving the desired recommendations. A list of members contributing to the Initiative Team concludes each Interim Report.
A brief discussion of the anticipated next steps by Trustee and University leadership follows the individual reports.
Each of the reports is unique in its approach and recommendations, and attempting to synthesize these in an overall summary detracts from the richness of the Teams’ work. That being said, there are several common themes that emerge from the reports. Most of the reports affirm the general direction set forth by the BRTF, yet provide more context and detail. Most of the reports advocate a sharp focus of resources on current strengths. As stated previously, most of the reports reflect additional, significant investment needs and note the criticality of funding support. Several speak to new scholarship programs targeted to specific needs. Several point to improved branding and marketing programs.
All reports reflect the deep commitment and caring that the Trustee and University community have for UMKC and the belief that this IS the “time to get it right.”
THE BLOCH SCHOOL
I. Initial BRTF Recommendations (from “Time to Get it Right”)
Make the Bloch School a Top 50 business school; with entrepreneurship and biotechnology programs in the Top 10. Other objectives to consider include:
· Create and implement recruitment/retention programs that lead to improved graduation rates for under-represented populations.
· Consider creation of privately-funded undergraduate Honors Program.
· Create proactive work force preparation program.
II. Refined Recommendations
Restate the Initiative Objective as follows: Make the Bloch School a top-50 school of business and public administration with nationally recognized programs in entrepreneurship, leadership, financial services, undergraduate education and Executive MBA programs.
The Initiative Team embraces the other objectives stated above.
III. Proposed Actions
The Initiative Team believes that the following “Top Two Recommendations” (of a longer list of initiatives) offer the most potential to significantly increase the national recognition of The Bloch School, in line with the BRTF recommendations:
Recommendation #1: The Enterprise Development Laboratory.
How It Would Work (see diagram in Detailed Plan in Appendix):
· The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) will create a new model for technology commercialization and enterprise creation with high-growth development and hands-on experience. In the Enterprise Development Laboratory (EDL) students and faculty will experience all the tasks – and attendant frustration – required to transform new innovations into market-ready, high-growth businesses … in real time.
· The EDL will offer experiential learning for students and stimulate the creation of high-potential growth business concepts. Under the direction of core faculty members, research fellows, experts-in-residence and education staff, the teams will apply a rigorous set of criteria to innovations: assessing risks, conducting market opportunity analyses, developing marketing and sales strategies, examining financial models, and designing a business concept plan.
· The EDL will develop closer ties between academic research and the Kansas City business community, fostering rapid innovation and proactive introduction of novel ideas for new venture exploration. The EDL will enhance the process by which research results are transferred to the private and public sectors, benefiting society and the economy. The IEI will partner with private companies, the University of Missouri, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, the Stowers Institute, Midwest Research Institute, University of Kansas and others to assist in translational research, helping to speed new ideas to market.
· Business concepts deemed most promising will be evaluated by a panel of faculty, advisors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Startup funding for a six-month incubation period will be available to teams offering the best business plan. After the initial six month period, ventures will be shifted to another set of students for further development, or stopped due to non-viability, or transferred to other local resources for further incubation.
· UMKC students who choose to nurture their own enterprises will do so as part of the student incubator located within the Laboratory. Students and others will also take advantage of incubator space and additional resources available through the many partners in the Bloch School’s KCSourceLink network.
· IEI launched the EDL in January, 2006. Teams of students, faculty and community leaders evaluated over 30 potential opportunities provided by research groups across the metro area including the Midwest Research Institute, the University of Kansas, UMKC, and Hallmark and created 12 business plans for the most promising technologies.
The Costs and Benefits of this Initiative are contained in the detailed plan in the Appendix.
Recommendation #2: The Bloch Fellows Scholarship Program.
How It Would Work: The Bloch Fellows Program will recruit extraordinary high school seniors with a superior record of academic and extracurricular accomplishments and who are committed to pursuing a career in business and thus a business degree. Requirements include:
- Superior academic achievement (including ACT score, GPA, and class rank).
- Superior extracurricular achievement, including active commitment to community service. As a school of business and public administration, we seek students who already understand the importance of being civically engaged.
- Strong leadership potential, as demonstrated in academic and extracurricular activities. Leadership attributes – including initiative and inspiring and motivating others – will be sought. We seek Fellows who have the capacity to be thought leaders and influencers within Bloch, UMKC, and in the community both now and in the years to come.
4. Demonstrated critical thinking and writing skills. As part of the application process, prospective Fellows will be asked to answer essays that will assist the admissions committee in determining the depth of thought and analysis of the candidates.
Key Features:
- Each Fellow will receive a full scholarship, including: tuition, fees, books, room, board, a laptop computer, and an international travel study program (described below). The scholarship will be renewable annually, based on the academic performance and enrichment participation of the recipient.
2. Enrichment experiences to complement the students’ classroom learning, including:
· A cohort residential living experience. This group of students will learn and live together, building a network of professional contacts with the shared experiences that come from living together during their college years.
· A special seminar each semester, based on rotating themes of: leadership, ethics, decision processes, and strategic thinking.
· Special experiential opportunities to broaden and develop the Fellows during the summer, including civic engagement projects, an international experience, and an internship
- To accelerate the development of each student leader, the Bloch School will provide a mentoring and career development program.
- Recruitment: The goal is to recruit 5 new students each year with special attention to recruiting students of diverse backgrounds (or, within four years, to have 20 students total in all four classes in the Bloch Fellows program). In the longer-term, the goal is to recruit 10 new students each year, for a total of 40 students in the Bloch Fellows program.
Costs and benefits of this initiative are included in the detailed plan found in the appendix.
IV. Initiative Team Members
24
Danny Baker
Tom Bloch, Chair
Michael Chesser
David Donnelly
Homer Erekson (co-chair)
Joe Freeman
Doranne Hudson
Kamran Jahanshahi
Stephen Pruitt
James Sangster
Beth Smith
Allen Strain
Terry Ward
24
THE LAW SCHOOL
I. Initial BRTF Recommendations (from “Time to Get it Right”)
Enact strategy to place Law School in Top 50 nationally.
II. Refined Recommendations
Through continuing to move forward on its strategic plan, which includes:
· Being a leader in educating excellent lawyers through integrating high-level scholarships; a rigorous, traditional curriculum; and innovative, experiential learning opportunities.
· Advancing strategic initiatives in its emphasis areas:
§ Litigation/Trial Advocacy;
§ Law of Children and Families;
§ Business and Entrepreneurial Law (including solo and small firm practice);
§ Urban Law.
· Focusing on strong faculty/student interaction, making us “the urban public law school with the small liberal arts feel”(or a similar theme based on discussion with marketing).
· Strategic marketing involving faculty, alumni and members of the community.
UMKC School of Law Will:
· Improve the quality of its student body.
· Develop and receive increased funding to support, retain and add outstanding faculty (including research support), offer more scholarships to outstanding and diverse students, enhance clinical support and reduce student/faculty ratio.
· Increase national reputation among both academics and practitioners.
Which Will Lead To:
· Top 100 status next year.