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UCCS: Coming of Age in the 21st Century
Inclusive, Academically Rigorous, Connected
Regents’ Area of STUDENT SUCCESS
Goals, Strategies, Tactics, and Performance Measures
I. GOAL: CREATE A VIBRANT, ENGAGED CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Strategies
A. Improve Student Retention through Focused, Concerted Efforts
Tactics:
1. Enhance advising services.
2. Train advisors in developmental advising.
3. Increase advising staff.
4. Begin peer mentor program.
5. Research student needs (e.g. class sizes, scheduling, ease of registration, SIS replacement) and meet needs.
6. Foster shared responsibility for diversity among faculty, staff, and students.
7. Create model of shared advising with Student Success academic advisors and faculty members.
8. Reward faculty and staff for student-centered behavior.
9. Create an intentional marketing communication plan to reach students.
10. Integrate student retention in all aspects of university life.
11. Initiate secret shopper approach for all front-line offices to understand student experiences; conduct student focus groups.
12. Create annual survey of faculty and staff climate to measure engagement.
13. Use Noel Levitz data to establish baseline measures to determine level of satisfaction with departments; compare year-to-year.
14. Develop an activity attendance tracking system through a Mountain Lion One Card swipe system. Use the information to track demographic information and identify activities as campus traditions.
15. Develop an activity template for campus activities that specifies specific goals and purposes relating to the strategic plan and targeted audiences. Track activities for participant tasks, attendance levels, volunteer hours, and budget.
16. Conduct National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) assessments of campus conditions; use the measures to facilitate campus workshops and retreats to stimulate discussion about ways to improve the programs on campus.
Performance Measures:
1. Improve retention rate (freshman to sophomore) by 2% per year to reach a 73% rate by 2012.
2. Measure satisfaction of all students through National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) measures of student engagement in year-to-year comparisons.
3. Improve Noel Levitz level of satisfaction with departments by 2 % per year; compare year-to-year.
4. Incorporate data results into planning and into individual and unit merit review.
B. Enhance Student, Faculty and Staff's Social, Cultural, and Recreational Experiences
Tactics:
1. Increase student, faculty and staff attendance at theater, music, art, and other campus cultural events.
2. Expand campus lecture series.
3. Develop robust programming for the Heller Center for the Arts and Humanities.
4. Develop robust programming for the Student Recreation Center.
5. Develop a premier intercollegiate athletic program.
6. Lead the RMAC in competition and academic achievement.
7. Improve and expand athletic facilities.
8. Create student-friendly spaces in all academic buildings.
9. Increase campus welcome activities with faculty and staff involvement.
10. Develop co-curricular transcript program.
11. Expand public art and art themes throughout the campus in indoor and outdoor spaces.
12. Expand student, faculty and staff celebrations of excellence.
13. Develop databases to provide information and track student, faculty and staff involvement in campus social, cultural and recreational activities.
14. Measure year-to-year improvements in annual climate by using database to survey and provide feedback on the activities.
Performance Measures:
1. Measure year-to-year student participation increases in theater, music, art, cultural programming.
2. Measure year-to-year student participation increases in recreation activities.
3. Assess RMAC competition and academic achievement results.
4. Complete improvements to Mountain Lion Stadium.
5. Complete construction of Mountain Lion Field House by summer, 2008.
6. Complete student spaces in all buildings by 2010.
7. Show significant increase in public art and art themes by 2010.
8. Show increased attendance of student, faculty and staff participation in theater, art, music, recreational, NCAA athletic, and celebration events, measured through the use of the campus activity database.
C. Create New Opportunities for Faculty-Student Engagement
Tactics:
1. Make UCCS a model of integrated academic and student success.
2. Educate faculty on changing roles for engagement.
3. Train new and existing faculty in retention.
4. Assign faculty mentors to all new students.
5. Encourage faculty participation in student events.
6. Fund faculty/student coffees, lunches, and other interaction opportunities.
Performance Measures:
1. Integrated academic affairs/student success models established by 2008.
2. Measure year-to-year numbers of faculty educated and trained for new engagement and retention role.
3. Measure year-to-year faculty participation in student events and interaction opportunities.
4. Participate in Greater Expectations Institute in summer 2007 and develop campus model for academic affairs/student affairs partnership on retention.
II. GOAL: EXPAND STUDENT ACCESS TO UCCS OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH VIGOROUS AND RESPONSIBLE GROWTH
Strategies
A. Enhance Recruitment Efforts to Attract Students to Opportunities at UCCS
Tactics:
1. Develop a comprehensive enrollment management program.
2. Create coordinated, strategic marketing efforts reflecting UCCS identity, mission, and vision.
3. Launch a marketing campaign highlighting campus activities and accomplishments.
4. Expand partnerships with high school and community colleges.
5. Engage UCCS community members to participate in outreach and recruitment efforts.
6. Seek to attract a student body reflective of the diversity of the region.
7. Create a retention committee to guide program and policy development.
8. Position UCCS in three distinct markets: local, statewide, and national.
9. Include diverse media in recruitment efforts.
10. Publicize “affordability” through scholarships, financial aid, and work opportunities.
Performance Measures:
1. Increase student enrollment from southern Colorado by 2% per year through 2012.
2. Increase out-of-state students by 3% per year through 2012.
3. Increase UCCS Colorado students by 1% per year through 2012.
4. Improve freshmen to sophomore retention by 2% per year through 2012.
B. Increase Financial Aid/Scholarships/Student Support to Facilitate Access
Tactics:
1. Provide multi-year financial aid packages with incentives for maintaining and/or improving GPA.
2. Create more on-campus student jobs.
Performance Measures:
1. Have multi-year financial aid packages available by 2009.
2. Have increased campus jobs available by 2008.
C. Attract Students from Diverse Backgrounds to Enroll and Succeed at UCCS
Tactics:
1. Initiate peer recruitment program.
2. Expand Pre-Collegiate bridge processes with multi-cultural affairs and student recruitment.
3. Invite diverse students to campus events.
4. Publicize the success of diverse students.
5. Continue expansion of international student exchange programs.
Performance Measures:
1. Increase first generation student enrollment by 2% per year through 2012.
2. Increase number of international exchange programs and international exchanges sponsoring countries.
3. Increase proportion of international students enrolled at UCCS.
D. Expand Student Body To 10,000 Students By 2010
Tactics:
1. Develop a comprehensive enrollment management program.
2. Increase retention.
3. Increase marketing efforts.
4. Increase recruiting staff.
5. Increase on-campus visits by prospective students.
Performance Measures:
1. Increase overall enrollment by 2% per year.
2. Increase recruitment yields by 2% per year.
Regents’ Area of QUALITY/EXCELLENCE:
Goals, Strategies, Tactics, and Performance Measures
III. GOAL: PROVIDE EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING
Strategies
A. Guarantee a Quality Comprehensive Educational Experience that Prepares Students to Excel Personally, Professionally, and as Global Citizens
Tactics:
1. Make experiential and integrative learning a UCCS hallmark.
2. Create learning communities.
3. Make student-centered support (projects, research and creative work, mentoring, etc.) a part of teaching evaluation.
4. Strengthen and expand the sustainable development minor.
5. Identify needed new programs.
Performance Measures:
1. Measure year-to-year increase in experiential and integrative learning opportunities for all students.
2. Measure with quality evaluation the number of learning communities established from 2008-2012.
3. Expand teaching effectiveness measures by 2008.
4. Double the capacity for the sustainable development minor by 2008.
5. Develop and implement 8-10 new programs from 2007-2012.
B. Provide Effective Infrastructure to Support Faculty Development and Innovative Teaching
Tactics:
1. Create improved reward system to supportive teaching excellence and engagement.
2. Initiate a faculty mentoring program.
3. Expand services in the Teaching and Learning Center.
4. Work to establish 52% of class sections being taught by tenure-track faculty.
5. Define role of non-tenure track faculty.
Performance Measures:
1. Department criteria for promotion and tenure revised by May 2008.
2. Mentoring program established by 2008.
3. Review Teaching and Learning Center offerings to ensure that they enhance campus goals by fall, 2007.
4. Have 52% of class sections taught by tenure-track faculty by 2009.
5. Complete Faculty Assembly Task Force Report on Non-tenure Track Faculty and implement by 2009.
C. Expand Technology to Enhance Learning
Tactics:
1. Develop robust web-based learning infrastructure for all UCCS courses.
2. Expand and coordinate wireless LAN access across campus.
3. Provide a high performance, centralized web infrastructure for hosting and managing campus web-based content and services.
4. Provide excellent, unified web-based student services through a student portal.
5. Continue to develop and implement IT security-related policies, best practices, and guidelines.
6. Increase support for technology-enhanced teaching facilities.
Performance Measures:
1. Work toward a Learning Management System that will support faculty and student needs and improve the learning experience.
2. Increase the number of classes that are taught online and that use the Learning Management system by 10% per year until all campus courses are incorporated.
3. Implement a campus-wide wireless network that will be fully functional by fall 2007.
4. Provide a centralized method of creating and maintaining departmental web sites using a single content management system. Have first phase operational by fall 2007, second phase spring 2008, entire campus operational by summer 2008.
5. First web-based student portals were implemented in fall 2006; continue to add services such as GPA calculator, single sign-on and other web applications. Student portals should become the one-stop center for online student services. Usage for spring 2007 was 700+ students; goal for spring 2008 is 3500+ students.
6. Four security-related policies were implemented in spring 2007; continue to develop and implement needed policies for review by the Administrative Policy Committee.
7. Continue to improve technology in academic spaces such as labs and classrooms to meet the specific needs of the programs, including hardware, software, training and institutional support, with a goal of 90% using appropriate technology.
IV. GOAL: CUSTOMIZE AN INDIVIDUAL UCCS LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS
Strategies
A. Provide Entering Students the Academic, Intellectual, Developmental, and Social Support Necessary for Success and Excellence
Tactics:
1. Create an integrated first-year experience for all students including individual learning plans, a four-year portfolio and co-curricular transcript program.
2. Identify student learning outcomes, connecting co-curricular experiences to the education of students in a developmentally appropriate manner.
3. Develop progress monitoring systems to ensure success (e.g. mid-term grades, academic advising, and mentor interactions).
4. Emphasize service and leadership experiences as important for all entering students.
Performance Measures:
1. Increase by 5% from baseline year the number of freshman participating in individual learning plans, a four-year portfolio and co-curricular transcript program.
2. Have cluster courses available for selected students by fall 2007.
3. Have progress monitoring systems in place by fall 2008.
4. Have information on service learning and leadership experiences provided at new student orientation.
B. Set High Standards for Academic Rigor and Provide All Students Ongoing Support to Ensure Success
Tactics:
1. Provide individual attention (advising, mentoring, goal development, major and minor selection, etc.) in support of a four-year portfolio to ensure success.
2. Expand services in the Excel Centers.
3. Explore creation of a University Learning Center.
4. Create and implement an honors program.
Performance Measures:
1. Measure outcomes of students involved in initiated leadership-based projects and programs, including GPA, retention, and graduation rates of students participating in the first year experience and co-circular transcript programs. Benchmark results to establish measurement standards for future years.
2. Have pilot portfolio program in place for AY 2008-09.
3. Increase Excel Centers participation rates by 10% by AY 08-09.
4. Pilot Honors Program spring 2008; have it fully functioning by fall 2008.
C. Make Experiential and Integrative Learning a UCCS Hallmark.
Tactics:
1. Increase opportunities for research and creative work among students, faculty and community.
2. Offer curriculum and instruction that encompasses the experience and knowledge of diverse and marginalized groups.
3. Expand service learning and internships.
Performance Measures:
1. Measure increase in curriculum and instructional programs.
2. Measure outcomes of students involved in initiated leadership-based projects and programs.
3. Increase the percentage of undergraduate and graduate students involved in research activities and co-curricular programs.
4. Develop list of research and creative work opportunities for faculty, student, and community and post on website by 2008.
5. Show 10% increase in engaged service learning and internship opportunities by 2009.
V. GOAL: TRANSFORM TODAY’S POTENTIAL INTO TOMORROW’S LEADERSHIP
Strategies
A. Expand Leadership Programs
Tactics:
1. Expand the Chancellor Leadership Class.
2. Create a leadership program available to all students.
3. Expand access to the leadership minor.
Performance Measures:
1. Measure student enrollment in leadership programs.
2. Measure outcomes of students involved in initiated leadership-based projects and programs.
3. Increase the percentage of undergraduate and graduate students involved in student activities, academic and co-curricular leadership programs.
B. Provide Leadership in Sustainability
Tactics:
1. Communicate sustainability goals to the campus and broader community through the development of a consistent communication plan.
2. Partner with appropriate governmental and non-governmental agencies to broaden the impact of UCCS efforts.
3. Expand curriculum offering with content on sustainability.
4. Continue sustainable development.
Performance Measures:
1. Track increased contributions from the community to UCCS for environmental issues and projects, achieving an increase in funding and support for programs focusing on sustainability efforts.
2. Track the newsletters, web sites, programs and reports concerning sustainability that are available to the campus and broader community and demonstrate an increase from year to year.
3. Reduce energy use as evidenced through annual monitoring of utility costs based on a per square foot comparison of developed property.
4. Demonstrate the effectiveness of campus retrofits.
5. Increase the number of courses offered in the Sustainability Development Minor.
C. Expand Campus Inclusiveness
Tactics:
1. Sponsor programs, conferences, and community events which invite and encourage diverse perspectives to increase leadership opportunities.
2. Assess reporting mechanisms, programming, and interventions to positively impact campus climate.
3. Measure inclusiveness in campus climate surveys.
Performance Measures:
1. Demonstrate increased student engagement and inclusiveness in year-to-year comparisons.
D. Increase Faculty and Staff Development Opportunities
Tactics:
1. Identify development needs for faculty and staff.
2. Increase on-campus offerings for faculty development.
3. Increase on-campus offerings for staff development.
4. Increase funding available for faculty and staff development.
5. Create a fund exclusively for faculty and staff development to be administered by the Human Resources Office. The fund will provide on-campus development programs specific to faculty and staff, with the programs determined by the Human Resources Advisory Board.
Performance Measures:
1. Complete Institutional Research survey to assess and prioritize faculty and staff development needs in fall 2007; continue to survey faculty and staff.
2. Track funds available for staff development annually and demonstrate a year-to-year increase in those funds.
3. Measure year-to-year improvements in the number of on-campus development workshops offered.
4. Measure program quality through surveys of faculty and staff participants.
5. Increase faculty development opportunities by 10%.
6. Increase staff development opportunities by 10%.
7. Include budgets for staff and faculty development in Human Resources and Academic Affairs budgets.