Institutional Effectiveness Framework to Implement the Plan for Strategic Actions to Take Charge of Our Future

Like most institutions of higher education, Youngstown State University is confronting many challenges including limited resources, concerns regarding the perceived value, cost, and time associated with attaining a higher education degree; declining numbers of high school graduates in the region; lack of diversity in student populations relative to that of the communities served; gaps in success-rates among racially diverse and first-generation students; and health, education, and economic issues in the surrounding community that impact regional prosperity, student readiness, and alumni success.

To proactively confront these challenges, Youngstown State University has embarked upon building and implementing a Plan for Strategic Action to TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE. The objective of this plan is to assure Youngstown State University offers the highest quality educational opportunities, creates high impact and relevant scholarship, and becomes more inclusive, equitable, and connected to the region, thus creating a vibrant and sustainable future for itself and the students we serve.

All actions and uses of resources will be strategic. Every action taken will advance the mission to realize the vision, and enhance the brand, reputation, and sustainability of the Youngstown State University.

We will implement strategic actions that hit the “bullseye” of Student Futures and Lifelong Learning, Academic Distinction and Discovery of Knowledge, and Collective Impact with the Region. For this to happen, every division of the university must support and enhance the academic areas. If it is going to be, it is up to me (we).

Youngstown State University is one step in the continuum of a life of learning. We will work to continuously improve regional educational attainment, advance careers, and enrich lives in the community. We recognize this involves a commitment to enhancing the quality of education in the community, from pre-kindergarten, to elementary, middle, and high school, through college and into careers.

We recognize the success of these goals and strategies will require consistent engagement, assessment, and continuous improvement in every action. We will focus collective actions on the steps and events that positively impact the institution and student futures, through a transparent decision-making process that shares responsibility amongst the University community, including faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and community stakeholders. Our success will be measured by how much we move the needle on Key Performance Indicators identified by the president and Board of Trustees.

EVOLUTION OF TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE

In March 2019 the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution titled Taking Charge of Our Future. Given the current high quality of education, scholarly and entrepreneurial distinction and affordability, the Board of Trustees described the areas within which action must be taken to help assure a bright and vibrant future.

Those areas of expected focus for a Plan for Strategic Actions include:

• Enhance educational quality
• Focus on research in a strategic manner
• Increase the enrollment of new students
• Focus on student success including persistence and progress
• Build strategic, strong and purposeful collaborations with external community stakeholders
• Attain an enhanced level of technological capacity and competency
• Use reliable data to generate and analyze information to create insights for well-informed decision-making
• Assure the effectiveness of all aspects of the institution including distribution of resources to support goals and strategies

While attention to these areas will help focus the Plan for Strategic Action to TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE, the Board of Trustees also provided guidance from the perspectives of Sustainability and Community Engagement .

The collective of Board of Trustees Resolutions provides guidance to assure that the sequence of and the aggregate of strategic actions are aligned with annual goals and strategies that are components of each annual Board of Trustees approved budget.

TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE FRAMEWORK

We will TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE via the relentless and robust pursuit of goals, strategies and actions that enhance student futures and lifelong learning, promote academic distinction and the discovery knowledge, and maximize our collective impact within the region.

This university will secure its future in the manners that follow.

STUDENT FUTURES & LIFELONG LEARNING...create environments that empower students to acquire intellectual and social capital to realize individual aspirations.

We will:

• Adopt a student-centered approach to all University operations and policies that values and includes all students.
• Ensure curricula, systems and practices increase persistence and steady progress to graduation.
• Promote a unified approach to admissions, matriculation, persistence, completion and the career success of our students.

ACADEMIC DISTINCTION AND DISCOVERY OF KNOWLEDGE…fosters the development of a community that will grow intellectually, socially, and ethically in which individuals put knowledge into practice.

We will:

• Implement a continuous, purposeful strategy to improve teaching and learning as well as research distinction.
• Adopt university-wide learning outcomes that are integrated throughout the curriculum.
• Promote internships and projects with local businesses and organizations; service, experiential and applied learning projects; and opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in scholarly activity.
• Implement continuous and regular assessment of student learning outcomes and best teaching practices.
• Improve student, faculty, and staff access to advanced technologies, equipment, and facilities.

COLLECTIVE IMPACT WITH THE REGION…creates deliberate, mutually-beneficial, educational, civic, industry, and philanthropic partnerships that achieve equitable and innovative regional development.

We will:

• Listen to the needs of the community.
• Promote activities that demonstrate impact and purpose in accordance with the university’s mission, understanding that the impact may not be immediate.
• Communicate the impact and value of community engagement activities.
• Align activities with attributes of institutional learning outcomes.
• Ensure that partnerships are inclusive, equitable, and grounded in accessible systems, practices, and goals.

The overarching perspective on implementing the Plan for Strategic Action is that with proper oversight and implementation, YSU will achieve the Mission and realize the Vision.

TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE PLAN FOR STRATEGIC ACADEMIC ACTIONS

The Office of Academic Affairs, in collaboration with the Support Areas, will annually develop objectives to influence the Board of Trustees Key Performance Indicators that will include information about tactics, responsible parties, timelines, resources disposition, and communication strategies. The academic actions will be connected to a budget annually presented to the Board of Trustees that aligns resources with key strategies to achieve stated goals and increase the Key Performance Indicators. Progress on goals will be assessed annually so adjustments to actions and strategies can be made as needed. (DRAFT Strategic Academic Actions)

TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE PLAN FOR STRATEGIC SUPPORT AREA ACTIONS

Each support area will develop goals and accompanying actionable strategies, tactics, responsible parties, timelines and resource disposition annually to optimally support the PLAN FOR STRATEGIC ACADEMIC ACTIONS. Progress on goals will be assessed annually so adjustments are made as needed. A Preliminary Plan of Strategic Support Area Actions is located here but will be modified as the Plan for Strategic Academic Actions is finalized.

TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE STRUCTURE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

This is a sample illustration of how implementing the Plan for Strategic Action to TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE might be functionally achieved. The structure adopted to implement the Plan for Strategic Action will be developed and endorsed by the president when the Plan is presented to the Board of Trustees for adoption in June 2020.

TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees will adopt Key Performance Indicators related to student futures and lifelong learning, academic distinction and discovery of knowledge, and collective impact with the region. The Board of Trustees anticipates that the adopted Plans for Strategic Academic and Support Area Actions will influence metrics linked to improving the Key Performance Indicators.

TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE ANNUAL REPORTING

There will be annual updates from academic and support areas to illustrate the collective strength of the institution, and allow us to make progress on resources-aligned goals and strategies by implementing the Plan for Strategic Action to TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE. These in aggregates of three-years will be summarized with a tenth-year aggregate summary that will align with the Higher Learning Commission reaccreditation in 2027. The Office of Academic Affairs will be lead this endeavor.

Download a printable copy of the Institutional Effectiveness Framework to Implement the Plan for Strategic Actions to Take Charge of Our Future.