Renewed Institutional Actions

PLAN FOR STRATEGIC INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS -TO TAKE CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE

AREAS OF FOCUS TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN

(Click each to expand)

• STUDENT FUTURES & LIFELONG LEARNING

  STUDENT FUTURES & LIFELONG LEARNING...create environments that empower students to acquire intellectual and social capital and experiences 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, policies and practices increase academic persistence and steady progress to graduation.
  • Adopt a coordinated approach to admissions, matriculation, persistence, completion and the career success of our students.
  • Develop an approach to the admission and matriculation process that improves the retention and completion strategy, that attends to achievement gaps.
• ACADEMIC DISTINCTION AND DISCOVERY OF KNOWLEDGE

  ACADEMIC DISTINCTION AND DISCOVERY OF KNOWLEDGE…foster 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, learning and area-identified selective national research distinction.
  • Adopt and integrate university-wide learning outcomes throughout the curriculum, including credentials for distinction.
  • Develop internships, service, experiential and applied learning projects with local businesses and organizations that provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in scholarly activity.
  • Implement continuous and regular assessment of student learning outcomes and best teaching practices to ensure the fair and equitable success of all students.
  • Improve student, faculty, and staff access to advanced technologies, equipment, and facilities.
• COLLECTIVE IMPACT WITH THE REGION

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

  We will:

  • Listen to the needs of the community and collaboratively address those needs.
  • Actively collaborate with community partner organizations which share in our mission.
  • Develop activities that demonstrate impact and purpose in accordance with the university’s mission.
  • Communicate the impact and value of community engagement activities.
  • Strategically align community engagement activities with regional educational needs via both degrees and industry credentials.
  • Ensure that current and future partnerships are inclusive, equitable, and grounded in accessible systems, practices, and goals.
• SUSTAINABILITY

  SUSTAINABILITY...there will be continuous quality improvement processes that reflects a commitment to alignment of resources with Plan implementation that aligns with the institution’s long-term goals and objectives.

  We will:

  • Focus on enhancing organizational effectiveness as well as gain efficiencies.
  • Prioritize as part of the budget process academic program quality; enrollment as a marketing and communication strategy directly impacting admissions; finance and facilities; human resources; and information technology.
  • Ensure all aspects of the institution, from its overarching mission to specific objectives and metrics, align with strategic priorities.

GOALS AND STRATEGIC ACTIONS 2023 AND BEYOND

(Click each Goal to expand to see the Strategies)

• GOAL: : IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES THAT ADDRESS STUDENT NEEDS THROUGHOUT THE STUDENT LIFE CYCLE TO INCREASE PERSISTENCE, COMPLETION AND POSTGRADUATE SUCCESS.

  Strategy: Ensure all students benefit from holistic, relational, developmental, and integrated academic advising.

  Strategy: Engage students in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that contribute to their social and personal growth, and that complement and support learning in their degree program to enhance career readiness and success.

  Strategy: Improve support and resources for students facing non-academic challenges with a particular focus on the mental health and other dimensions of student success.

  Strategy: Improve post-graduation planning across the student life cycle to reinforce the value of completion and increase career-readiness

  Strategy: Involve full-time and part-time faculty and staff in a wide range of activities outside the classroom to increase students’ sense of belonging and build community.

• GOAL: DEVELOP A RECRUITMENT FOR ENROLLMENT STRATEGY THAT ALIGNS WITH AN INTEGRATED MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY TO GAIN MARKET SHARE.

  Strategy: Define the value propositions for each YSU degree program and develop an enrollment cultivation strategy for each that considers the pertinent attributes of the program, department and/or college.

  Strategy: Develop a comprehensive, strategic marketing/advertising enrollment plan for undergraduate, graduate and international programs with a competitive budget to expand into regional, national and global markets.

  Strategy: Implement the objectives, tactics and identity from the brand study for internal and external audiences through marketing, advertising, social media and communication channels that includes a focus on cultivating a YSU impression beginning in middle school including influencing college-going decisions.

  Strategy: Align budget and resources to gain market share at the academic program level including under-represented students as well as via international recruitment strategies and collaborations.

  Strategy: Develop new recruitment strategies that lend themselves to virtual experiences for students outside of drivable distances.

• GOAL: BRING INNOVATIVE, STUDENT-CENTERED TEACHING TO SCALE IN ORDER TO PROMOTE LIFE-LONG LEARNING AND INCREASE RETENTION

  Strategy: Update University policies and guidelines, including promotion and tenure documents, to reflect the importance of faculty engagement in innovative teaching strategies.

  Strategy: Define expectations and provide training opportunities for faculty to learn and apply best pedagogical practices.

  Strategy: Enhance the quality and capacity of technological support that promotes learning by providing faculty and students with the support and infrastructure needed to excel in technology-based learning.

  Strategy: Coordinate with the Institute for Teaching and Learning to develop tools for the improvement, evaluation and assessment of teaching and learning.

  Strategy: Implement a faculty development and mentoring plan.

• GOAL: DEVELOP A CULTURE OF ASSESSMENT THAT ENSURES THE QUALITY OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM MAJORS, MINORS, AND OTHER CREDENTIALS

  Strategy: Continue academic program enhancement and effectiveness initiative that aligns with continuous quality improvement and a program enhancement plan, as well as investment and possible suspension of admissions to academic programs when warranted.

  Strategy: Develop a mechanism to continually identify, assess, and implement new academic programs, including alternative credentials or coursework integration, and virtual educational experiences.

  Strategy: Determine the differentiator of a degree and assure that such differentiation can be measured and be of consequence in marketing the value of a degree.

• GOAL: IMPLEMENT UNIVERSAL LEARNING OUTCOMES AND TRANSFORM GENERAL EDUCATION TO ENHANCE THE VALUE OF A DEGREE.

  Strategy: Continue to integrate diversity and inclusion throughout the university and in the curriculum.

  Strategy: Implement a revised General Education program to reflect the learning outcomes approved by Academic Senate that integrates alternative credentials that add value to a YSU degree.

  Strategy: Optimize student understanding of the value of the General Education Curriculum so their expression of that value differentiates them during their career.

• GOAL: CONDUCT AND SUPPORT RESEARCH, SERVICE AND SCHOLARSHIP THAT PROVIDES RELEVANT AND MEANINGFUL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY THAT ADDS VALUE TO THE REGION.

  Strategy: Identify areas for community-based scholarship that focuses on teaching and life-long learning and mutually beneficial community engagement.

  Strategy: Update University policies and guidelines, including promotion and tenure documents, to reflect the importance of the scholarship of teaching, life-long learning and community-based scholarship.

  Strategy: Identify selected areas of research, aligned with appropriate regional, state, or national focus areas that brings distinction to the university as a Carnegie Masters Large institution.

• GOAL: YSU WILL BE RECOGNIZED AS A COMMUNITY-ENGAGED CAMPUS BY THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION ELECTIVE CLASSIFICATION FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

  Strategy: Develop community-engaged experiential learning and engaged scholarship to meet needs in arts & culture, education, environment, health, prosperity and security for the public good

  Strategy: Pursue and secure regional, state, national, and foundation funding in support of university and community priorities.

  Strategy: Inventory and communicate all community engagement activities.

  Strategy: Develop and optimize a framework for central communication, coordination, and management of community engagement.

  Strategy: Integrate experiential learning into the curriculum as a key component of the YSU educational experience; provide professional development to support experiential teaching approaches and enhance coordination with community partners.

  Strategy: Update University policies and guidelines for tenure and promotion to reflect the importance of community-engaged research/creative activities, and teaching.

  Strategy: Develop, incorporate and highlight community engagement as part of position postings, processes and policies.

  Strategy: Conduct and support community-engaged scholarship (research and creative activities) and service to create mutually beneficial experiences for students and community while adding value to the region.

  • GOAL: ALIGN INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES BY OPTIMIZING RESOURCE ALLOCATION TO ENHANCE OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS CONTRIBUTING TO A VIBRANT FUTURE STATE AS REFLECTED BY APPROPRIATE SENATE BILL SIX RATIOS OTHER PERTINENT MEASURES OF INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

    Strategy: Student recruitment for enrollment strategies and tactics will align with a comprehensive rolling 3-year plan consisting of specific enrollment goals that support institutional financial integrity.

    Strategy: Thoroughly execute the biannual Student Retention, Persistence, and Completion Plan, which will also encompass career readiness and success, and closing the achievement gap given evolving higher education accountability standards.

    Strategy: Optimize educational offerings of workforce education and innovation to support regional career readiness and to enhance degree enrollment for institutional resource generation.

    Strategy: Develop a talent attraction, retention, staffing and succession plan that supports a quality work environment.

    Strategy: Implement a Business Intelligence System, within an activated data governance framework, to support timely delivery of data to inform institutional decision-making that enhances effectiveness and gains efficiencies.

    Strategy: Build on the support area mission, quality and attributes statements to instigate the perspectives of a culture of caring and service-oriented actions.

    Strategy: Enhance space efficiency by continually evaluating classroom and course scheduling, along with space occupancy rates, to reduce the campus footprint that requires ongoing maintenance and operational support, thus diminishing the need for continual repairs and minimizing deferred maintenance