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Strategic Planning Report
215 Respondents to Item 5
What are 2 or 3 strategic directions (i.e., initiatives or goals) in which you think Arkansas State University should be moving over the next five or six years? (Responses were grouped into the headings below with the numbers in parentheses representing the frequency with which each item was mentioned)
Governance Issues
Improve shared governance (5)
Resolve faculty/upper admin. discord—enhance trust (4)
Build sense of community on campus (3)
Resolve staff/upper admin. discord—enhance trust (1)
Focus on governance (1)
Academics
Focus on undergrad/select masters/specialists (13)
Technology (Integration in class, cutting edge, current) (12)
Enhance/increase teaching support (8)
More internet studies/on-line offerings/flexibility (7)
Enhance classroom facilities (7)
Enhance quality of education (7)
Improve international study opportunities (5)
Offer more doctoral degrees (5)
Offer more graduate programs (5)
Reward excellence in teaching (4)
Focus on Bioscience research and healthcare (5)
Strengthen Honors Programs (3)
Balance research and teaching (3)
Make teaching the focus of the university (3)
Do not over emphasize research at expense of undergraduate programs (3)
Commitment to developing writing/critical thinking skills (2)
Enhance academic image (2)
Recognize teaching and research as complimentary activities (2)
Give credit for life experiences (2)
Focus on practical education that prepares students for jobs (2)
Develop programs to support
Develop programs/research in food sciences (2)
Emphasize teaching first and research second (1)
Enhance financial aid/support for students (1)
Mentor teaching graduate assistants (1)
Undergrad focus (1)
Treat ASU as an education institution (not athletics or buildings) (1)
Become more learning centered (1)
Acquire an innovative reputation (1)
Establish endowed teaching chairs in all colleges (1)
Expand externships (1)
Develop better quality programs (like UCA) (1)
Link/integrate courses (1)
Flexible up-to-date curriculum (1)
Offer more programs (exciting/interdisciplinary) (4)
More programs in science, statistics and health science (1)
Focus on reputation of the business schools (1)
Develop a core base of excellent programs (1)
Be more progressive at revamping existing programs (1)
Decrease focus on doctoral education (1)
Strengthen graduate programs (2)
Enhance reputation and quality (2)
Athletics
Invest in/commit to division 1-A athletics (3)
Eliminate athletics and put resources in true education of students (2)
Make athletic department self-sustaining (1)
Develop more student spirit for sports (1)
Lower the cost to attend athletic events (1)
Faculty
Increase salary/perks (12)
Attract quality faculty and researchers (7)
Increase faculty and staff morale (4)
Remove ineffective professors (2)
Solidify PRT guidelines (1)
Students
Involve students in direction setting/be student focused/care (10)
Enhance recruitment of students from state and nation (11)
Increase student retention (4)
Recruit international students (2)
Increase student/faculty interaction (1)
Recruit more students through collaboration with community colleges (1)
Provide campus wide tutoring (1)
Institutional Administration
Find our unique role/niche to our region (10)
Provide service to the Delta (9)
Greater financial support for academics:
with less focus on athletics (7)
with less focus on research (2)
with less focus on auxiliary/non academics (1)
Increase/retain diversity (7)
Develop better management systems (like UCA mentioned twice) (9)
More focus in terms of direction/mission (6)
Better fund key colleges—reallocate if necessary (6)
Strengthen marketing/PR for the university (6)
Create partnerships with schools, businesses and/or community (4)
Seek more alternative/donor funding (4)
Strengthen what we are (existing programs) before moving to next level (3)
Develop
Improve cash flow with good cash management (3)
Continue to work toward a fair share of state funding (3)
Strengthen alumni relations (3)
Move toward/become financially independent (2)
Improve relations with community (2)
Get new senior administration (2)
Make staff more accountable (i.e., student support services across campus) (3)
Involve faculty in mission development (2)
Demonstrate value of higher education to students and community (2)
Develop pride among university community (2)
Be more customer focused (1)
Facilitate students’ ability to anonymously express concerns about faculty and staff (1)
Support the economic viability of the region (1)
Conduct capital campaign (1)
Be proactive and respond more rapidly to environmental change (1)
Provide more support for first generation students (1)
Think global (1)
More involvement with public (1)
Re-evaluate financial priorities (1)
Make parking and transportation a priority (1)
If want teachers, hire teachers. If want researchers hire researchers. Don’t expect one to
excel in all areas. (1)
Do not try to be all things to all people (1)
Serve as cultural center for the region (1)
Offer on-site daycare and other life enhancing benefits for employees (1)
Become a teaching university (1)
More efforts to retain good employees (1)
Be an equal campus—do not over-prioritize diversity (1)
Be
Campus
Improve aesthetics of the university (4)
Improve accessibility/parking for visitors and students (1)
Enrollment
Tougher standards/Selective Admissions (11)
Keep educational costs competitive (8)
Student Affairs
Improve housing (closer, safer, etc.) (7)
More involvement in high school advisement/recruitment (1)
Improve advising (1)
Research
Enhance/Increase research support (24)
Reduce teaching loads (2)
Develop synergy between doctoral programs and national research reputation (1)
Enhance the compensation for graduate assistants (2)
Develop competitive research programs (1)
Target distinctive Ph.D. programs (1)
Better library holdings (1)
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