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240 persons had an opportunity to respond to the following question:

 

8. Please list any other ideas or issues you would like to share with the Strategic Planning Council. (Numbers after items are frequencies)

 

Communication Issues

 

Better communication with administration 21

Mutual respect/trust needed 14

Unhealthy adversarial relationship between administration and faculty 7

Address negative culture on this campus 3

Stronger sense of community 2

Faculty have lost confidence in the administration

Central administration should work on its image

 

Strategic Planning

 

I don’t trust strategic planning process to be taken seriously 14 (track results)

Council may be overloaded with “well that’s the way we have always done it” 4

Having a Strategic Planning Council is a major step forward

Not enough faculty representation on the task forces

Make strategic planning realistic and revise every 3-5 years

A short-term focus makes it hard to achieve long-term greatness

Share your planning with business owners so they can help promote

 

Academics

 

Academics over athletics 11

Emphasize quality undergraduate education 3

More degree offerings in lucrative career fields

Support and encouragement for smaller programs

Undergraduate education is our “bread and butter”

Increase study abroad opportunities

Emphasize teaching over research

Provide strong educ programs at a reasonable price (remember our place in the Delta)

Develop needed degree programs

More online degree programs

Slow demise of General Education studies

 

Athletics

 

Keep athletics in division I (will increase enrollment) 3

Invest only in competitive sports

Don’t mess with the Indian family

Silly spirit mascot

More support for “lesser” programs in athletics

Faculty

 

Faculty morale problem is real 4

Maintain faculty raises 3 (in lean years, cost-of-living rather than merit)

The research agenda related to PRT is killing what enthusiasm anyone has to work here 2

Faculty need to display more concern for the university and their students 2

Hire quality faculty 2

Too many poor teachers

Too many adjunct faculty

Support faculty to work on a doctoral degree

Faculty should have some choice in choosing to emphasize teaching, research, service

Cannot attract high quality faculty to this area

Competitiveness for new faculty hires is adversely affecting those who have dedicated    years of service to ASU.

Eliminate one size fits all approach to teaching

 

Students

 

Put students first 4

Too many students now want something for nothing 3

Students at degree centers feel like “second-class students”

Students now shopping around for the easiest, lowest common denominator education

Produce citizens with global awareness

Have lost our student friendliness

Need a more comprehensive advising system

 

Institutional Administration

 

Let’s excel at something 4

Quit trying to be U of A 3 (be different, be better)

Develop master plan for classroom space and technology 2

Create a single, unifying vision for ASU 2

Need overall marketing campaign 2

Involve alumni in an advisory capacity 2

Keep up academic growth

Keep State University post office

Reduce number of administrative positions

More autonomy for the Colleges

Act more like a start-up business

Publicize accomplishments

Support services need to expand to system wide

Work on institutional credibility

Increase pay for staff

Emphasize quality by hiring the best people

Too many offerings off campus for purely political concerns

Parking still not available

Cooperate rather than compete with other institutions of higher learning

More collaboration, less duplication

Don’t overly develop one area at the expense of others

More community involvement and service

Continue to push for public transportation

Pull together our leadership programs

Many are unhappy about raises from the Office of Diversity

We have a narrow definition of diversity

 

Financial Administration

 

Stop raising tuition and start controlling spending 2

Spending is out of control and in the wrong places

Resources spread too thin

 

Campus

 

Keep up campus beautification 4

Boring campus (need more concerts, art exhibits, lectures, dances, guest speakers, book           signings, plays, festivals)

Replace the Armory with something nice

Become an environmentally responsible campus

 

Enrollment

 

Streamline enrollment process

Develop enrollment goals

More aggressive recruiting

Raise admission standards

Increase enrollment of minority students

Fight to make Craighead county wet (will improve enrollment)

We are losing international students due to tuition hikes

 

Student Affairs

 

Retire/replace some of the residence halls

Centralizing student services is a good idea

 

Research

 

Lack of research support for faculty

Need a long range plan for enhancing research status

Lack of support/benefits for research/grant initiatives

We cannot afford to be a research institution, plus not appropriate for caliber of our       students

More emphasis on Agriculture research (field crop) program

 

Exemplary Statements

 

“We would not be doing this had it not been for the negative HLC findings”

 

“The strategic process must be open without decisions already made”

 

“The turmoil the campus is currently experiencing must be addressed. Good people are looking or being forced out or not recognized and it must be addressed by the president and the board”

 

“Micro-managing and unilateral decision-making have created an atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty”

 

“Listen to what everyone is saying. Listen to the unsaid things we are saying. Listen to the things we are afraid to say.”

 

“Administration needs to stop commanding from on high and work WITH faculty. The faculty senate needs to stop being naysayers and start working FOR ASU. This round of planning needs to be more than just the typical busy work that goes nowhere.”

 

“The ONLY way to really jump-start this university is to make faculty TRUE partners in defining the future and TRULY supporting, recognizing, and rewarding them for this role.”

 

“Making every faculty member fit into one mold for evaluation purposes is a big mistake. Specialization in labor is a fact of life. As an institution we will have many goals. Faculty should be allowed to sort themselves out, based on where they want to fit.”

 

“Why are we so concerned about increasing enrollment when we don’t have permanent faculty lines to teach the students we already have?”

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