Good morning everyone, thank you for coming today. Thank Debra Japp and the CETL planning team who have put together an engaging Convocation Week. I had the opportunity to attended part of the insightful presentation yesterday by Dr. Gardner on T-Shaped Careers and I know that other great workshops have been planned for the week.
Also want to thank Adam Hammer and Derrick Silvestri who made sure the ballroom had the technology we needed to live stream Convocation today.
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Welcome back, Happy New Year, hope you had a wonderful holiday break and a chance to relax and recharge.
We had a great break. Our family loves to be silly – play cards and games like UNO, Spoons and a new card game called “Up and Down the River”. Our great nieces Maeva and Olivia, were winning A LOT (including basketball rounds of ‘Horse”). So Jani and I pulled out a game we were sure we could win at… TWISTER. If you are under 40 ask someone over 40 about how you play this game!
Again, thank you for being here today and welcome to those of you joining us via the web.
We’ve been through a lot together during the first semester. I know it hasn’t been easy, but the decisions that have been made have been in service to becoming a university that fiscally sound in order to provide a world class experience for our students, and to support you – our faculty and staff – so you have the tools and resources you need to help us make good on that promise for our students.
The challenges we face are real. It’s Time is our call to action to face our challenges head on. Beginning today we will embark on a journey to redefine SCSU to be the University of Choice take control of our future. 2020 literally represents the year we took control of our future.
Recall that in the Fall semester our timeline was focused on active engagement of the campus community to create a common understanding about ‘Why’ SCSU’s enrollment has been challenged, to discuss ‘What’ SCSU must become to respond to the challenges. Thank you for your support and feedback.
Key to the WHY we have experienced enrollment decline are high school population decrease, increasing competition, and ‘looped’ education path for students of all ages.
Together, we boldly declared It’s Time. Respond to the reasons WHY our enrollment has been dropping – new and returning students.
It’s time to stop doing things the same way we always have and expecting different results.
It’s time to push ourselves to think differently to meet today’s learners where they are at, and to continue to provide them with the world-class education that St. Cloud State has been known for, and will continue to be known for in the future.
It’s time to ask the tough questions and to have the hard conversations about how our everyday work lives can be different and better. And how we can make our students’ lives better.
It’s time to imagine a new St. Cloud State. It’s time to focus on the changes that will take our challenges and turn them into our opportunities.
Build on our strengths. It’s time to be bold, push the boundaries and take control of our future.
- We asked you to think about and share your fresh ideas and feedback on three specific areas that we must redefine:
What is a regional comprehensive university in a higher education landscape that has fundamentally changed? - Re-examine our operations to better serve new and varied types of students. 3. Re-build a sense of community and create new traditions that will bind us together as Huskies.
THANK YOU for participating and Thank you for passionately sharing your thoughtful and candid ideas, recommendations and feedback.
From the end of August through November – over roughly 3 months – we hosted 22 listening sessions with colleges and schools, divisions in Student Life and Development, Strategic Enrollment Management, Finance and Administration, Human Resources, Graduate Studies and Research and Sponsored Programs, Athletics and Recreation, University Library, union meet and confer, SCSU Foundation Board, Student Government Association, Strategic Planning Committee and Academic Affairs Forum.
Your feedback is the foundation for the path forward, for the ground we’re going to cover today and for our one clear vision: Building our St. Cloud State future together.
How do we do that? First, let’s start with that fundamental question we asked about our university: What is a regional comprehensive university in a higher education landscape that has fundamentally changed?
Before we can answer that question, let’s unpack what a traditional regional comprehensive university was over the past 4 decades.
1. Regional Comprehensive – Traditional Model: “Regional” meant that the university’s range of influence and engagement was defined by geography –a particular region in a state. That meant that the student population and partnerships were from the region in which the university was located.
2. Comprehensive: University’s offered a broad portfolio of academic programs and an extensive range of academic options. Students experienced a liberal arts (or general) education through a series of standalone courses that lacked integration or alignment with other liberal arts courses or a student’s major.
3. University: Defined by teaching loads similar to community colleges and limited engagement in research, scholarship and creative works.
So modern day RCUs had a hard time defining who they were and explaining their unique mission to the general public.
They are not their state’s ‘flagship’ or ‘land grant’ research universities (R1) or liberal arts colleges or community colleges – all of which are much better understood in the higher education marketplace.
RCUs have been defined by what they are not and they struggle to find an identity to promote and a distinction to celebrate.
4. One-size-fits-all student experience: Even though students entered with a wide-ranging level of preparation, with different academic goals and support needs, student support (if it existed) was delivered predominantly in a one-size fits all approach because students were deemed to be responsible for their success.
Now, in our current higher education environment, it has been difficult for RCUs to articulate a clear distinction between other higher education entities.
As a result, RCU’s enrollment has been negatively impacted and we are being squeezed by these other higher education institutions. The current situation is now challenging RCUs’ purpose and very existence in a shrinking and rapidly changing higher education industry.
We declared It’s Time to redefine what an RCU is to us – and make St. Cloud State distinctive in order to be competitive in the new landscape of higher education. And you rolled up your sleeves to help do that. Together, we are reimagining the definition of regional.
1. Expanded Regional. Our commitment to stewardship of place must be redefined to better align with our future as a RCU. We will:
- Recruit students from MN, US and across the globe
- Continue to focus on workforce needs
- Create partnerships that better leverages the assets of local, statewide and global partners
- Connect assets and expertise of our academic community to address local to global needs
As a University, we are defined by and our reputation is based on the relevance and rigor of our academic programs.
We will transition from a broad, comprehensive portfolio to a sharpened and distinctive academic portfolio that draws on our strengths and consistently delivers recognized, high quality undergraduate and graduate degrees and credentials and serving our students and alumni through purposeful, lifelong career development.
Specifically:
- A university recognized as a leader in four academic areas;
- A strengthened position in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences programs for the 21st century;
- All programs will be distinctive by incorporating 6 characteristics that maximize student growth and success;
- Has a designated number of top ranked and nationally recognized degree programs in each college and school;
- Grow masters and doctoral programs;
- Liberal education program is integrated and connected with student’s academic path and promotes personal and professional success;
It is clear that to become a university of choice we must define signature areas of academic programming that will be nationally recognized and will differentiate SCSU.
- Health
- Education
- Leadership
- Engineering & Applied Science
Building on our current strengths, we have identified four academic areas in which we will achieve of academic distinction and will provide the cornerstones to build our future program portfolio and guide program growth and development.
Being a Leader in Each Area Means we will:
- Offer a portfolio of programs that is sufficiently large to attract a wide range of audiences in the area
- Maintain a robust agenda in applied and translational research in the area
- Infused with global and interdisciplinary experiences for our students
- Be recognized as being thought leaders in the area
- Maintain a portfolio of external partnerships in the area
We will also be defined by:
- Integration of our Liberal Education Program into our students’ academic journey
- Nationally Recognized Degree Programs. We will identify other academic programs at SCSU that already have or are positioned to gain national recognition for academic excellence. These programs are recognized within their disciplines as leaders through accreditation or other professional recognitions.
- Expanded clinical and experiential learning spaces. We develop new ways in which we can align the learning needs of our students and the service opportunities found within our community.
This will include expanded clinical spaces on our campus or in the community. We will develop a set of experiential learning spaces that will serve as places of learning, opportunities for pedagogical research, creativity and scholarship, and sites for community service.
We will also deepen partnerships within our community that promote shared opportunities for reciprocal growth and development of our students, community and partners. - Applied and centers and institutes. We are an anchor institution with responsibility to play an active role in addressing the unique needs, opportunities and challenges of our region through applied research and public scholarship. We have great examples of this approach, including the Integrated Science and Laboratory Facility (ISELF), School of Public Affairs Research Institute (SOPARI), School of Educations Ignite Center and the new Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) that was created in partnership with CentraCare.
As we move forward, we will define our portfolio of applied research and scholarship centers and institutes to create positive change in our region and that can be used in communities across the country and globe.
All programs in our academic portfolio will distinguish itself through 6 unique characteristics
What will also differentiate us will be our faculty who are teacher-scholars – faculty who are experts in their field of study, conducting research, scholarship and creative works, and are also high quality educators.
We will create a culture of innovation, creativity and adaptability through the development of spaces and opportunities for our faculty, staff and students to research and create new programs and services that anticipate and respond to our changing environment and design new approaches to teaching, learning, and service.
We will expand our work in the Center of Teaching and Learning, and will begin the process to create a centers and institutes which will serve as a sandbox for innovation and an opportunity for our people to be part of creating what’s next in education.
Individualized Approach to Student Learning and Success. Our access mission means we must lean in and embrace the role of RCUs as the great equalizer that creates unparalleled opportunities for economic and social mobility for our students as well as our communities.
We must move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to first meet students where they are and engages them achieving their personal and professional aspirations.
Retention via personalized educational pathways.
Huskies Advance Pathways. Overwhelmingly, students who attend RCUs do so to pursue a career, but we know our students have interests and aspirations beyond their major.
To this end, the Huskies Advance Pathways – students will choose from 5-6 areas – to help define their educational experience through informed and deliberate curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular choices.
Once completed, Huskies Advance Pathways will result in a credential that is a companion to their degree and will set a student apart in their career.
Retaining the New RCU Student – Husky Coaches. When we admit a student to St. Cloud State University, we make them a promise: that each has the potential to graduate and become a successful alum of our institution.
An institution that is ready for students recognizes the structural and systemic challenges that so many RCU students face before they arrive on campus and is prepared to meet them where they are, not where it is believed they should be.
We recognize the critical importance of providing consistent, personalized support for students.
In addition to retention efforts that we have implemented over the last 4 years, we will expand this strategy with the implementation of Husky Coaches, who are assigned to students as soon as they are admitted and remain with them through graduation.
In addition to serving new entering and transfer students who plan to follow a traditional pathway to graduation, Husky Coaches will also be trained to support students who need to pause their education for any reason and return again when they are able.
Improving the transfer experience.
An essential component of our future is to focus on all segments of our student population including transfer students.
We will continue to review and rework our transfer policies and processes to ensure high efficiency for our students.
To recap – SCSU will redefine what it means to be a regional comprehensive university to better respond to our changing environment. We will:
- Be an academic leader in four areas
- Advance nationally recognized programs
- Provide every student a distinct experiences in their academic programs
- Advance applied research, scholarship and creative works
- Embrace the teacher-scholar model
- Create liberal arts education for a new era
- Provide individualized student support
It’s Time that we face our challenges head-on and acknowledge the need to work together to build a new Regional Comprehensive University, develop student centered operations, and build a healthy community. By working together, St. Cloud State University will not only survive the major changes in higher education, but will thrive in the new landscape.
Building SCSU pride has been a concern and desired expressed to me by many faculty, staff and students. Building community must be something we intentionally promote. How do we do that?
One way is to have – Fun at work. Foster connections; start traditions. One tradition we launched this Fall was the Casseroles vs Hot Dish contest!
Another critical aspect to building community is how we treat each other and being mindful about how we support each other and SCSU.
We are handing out a card that articulates some principles in how we can create a community that supports one another and advances a positive
Here are the principles to guide how we engage with each other:
- Treating each other equally and with respect, no matter the conditions.
- Welcoming feedback from each other.
- Being direct, sensitive, and honest.
- Acknowledging the contributions of others.
- Respecting each other’s time commitments.
- Seeking to address concerns with openness and inquiry.
- Considering the impact of our behavior on others before we act.
- Addressing incivility.
Also on your table are polished stones, please take one as a reminder of the statement at the top of your card that says: “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”
During the Spring 2020 semester, I will be charging Academic Affairs to begin to:
- Identify the future portfolio of our four areas of strength and how that portfolio will be unique in its approach. This will include identifying interdisciplinary intersections and ways to implement global experiences for our students and faculty.
- Identify programs to be advanced as nationally recognized programs
- Begin to create pathways for all programs to advance the six
- Create a process to identify additional research centers and institutes to develop.
- Take steps to advance LEP and strengthened our Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences programs for the 21st century
- Continue work on Huskies Advance
- Create the plan to implement our Husky Coach program.
Your role in building our future at SCSU is of utmost importance. Yes, we can do this, and we WILL do this. And it starts with everyone here today, the faculty and staff leaders in our campus community.
By working together, I know that this path forward will be exactly what we all envision for this wonderful university, for this community, for our students, and for ourselves. Continue to be all in. Be part of this exciting journey. Help shape the future of St. Cloud State University.
After this presentation, we’ll conduct the academic affairs assembly and working session, then each college/school will meet, and then each department will meet to discuss next steps. Throughout the day, we’d like you to review and discuss these plans and contribute ideas to carry them forward in your own role and department.
And as always, please feel free to email with additional ideas and feedback.
Thank you for your time today and Go Huskies!
