Strategic Plan: 2006-2010

Challenges, Goals, and Strategic Objectives

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"It's not what the vision is; it's what the vision does." -Peter Senge

The implementation plan outlined below with objectives identified under each goal should be considered a draft document, to be further developed during spring semester 2006 with specific help from each department to identify specific strategies, baseline criteria and targets for their programs along with indicators and individuals accountable for each objective.

Academic
Excellence

Student Enrollment
and Retention

Outreach and
Engagement

Build the CHS Community
Internally

Academic Excellence

Challenge 1: Programs in the CHS have a rich history of excellence; however, societal and disciplinary changes as well as increased competition nationally have placed new pressures on the college. Changes are needed to maintain and enhance our hold on excellence. The newly combined college is positioned to join its top-ranked sister institutions within the next five years and to become the leader in interdisciplinary research that significantly improves human quality of life.

Strategic Goal 1: Enhance the quality and prestige of our faculty, academic programs, research and scholarship, and teaching excellence in our cross-cutting themes; develop interdisciplinary research initiatives, support and sustain current programs of excellence, promote inter- and intra-college collaboration, and add key new faculty lines to lift the college to national and international prominence.

Strategic Objectives:

Strengthen academic programs in productivity and prestige
Hire 3-5 new faculty with strong research and scholarship credentials in college research initiative areas
Increase academic awards and recognition by 10%, peer-reviewed publications by 25%, submitted proposals for external funding by 50%, and external funding awards by 100% during the next five years
Assure high quality, effective curricula and learning/pedagogical methods and assessment systems; revise college undergraduate core curricular requirements
Increase resources for academically gifted students at the undergraduate level and financial support at the graduate level
Advance multiculturalism, global awareness, and diversity within the college
Achieve increasing national prominence for the College's departments and programs; gain and sustain recognition as one of the top five colleges among members of NASULGC's Board of Human Sciences
Implement best practices to attract and retain outstanding faculty members across departments; implement strategies to support success of pre-tenure faculty

Student Enrollment and Retention

Challenge 2: Changes in state demographics have negatively influenced ISU enrollment projections. Changes in CHS enrollment are similar to other colleges with a decline of about 200 students in the 05-06 academic year. In addition, there was a 16% dropout/transfer rate between the freshman and sophomore years in '04-05 to '05-06. The need to increase diversity among our students is also acute.

Strategic Goal 2: Develop new initiatives to attract, recruit, admit and retain high quality and diverse undergraduate and graduate students.

Strategic Objectives:

Increase the number of 2 plus 2 transfer agreements with community colleges in Iowa
Increase efforts to recruit and retain diverse students, faculty and staff
Increase the number of students participating in learning communities and freshman interest groups; and develop new learning communities
Increase use of technology, service learning and experimental pedagogies to enhance learning in two or more courses/year
Increase name recognition of the college and its departments/majors/programs
Increase enrollment by 15% over the next 5 yrs; improve gender balance by 5-10%
Increase programs to recruit/retain freshman students as well as transfer students
Promote mentorship programs, leadership development activities and diverse learning experiences
Increase graduation and certificate/licensure completion rates by 10% over the next 5 yrs
Increase minority enrollment by x% over the next 5 yrs
Increase international student enrollment by 3% over the next 5 yrs (to align with ISU's numbers)
Increase graduate enrollment by x% over the next 5 yrs
Develop an excellent college freshman and transfer student orientation program

Outreach and Engagement

Challenge 3: Examples of excellence in extension, continuing education and community exist in CHS. Yet, performance in extension and engagement is uneven across the college with respect to graduates, professional groups, donor relations, University Extension (including 4-H), the public school system, community colleges, the business community, and other stakeholders.

Strategic Goal 3: Strengthen engagement state-wide, nationally and abroad with external audiences in communities, educational institutions, professional organizations, public policy think tanks and other groups through collaborative partnerships; build and support a strong alumni base; and promote opportunities for dialogue and exchanges that enhance learning, research and quality of life.

Strategic Objectives:

Double service learning, co-op, and internship opportunities for undergraduate students within the next five years
Increase the number of special community initiatives that focus on improving the quality of life for rural and urban citizens and make communities attractive to new residents (devote 20% of ISU Extension to Families base budget to these new initiatives)
Hire 3 new CHS faculty, combining extension (60%) with research (40%), to respond to the needs and interests of Iowans within the next 5 years
Connect theory to practice and practice to theory; create theory-driven and evidence-based interventions, programs and partnerships; continue such efforts in ISU Extension to Families programming
Increase visibility and centrality of educator preparation within ISU
Collaborate with university partners to improve undergraduate and graduate instruction
Implement partnerships for mentorship programs, leadership development activities and diverse learning experiences
Increase number of students by x% who study or conduct research abroad

Build the CHS Community Internally

Challenge 4: As the youngest college at Iowa State University, CHS is in the process of combining the cultures, histories, and practices of two previously independent units. The new college will have to foster an atmosphere of teamwork and fellowship, developing a network and identity for its faculty, staff and students, as well as its external constituents. Name recognition, reputation, and support within the university need to be enhanced and college infrastructure needs to be developed.

Strategic Goal 4: Increase collegiality and collaboration through enhanced communication and engagement among all college stakeholders with programs that cut across disciplinary lines, strengthen infrastructure, decrease bureaucracy, and enhance outreach to other units/organizations across the university.

Strategic Objectives:

Build name recognition of the College of Human Sciences; create a college marketing plan
Foster networking across the college among faculty and staff
Build infrastructure for core college functions as well as proposal preparation and research support
Facilitate research, teaching and extension collaboration among members within departments and across departments within the college
Strengthen instructional and information technology infrastructure
Link to internal audiences, especially in conducting research and improving teaching, learning and assessment both within the college and campus-wide
Celebrate existing traditions and create new events that build and reward community spirit and accomplishments
Integrate coursework, increase collaboration among degree programs, student projects, and faculty teaching efforts
Build a new undergraduate core (or general education) college curriculum

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