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Campus Conversations Summaries : # 1 - October 18-31 Campus Conversations

 Strengths: Core Values

• Strengths/Effectiveness~Commitment – Education

There is a sense of effectiveness and commitment to education across divisions. The University is seen as committed and devoted to education. Faculty and students are considered hard-working and passionate. Faculty/staff also appreciate the ability to be creative and innovative.

• Strengths/Professional Growth~Support

There are opportunities and support for professional development activities, interaction with faculty and other professionals beyond the local arena – continuous improvement and focus on quality.

• Strengths/Personal Satisfaction

There is a sense of personal satisfaction across divisions. There is also an acknowledgement of making differences in the surrounding environment. Faculty/staff feel that they are taken seriously, trusted, devoted, and appreciated.

• Strengths/Student-centered; support

There is a focus on student success and student learning across divisions. There is also a sense of personal connection and caring for students throughout the University.

• Strengths/Collegiality, Collaboration

There is a sense of community on campus where communication, collaboration, and collegiality are promoted. There is partnership and strong communication across divisional lines. There is a strong commitment to the university and to the community as a whole.

See the Future

• See the future/Leadership & Planning,Vision

In the future, there will be collaborative leadership and long-range planning that is effective, inclusive (bottom up), realistic, and funded. There is a clear missNovember 13, 2006complishments and a positive image is promoted in the community.

• See the future/Resources~Finances

In the future, resources are abundant. Faculty are provided with the tools they need to be successful researchers, scholars, and educators. Faculty and staff are fairly compensated, appreciated, valued, and retained. Facilities are maintained and improved. More resources are secured, fairly distributed and used for competitive salaries and student support.

• See the future/Diversity

In the future it will be important to promote a diverse student body with attention to a more global/international educational focus. International connections should be established. The staff, faculty, and students are more representative of the community in relation to its diversity.

• See the future/Relationships & Community

In our future, we see the value of relationships and community. We recognize value in others and feel they recognize our value in a meaningful way. The campus environment is comfortable, safe, intellectually stimulating, egalitarian, and inclusive. There is positive energy and close faculty-student and colleague interaction. We want to be (and feel like) a small, personal high quality college.

• See the future/Communication, Collaboration, Teamwork

In our future, we see the campus acting as a whole instead of a sum of its parts. We see collaboration rather than competition, a unified identity, and improved communication on campus and with the surrounding community. We envision a future based on common goals, collaborative decision-making and cross-divisional partnerships.

• See the future/Education, Programming, Students

We envision an environment dedicated to strong academic rigor and a high-quality liberal arts education. Programs are student-centered, purposeful, rigorous and created based on need. We evaluate what students need and what departments need, and then try to match the two. Students’ needs are given priority, their successes are celebrated, and they receive strong support. We envision a rich academic and intellectually engaging environment where there are opportunities for student mentoring, service, internships, and active and creative teaching and learning. Both faculty and students are given the resources they need to make academics a top priority.
 See the future/Faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff will be valued, supported, adequately and fairly compensated. Workloads will be reasonable so that time can be devoted to scholarly activities such as grant writing and research as well as to teaching and learning. A high-quality liberal arts education and collegial atmosphere are promoted. Faculty/staff are compensated, esteemed, and rewarded.

Ways to Get There

•  Ways to Get There/Planning & Leadership

Across divisions there is a common goal for improved leadership and planning. There is a hope that decision making will become inclusive and collaborative, leaders’ roles will be clear, and descriptions of goal implementation will become unambiguous. Some suggest that the leaders should be held accountable and evaluated by personnel to foster creative, effective, visionary leadership.

• Ways to Get There/Communication,Collaboration,Teamwork

Across divisions there is a common goal for increased communication, collaboration, and teamwork. The goals are for all voices to be heard, for determined goals to be feasible, increased communication, increased collaboration with the surrounding community, as well as better representation from students and personnel. Divisions between administrators and faculty, between colleges, schools, and between faculty and staff could be softened.

• Ways to Get There/People - Faculty,Staff,Students

Across divisions there is a common goal for and environment that values faculty, staff and students. Faculty and staff would like to be a part of an environment that is rich in caring, motivation, and incentives. There is hope for better management of funds and more funding to support faculty in their research endeavors and professional development. Another goal is to increase student support and recognition.

• Ways to Get There/Work Environment~Culture

Across divisions there is a common goal for increased compensation and realistic expectations for workload. The goals are for an environment where workload is matched with adequate rewards, the workload is reasonable, and teachers and staff are valued. The environment should support intellectual development, accept and value difference, and be caring and positive.

• Ways to Get There/Academic Excellence

Across divisions there is a common goal for increased focus on student learning. We should seek to help promote higher education, its value and place in society and academic freedom. There is a call to emphasize data-driven academics, to attain high quality professionals and compensate them accordingly, as well as to acknowledge and fund graduate programs.

• Ways to Get There/Diversity & Community Outreach

Across divisions there is a common goal for greater involvement with the community and increased diversity. A few common goals are to increase attention to diverse students, encourage international experiences, and to expand our outreach into and impact on the community.  

• Ways to Get There/Resources~Finances~Retention

Across divisions there is a common goal for increased resources and retention of high quality faculty/staff. Resources include salary, compensation, new facilities, general funds and projects. Also, there is a call for improved fund raising and management.