Strategic Summary

= Progress below target

= Progress well below target

= Target not set

A strong institutional commitment at all levels has truly helped to keep this plan a living and adapting guide for our future. The structure of the implementation has ensured that the strategic plan remains visible on everyone’s work agenda year round, from the annual Stakeholders conference involving internal and external constituents, to the regular meetings of the steering committee (including the two Presidents), the implementation teams for each goal, the audit committees for each goal, and the many workgroups reporting to each implementation team. All campus constituents are encouraged to get involved in strategic plan activities; faculty report on their participation as part of their annual evaluation process. After the first year, changes were made in the leadership of three of the implementation teams to adapt to changing institutional roles and needs. Likewise the implementation team and workgroup members have evolved as the plan has moved forward. The transparent, web-based reporting and auditing process, augmented by written and face-to-face presentations by the Presidents, ensures that the results and achievements are celebrated and measured, and also that help and resources are provided where needed.

Overarching initiatives that span many of the strategic goals and are being worked on at the steering committee level include:

• Marketing
  • Carnegie Communications
    • image study results
    • branding plan
  • Marketing director
• Communication
  • Electronic Events Calendar (Fairmont State home page/Quicklinks/Calendars)
  • Wiki (Collaborative web editing and publishing tool; http://it.fairmontstate.edu/fsuwiki )
  • Web Presence

Updated Year 3 Timeline

Goal 1 is a sweeping goal, with ambitious curricular targets that involve participation from all faculty members. Tremendous progress has been made in the first two years, and we are poised to begin implementation of an outcomes-based curriculum, with an accompanying culture of self-reflection and continuous improvement. The below-target progress designation mainly reflects the fact that not all action steps (e.g., submission of learning outcomes for over 60 programs and hundreds of courses) were fully completed and/or documented in time for end-of-year reports.

• Expectations of Faculty and Students defined and approved
• Profile of an FSU Graduate used to define Liberal Studies Outcomes; approved by Senate
• Provost/Deans/Physical Plant - Classroom Improvement plan
  • Significant changes this summer in HHH, Feaster Center
  • Prioritized improvements in classroom technology initiated
• Survey of students’ needs in Advising – results will guide changes

• Assessment Software
• Classroom Improvement processes and funding
• Faculty Development funding, particularly for discipline-related activities

Updated Year 3 Timeline

Goal 2 is also a broad, ambitious goal, involving the encouragement and tracking of institutional and Foundation interactions with regional agencies and community members in many different contexts. The overall below-target status as of April 2008 reflects a combination of many action steps at or above target (e.g., philanthropic gifts), and several planned action steps for year 2 that had not been started. Stakeholder’s conference feedback was helpful and strong progress is anticipated in the coming year. This goal will be strongly supported by a marketing director.

• FSU has established Professional Development Partnerships with 40 schools in six surrounding counties
• Center for Workforce Education has a full time Director of Economic Development
• Fine Arts has taken several shows on the road to Pricketts Fort and to regional schools.

• Community Service Learning: expand and increase public awareness
• Develop a “Loan Expertise to Business” Program

Updated Year 3 Timeline

Goal 3 is focused and well-defined, and tremendous growth and visibility has been achieved in community education in a very short time. Concerns include a need for tools to track and measure community interest and satisfaction, enrollment and inquiry trends, along with a commitment to documentation and reporting efforts.

• Community Education is linked directly from the FSU/PC&TC homepage and its activities are on the Events Calendar.
• Orientation and Course Evaluation materials have been developed and used in Community Education classes
• Community Education experienced a 50% increase in enrollment in 06-07 and is on target to increase 35% this year

• Find more permanent funding for the Director
• Expand Community Education programming to Clarksburg
• Institute on-line registration for Community Education Participants

Updated Year 3 Timeline

Goal 4 is a well-defined goal with clear, concrete action steps, and is moving forward on or above target. A marketing director will help with this initiative. Sustainable funding and faculty resources are the main concerns noted for this goal.

• FSU will have ~60 masters graduates in 07-08, well above the goal of 40
• Enrollment in masters programs increased 14.7% between Spring ’07 and ’08
• A 5 year Masters of Education program has been implemented. Twelve students are currently involved.

• Marketing of Existing Programs and needs assessment for new proposals
• Professional Development for Faculty involved in graduate education
• Development of a new program proposal in Engineering Technology Management

Updated Year 3 Timeline

Goal 5 is a focused goal that requires collaboration among students, staff and faculty. The implementation team has affirmed that the overall rationale for this goal is to increase retention and recruitment of students. The decision to form conscious partnerships and co-sponsorships between Student Affairs and other groups began to bear fruit this year, and continued efforts to reach out are recommended and intended.

• A student forum was held, 200+ attended, to get input on the type of campus events students wanted
• Events Calendar initiated

• Develop a process to help faculty who require or give credit for attendance at campus events track attendance
• Evaluate reorganization of campus directory and revise as necessary.
• Implement a set of incentives and rewards for faculty, staff, and student participation in co-curricular events.
• Explore ways to deliver campus events to student and community members who do not have access to the main campus.

Updated Year 3 Timeline

This goal has a relatively narrow focus, but encourages wide-ranging collaboration between Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Student Services in support of first-year students. We have been fortunate to have Title III grant funding to support this goal during the first years of the strategic plan. Implementation of tools to measure the effectiveness of the various action items and a commitment to wider dissemination of useful available information are recommended.

• Developed and adopted a first-year philosophy and an accompanying set of milestones.
• Increased the number and student participation in Learning Communities
• Increased the availability of on-line services to first year students and faculty
  • Advisor list
  • Smarthinking tutoring
  • Enrollment Center “pop-ups to catch student attention and provide key messages when they log into their FSU account

• Develop a First-Year student web page
• Increase the number of 1000 level courses that include a co-curricular component
• Provide faculty development that focuses on student development issues

Updated Year 3 Timeline

Goal 7 is broad and hard to define, with many different definitions emerging about what a satisfying and productive work environment looks like and how it can be supported. Very positive steps have been taken to support professional development and training. Moving forward with this goal requires close listening and balancing of competing desires, finding appropriate metrics, and the creation of structures or groups that have not previously existed to carry out emergent initiatives.

• Staff professional development activities dramatically expanded
• On-line forms depository and on-line evaluation of Classified and non-classified staff – move to a more paperless organization
• Increase in “brown bag” lunch frequency, diversity and attendance
• Establishment of market based target salaries for all faculty

• Conduct follow-up survey of employee “professional satisfaction” and develop strategies to improve it.
• Wellness and community-building initiatives
• Measure/report on faculty/staff retention
• Measure/report on participation in on-campus professional development; implement strategies to enhance