Minutes of 2-9-11 Hunter SSPC Meeting (final)

HUNTER COLLEGESENATE STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes: February 9, 2011 Committee Members Members Present: Philip Alcabes, Cristina Alfar, Judith Aponte, Eija Ayravainen, Sar

HUNTER COLLEGE

SENATE STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE

Meeting Minutes: February 9, 2011 Committee Members

Members Present: Philip Alcabes, Cristina Alfar, Judith Aponte, Eija Ayravainen, Sarah

Bonner, Barbara Barone, Elizabeth Beaujour, Sandra Clarkson, Sherryl Graves, Robert

Greenberg, Jacqueline Mondros, Elizabeth Nunez, Andrew Polsky, Vita Rabinowitz (arrived but called away immediately), Richard Stapleford, Patricia Woodward, Len Zinnanti

Task Force Members Present: Robert Buckley (Resource Development), Case Willoughby

(Student Success and Engagement)

Consultants: Anthony Knerr, John Braunstein (Anthony Knerr & Associates)

Proceedings

Meeting called to order at 10:40 a.m.

I. Approval of Minutes of January 19, 2011 SSPC Meeting

Upon the request of Richard Stapleford, the minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

II Review and Discussion of revised Draft Strategic Plan for Hunter College

John Braunstein invited the Committee to return to discussion of the Mission and Vision

statements, noting that, whether the statement itself is short or long, ideas about mission and vision can appear in other places in the document, including the Introduction and Values

sections.

In addition to the Mission and Vision statements in the January 28 Draft SP (reflecting the

Committee’s discussions to date), Andrew Polsky, Robert Greenberg and Case Willoughby drafted mission statements All are attached to these minutes The Committee’s discussion focused on bringing out the best of all these versions, pulling out keywords from all the

statements, and included the following:

•“Global” vs “New York City”: New York really does have its own character Global is part of the mix, but doesn’t really define us “global” schools have global programs, programs around the globe; that doesn’t describe us.

• Description vs Prescription: Related to question of audience Both need to be there A broadly disseminated document should allude to some things that are elaborated in easily accessible places For the purposes of Middle States, for example, mission statement should be actionable But students also read this on the website The goal is to write down

key aspirations that are actionable Statement should reflect who we are, and say that we

want to be better at it.

•Hunter is a flagship college of a large public university system – for better or worse Rest of mission statement explicates those two key components E.g., Barnard – a

women’s college, robust liberal arts, associated with a major research university in NYC – no other institution could make this claim Hunter should have a statement that is equally clear (know without looking that we are talking about Hunter).

•What is appropriate balance between liberal arts and professional missions? The mission statement should get rid of a perceived “line” between professional and undergraduate education Statement should have structural balance (one paragraph about undergrad education, one about graduate education) Need to emphasize the integration of

professional/liberal arts education, perhaps by identifying liberal arts as a foundation for professional schools.

Andrew Polsky expressed his concerns about the Committee’s ownership of the SP and

suggested that members of the committee should work to develop a draft document that meets the objections of the Senate by providing more substantive detail

The Committee and AKA agreed that this was important Case Willoughby, Sandra Clarkson, Elizabeth Beaujour, Sarah Bonner, Barbara Barone, Cristina Alfar, Andrew Polsky, Philip

Alcabes and Richard Stapleford will use AKA Draft SP, dated January 28, 2011, as a template

for their work.

III. Next Steps

Subcommittee will meet February 16, 10:30 am -1 pm, to develop a revised Draft Strategic Plan,

incorporating today’s discussion of mission and vision The Subcommittee is charged with drafting a version of the SP document for SSPC review and discussion February 23, and ready for presentation to President Raab by March 2.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:58 am.

Minutes submitted by Simone White, Administrative Assistant to the Committee

Minutes of February 9, 2011 SSPC Meeting

Attachment I

Draft of January 28, 2011

Hunter College

Strategic Plan, Academic Years 2012 - 2017

Draft for Discussion Only

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

PAGE

I Enhance Hunter’s Academic Identity, Reputation and Recognition

II Increase Student Success and Engagement

III Create Vibrant, Healthy and Diverse Campuses Deeply Engaged with their Surrounding Communities

IV Address Hunter’s Infrastructure Needs Boldly and Imaginatively

V Develop Hunter’s Resources in Innovative Ways that Solidify the College’s Financial Foundation

VI Foster a Culture of Informed Planning, Transparency and Accountability

POSSIBLE APPENDICES

A Hunter College Strategic Planning Process

B Membership of the Hunter College Senate Strategic Planning Committee

C Strategic Accomplishments to Date

D [Strategic Planning Task Force Reports]

I NTRODUCTION

[to be drafted]

[Description of Hunter’s current status and its rationale for undertaking a strategic plan:

 Key strengths of the institution and most significant challenges at this juncture.

 What Hunter hopes to accomplish by conducting this planning process and creating

a strategic plan (I.e., the purpose and goals of the planning process itself – such things as increased collegiality; clear, widely-shared understanding of the College’s direction and priorities; improved accountability; etc.)

M ISSION , V ISION , AND V ALUES

Mission

Hunter College of the City University of New York sees learning in the liberal arts and sciences as a cornerstone of individual development and a vital foundation for a more just and inclusive society We encourage intellectual discourse in the widest sense: we promote excellent scholarship and creative activity by the faculty; we foster intellectual innovation in and across disciplines and schools; and we engage students in the life of the mind to stimulate their curiosity and broaden their horizons Continuing our long tradition of expanding opportunity, we prepare students from all backgrounds to take their places as leaders and innovators in their chosen careers, in their communities, and in the world

To thrive in the 21st century, our students must complete a rigorous academic program that stresses the significance

of human diversity, encourages critical thinking, fosters the capacity to learn, promotes knowledge of the natural world and our relationship to it, explores the complexity of the human experience, and provokes reflection on the enduring questions and ethical dilemmas that confront humanity Through the Hunter undergraduate curriculum, students learn to approach problems from multiple perspectives, distinguishing questions and evaluating evidence Hunter students conduct research, pursue artistic creation, and learn to express themselves clearly and cogently In masters and doctoral programs, Hunter College cultivates the qualities needed to achieve distinction in the arts and sciences, education, health professions, nursing, and social work

We embrace our setting at the heart of a global city – we seek to draw on its energy, capitalize on its resources, weave it into the fabric of our teaching, research, and creative expression, and give back to it through our service and citizenship

Vision

The best of what we are is the foundation of what we will be We will continue to excel as educators, training students to lead the way in ideas and achievement as citizens of New York City Our students will be eager, capable learners who aspire to reach beyond their campus and their city to take their place in a worldwide global community

We will be more attentive to our responsibilities to our students They will receive better advising about course selection, career opportunities, and degree programs appropriate to their interests Through assessment, an active and well-funded Teaching Excellence Center, and the sharing of best classroom practices, faculty will target their classroom efforts to improve students’ ability to learn and their research, critical thinking, and communication skills

We will be a vibrant physical presence in the Upper East Side, centering on our three major campuses: the present Lexington Avenue sites at 68th Street and at 118th Street and the new architecturally renowned Science and Public Health Building Dramatic lighting and embracing neighborhood-friendly facilities will at last identify Hunter to New York residents as an institution proud of its achievements and ambitious for its future

Within the buildings students will find a place of warmth and physical comfort, an oasis of support in a polymorphous city Nestled among the classrooms throughout the College will be areas designated for extracurricular activity, intra-curricular support, and relaxation The Library will be a multifaceted learning engagement and research center Coherence of movement and focus of destination will be created by electronic signs and advanced lighting systems Rather than fleeing the buildings (and the institution) in frustration, students will be drawn to the clarity of the space and the accommodating character of the system They will like being here Even as Hunter’s research profile rises, we will be celebrated as an institution that values teaching as our principal academic activity New faculty will be introduced to successful teaching strategies Excellence and achievement in the classroom will be recognized and rewarded Staff of the several academic learning centers will be trained and rewarded for their success in guiding students to improve their performance

Hunter will be what it has always been: a center of educational excellence But it will rise to embrace its destiny as

a nationally renowned institution worthy in its active embrace of all its students and in its exceptional physical presence of being a model for

Values

[To be drafted Brief description and reaffirmation of the core values, principles, commitments that inform Hunter’s academic and campus culture.]

S TRATEGIC G OALS

To realize its vision and mission over the next five years, Hunter College will achieve the following goals

I Enhance Hunter’s Academic Identity, Quality and Recognition

[brief introduction to be added]

Strengthen the Curriculum at All Levels

 Strengthen and promote undergraduate liberal arts and sciences, especially those features that distinguish Hunter within CUNY, through actions such as:

o Improving student writing, public speaking and presentation skills;

o Increasing opportunities for student research, including creative projects in the arts;

o Fostering foreign language; and

o Encouraging quantitative reasoning to the extent possible in all disciplines

 Strengthen and promote the professional schools and graduate/professional programs within Hunter and CUNY by:

o Placing and mentoring effective professionals in high profile jobs;

o Establishing additional dual-degree programs and interdisciplinary courses; and

o Creating more opportunities for internships, translational research, training and program partnerships, and job placements

 Promote the development of skills that students will need as citizens and members of the workforce in the 21st

century.

o Achieve student competence in the use of appropriate information technologies

o Increase pre-professional educational opportunities

o Establish/formalize and publicize pathways from undergraduate majors into professional graduate programs at Hunter

o Increase internships and off-campus creative opportunities, while assuring that field work maintains high academic standards

Encourage and Facilitate Integration and Collaboration among the Departments and Schools that Constitute, in Effect, an Emerging “Hunter University.”

 Support cross-disciplinary research and teaching, including both Arts and Sciences and professional schools faculty

 Reduce obstacles to and increase incentives for cross-disciplinary curriculum innovation

 Establish an infrastructure and create and implement a development plan for the professional schools to support interdisciplinary teaching, research, collaborative activities, and community-institutional partnerships

Build Upon CUNY’s Commitment to a Decade of Science

 Establish a secure institutional foundation in terms of increased research space and enhanced leadership – in order to raise Hunter’s profile in the sciences

 Improve and rationalize funding for Ph.D students to meet the needs of Hunter’s expanding doctoral programs

in the sciences

 Create a foundation for faculty success in the sciences through better guidance, adequate start-up support, and transparent expectations

Promote Faculty Excellence in Scholarship, Creative Activity and Teaching

 Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and exceptional faculty

 Stimulate faculty research and creative activity by, among other things, providing more support through the sponsored research process

 Promote a strong commitment to excellence in teaching at all levels

II Increase Student Success and Engagement

[add brief introduction]

Promote a Strong Sense of Intellectual, Academic and Career Purpose Among Hunter Students as Early as Possible in their Years at the College.

 Develop orientation programs, guidance and tools to help students search, early in their academic careers, for both majors and career options that connect to their interests and abilities

 Create a clear set of messages for students about the relevance of a liberal arts education to their career and life goals, and convey these ideas in ways that are accessible and meaningful for students

Promote Accurate Expectations of College Work and Life among First-Time and Transfer Students and Create for Them a Deep Sense of Connection to the College

 Strengthen students’ understanding of and provide them skills to deal with the rigors,

proficiency standards and time-demands of college academic work.

 Deepen the emotional connection between students and Hunter College as the start of a long-term bond that will continue throughout their years as alumni.

Assess, Support and Improve Student Advisement across the College

 Identify and analyze the most significant similarities and differences between the College’s transfer- and first-time-student populations in terms of their advisement needs

 Identify, through structured analyses, the strengths and weaknesses of all current forms of advisement at Hunter

 Enhance academic advising through increased use of technology, faculty-development, and the provision of appropriate advisement at all ability levels

 Improve the transitions for students among Hunter’s diverse advisement programs – new-student orientation, professional and pre-major advising, departmental advising, and career/advising

 Use predictive modeling and other early-warning approaches to identify students with high risk of attrition and create interventions for these students that engage them before they face serious academic difficulty

Develop a Clear and Comprehensive Enrollment Plan

 Recruit and retain a racially, ethnically, socio-economically, and internationally diverse student body

 Determine the optimal proportions for Hunter of (a) first-time and transfer students, and (b) undergraduate and graduate/professional students based on the viability of those markets for the College as well as the institution’s overall goals

 Identify and analyze the most significant similarities and differences between the College’s prospective transfer- and first-time-students in terms of the factors that impact their initial interest in Hunter and their likelihood of applying and enrolling

 Develop an enrollment planning model that enables Hunter obtain an optimal balance between the desired size and characteristics of its student body and the College’s resources

 Focus admissions marketing based on the identity and communications plan Hunter develops in order to shape messages about Hunter that are most likely to appeal to its target student markets

Implement Pedagogical and Curricular Initiatives to Enhance Student Engagement and Retention and

 Increase Hunter’s Six-Year Graduation Rate to [ _%] within five years.

 Increase course availability for students, particularly courses that fulfill the General Education Requirements

 Identify and leverage active and collaborative teaching and learning in order to engage students with individual faculty, their disciplines and with the College

 Assess and build upon the successes of the Block Program for incoming freshmen

 Create a transition program for new transfer students

 Enhance the number of and participation rate in student co-curricular opportunities, particularly those connected to classroom learning (e.g., service learning, volunteerism, internships, etc.)

 Increase student-faculty interaction and the sense of academic community among departmental faculty and students majoring in the department

 Promote out of classroom activities that provide greater linkage for students between their academic exploration and career interests and potentially increase their interaction with other Hunter faculty, staff and students

Recruit, Develop and Retain a Diverse and Talent Staff Deeply Invested in Student Success

 Develop a comprehensive program of support for staff at all stages of their careers.

 Encourage collaboration between faculty and staff to provide opportunities for enhanced student development and learning opportunities.

 Encourage more collaboration between faculty advisors and professional advisors.

 Explore the possibilities for national accreditation for academic support centers, where available.

III Create Vibrant, Healthy and Diverse Campuses That Are Deeply Engaged with Their Surrounding Communities.

Hunter’s locations, student body, program array and history argue that the College has a special responsibility to serve the people of New York City The College can exercise a leadership role in CUNY in this capacity, make it in integral part of Hunter’s identity and achieve broader recognition and a stronger reputation based on it

Enhance Cultural and Recreational Opportunities on Campus to Improve Quality of Life and to Connect

Non-Resident Students and Community Members to Campus Life.

[Add specific initiatives]

Make Roosevelt House a Centerpiece of Hunter’s Engagement with New York City’s Intellectual Communities

 Explore the suitability of Roosevelt House as a center for programs and initiatives focusing on the concerns

of New York City and urban issues in general

 Take full advantage of the House’s attractive setting by making it a location for programs of interest to alumni in the New York area, potentially engaging them with current Hunter students to strengthen the

“pipeline” from student to alumnus

Engage Hunter alumni in diverse and ongoing relationships with the College.

 Develop and implement a comprehensive alumni-relations plan that articulates the diverse interactions that Hunter wishes to have with its alumni and offers them a menu of opportunities for engagement with their alma mater

 Establish an alumni-student interaction program that matches undergraduate students and alumni to create mentorship, career advising and, potentially, employment opportunities

Communicate a Powerful Image of the Strengths and Importance of Hunter College to its Neighborhoods and the City, Nation and World.

 Create a coherent Hunter College identity (or “brand”) that is clearly conveys Hunter’s core distinctions, and use this brand consistently in communication with constituencies within and outside of the College

 Redesign the College web site to make it the “go-to” source of information about Hunter for both current and prospective members of the campus community and, ideally, a forum for the lively exchange of information and ideas

 Improve way-finding on all of Hunter’s campuses

 Increase the public profile of Hunter initiatives such as Roosevelt House, Parliamo Italiano, the Kaye Playhouse and partnerships with the Asia Society and the Urban Teacher Residency

Establish Effective Methods to Communicate the Content that Constituencies Want and Need

 Develop communications oriented around user needs and preferences

 Use communications and technology to better integrate new faculty, adjuncts and staff into the Hunter community

 Build strong intra-Hunter and community relationships through effective communications

IV Address Hunter’s Infrastructure Needs Boldly and Imaginatively

As Hunter’s enrollment, research level and breadth of campus activities have grown, the College is increasingly constrained by its limitations of its physical facilities Space has become such an overriding need at Hunter that its lack now threatens Hunter’s ability to sustain the recognition and quality it has achieved At the same time, the need for more space represents a widely-shared goal that might serve to unify a sometimes fractious community Adding more space is likely to facilitate increased collaboration across disciplines, schools and programs, and create a stronger sense of Hunter community and affiliation with the College among students, faculty and staff

Evaluate Current Facilities Usage and Plan for Future Needs

 Perform a comprehensive campus-wide study of physical space utilization in order to establish a baseline of room use, and conduct by annual evaluations thereafter