Western Kentucky University

Challenging The Spirit
STRATEGIC PLAN
2006-2008

VISION

WKU – A Leading American University with International Reach

MISSION

Western Kentucky University prepares students to be productive, engaged leaders in a global society.  It provides service and lifelong learning opportunities for its constituents.  WKU is responsible for stewarding a high quality of life throughout its region.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

As a nationally prominent university, Western Kentucky University engages the globe in acclaimed, technologically enhanced academic programs.  An inspiring faculty promotes entrepreneurial success and a unique campus spirit to attract an intellectually exciting and diverse family of the nation’s best students.

WKU provides students with rigorous academic programs in education, the liberal arts and sciences, business, and traditional and emerging professional programs, with emphasis at the baccalaureate level, complemented by relevant associate and graduate-level programs.

The University places a premium on teaching and student learning. Its faculty engage in creative activity and diverse scholarship, including basic and applied research, designed to expand knowledge, improve instruction, increase learning, and provide optimum service to the state and nation. The University directly supports its constituents in its designated service areas of Kentucky with professional and technical expertise, cultural enrichment, and educational assistance. The University encourages applied research and public service in support of economic development, quality of life, and improvement of education at all levels, especially elementary and secondary schools. In particular, WKU faculty contribute to the identification and solution of key social, economic, scientific, health, and environmental problems within its reach, but particularly throughout its primary service area.

Maintaining a campus of distinctive history and character, WKU sustains a student population of increasing quality. It fulfills its responsibility for access through its community college, extended campus programs, and distance learning.

WKU's commitment is to ensure value in a holistic learning experience through high standards for student achievement and conduct, a strong faculty, technological innovation, personalized attention, broad access, and public accountability for actions and outcomes.

WKU recognizes that its mission continues to evolve in response to regional, national, and global changes, and the need for lifelong learning.

CORE VALUES

Shared purposes and beliefs drive the decisions and actions of any organization or institution. The core values that undergird the foundations of WKU are reflected in the University’s vision, mission, and purpose statements, and in the goals of the strategic plan. The rich heritage that is WKU’s has been built upon a foundation of shared values that have withstood the test of time and the challenges of many changes. These values are deeply embedded in the words of WKU’s first President, Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry, as he set forth a vision for this University –

 

• to be a live school and to impart to its students a burning zeal to do and be something..
• to be progressive, to use modern methods and equipment, but reject all worthless educational fads...
• to let the reputation of the school be sustained by real merit...
• to “ring the rising bell in the human soul” by inspiring all students who come in touch with the work of the institution...

This vision is further reflected in Dr. Cherry’s oft- quoted reminder that “It’s what’s above the rim that counts” and in the two University ideals expressed in the University seal: “ Life More Life ” and the University motto: “ The Spirit Makes the Master. ” Building upon these long-lasting values, the following core values represent a reaffirmation of the shared purposes and beliefs upon which this Strategic Plan is built:

• Emphasis on cooperation, teamwork, and mutual respect for individual differences in scholarship, diversity, and culture.
• Expectation for all conduct to be characterized by integrity, honesty, and commitment to high moral and ethical values and principles.
• Commitment to assuring quality of programs, competence of graduates, and opportunities for lifelong learning.
• A view of scholarly endeavors that includes teaching, research, and creative activities as mutually supportive.
• Encouragement of meaningful and active partnerships among students, faculty, staff, and constituents to strengthen the learning environment.
• Nurturing of innovative and creative activities of faculty, staff, and students that advance University mission and goals.
• Dedication to the importance of achieving excellence in all programs and for adding value to the degrees and credentials of our students.
• Commitment to providing a collegiate experience that prepares students to be informed, engaged, and dedicated citizens.
• Commitment to contributing to improved quality of life and economic well-being of Kentuckians, especially those in our primary service area, as well as other constituents and stakeholders.
  
  DEFINING PRINCIPLES OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic planning is an open, dynamic, and continuing process, which ensures that any organization remains flexible and responsive to a changing environment. In a university setting in particular, the planning process is highly dependent upon broad university acceptance and participation. The resulting strategic plan charts a course for the future and a means of developing priorities and actions to achieve intended outcomes.

WKU’s Strategic Plan is about enhancing academics--the strength of our faculty, students and programs--and the WKU experience. The Plan will guide program decisions and direct allocation of resources.

The five Strategic Goals are consistent with the University’s mission to prepare students to be productive citizens of a global society and to provide service and lifelong learning opportunities for its constituents. Following each Goal is a list of key Performance Indicators by which the institution will measure its progress toward achieving that particular Goal. Collectively, these Strategic Goals, their Performance Indicators, as well as unit and departmental Action Plans, will focus institutional energies; sustain the vision of the Commonwealth’s reconceptualized postsecondary education system; and guide us in achieving the vision to be “a leading American university with international reach.”

STRATEGIC GOALS

The University’s Strategic Plan will be implemented through five Goals:

Goal 1: Increase student learning.

Promote learning that fully develops individual potential and produces graduates who can successfully live, work, and contribute to society in a global context.

Performance indicators include but will not be limited to the following:

1a   Engage students with communities other than their own in purposeful learning activities that explicitly address their capacity and responsibility to contribute to community and society:

• Ensure that at least one of the following student learning outcomes is incorporated into the assessment plans of at least 75 percent of all academic units and 75 percent of all Student Affairs Departments:
• Students will demonstrate their capacity to apply knowledge and training to address relevant concerns in community or society;
• Students will demonstrate respect for diversity of peoples, ideas, and cultures;
• Students will demonstrate awareness of their opportunities as responsible citizens living and working in a global society;
• Allow students to “demonstrate their capacity to apply knowledge and training to address relevant concerns in community or society” by increasing on-campus, project-based internships by 75 percent.
• Expand student participation in collaborative living/learning environments in the residence halls by providing at least 6 new themed living options involving at least 500 students.
• Expand student leadership participation by involving an average of 830 students per year in the Dynamic Leadership Institute and by increasing the number of students enrolled in the Leadership Studies Certificate program by 40 percent and 30 percent in 2006 and 2007 respectively (over the 2005 baseline year).
• Build a system that records and documents student engagement experiences as a part of the student learning portfolio.
• Increase student, faculty, and staff volunteer experiences by 15 percent each year through the A.L.I.V.E. Center, the Student Volunteer Bureau, and other recognized campus programs.
• Achieve 50% participation of student athletes in community volunteer service.
• Expand opportunities for first-year students to develop the social and academic skills for success at WKU through M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan by:
• Continuing to develop new workshops and activities and revising current workshops and activities based on student feedback from surveys
• Providing opportunities for participants to connect with faculty, staff, and other students
• Increase from 41 percent to 50 percent the number of students responding either “Quite a Bit” or “Very Much” to the following WKUSES question: “To what extent did the General Education curriculum contribute to your understanding of diverse cultures?”
• Expand opportunities for students to “demonstrate respect for diversity of peoples, ideas, and cultures” by providing at least 25 new programs concerning diversity understanding, awareness, and appreciation.

1b Increase National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) scores for WKU seniors on the following measures:

• Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment (7a) (Increase from 75 percent to 80 percent those responding either “Done” or “Plan to Do”);
• Work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements (7d) (Increase from 29 percent to 34 percent those responding either “Done” or “Plan to Do”);
• Acquiring job or work-related knowledge or skills (11b) (Increase from 73 percent to 78 percent those responding either “Very Much” or “Quite a Bit”);
• Solving complex or real-world problems (11m) (Increase from 56 percent to 61 percent those responding either “Very Much” or “Quite a Bit”);
• Contributing to the welfare of your community (11o). (Increase from 42 percent to 47 percent those responding either “Very Much” or “Quite a Bit”).

1c   Initiate a credentialing program focusing on educational leadership at the public school and postsecondary level.

1d  Promote rigorous academic standards for WKU student athletes:

• Achieve an Academic Progress Report (APR) score above the NCAA mandated 925 for each athletic program and collectively perform in the top quartile of APR scores for each athletic conference.
• Achieve a student - athlete five-year graduation rate equal to or higher than that of the overall institutional five-year graduation rate.
• Achieve a student - athlete five-year graduation rate equal to or better than the overall NCAA Division I composite average.
• Achieve an 80 percent graduation rate for those student- athletes who exhaust their eligibility.
• At least 50 percent of all student-athletes will earn at least one semester of 3.0 GPA or better each year.

1e   Create Information Technology-based learning opportunities for students:

• Complete the wireless campus initiative by June 2007.
• Increase multi-media training for students by 10 percent each year.

Goal 2: Develop the student population.

Attract, retain, and graduate an increasingly diverse, academically talented, and achievement-oriented student population.

Performance Indicators to be achieved by 2008 include but will not be limited to the following:

2a.  Maintain overall student growth patterns consistent with both Council for Postsecondary Education (CPE) growth targets and funding resources available for sustaining quality programming as specifically noted in each of the following areas by 2008:

• Achieve overall student enrollment of 19,250 students;
• Increase the number of international students by 20 percent;
• Increase the number of minority students by 5 percent (both for all minorities and for African American students);
• Increase annually the number of non-traditional student enrollments (defined by CPE as students 25 years of age or older);
• Increase annually the number of students from underserved counties who enroll (defined by CPE as counties with low college-going rates and low educational attainment);
• Increase annually both admission applications and enrollment of students in national Tuition Incentive Program (TIP);
• Increase the number of KCTCS transfers by 25 percent increase;
• Increase annually the quality of incoming students as reflected by ACT scores and high school GPA;
• Increase the number of enrollments in distance learning by 30 percent;
• Increase overall enrollment/participation in Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO) unit projects (e.g. non-credit community education and professional development, corporate training partnerships, dual-credit programs, etc.) by 15 percent;

2b.  Increase retention rate of first-time full-time freshmen to achieve CPE targets.

2c. Increase six-year graduation rates to achieve CPE targets.

2d.  Increase five-year graduation rate of KCTCS transfer students to achieve CPE targets.

2e.  Increase capacity to attract high quality graduate students by providing an average tuition waiver of 50 percent for all university-funded graduate and research assistants.

2f. Expand the Honors Program as reflected in increasing the number of students who complete the program by 15 percent each year from a baseline of 15 graduates (previous 5 year average).

2g. Increase annually the total participation in the honors program by 10 percent.

2h.  WKU students will earn five Prestigious and Nationally Competitive Awards per year.

Goal 3: Assure high quality faculty and staff.

Attract, retain, and support high quality faculty and staff.

Performance Indicators to be achieved by 2008 include but will not be limited to the following:

3a.  Achieve the institution’s diversity goals in the Kentucky Plan for Equal Opportunities (e.g. enrollment, retention, graduation rate, etc.).

3b.  Increase the ability to attract and retain high quality faculty and staff through competitive improvements in salary and benefits packages:

• Increase faculty professional development funds by 25 percent in each college;
• Double funding for staff training/development as coordinated by the Department of Human Resources each fiscal year through 2007/08;
• Achieve salary levels for full-time faculty (by rank) that are at least equivalent to the 55th percentile salaries of the CPE benchmark institutions established for WKU;
• For administrative/professional staff, achieve salary levels that are at least equivalent to the 55th percentile salaries of the CPE benchmark institutions established for WKU. For support staff, achieve salary levels that are at least equivalent to 105% of the estimated market Mean.
• Implement a voluntary benefits program that offers various insurance coverage options and group discounts;
• Achieve an Optional Retirement Program (ORP) which provides competitive employer contributions;
• Achieve a solvent and stable self-funded workers compensation program;
• Achieve a 30 percent reduction in the 2004/05 budgeted amount for workers’ compensation total cost (claims and administrative fees) by June 30, 2007.

3c.  Review and revise promotion, tenure, and merit pay processes to ensure that reward structures are aligned with institutional priorities and a broad definition of scholarship that includes the scholarship of engagement.

3d. Increase by 10 percent each year faculty participation in learning and utilization of state-of-the-art technologies for teaching in the classroom, on-line, and other forms of electronic delivery. 

Goal 4: Enhance responsiveness to constituents.

Respond to educational, social, cultural, and economic development needs through increased outreach, applied scholarship, service, and innovative opportunities for lifelong learning.

Performance Indicators to be achieved by 2008 include but will not be limited to the following:

4a.  Each academic department will establish meaningful, on-going cooperative ventures with P-12 schools or institutions (students, faculty, and/or curriculum) to assist in improving teacher education and professional development.

4b.  Develop programming for alumni that not only enriches their lives and confirms their commitment but also allows them to be meaningfully involved in the life of the institution:

• Recruit and involve 1,000 volunteers annually in the life of the institution to increase outreach, service, and institutional capacity.
• Increase annually the participation in cultural, social, service, and/or educational events or programs that impact diverse constituents.
• Increase annually participation in initiatives or programs that provide opportunities for constituents to be engaged in outreach, civic engagement, and lifelong learning.

4c.  Increase community support for athletics as measured by increasing attendance and ticket revenue for ticketed athletic events by an average of 5 percent annually.

4d.  Achieve at least one Sweet 16 appearance for men’s and women’s basketball in the NCAA tournament.

4e.  Win a NCAA Division I-AA national championship in football.

4f.  Win the conference all sports title on a biennial basis.

4g.  Achieve team or individual post-season success with at least 12 of WKU’s 20 athletic teams.

4h.  Increase enrollment at Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox campus from 650 to 1000.

4i.  Increase enrollment at Owensboro campus from 650 to 1000.

4j.  Improve technical support and help for technology users:

• Reduce the average time to complete work requests by 10 percent each year;
• Increase help desk hours to reach a 10 pm, 2 am, 7 am coverage span.

4k.  Expand the range of state-of-the-art technologies and on-line services to students by increasing the student-use hours in the Student Technology Resource Center by 10% per year.

4l.  Improve delivery of Student Affairs web services through technologies that will make divisional web sites more interactive by allowing user to provide feedback to the webmaster.

Goal 5: Improve institutional effectiveness.

Commit to continuous improvement of institutional effectiveness and efficiency in all programs and services.

Performance Indicators to be achieved by 2008 include but will not be limited to the following:

5a.  Increase external financial resources to support the University mission and goals through:

• Increasing the University’s combined endowment by 11 percent annually;
• Increasing the number of endowed scholarships by 20 percent annually;
• Providing a total of 20 new endowed faculty positions;
• Achieving an increase of 5.5 percent annual increase in annual cash receipts;
• Increasing deferred gift inventory (documented wills, bequests, and trusts) by 9.8 percent annually.
• Achieving 20 percent participation among alumni in the University’s annual giving program;

5b.  Create an endowment of at least $1 million for the Honors Program through major private gifts.

5c.  Secure funding and undertake capital construction and renovation projects that advance the institution’s mission and add significant value to the students’ overall quality educational experience:

• Renovate Florence Schneider Hall to function as the home for the Kentucky Academy of Mathematics and Science;
• Accommodate growth of Community College programming through expansion of the physical facility;
• Renovate Van Meter Auditorium to serve as a premier venue for performing arts and other cultural/social events.
• Implement Phase I of the Greek Village for the 2007/07 year and initiate plans for Phase II for the 2007/08 year.
• Renovate L.T. Smith stadium with construction starting in summer 2006 and complete renovation by summer 2008.
• Initiate the planning process for the Downing University Center’s Phase III renovation including the relocation and expansion of the Office of Diversity Programs.
• Finalize plans and initiate expansion of the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center.
• Initiate construction of a new campus health services facility to support wellness and health activities.
• Secure funding and initiate construction for replacement of Tate-Page Hall.
• Complete Phase II of the Science Campus Renovation (Snell Hall and Thompson Complex Center Wing) and secure funding for a Science Campus Renovation Phase III (Science and Technology Hall).
• Complete campus shuttle/transportation center at the WKU South Campus.
• Complete North Campus parking construction.
• Begin construction of USDA Federal Research Laboratory.
• Initiate planning and design phase for new Gordon Ford College of Business building.
• Implement Information Technology capital projects infrastructure for Phase 2.
• Complete restoration and preservation of the Faculty House.
• Initiate renovation of Kentucky Building.

5d.  Continue to develop and refine institutional processes, procedures, and systems to make them more efficient, user friendly, and cost-effective:

• Implement a Utilities Master Plan.
• Reduce the backlog in capital renewal projects by investing at least $2 million annually in deferred capital renewal and infrastructure repairs.
• Implement a campus-wide wellness program.
• Continuously upgrade the ID system to allow for state of the art expansion, to provide security of the information, and to maintain the system’s hardware and software to ensure reliability.

5e.  Develop effective and efficient electronic administrative processes and information systems to increase responsiveness to institutional needs:

• Complete the personnel forms on-line workflow system by December 2006.
• Implement the CAS/DARS System for General Education requirements by September 2006 and the full system by June 2008.

5f. Increase externally sponsored research grant and contract activities to $32 million.

5g. Continuously improve ranking in nationally-normed indicators of institutional quality and effectiveness (i.e. the U.S. News & World Report survey).

5h.  Maintain an annual 5 percent growth rate on retail sales from WKU licensing marks.

5i.  Initiate programs that improve the health and welfare of the University community by reducing vehicular congestion and assisting faculty, staff, students and visitors traveling to and around campus:

• Develop and implement a Parking and Transportation Master Plan.
• Enhance the level of service provided by the University Transit System.
• Assess route and schedules each semester by conducting at least one focus group per semester.
• By Fall 2007, decrease headway to 7 minutes during peak demand on main route.
• Conduct at least three educational programs per semester to inform customers of services available.
• Promote walking and bicycling as a primary means of transportation around campus by planning for, creating, and maintaining 1) car-free corridors for pedestrians and bicyclists, 2) designated bicycle paths and parking and 3) safe pedestrian crosswalks.
• By Summer 2006, identify and prioritize major pedestrian corridors in Phase II of Parking and Transportation Master Plan.
• By Summer 2007, design and construct improvements to top three pedestrian crosswalks.
• By Summer 2007, install a minimum of 120 new bike racks on campus.
• Improve transit access between campus and nearby living, shopping, entertainment and employment areas to reduce the reliance on personal vehicles.
• By Summer 2008, implement Car-Free program to provide incentives to reduce vehicle use on campus.
• By Summer 2008, create pilot off-campus housing shuttle route.

5j. Create an enterprise portal that is customizable by faculty, staff, and students by October 2006.