PLFSC Strategic Planning Meeting January 5, 2011

PLFSC Strategic Planning Meeting January 5, 2011

PLFSC – Strategic Planning Meeting – January 5, 2011

Team 1 – Julie Cash, Suzanne Cope, Ashley Alcala, Carroll Bonner, Virginia Martinez and Phylicia Hernandez

  • Increase Endowment - Encourage and motivate Baylor alumni to give back to the university toward endowment benefitting legacy Baylor students who do not qualify for significant merit scholarships and other students desiring a Baylor education who do not qualify for merit scholarships. Increasing endowment to target these groups would
  • Increase retention by lowering student debt, lowering stress to allow for increased academic engagement by students
  • Allow for admission of students who meet requirements that have a true desire for a Baylor education.

Notes:

  1. Study abroad scholarships
  2. Admissions must continue to carefully identify the best candidates for admission to Baylor.
  3. “Purpose” reflection through admission process.
  4. Endowment or scholarships for mid-range ACT scores.
  5. Endowments for alumni kids or legacy kids
  6. Create more scholarships for needy students. Hopefully this would them to appreciate their education more and more likely to give back.
  7. Same idea with stipulation that monies be set aside for average students.

Team 2 – Paula Marshall, Pat Weaver, Judy McClain, Amy Ames, Megan Frazer, Becky Schwartze, Dae Vasek, Anna Shaw, Sally Firmin, Christi Walker and Joyce Miller

  • In order to facilitate the transition for secondary education to a thoroughly engaged student at BU, we need to develop a one semester course that is mandatory for all freshmen. Ideally, the course would include topics related to:
  • Life skills
  • Academic success skills
  • Career and major exploration
  • Personal strength and profile
  • University knowledge (programs, policies, procedures, etc._
  • Development of educational plans
  • BU mission, history, and traditions.

Notes:

  1. A true FYE course (one not paired with chapel) could provide a “transition bridge” to college academics and Baylor campus Life.
  2. An FYE course could provide a solid academic foundation and learning skill development in the vulnerable freshman fall.
  3. 1-hour semester long seminar, like BU1000 and U1000 mandatory for ALL students. Have a curriculum and everyone stick to it!
  4. Create more transitional programs and a true first year experience program. (Study skills, time management
  5. A core curriculum could provide bonding through common academic and intellectual experiences for our entering freshmen.
  6. Curriculum to help students complete degrees in four years keeping expenses for students and families more manageable.
  7. Encourage students to draft and education plan outlining potential courses each semester, study abroad, internships, etc. by end of first year. The plan should be flexible to allow closed sections, course changes etc.
  8. An FYE course could facilitate self discover in the vulnerable freshmen fall. (Self-discovery = academic, spiritual, social, knowledge
  9. Semester long FYE:
  10. Study Skills
  11. Stress Management
  12. Career Counseling
  13. Diversity Training
  14. Development of transitional programs to bring forward the students executive functioning skills.
  15. A core curriculum would allow intellectual and experiential “space” for personal and intellectual maturation before committing to an academic path.
  16. Create career development course for each college requiring freshman enrollment.
  17. We can equip students to understand life as a calling by focusing on strengths in more sessions.
  18. Strengths and callings program or coordinator.
  19. Devise a web-based, interactive degree/major exploration interface for students to use as soon as they are accepted to the university. This would help them prepare for career counseling and would save time and money by helping them avoid long, drawn-out changes of majors/programs during their first semester here.
  20. Designing your career course in freshman year.
  21. Safety Net Protocol (SNP) – for students and advisors who cannot continue in an academic program – either are denied or opt out:
  22. Documentation in UAS
  23. Clear referral process for changing major/educational goal
  24. Contacts(s)/resource(s)
  25. Options
  26. Academic support/accountability
  27. Staff positions/development.
  28. Ratios more in keeping with NACADA recommendations and what is standard at peer universities. (1:200 student to staff ratio at max)
  29. Student organizations and opportunities for involvement.

Team 3 – Brandon Miller, J.D. Windham, Trish Baum, Steven Richard, Melanie Pirelo, and Ron English

  • Burst the bubble with fruit salad (with whip cream):
  • Redefine and clarify what we mean as a university (Christian) with a historically Baptist heritage. In order to be a caring Christian (diverse thoughts, beliefs, morals, cultures, etc.) community in the context of global consciousness.

Notes:

  1. Have Baylor be more intentional about diversity in traditions that are established.
  2. We should not admit students from diverse faith background if they are not able to 100% participate in our caring community. Accepting and appreciating differences means so much more than tolerating. Students of non-Christian faith are allowed to be CL’s and Baylor Bound Leaders, etc.
  3. Drawing on differences means that everyone has a “legitimate” place at the table.
  4. Baylor needs to treat all students equally. If we are accepting students of all faiths, then all faiths need to be treated equally. All students should be able to be CLs, join organizations, etc. (Have a place to meet on campus.)
  5. Promote a greater base of Christian ethics.

Team 4 – Diana Ramey

  • A key element to further the mission ob Baylor is the need increase the level of giving money/resources to Baylor. Increasing our endowment significantly will provide funds needed for a first-class experience while holding tuition at a more reasonable level. For example, the ability
  • To increase staff to appropriate sizes (i.e., according the NACADA standards).
  • To increase funds for success services (i.e., OALA, Tutoring, Career Counseling, SI, etc.)
  • To set and maintain the right size of student body (i.e., the more students the more needs; size determines tuition dollars, availability, etc.)
  • To create the mentality that it takes a campus (retention is shared) which means everyone gives at all levels – n o matter how small (i.e., dollars connect responsibility from top to bottom, etc.).

Notes:

  1. Everyone at Baylor must acknowledge that responsibility for student retention is shared.
  2. Baylor must continue to carefully consider the size of the student body we want.
  3. Increase funds for OALA, SI and Tutoring, Career Counseling.

Team 5 – Sharon Achor

  • Baylor needs to evaluate the form and function of the campus.
  • Form:
  • Aesthetically inspired environment
  • Showcase of cultural and interdisciplinary influences (e.g. international garden, community garden)
  • Universally designed buildings and outdoor classrooms (ADA compliant)
  • Historical preservation
  • Function:
  • Classroom space
  • Student housing
  • Staff facilities
  • New student union building
  • Campus elements reflecting students’ research and study of art, religion, engineering, history, business, sciences, etc.

Notes:

  1. Create an aesthetically inspired environment.
  2. Showcase cultural and interdisciplinary influences with universally designed buildings/outdoor classrooms (ADA compliant).
  3. Incorporate campus green construction, historical preservation, art, “social sculpture, and an international garden.
  4. Improve campus spaces
  5. Classroom space
  6. Increased housing
  7. Increased space for staff
  8. New student union building
  9. Attract visitors from around the world to see the campus as a collaborative laboratory for interdisciplinary study of art, religion, history, sciences, business, etc.

Team 6 – Laura Scott, Bob Shipp

  • Information sharing among faculty, staff, students and others is a process that must be continually reevaluated. The best, most effective methods of communicating critical university information must be determined based on the receivers’ needs.
  • Web-based information should be accessible and stated in a manner that most receivers will understand.
  • Find the most important messages and place them more prominently on the appropriate medium (web, facebook, radio, etc) perhaps through focus groups.

Notes:

  1. The university could benefit from conducting more student focus groups.
  2. Make information more accessible and easier to understand. For example a student will look for “tutoring” not Academic Support as it shows on the web site. MAPs and info are a bit buried in the Baylor.edu site.
  3. We must evaluate and identify the most effective ways to communicate with students.
  4. All Baylor units must communicate and coordinate with each other.

Team 7 – Natalie Terry and Carolyn Muska

  • Note: if we create a first-year program (or curriculum) that helps students transition to Baylor and find their vocation, the following idea will work all the more smoothly and will help a greater number of Baylor students than are served in existing programs.
  • We suggest the creation of more programs like William Carey Crane Scholars. Beginning in their sophomore year and continuing through graduation, students in the program are paired with professors for group and one-one-one mentoring within and between disciplines based on educational goals and professional aspirations, focusing on the interface of faith and learning. A similar program – Conyers Scholars- was just developed for graduate students. To further serve our students, we suggest utilizing alumni and professionals in the community (in addition to professors) to mentor and prepare our students for their vocations both philosophically and practically. This will create a broader network for our students once they are ready to start their careers. It will help our student to understand how they are to use their academic training in combination with the Christian faith to be worldwide leaders.

Notes:

  1. More programs like William Carey Crane Scholars – gives group and one-on-one professor/student mentoring and development of vocation and understanding of how faith and reason work together and should be a part of everyday life.
  2. Help students graduate in four years by establishing vocational mentor program utilizing alumni and HR professionals.

Team 8 –Mike Gerhardt, Joel Looper, Linda Johnson, Kat Evans, Terrie Alcala

  • Baylor needs to give back to the community.
  • Allow employees to give/tithe time to volunteer.
  • Require students to be involved in service leaning/ volunteer and internship programs.
  • Partner with other universities t improve the volunteer activities for each of their communities by sharing successful ideas.

Notes:

  1. Help Waco.
  2. Help students contemplate life after graduation by creating formal required internship program. Creating an Internship Coordinator position that would focus on connecting students with internships in Waco and across the country.
  3. Business school to invest more in the community, in return draws in more students. Also other academic schools.
  4. Allow each employee to give/tithe time each month to volunteer in the community for projects they are interested in doing; i.e., possibly an hour at the soup kitchen, meals on wheels, tutoring.
  5. Focus outreach efforts on local community.
  6. Expand and improve Baylor’s volunteer activities to help feed, clothe and shelter the needy in Waco.
  7. Have students in every major complete and “experiential” component to their education (internships, paid employment, research projects, volunteer work, or other project relating to their major.)
  8. Partner with other universities to improve the volunteer activities for each of their communities.

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