Baker@150.CAS.Progress.016
This
is volume one, number six of an electronic bulletin designed to chronicle the
planning process and organizational development within CAS as we join the rest
of the University in the Baker@150
campaign for campus-wide growth and improvement. Baker@150.CAS.Progress
is produced by Dr. Jamie Comstock, Vice President and Dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, in collaboration with contributors from across CAS.
Strategic
Planning Process reaches major milestone!
Task
force groups work tirelessly to complete Gap Analysis Projects
They worked on it
non-stop for four months, somehow fitting the additional tasks in to their
already full load of responsibilities.
And now, the nearly 70 members of the Baker community serving on one of
our six Strategic Planning Task Force groups have completed the Gap Analysis
step in the Strategic Analysis phase of the planning process. Not only did they complete the work by the
challenging April 1st deadline, they produced reports that are now
being used to guide the remainder of the planning process.
At
the start of the Strategic Analysis phase, the SPLT identified key issues of
interest for nine stakeholder groups including: (1) students; (2) parents; (3)
High School and Community College counselors/advisors; (4) staff; (5) faculty;
(6) alumni & friends; (7) the community; (8) the United Methodist Church;
and (9) Administration and the Board of Trustees. Then, through an active
collaborative process, the SPLT factored the list into six functional areas of
work: (1) Academic Program Development and Instructional Quality, (2)
Admissions and Recruitment, (3) Faculty and Staff Development and Retention,
(4) Student Development and Retention, (5) Institutional
The
six Task Force Group Reports, most of which are well over 200 pages long, include
individual gap analysis reports for each of their assigned issues. They were asked to: (1) Define the issue; (2)
Identify the key internal or external environment trends that impact the area;
(3) Summarize the gap analysis data, comparing Baker to our peer and aspiration
institutions on the topic; (4) Specify the Gap between Baker’s present
performance and future need; (5) Recommend future performance goals; (6)
Predict expected outcomes from the change; and (7) Identify any critical
concern that should be addressed immediately.
The
Reports also included a collective summary of their recommended goals, with
timelines and a supporting rationale for each goal.
The Task Force Group
members are to be commended for their careful analytical work and their
commitment the future of our University.
The results of the Gap Analysis provide the navigational fix required to
assess our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; formulate a
strategic direction (vision); and establish long-term objectives to guide our
plan-of-work and budget priorities.
Because of the task force groups’ efforts, we can now work together to
build a bright future on top of our strong foundation.
Listed below are the
Strategic Planning Task Force Group members. Each group included student,
faculty and staff representatives, while some also included parents, alumni, or
members of the Board of Trustees. When
you see these folks around campus, please let them know how much you appreciate
their tireless efforts and the quality of their work.
Academic Programs and Instructional Quality: Cynthia Appl, Inge Balch,
Jan Boyd, Roger Boyd, Kay Bradt, John Buehler, Chris Claussen, Susan Emel, Virginia Fambrough, Rob Flaherty, Bill Neuenswander
and Denis Popel.
Admissions and Recruitment: Annette Galluzzi, Martha
Harris, Peggy Harris, Mutsa Kajese,
Cindy Novelo, Tanya Sieber,
and Casey Wright
Faculty and Staff Development and Retention: Sarah Anderson, Barbara Coffey, Anthony Brown,
Dee Hansen, Jackie Hosey, Erin Joyce, Amber Koblitz, Rod Lewis, Kevin McCarthy, Janet McManus, Merrie Skaggs, and Rand Ziegler
Student Development and Retention: Betty Bullock, Sandy
Davidson, Pedro DosSantos, Dan Harris, Sarah
Hastings, Lisa Johnston, Annette Pierce, Nancy Richard, Amelia Stewart, Susan
Wade, and Karla Wiscombe.
Institutional Mission and Advancement: Wende Beeson, Cindy Belot, Stacey
Cohen, Tom Conoley, Connie Deel,
Cindy Dengel, Ira DeSpain,
Ashley Farmer, Phil Hannon, Don Hatcher, Alice Hawk, Bill McCollum, Alice Ann
Callahan Russell, and Darcy Russell
Administrative and Support Services: Jo Adams,
Ryan Beasley, Leslie Bowerman, Perry Chapman, Jamie Comstock, Charly Edmonds, Robert Honse, Dan
Lambert, Gwyn Mellinger,
Ben McMahan, Darla Prather, Bonnie Postlethwaite,
Judy Smrha, and Machele
Timberlake.
SPLT
Uses Task Force Reports to Identify CAS strengths
As the Task Force Groups
conducted the Gap Analysis step in the Strategic Analysis phase of our planning
process, the SPLT continued to meet bi-weekly to co-ordinate the task force
group work and prepare to execute the last step in the Strategic Analysis
phase: Codifying our Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT).
At a recent all day retreat, a SPLT subgroup carefully reviewed the Task
Force Group recommendations, and other relevant University documents to prepare
the initial draft of the SWOT analysis, which is now under full SLPT
review.
As expected all along,
the Gap Analysis revealed many reasons to be proud of our past and current
practices, as well as some “Best practices” and opportunities for change that
will point us to a future of long-term success.
In the last CAS@150 Bulletin, I mentioned that
we must never forget that our optimism about the future is grounded in the long
tradition of excellence that is
Please review these
strengths, knowing that you have been part of building this strong
foundation. Let us be proud of the past,
and together, focus on the future.
Keep in mind that this list recommends an
initial draft. If you would like to add to the list or if you have corrections
for any item listed here, please e-mail your recommendations to the SPLT at
splt@wildcat.bakeru.edu.
Baker CAS Strengths (initial draft)
1.
As the first university in
2. U.S. News and World Report ranks Baker as one of the top 35 universities in our region.
3. We are ranked among the top 100 private schools in the nation by Money Magazine and recognized in Barron's Best Buys in College Education.
4. CAS is a student centered learning community, with strongly prepared teaching faculty working in collaboration with dedicated staff from student development, student academic services, information services, and administrative support to provide the best possible educational experience for students.
5. The CAS student/faculty ratio is 14/1,which promotes high levels of individualized instruction.
6. Faculty have meaningful opportunities to participate in University governance and they approach this service responsibility seriously.
7. The CAS campus location provides safety and opportunity: the safety of a small mid-western town and the advantages of being within close proximity of a major state institution and a large metropolitan area.
8. Department of Education and all of their sponsored undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by NCATE.
9. The undergraduate programs sponsored by the Department of Business and Economics are accredited by ACBSP.
10. The Collins Library is an attractive facility and valuable resource, that hosts a better than average number of electronic resources for an institution of our size.
11. The 9 hours Liberal Arts Core courses uniquely integrate critical reading, analytical thinking, and expository writing instruction in ways that encourage the honest evaluation of alternative ideas and the confrontation of public policy issues influenced by science and technological developments in all academic fields.
12. Interterm courses are a unique educational distinctive that promote exploration and discovery, primarily through experiential learning.
13. The
Baker Study Abroad program supplies many varied opportunities for students to
explore international cultures and issues, including the Harlaxton
program where groups of Baker students study abroad with other
14. We sponsor a wide range of co-curricular activities that support student growth and development, including 19 athletic teams, a wide range of music ensembles, theatre productions, student media (newspaper, radio, TV), forensics, and student involvement in research.
15. More than 90% of Baker students participate in one or more organization or activity.
16. Baker is affiliated with the NAIA and designated as a NAIA “Champions of Character” institution.
17. The combination of our FYE program and special freshman advising program promotes successful freshmen transition to University life and encourages academic success.
18.
19. The LRC sponsors a support program for at risk and struggling students that promotes faculty involvement in instructional support and focuses on problem prevention, rather than problem solving.
20. We have technologically advanced enrollment and registration services.
21. Baker CAS provides access to health and counseling services at a level that is very good for a campus of up to 1000 students.
22. The CAS student loan default rate is remarkably low.
23. Baker graduates are highly sought after. Currently, 98.6% of our graduates are either employed in their chosen field or enrolled in graduate school within 6-months of graduation.
24. Thirty
percent (30%) of Baker students attend graduate school, which means Baker also
ranks second among all private and public colleges in
25. For the last several years, all Baker students (10%) who applied to medical school, were admitted.
26. Standardized learning outcomes assessment tests, in all areas where they are used, show that Baker students routinely perform better than the comparative norm.
In Context
When we
launched this Strategic Planning process last fall,
there was a spirit of optimism that permeated the campus. Long journeys toward an important destination
typically start that way. But long
journeys get tiring for all passengers and, especially for those who take their
turn in the drivers seat. Fortunately, along the way there are some
important milestones to celebrate, like the one we are celebrating now. We have completed the Strategic Analysis
phase of our planning process! We have
the navigational fix that will allow us to formulate a vision, tweak our
mission statement and set long-term objectives.
We are ready to plan for renewal and success.
We need to pause here a bit, though, to make sure we
never lose sight of the importance of this accomplishment. We’ve done more than
complete six really long and complicated task force reports. This milestone marks what I believe is
Baker’s most important strength: a
community of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends focused on
collaborative learning, characterized by service and a commitment to our
collective long term goals. What matters
most, is that WE did this – 70 of us working together, with most of the
rest of you cooperating and cheering us on.
It would have been easier for me – and probably most of
you – if we would not have started this planning process so soon after I
arrived at Baker. I wanted to join the
Baker community because of it’s strengths and I would
have welcomed the opportunity to rest on those strengths while you got to know
me well enough to trust in my commitment to you and to the future of Baker
CAS. But, given the looming NCA focus
visit, we didn’t have the luxury of waiting to launch this planning
journey. And, although we can afford to
pause to celebrate this milestone; we can’t afford to lose our forward momentum. We have only two more years to prepare for
the NCA HLC evaluators. And, there is
much to do.