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Strategic Planning Update 2013-2016

The University of Illinois at Springfield is a young

university only 43 years old. Its relatively brief

history is marked by two defining moments its

institutional founding, which was grounded in a

commitment to innovation in education and

engagement with public affairs, and its transition

in 1995 to being one of three distinctive

campuses of the world-class University of Illinois.

The University of Illinois is among the preeminent

public universities in the nation and strives

constantly to sustain and enhance its quality in

teaching, research, public service, and economic

development. The guiding values of the University of Illinois are, in all that we do, to aim high;

to strive to control our destiny; to be accountable for our actions and exercise responsible

stewardship; to be inclusive, treat each other with dignity and respect, and promote citizenship;

to value excellence, quality, and service; and to foster innovation and creativity. The mission and

vision of the University of Illinois at Springfield are in accord with these values. As a campus of

the University of Illinois, UIS aspires to be a premier public university; we are committed to

achieving that vision by building on our foundation of innovation and engagement and by

pursuing excellence in all that we do.

STRONG FOUNDATIONS: THE 2006 STRATEGIC PLAN

In 2006, UIS formally completed its first comprehensive strategic plan as the Springfield campus

of the University of Illinois. The strategic planning process built upon earlier foundational work,

including the 2000 Campus Master Plan and the 2003 National Commission on the Future of UIS

report, and further engaged the campus in an intensive, rigorous, and data-driven competitive

analysis and bold visioning process. Faculty, staff, and students on the Steering Committee

conducted a careful, competitive analysis of our distinctive institutional strengths and

weaknesses, as well as an assessment of significant environmental threats and opportunities.

The process generated clear mission and vision statements and outlined action steps that would

enable UIS to make significant progress in six strategic areas: achieving academic excellence,

enriching individual lives, making a difference in the world, strengthening campus culture,

improving enrollment and retention, and increasing resources and enhancing infrastructure.

PROGRESS IN A CONTEXT OF CHANGE AND CHALLENGE

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UIS has made considerable strategic progress over the last six years, although not without

significant effort. Few could have anticipated in 2006 the full measure of challenges that would

soon converge on American higher education, though the winds of change were already making

themselves known in steadily rising educational costs, troubling economic forecasts, and

precipitous declines in state support for public higher education. Contributing factors include a

major national recession and associated state-level impacts; shifting population demographic,

migration, and educational attainment trends; increasing unmet needs for a highly skilled

workforce in the science, technology, and manufacturing sectors; mounting regulatory burdens

that slow research and consume shrinking administrative resources; growing pressure to increase

access and affordability through the use of technology and streamlined curricula; increasing

competition from for-profit universities for students; and rising federal and state demands for

accountability in terms of retention and graduation rates, applied learning outcomes, and post-

graduation employment. These and other factors will most certainly continue to impact higher

education sectors for the foreseeable future.

Despite economic and competitive challenges over the last six years, UIS has maintained focus

and taken significant steps to actualize the vision shaped through the 2006 strategic planning

process. Our accomplishments over the last seven years are a testament to the integrity and

strength of the 2006 strategic plan and to the dedication of our faculty and staff who remain

committed to the mission, vision, and goals that emerged. After approval of the UIS Strategic

Plan in 2006, divisions, colleges, and other major units of the campus developed unit plans in

keeping with the UIS Strategic Plan. Unit-level processes contributed to the richness of the

campus dialogue about the Strategic Plan. The following is a brief summary of significant actions

and impacts that illustrate UIS progress to date within the six overarching goals of the UIS

Strategic Plan.

Goal One: Achieving Academic Excellence

Actions Weve Taken

Expanded student recruitment

Designed and implemented general education curriculum

Established Office of Faculty Development to create, organize, and sustain faculty

development programming for best practices in teaching, scholarship, and service

Implemented the ECCE Speakers Series, Lincoln Legacy Lectures, Wepner Symposium,

and Annual Day of Dialogue to enrich intellectual culture on campus

Established Undergraduate Research Support Program

Integrated assessment of learning outcomes into formal program review cycle

Developed the Center for Online Learning, Research, & Service

Expanded international opportunities for collaborative teaching, research, and service

projects

Implemented research fellowships in the Center for Online Learning, Research, & Service

and in the Center for State Policy & Leadership

Designed and implemented an Academic Leadership Institute for faculty and staff

Implemented intramural grant programs to support high-visibility research projects and

strategic academic initiatives

Incorporated category of strategic initiatives into annual budget planning process

Developed First-Year programming and academic support initiatives to strengthen

retention

Impacts

Enrolled a larger and more diverse student body

Increased faculty participation in professional development

Advanced the assessment of learning outcomes

Increased faculty scholarship

Increased external grant support for high priority research initiatives

Increased faculty contributions to national dialogues on excellence in teaching and learning

Increased faculty-student collaborations on research and creative work

Supported the identification and development of future academic leaders on campus

Enhanced intellectual life of campus

Goal Two: Enriching Individual Lives

Actions Weve Taken

Opened the ECCE Speakers Series, Lincoln Legacy Lectures, Wepner Symposium, and

Annual Day of Dialogue to external community to encourage participation in campus life

Expanded first-year recruitment and programming

Increased infrastructure and resources for the visual and performing arts programs

Established a Diversity Center for students

Expanded academic, student life, and professional development programming to support

diversity

Enhanced search guidelines and support services to strengthen faculty and staff diversity

Strengthened academic support programming for student athletes

Enhanced visibility of academic and cultural programming and athletics

Redesigned UIS web sites to ensure access for those with disabilities

Impacts

Increased participation by students, faculty, staff, and external community in intellectual and

creative arts events on campus

Increased student diversity and provided support for student retention

Increased private support for visual and performing arts

Increased faculty participation in student athlete support programming

Increased community engagement with and support of UIS athletics

Goal Three: Make a Positive Difference in the World

Actions Weve Taken

Developed and implemented innovative general education and online undergraduate

degree programs to strengthen educational access

Increased study abroad opportunities for students

Increased efforts to recruit international students

Increased faculty engagement in public affairs research and service projects

Strengthened institutional linkages with local and regional constituencies through select

partnerships in areas of shared interest

Expanded public affairs programming to promote informed action on public policy and

civic engagement

Designed and implemented service learning and student volunteer services programming

Increased support for faculty travel to present research at national and international

conferences

Developed academic and research affiliations with select international universities

Implemented environmental sustainability programming

Impacts

Increased student enrollment in on-campus and online degree programs

Enrolled more diverse student population

Increased student and faculty participation in opportunities for international education and

research opportunities

Increased student and faculty engagement in public service and applied research endeavors

Named to the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for five consecutive

years

Enriched educational quality and strengthened preparation of students for life in a global

society

Increased visibility of high quality education and research at UIS

Increased awareness of and participation in environmental preservation and sustainability

efforts

Goal Four: Strengthen Campus Culture

Actions Weve Taken

Implemented branding, communication, and competitive marketing strategies to enhance

visibility of UIS

Expanded recruitment

Implemented the ECCE Speakers Series, Lincoln Legacy Lectures, Wepner Symposium,

and Annual Day of Dialogue to enrich campus culture and engage external community in

campus life

Developed and implemented an annual campus-wide Student Arts & Research

Symposium, which is open to the public

Implemented annual CARE award program (Chancellors Award to Recognize Excellence)

to recognize outstanding performance by civil service staff members

Expanded student life programming

Implemented Campus Welcome Committee and orientation programming for new

employees

Became member of NCAA Division II

Improved campus signage

Enhanced student-gathering spaces

Impacts

Garnered increased national recognition for high quality online education and undergraduate

education

Strengthened UIS identity and reputation at local, regional, and state levels

Enrolled a larger and more diverse student body

Increasing student retention and satisfaction

Increased collaborations between UIS and external constituencies

Increased community attendance at UIS events

Received positive feedback from internal and external constituencies

Enhanced awareness of UIS as an important steward of place

Goal Five: Increase Enrollment and Retention

Actions Weve Taken

Strengthened student recruitment and retention efforts

Implemented innovative online transfer programs

Implemented competitive marketing strategies to enhance institutional visibility

Increased competitiveness of our merit- and need-based financial aid

Increased private sources of funds for financial aid

Implemented a general education curriculum and increased online degree programs to

expand educational access

Increased institutional partnership agreements to encourage transfer to on campus and

online degree programs at UIS

Raised additional money for scholarships and increased awareness of their availability

Impacts

Enrolled a larger and more diverse student body

Expanded educational access

Early indicators of improving retention

Enriched educational and cultural environment for the campus

Enhanced recognition and awareness of quality at UIS

Goal Six: Increase Resources and Enhance Infrastructure

Actions Weve Taken

Reviewed and reduced administrative costs

Enrolled more students

Increased tuition

Implemented use of instructional resource metrics

Reduced internal budgets as needed to offset sequential cuts to state appropriations

Aligned funding allocations and investment priorities with strategic planning goals

Successfully completed Brilliant Futures Capital Campaign raising $28 million

Added The Recreation and Athletic Center in 2007

Received funding for a new Public Safety Building

Made the renovation of Brookens Library a major capital priority

Secured funding for and developed the Therkildsen Field Station at the Emiquon Nature

Preserve

Renovated oldest student housing

Enhanced campus grounds to support student recreational activities, including baseball,

Frisbee golf, and cricket pitch

Impacts

Budget reductions, reallocation of resources, and marginal revenues from enrollment and

tuition increases used to offset state appropriation cuts and to fund strategic investments

CONTINUING ON THE PATH OF PROGRESS

The campuses of the University of Illinois must be prepared to face continuing fiscal and

paradigmatic challenges in the years to come. It will be necessary to contain costs, to allocate

resources effectively to maintain quality, and to invest wisely in transformational initiatives that

will advance each campus. Toward that goal, in January of 2013, President Easter and the Board

of Trustees asked that each campus prepare a plan to guide academic investments and resource

allocation decisions over the next three years.

The UIS plan for continuing progress under the 2006 Strategic Plan has emerged out of dialogues

and discussions that have transpired since Chancellor Koch arrived at UIS in 2011. Chancellor

Koch spent considerable time in the first eighteen months of her appointment talking with UIS

faculty, staff, students, alumni, and constituencies in the external community about UIS

strengths, challenges, goals, and opportunities. In addition, special meetings were held with

faculty and staff to exchange ideas on priority areas. What emerged was a sense of confidence in

the ongoing validity and importance of the foundations and directions presented in the 2006

Strategic Plan, and priorities were refined in light of progress made and needs for further growth.

All strategic planning documents are best regarded as living documents. Even as defining

foundations and aspirations are affirmed, specific action items must necessarily evolve in concert

with environmental realities. The remainder of this planning document affirms core components

of the 2006 UIS Strategic Plan and identifies the strategic priorities that will guide actions and

enable continuing progress over the next three years.

AFFIRMING OUR FOUNDATIONS: MISSION, VISION, & GOALS

The impact of actions taken in accord with the 2006 Strategic Plan have advanced the

University of Illinois at Springfield significantly and demonstrate its continuing cogency and

relevance as a guiding document. Thus, as prelude to outlining priorities and action steps for

the next three years, we begin by reiterating core components of the Strategic Plan:

The Mission of the University of Illinois at Springfield is to provide an intellectually rich,

collaborative, and intimate learning environment for students, faculty, and staff, while

serving local, regional, state, national, and international communities.

Our aspirational Vision for the University of Illinois at Springfield continues to be a premier

public university offering innovative, high-quality liberal arts education, public affairs

activities, and professional programs dedicated to academic excellence, to enriching

individual lives, and to making a difference in the world.

Our Vision is grounded in a distinctive combination of four core attributes: we offer a

teaching-focused academic experience; an abundance of opportunities for faculty, staff, and

students to collaborate in the service of educational goals; a right-sized supportive

community; and a special emphasis on public affairs and global citizenship.

We have established an institutional reputation that is consistent with these strengths as

well as our strategic goals we are known for Leadership Lived, a reputation that honors past

and present by acknowledging the spirit of innovation in education and public affairs that

has characterized UIS since its inception. It is also a very fitting reputation for a university

located in the capital of Illinois and the home of Abraham Lincoln.

Within the landscape of higher education in the United States, UIS identity is also reflected

in its active memberships in the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) and the

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). COPLAC is an organization of

27 public colleges and universities that works to support and promote the value of high-

quality, liberal arts education; AASCU is an association of nearly 420 regional public

universities that are student-centered, oriented toward access and opportunity, and

productively engaged with their communities and the regions they serve. As we move

forward in our vision to be a premier regional university, we bring to this endeavor a deep

commitment to liberal learning, with the goal of preparing all students to be critical

thinkers, lifelong learners, and engaged citizens. We also bring distinctive strengths in

delivering exceptional public affairs opportunities and outstanding professional and graduate

programs. We are and will continue to be a student-centered campus, offering both access

and opportunity for educational achievement and community engagement that makes a

difference in the world.

INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES FOR CONTINUING ADVANCEMENT

We have made significant progress toward the actualization of our Vision by allocating

resources toward actions that best serve six Goals (2006 UIS Strategic Plan): to achieve

academic excellence, enrich individual lives, make a positive difference in the world,

strengthen campus culture, increase enrollment and retention, and increase resources and

enhance infrastructure. Additional progress toward strategic goals will require renewed

focus, clear priorities for action and resource allocation, and decision-making that continues

to be grounded in our mission and aspirational vision.

Public universities in the Midwest region, generally, and in Illinois, in particular, are

operating in an increasingly competitive environment. As funding for public higher education

continues to shrink at state and federal levels, competition for students and for resources

will escalate as universities look for ways to become more self-sustaining. Thus, clear and

present competitive challenges for the foreseeable future will come not only from for-profit

and private providers of education but from other public universities in Illinois and

contiguous states as well. UIS will continue to face increasing competition for well-prepared

students, for top faculty and staff talent, and for the resources needed to build and maintain

the high quality facilities that enable and support excellence in teaching, learning, research,

and student development. Thus, in order to make continuing strategic progress over the next

three years, UIS Priorities will be Growth, Talent Acquisition, and Facilities. We must grow

our enrollment. We must recruit and retain a highly qualified, talented, and diverse faculty,

staff, and leadership team. And we must provide the facilities needed to support a student

experience that is commensurate with University of Illinois standards for excellence.

As we look toward the near future, our time, energy, and funding must be reserved for efforts

and initiatives that best serve our priorities for growth, talent acquisition and retention, and

facilities. Thus, the following eight Strategies will inform our decision-making with regard

to action steps and budgetary considerations for the next three years.

Strategically, the University of Illinois at Springfield must be increasingly:

Excellent in all that we do

Relevant to our regional community

Visible to prospective students and their parents as well as other constituents

Affordable for qualified prospective students

Accessible to an increasing number of students, both on campus and online

Inclusive of an increasingly diverse community

Engaged with our students, our employees, our community, and with the world

Responsible in the management of our resources

ACTION STEPS AND TARGET OUTCOMES

I. GROWTH

Action Steps:

I.1 Maintain institutional excellence in accord with mission and vision

I.2 Recruit well-qualified and diverse students at undergraduate and graduate levels through

local, regional, state, national, and international recruitment efforts that highlight

competitive advantages

I.3 Promote the visibility of nationally competitive graduate programs

I.4 Deploy financial aid strategically

I.5 Develop and implement new undergraduate academic programs in mission- and vision-

consonant high-demand fields

I.6 Strengthen student retention by implementing best practices, such as sophomore

experience programming and learning communities within residence life

I.7 Increase financial support for UIS from alumni and friends

Target Outcomes:

Increased enrollment of new well-qualified students at undergraduate and graduate

levels

Increased student retention and completion rates

External recognition for educational quality

Increased institutional visibility in local, regional, state, national, and international

sectors

Increased fundraising success

II. TALENT ACQUISITION AND RETENTION

Action Steps:

II.1 Enhance salary competitiveness

II.2 Continue to recruit high quality faculty

II.3 Cultivate faculty and staff diversity

II.4 Maintain support for faculty scholarship and research

II.5 Continue professional development and performance recognition programs

II.6 Streamline administrative and governance processes

II.7 Encourage innovation

II.8 Foster supportive campus culture

Target Outcomes:

Strong and diverse applicant pools for open positions

Increased visibility for high quality graduate and undergraduate programs

Greater faculty and staff diversity

Strong retention rates for well-qualified, high-performing faculty and staff

Increased job satisfaction

External recognition for educational quality and engaged leadership

Increased institutional visibility

III. FACILITIES

Action Steps:

III.1 Build a student union to enhance student/campus life

III.2 Complete Brookens Library renovations when state capital funding is approved

III.3 Assess adequacy of science education and research facilities

III.4 Complete planning for next academic building

Target Outcomes:

Increased student enrollment

Increased student engagement and satisfaction with campus life

Increased institutional visibility

SUMMARY

We recognize the many significant challenges facing public universities today but we are

committed to continuing advancement at UIS despite those challenges. We have defined a

future for the University of Illinois at Springfield that is commensurate with University of Illinois

standards of excellence. It is a future that reflects the core values of the University as well as

the innovation mandate that energized the founders and first faculty of our campus. Building on

progress made and exercising careful stewardship of our resources, we intend to make additional

substantive progress over the next three years toward our Vision of the University of Illinois at

Springfield as a premier public university. We move forward collaboratively and strategically,

with momentum focused on the priorities of growth, talent acquisition and retention, and

facilities.

Leadership lived

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