Goal Statement
1978-1982
Introduction
Oakland University has developed�and since 1974 annually revised�a five-year plan to serve as a device for communication within the university on current goals and objectives. Each year, all operating units of the university prepare plans that outline five-year goals and one-year objectives.
The university-wide goal statement is an outgrowth of the annual division statements. It reflects the sum of the goals of many of the divisions, and it provides a framework for continual adjustment of the division statements. The university goal statement is not intended to be a rigid document, but rather one that indicates the direction in which the university plans to move during the next five years.
This document is the second university five-year plan goal statement, and it will continue to be modified as needed. It is intended to operate within the framework of the university role and mission statement (adopted by the Board of Trustees in 1971 and revised in 1978).
I
The development and maintenance of high quality in the teaching, research, and public-service programs of the university is of paramount importance in serving the needs of students and the State of Michigan. To this end, the university will review its programs through systematic and timely evaluation procedures. Every effort will be made to attract a higher percentage of undergraduate and graduate students who have high potential for academic work and to increase selectivity in the admission of all students.
II
The university must strive continuously to employ and support a faculty and staff of excellence. It will do so through the following means:
a. Appointment and retention of faculty who best exemplify through their work the multiple roles of teaching, scholarship, and service.
b. Appointment and retention of administrative staff personnel who demonstrate that they can provide the leadership and support required by an institution of high quality.
c. Appointment and retention of clerical, maintenance, and service employees and police officers who possess the necessary skills to provide for the efficient operation of the university.
d. Increased recognition by the entire university of its responsibility and commitment to affirmative action under the
concept of equal opportunity.
e. Further development of programs designed specifically to encourage all personnel to improve their competencies and increase their effectiveness.
III
The university will continue to devote resources and imagination to the enrichment of the established curriculum and administrative activities that serve traditional students. At the same time, new program development must be oriented to meet the needs of nontraditional students who are entering higher education in increasing numbers. New program development should be shaped to serve minority group members, men and women who have family obligations, the handicapped, older persons, and other groups who have special needs. This emphasis should include the modification of existing programs as well as the initiation of new ones, and it must be concerned with content, structure, delivery systems, location, calendar, etc. Special attention should be given to discovering the appropriate role and form of general education in the intellectual development of the new students in higher education.
IV
Oakland University has made a commitment to expand curricular options as a measured response to the needs of the citizens of the state and, in particular, to the residents of southeastern Michigan. Consistent with its role and mission statement, the university will preserve its academic traditions and develop new schools, degree programs, concentrations, and noncredit programs to meet discernible state needs.
V
Assuming the existence of adequate funding for both instruction and support costs, the university plans to expand its enrollment of students taking courses for credit at a rate of approximately two per cent per year for the next five years. This predicted enrollment growth takes into account demographic trends in both the immediate area and the state. It is anticipated that by 1982 the university will have an enrollment of at least 10,000 full-year-equated students (FYES).
VI
In order to respond to contemporary opportunities to give undergraduate students distinctive academic experiences, the university will undertake to expand two general aspects of its program. First, every student should be given the opportunity to earn a place in a curriculum-related work experience such as an internship, a cooperative education placement, or a clinical practicum. Second, in recognition of the role of the computer as a central instrument in industry, government, and most large-scale endeavors, as many courses of study as possible will be encouraged to introduce students to the use of the computer. Also, in the interest of making educational opportunities more accessible to students, new extension sites will be opened in western Oakland and eastern Macomb Counties.
VII
Oakland University should continue to develop its commitment to be a university that is centered in undergraduate education and that emphasizes the role of faculty as contributors to knowledge through research and scholarship. An important university tradition has been the creation of opportunities for undergraduate as well as graduate students to participate as junior colleagues of faculty members in research programs. Efforts will continue to be made to increase the volume of sponsored research and the university support of faculty scholarship.
VIII
The university will strengthen joint cooperative efforts with other colleges and universities and with business, industrial, governmental, and service agencies.
IX
Oakland University believes that the quality of life on campus is an important factor in the performance of the university and intends to make it a more attractive and satisfying place in which to study, work, and live. The university will seek to:
a. Foster ways in which all members of the community can interact with even greater trust and civility.
b. Identify outstanding Individual achievements and institutional characteristics and give them appropriate exposure and recognition.
c. Enhance the quality of involvement of all segments of the community in both the intellectual and social life of the institution.
d. Use the physical environment creatively to enrich campus life.
X
Recognizing that the quality and vitality of both new and existing programs are at least partially dependent upon the level of funding, the university will concentrate on developing special funding for university programs. The university will seek�in addition to funding from the state�to develop new sources of revenue, both public and private, while holding student tuition rates to a reasonable level.
XI
The university will strive to obtain new buildings and modify existing facilities so that it can fulfill properly its educational objectives for both current and developing programs. Included in this capital development list are new buildings such as the classroom-office building, the library building expansion, and the science building; equipment for laboratories and other instructional areas; and modification of existing space for more efficient use, such as adapting facilities for use by the handicapped.
XII
The university will continue its strong commitment to public-service programs and develop its programming in such a way as to integrate more fully the Meadow Brook Festival, the Meadow Brook Theatre, Meadow Brook Hall, the Meadow Brook Art Gallery, conferences, and noncredit instruction into the total life of the university.
XIII
Energy will be devoted to the continued strengthening of the general administration of the institution with particular concern for improving management information systems, university planning efforts, and the integration of traditional academic governance mechanisms with labor-management relationship to create an administrative system best suited to enhance university leadership in the next decade.
Compiled from the university goals submitted to the University President by the divisions of Academic Affairs, Board of Trustees and General Counsel, Business Affairs, Campus and Student Affairs, Continuing Education, Special Projects and Cultural Affairs, Public and Alumni Relations, and Urban Affairs.
Oakland University
Rochester, Michigan
May, 1978