Memorandum

March 28, 1990

To:         Faculty and Staff Colleagues

From:     Academic Policy and Planning Committee

RE:         Recommended Strategic Guidelines for Oakland University

The Academic Policy and planning Committee of the University Senate has completed its deliberations regarding the development of a set of guidelines to lead Oakland University to the year 2000. The attached recommendation will be submitted to the University Senate for its consideration at its April 12 meeting. We hope that you will take the time to read this document and convey your views to any member of the University Senate.

Finally the APPC wishes to thank all of those that participated in this task, without your efforts this recommendation would not have been possible.

APPC members: Shelly Appleton, Office of the Provost and Dept. Of Political Science, David Beardslee, Office of Institutional Research, Dept. Of Psychology ,  Melinda Beaudry, School of Nursing,  George Dahlgren, Office of the Provost and Department of Chemistry , Sue Frankie, Kresge Library,  Beverly Geltner, School of Human and Educational Services,   Lynn Hockenberger, Academic Skill Center,    Osa Jackson, School of Health Sciences,  Heidi Johnson, University Student Congress,  Pat Nicosia, Budget Office,   Bob Robinson, Office of Computer Services,   Joan Rosen, Department of English,   Laura Schartman, Office of the Registrar,   Robby Stewart, Department of Psychology,    Ron Tracy (Chair), School of Business Administration,   Tung Weng, School of Engineering and Computer Science

Strategic Guidelines for Oakland University

Educating Students for the 21st Century: 
Pursuing the Future--Building on the Past

Prepared for the University Senate by the Academic Policy and Planning Committee
March 28, 1990

Oakland university began as Michigan State University-Oakland in 1957 in the wake of the launching by the Soviet Union of the first space vehicle, Sputnik. Americans, including the notables assembled for the Meadow Brook Seminars, ere searching for ways to reformulate the education of our youth to meet the imperatives of a the new world -- to forge, as some of the attendant publicity put it -- a "space age curriculum." A cardinal principle advanced in these seminars was the need for all students, including those entering professions in education, business and engineering, to be broadly and liberally educated.

Today, as Oakland University has passed the milestone of its thirtieth birthday, the national mood is similar. A number of national reports reiterate the need of students broadly versed in the liberal arts and call for an increasing emphasis on the quality of education to help restore American "competitiveness."

STRENGTHS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Oakland University is positioned well to act on the goals set forth in these national reports. The University's notable strengths have been documented recently in an institutional self-study designated as "exemplary" by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Foremost among these strengths is the quality and dedication of the university's faculty, characterized by the North Central visiting team as "highly accomplished" and "committed to excellence in teaching." Nearly 90% of the University's regular faculty hold doctoral degrees and a majority of full professors and of department chairs teach general education courses each year. The self-study shoed that student and alumni evaluations of the instruction received at Oakland University approach those for small private liberal arts colleges; and that the performance of Oakland University students on state and national tests is well above that expected of predominantly first-generation--in-college students. Hundreds of Oakland University undergraduate students have published in refereed journals or presented papers at professional meetings at the local, national and international level. Among Michigan universities only Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Wayne State University showed significantly higher percentages of the baccalaureates going on to earn doctorates.

The scholarly accomplishments of the Oakland University faculty are impressive. Rates of publication per faculty member in comparable departments exceed both those of the faculties of many Carnegie doctoral institutions nationally and those of the faculties at all but one or tow Michigan public institutions. Oakland University faculty members also obtain much greater external funding per faculty member than their peers at most other research institutions. Much of this research is carried out in conjunction with colleges in research centers at other institutions and is recognized as having national and international significance. In addition, governance at Oakland University is far more participatory than at comparable institutions nationally.

Other institutional strengths noted in the self-study include the quality and dedication of University staff members, characterized by the visiting team as "fully engaged in the work of the institution and supportive of the development of excellence"; the quality of the university's Honors College and the performance of its graduates; the contributions to the cultural life of the community made by the Meadow Brook Institutions and the Center for the arts; and the University's participation in a broad range of collaborative ventures with public and private institutions including auto companies, school districts, unions,a and hospitals.

In addition, Oakland University cant take pride in the programs it has developed to assist economically disadvantages students through its Summer Institute and through the king/Chavez/parks program which brings thousands of middle and high school students to the University's campus each year.

Most Oakland University's students are commuters, frequently holding part-time or full-time jobs, and thus find it difficult to participate in campus activities to the extent possible for students who are in residence. Yet the strength of the University's student affairs staff and program has been such that Oakland University undergraduates surveyed in the self-study were as likely as those residentially based comprehensive universities nationally to say they "feel a sense of community at this institution."

The high percentage of commuter students calls attention to another of Oakland's University's great assets; its location in a major metropolitan area in the best educated county in the state and at the hub of an emerging high technology corridor. This location confers important advantages in recruiting superb faculty and staff as well as in accommodating students, establishing collaborative programs and providing students with such educational opportunities as "co-op" experiences with major companies, clinical experience at area health care facilities, student teaching assignments in a range of school districts, and cultural events.

CHALLENGES

All of these strengths will be needed to meet the challenges the University faces now and in the decade ahead. Of paramount importance is the fact that the University must operate in an environment in which significant increases in state appropriations seem unlikely and in which tuition increases must be strictly limited. It appears that this situation will not change in the near term.

Another challenge facing Oakland University is the increased number of other state and private universities which in recent years have aggressively expanded their program offerings in Macomb and Oakland Counties. For example, Lawrence Institute of Technology recently changed its name to Lawrence Technological University and began an MBA program. Central Michigan University offers professional degree programs in the tri-county area. Similarly, a Macomb partnership soon will enable students to complete a baccalaureate degree in several majors at the Macomb Community College campus through Central Michigan University, Walsh College, Wayne state University and the university of Detroit. Oakland University has joined this partnership. The development and existence of such program and partnerships suggest that Oakland University muse carefully evaluate the educational needs of the community and act to meet these needs with integrity and with quality as the most important evaluative criterion. However, it also suggests that when Oakland University does not fill community needs, other state and private universities will do so. Oakland University should not, however undertake every project which is presented to it, but rather should define the role it wishes to play within its community and act decisively to fill that role.

The demographics makeup of the State of Michigan and the counties surrounding Oakland University must not be ignored Over 80% of the University's student population reside in Oakland and Macomb counties. The number of high school graduates in the State of Michigan and in the counties surrounding Oakland University is expected to decline until 1995. This decline has already caused some Michigan universities to increase their recruiting efforts in Oakland and Macomb counties. In these circumstances Oakland University must either plan to serve a small student body until the number of high school graduates increases, or must enhance it attractiveness to both high school graduates and transfer students while intensifying its retention efforts.

Finally, Oakland University must move over the next several years to comply with north Central Association requirements to put in place a process for assessing student achievement and for utilizing the results of this process to improve its educational programs.

A VISION --EDUCATING STUDENTS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

What remains is for Oakland University to adapt its strengths to the opportunities and challenges that surround it -- to plan to educate its students today for life in the 21st century, as, in its early years, it educated students for the last half of the twentieth century. Consultant-evaluators who visited Oakland University for the North Central Association saw clearly the opportunities available:

. . . Oakland [University] indeed could be a model of the American University in the 21st century . . . the challenge the technology park presents to the faculty and administration is to develop these relationships in ways which enhance academic quality as well as academic opportunity. An institution like Oakland [University] can be world class in the way in which it serves the region. The technology of the information age is at its doorstep, and the population which will demand its educational and cultural programs is growing rapidly. An appropriate balance between the liberal arts and the professional programs which are in high demand would assure the institution that students will be educated for a lifetime of work and citizenry.

To grasp these opportunities, to fulfill its promise, Oakland University must enter the 21st century focussing its assets and resources to shape a university epitomized by three key terms: Excellence: Cultural Diversity; Collaboration.

EXCELLENCE

First and foremost, Oakland University's tradition of academic excellence must be maintained and not sacrificed in a premature effort to achieve other goals without adequate resources. Excellence involves maintaining the quality, integrity and strength of existing academic programs. Only a deserved reputation for excellence will enable the University to attract and retain faculty and students worthy of its traditions and offer those students the education they will need to flourish in a competitive society.

Excellence involves maintaining academic depth through the provision of opportunities for students to engage in intensive scholarship, substantive inquiry and collaborative efforts with faculty in cutting edge research. Such opportunities enhance the intellectual development of both undergraduate and graduate students and motivate them to envision new possibilities for personal and professional development and future contributions to society.

Excellence also involves maintaining the breadth necessary to allow out students to be education in a variety of undergraduate areas which will enhance career opportunities. Furthermore, in the world of the 21st century, career changes will be the norm rather than the exception. Broadly educated graduates will be better equipped to undertake successfully the readjustments and retraining necessary to their professional success and to provide effective community leadership.

Sustaining the breadth and depth of the university programs will require wee-considered efforts to manage enrollment. It is not merely the number of students who enroll that is important, but their quality and their match to the programs the University offers.   At a time when the number of Michigan high school graduates is expected to decline annually through 1995, a concerted admissions effort is only part of what will be needed to accomplish this goal. It is time to consider restructuring the University's policy on scholarships and graduate fellowships in ways that will permit Oakland University to compete with other institutions which have stepped up their recruitment efforts in Macomb and Oakland Counties. More attention must be paid as well to retaining capable students who are already enrolled. This can best be achieved through providing them with quality instructional programs, through advising and other student services tailored to their individual needs, and through an active student life program which enriches their educational experience and helps bon( them to the University. Specifically, in scheduling of classes and in providing student services, the University must strive to respond to the particular needs of the evening, non-traditional, minority and transfer students who account for so substantial a portion of its total enrollment.

Additionally, excellence involves a continuing commitment to recruit and retain faculty of the quality which has characterized Oakland University from its beginnings. In a number of fields, such faculty cannot be optimally attracted and retained without offering majors in their disciplines as well as the library, computing, and laboratory resources necessary to do serious research in these areas.

The commitment to excellence in education requires that library, computing, laboratory and instructional resources keep pace with the needs of all programs and all aspects of teaching, learning and research . A university committed to academic excellence requires a library appropriate to its aspirations. It further requires adequate classroom, office, and laboratory facilities and a physical environment conducive to its purposes.

A continuing commitment to excellence requires that new programs be assured the resources necessary to achieve the quality characteristic of Oakland University. Given that the resources available to the University over the next decade are likely to fall short of its aspirations, such programs should be undertaken only when they are distinctively responsive to documented needs and consistent with University goals.

In charting its development, the University must be cognizant of changing demographics. For the next five to ten years, the area surrounding the University will be characterized by dramatic commercial, industrial, and residential growth. Although many new residents will be interested in the University's undergraduate programs, others will already hold baccalaureate and perhaps graduate degrees. To afford these constituents the opportunities they expect from their proximity to a comprehensive university, Oakland University should plan to expand its master's degree offerings, and a few carefully selected doctoral programs as well. In keeping with the commitment to excellence, the primary emphasis in developing these new programs should be on quality. In addition, it must prepare to serve students who may not be interested in a specific degree program but wish to enrich their lives or careers. As a result, it is expected that the proportion of Oakland University students enrolled in graduate and post-baccalaureate studies will gradually increase.

In some cases, the best way to combine breadth and depth will be the development of programs offering students the opportunity to earn both baccalaureates and master's degrees or professional certification within five years. These programs should not replace current four-year baccalaureate programs but rather offer additional opportunities. Graduates of such programs may be better able to perform in professional positions. They also should have the intellectual breadth necessary to adjust to changing conditions and to make advantageous career choices at appropriate stages of their professional development.

The pursuit of excellence in instruction can be facilitated by the development of a process for assessing student achievement. This assessment process should provide information which will enable the University to improve its academic and co-curricular programs in ways which advance the goals of these "Strategic Guidelines.

Finally, Oakland University faces the significant challenge of maintaining excellence in the face of rapid technological change. New technologies have greatly enhanced human capacity to access and use information, to solve complex problems, and to communicate efficiently over time and distance. As the significance of this information processing revolution expands in all aspects of modern life, new possibilities and new imperatives present themselves to educational institutions seeking to serve their students and their faculty effectively. Moreover, graduates must be educated to understand the human implications of technological change.

In keeping with its commitment to excellence, Oakland University must strive to enhance the traditional teaching-learning process by taking advantage of new instructional methodologies and technologies. This will require increased investment in the acquisition of technological hardware and software, and the education of students and faculty to utilize these resources effectively. Such actions will assure that Oakland University does indeed prepare both its students and its faculty for the 21st century.

Thus, in planning for the future and in keeping with its commitment to excellence, Oakland University must:

1.  First and foremost, maintain the quality, integrity and strength of academic programs.

2 . Continue to recruit and retain faculty and staff of the quality which has characterized the University from its inception.

3.   Acquire and maintain library, computing, laboratory, and instructional resources that keep pace with the needs of all academic programs as well as the level of scholarship expected of its faculty

4.  Maintain the level of enrollment required to ensure the continued strength, breadth and depth of University programs through appropriate admission and retention efforts and the restructuring of scholarship and fellowship policies.

5.   Initiate programs distinctively responsive to documented needs and consistent with University goals. Decisions to approve such programs must include commitments to provide sufficient resources to achieve the quality characteristic of Oakland University. In developing new programs the University should plan to expand its master's degree offerings, and a few carefully selected doctoral programs as well. These initiatives should include the development of programs that,enable students to earn within five years both baccalaureates and either master's degrees or professional certification.

6.  Increase the proportion of students enrolled in graduate and post-baccalaureate studies. This increase in enrollment need not be limited to current programs or to students in degree programs.

7.   Develop an assessment process which facilitates the improvement of academic and co-curricular programs.

8.  Strive to enhance the traditional teaching-learning process by taking advantage of new instructional methodologies and technologies. In addition, the University should educate students to use these new technologies and to understand the human implications of technological change.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Second, the world of the 21st century will be a world of cultural diversity both within the American society and within the global marketplace. Very early in the next century, a majority of the children in American schools will be non-white, and as the years progress -these children will take their places in every part of American society. In order to be successful in this new environment,-and to be responsible citizens, Oakland University students must learn to live and work effectively among people with cultural backgrounds different from their own.

The very location of Oakland University, near a great culturally diverse metropolitan area, presents its students with opportunities for rich multicultural experiences. In moving toward an appreciation of the cultural diversity within America, the University must place greater emphasis on recruiting and retaining students, faculty and staff members representing diverse cultural groups. In some cases, this will require the University to maintain and strengthen its commitment to provide special services and programs for disadvantaged students, and to foster an academic environment which will encourage mutual sensitivity to and respect for members of all cultural groups. Students who cannot learn to practice this in a university setting cannot be expected to flourish in the multicultural society of the future. Steps should be taken to ensure that Oakland University provides a variety of curricular and other experiences that promote and nourish sensitivity and respect for all cultural groups.

In moving toward the second goal of cultural diversity -- global awareness -- Oakland University should encourage the development of an international focus. The requirement that every undergraduate must study language and a non-Western culture should be-maintained, and serious consideration should be given to requiring all undergraduates to study a foreign language. In addition, as part of its commitment to preparing students for a globally interdependent world, Oakland University should maintain its present international exchange programs and seek to expand the opportunities offered to our students for study abroad. Similarly, opportunities for faculty to study and teach abroad should be expanded. Oakland University should also give serious consideration to increasing student exposure to international issues and cultures by offering a variety of other co-curricular opportunities to students. For example, a vital student life program should offer both commuter and resident students the opportunity to enrich their college experience and to participate in cooperative activities with others from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Thus, in order to achieve the cultural diversity that should characterize Oakland University in the 21st century, the University must:

1.   Increase its emphasis on recruiting and retaining students, faculty and staff representing diverse cultural groups.

2 . Foster an academic environment which encourages mutual sensitivity to and respect for members of all cultural groups.

3 . Develop an international focus that includes and transcends required course work.

COLLABORATION

Third, Oakland University must take advantage of its location by continuing and expanding its collaboration with area businesses (particularly those in the growing Oakland Technology Park), government agencies, hospitals, schools and civic, labor and professional organizations. Through such collaboration the University will be able to provide a richer education for its students, enabling them to participate more effectively in the high technology world of the 21st century. Students in all disciplines must be offered opportunities to gain professional experience through co-op and internship programs involving the neighboring community and the expanding technology corridor. Similarly, the University should increase the opportunities for all faculty to become involved with this community through consulting, research and teaching. Faculty and student involvement in the community will complement and reinforce each other. Through such collaboration Oakland University will be able to offer credit and noncredit courses on site at the Oakland Technology Park and at other off-campus locations. Oakland University students should have opportunities to learn academic and professional skills in both the University and the workplace. Offering these opportunities will enhance the University's ability to attract excellent students and assist students in gaining employment or in continuing their education upon graduation.

In addition, the University should take greater advantage of the unique resources available through the Meadow Brook institutions. Collaboration among the University and these institutions would offer numerous opportunities for the enrichment of campus and community life, for earning widespread recognition and for more fully achieving the University's mission. Finally, faculty should continue their collaborations with researchers at other institutions both inside and outside of academe. Through such collaborative efforts the mission of the University, as well as its excellence, is demonstrated and communicated to researchers nationally and internationally. As a result, in order to build the collaborations necessary to increase opportunities for students, faculty and staff, Oakland University must:

1.   Explore and nurture relationships with area businesses, government agencies and other institutions that will enable students to gain experience through co-op programs and internships, and that will enable faculty to become involved in the community through consulting, research and teaching opportunities.

2.   Offer credit and noncredit courses at the Oakland Technology Park as well as at other off-campus sites.

3.  Integrate the Meadow Brook institutions more fully into the University community.

4.  Continue to encourage faculty to collaborate with other researchers both inside and outside of academe.

FOCUSING RESOURCES -- MAKING CHOICES

If Oakland University is to move successfully in the directions outlined above -- Education for the 21st century based upon Excellence, Cultural Diversity and Collaboration -- it will need to make internal changes. Specifically, Oakland University must focus its scarce resources in directions consistent with its mission, goals, and vision and avoid succumbing to the temptation to make across-the-board cutbacks in periods of retrenchment.

First, a process will be put in place to select areas in which the University will focus its attention and resources over the next several years. In reviewing these recommendations the Provost should request the advice of the APPC or another representative University committee on whether the proposed focus is consistent with the University's mission, goals and vision. (Details of this process are described in Appendix A).

Second, the University needs to encourage the imaginative and entrepreneurial efforts of its faculty and staff in taking advantage of special opportunities to develop additional sources of funding that are consistent with the mission of Oakland University. In order to faster such a program the University should  provide, and if necessary raise, supplemental monies to support large internal grants for this purpose. (Details of a recommended process for awarding these grants is discussed in Appendix B).

Third, more broadly, the University must implement strategies that increase both capital development and general gift giving. This increased philanthropy is necessary if the University is to maximize its ability to take advantage of opportunities consistent with its mission and goals. An effective development strategy must generate a level of contributions commensurate with the challenges faced by Oakland University. This new approach may require experimentation with various development strategies in different units.

Fourth, in order to continue the institution's development as a university committed to excellence in research, the University should expand its practice of making release time available to individuals with exceptional opportunities for securing outside grants.

Fifth, to ensure that the University's incentive structure serves its goals, the promotion and tenure criteria of each academic unit should be periodically reviewed. Each unit's criteria should acknowledge, that once a faculty member has been granted tenure, the purposes of both the University and the unit may best be served by rewarding the faculty member for utilizing his/her unique strengths in the pursuit of these goals,.

Sixth, this same flexibility should also encourage exploration of instructional, research, and academic support strategies which make the most effective use of faculty and graduate assistant resources without significantly increasing the use of graduate students as primary instructors.

Finally, the University must continue to engage in the planning process.  The University's progress towards the goals set forward in the "Strategic Guidelines' need to be monitored regularly. Reports should be issued biennially to the university community detailing the extent to which these goals have been realized. (An ongoing planning process is recommended in Appendix C and the current planning process is outlined in Appendix D).

Thus, in order to achieve its mission, goals, and vision the University must focus its resources, make choices and foster initiatives. Specifically, Oakland University should:

1.  Put in place a process to select areas in which the University will focus its attention and resources over the next several years. (A recommended process is described in Appendix A).

2.  Develop a program that allows units to compete for large internal grants targeted to develop specialized programs to take advantage of special opportunities. Funding for these grants should come from supplemental university funds. (A recommended process is described in Appendix B).

3.  Establish an effective capital development and gift giving strategy capable of generating a level of contributions commensurate with the University's goals. This new approach may require experimentation with various development strategies in different units.

4.  Expand its practice of making release time available to individuals with exceptional opportunities for securing outside grants.5.   Request each academic unit to review periodically its promotion and tenure criteria to ensure that these criteria are consistent with the goals of both the University and the unit. This includes recognizing the unique strengths of individual faculty members once tenure has been granted.

7.  Explore instructional, research, and academic support strategies which make the most effective use of faculty and graduate assistant resources without significantly increasing the use of graduate students as primary instructors.

8.  Continue to engage in the planning process. (A recommended process is described in Appendix C.

CONCLUSION

The steps outlined above could move Oakland University along the path to fulfilling the promise discerned by the 1989 North Central visiting team of becoming "a model American University of the 21st century" -- building on the excellence in both instruction and scholarship characteristic of its past, and grasping the opportunities presented to it to serve the needs of its students, the community of which it is a part, and the State of Michigan

APPENDIX A: RECOMMENDED PROCESS TO FOCUS UNIVERSITY RESOURCES

Responses to the issues survey and the open forums that were undertaken as part of the current planning process indicated a clear preference for focusing University resources rather than distributing them across-the-board. In order to secure wide participation in arriving at important decisions concerning where resources should be focussed, we recommend the following process:

1.  The Provost should request each academic dean, in consultation with his or her faculty, to prepare a prioritized list of areas where university resources could most productively be focused either within his or her college or school or in cooperation with another unit. The list should include a brief rationale explaining how and why investment in the area(s) concerned would offer unique cost-effective opportunities to advance the goals of excellence, cultural diversity, and/or collaboration put forth in the vision.

Areas suggested for focusing resources should be fairly narrow, normally involving sub-specialties within disciplines, comparably focussed interdisciplinary specialties, or specified broad based activities which support the goals of excellence, cultural diversity and/or collaboration. To give some examples, a number of possibilities come to mind within a School of Architecture: 1) A department of European Architecture assembles a nationally recognized group of scholars that specialize in Tudor architecture given that Oakland University has one of the finest examples of such architecture on campus; 2) all departments within the School of Architecture assemble a nationally recognized group of scholars that specialize in window architecture; 3) the School of Architecture designs and staffs an introductory course which achieves widespread recognition as a means of integrating architecture into a general education curriculum; 4) the School of Architecture develops a special program that attracts and graduates minorities; and 5) the School of Architecture develops a collaborative program with area architectural firms that allows faculty and students to become involved in special projects on a regular basis.

2.  After these recommendations have been submitted, the Provost should request the APPC or another University-wide representative body to review them and advise the Provost concerning the extent to which each of the areas suggested promises to advance the goals of excellence-, cultural diversity and/or collaboration. Areas selected for such focus should expect to receive this special designation for at least several years and perhaps much longer.

3.  The dean of any area that is selected for special focus will be expected to provide the University Senate and the Provost a biennial report on the progress that has been made in advancing the University's vision. These progress reports, together with other evidence and the advice of the APPC or another University-wide representative body, will assist the Provost in deciding a) when a program has achieved its goals and should be continued as an exemplary program but no longer qualifies as an area in which to focus additional University resources and support or b) that a program will be unable to achieve its desired goals in a cost-effective way and should therefore have resources and support withdrawn. When either of these two decisions is made, the Provost will again ask the academic deans to provide a prioritized list of areas in which the University's resources could be most effectively focused.

4.  Under the leadership of their vice-presidents, other divisions should undertake similar processes, suitable to their own organizations and missions, to consider how they can most effectively focus resources to enable them to contribute to the achievement of these goals. Each of these vice-presidents, if appropriate, solicit the advice of the APPC or another University-wide representative body.

5.  The recommendation of each vice-president should then be submitted to the President and, as appropriate, to the Board of Trustees, for action.

APPENDIX B:  RECOMMENDED SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY GRANT PROGRAM

A Special Opportunity Grant Program is being recommended to provide seed money to foster initiatives consistent with Oakland University's mission which will develop additional resources for the University. These grants will be derived from supplemental funding sources. Details of the recommended program follow:

1.   All applications must be submitted through the appropriate dean or vice president and will constitute the single proposal of that academic or administrative unit. The activity proposed may involve several individual faculty or staff, a full department or be as large as a consortium of academic units or administrative offices.

2.  The award will be for up to $100,000 a year for a period of up to three years. Renewals are not automatic and require the submission of a satisfactory progress report at least 90 days before the expiration of the one year grant. In no case shall a grantee receive more than three awards during any five year period. It is expected that any program started through such a grant would be self sustaining within three years and generate additional resources for the University soon thereafter.

3. There are no special forms required for submitting proposals, however, all proposals must clearly state the history and current status of the project subject, the objective of the project, the method to be used in carrying out the project and the anticipated outcome. A detailed budget, complete with a timetable of expenditures over the grant-supported life of the project is required, as is an appendix describing plans for the continuation of the project beyond university grant support and expectation of additional resources that would accrue to the University.

4.  The Office of Research and Academic Development will offer assistance with budget development, and the Office of the Provost may provide secretarial assistance for proposal typing on a time available basis.

5.  A committee nominated by the University Senate Steering Committee and approved by the Senate will be responsible for proposal evaluation and recommendation to the Provost.

6.  Project progress reports to the University Senate and the Provost are due annually. Renewal requests are on the same cycle as initial grants. The Provost will announce at least 30 days prior to the proposal deadline whether the grant will be continued.

APPENDIX C:   RECOMMENDED PLANNING PROCESS

Only by engaging in a continuous planning process designed to challenge the institution can the University effectively chart its own future. The following planning process is recommended:

1.   A revised set of strategic guidelines should be produced every three years. Hence, it is expected that the University Senate will be considering revisions during winter semester 1993, 1996, etc.

2 . The committee that revises the guidelines should expect to operate for two years as a subcommittee of the Academic Policy and Planning Committee. Membership in the Planning Subcommittee should include the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies, one faculty member and one student representative, each of whom is serving on the Academic Policy and Planning Committee, and three other faculty members. All four faculty members should be nominated by the University Senate's Steering Committee. The student representative should be appointed by the University Student Congress.

3.   In revising the "Strategic Guidelines" the Academic Policy and Planning Committee will at times make a decision (with the consent of the University Senate) to focus the Planning Subcommittees efforts in a particular direction rather than have the subcommittee revise the entire document. For example, in one cycle the APPC may focus the subcommittees efforts on student life, or perhaps faculty incentives. However, if the focus of a planning cycle is narrowed then the next Planning Subcommittee must examine the entire document. In this way the guidelines for the entire University are reexamined at least every six years. 4.

4.  The Subcommittee's charge will be to:

a. Operate as a subcommittee of the Academic Policy and Planning Committee. All work done by the subcommittee must go through the APPC before being distributed to the University community or University Senate. 
b. Present to the Senate, during fall semester of its first year, the focus of its revision. 
c. Scan the environment in which the University operates, revising and augmenting the University Planning Data Book with the assistance of the Office of Institutional Research and the Provost's Office. 
d. Ascertain the University community's opinions in the areas addressed by the revised guidelines.
e. Hold hearings on a draft of the revised guidelines.
f. Present revised strategic guidelines to the University Senate for its consideration no later than winter semester of the subcommittee's second year of deliberations.

5. . The responsibility for updating the graphs, charts and tables that appear in the University Planning Data Book resides in the Provost's Office. Responsibility for the analysis of these graphs, charts and tables resides in the Planning Subcommittee. Charts, tables and graphs are expected to be updated at least every five years.

6.   Once a set of guidelines has been adopted by the Board of Trustees, it is imperative that the University's decisions are consistent with those guidelines. In order to provide consistency and movement toward the goals established by the guidelines, two separate processes should be established.

a. The University President should report biennially on the progress made during the last two years in advancing the vision set forth in the guidelines. It is understood that in some years great strides may be made while in other years only small steps may be achieved. This report should be presented to the University community early in fall semester.

b. The University Senate's charge to the Academic Policy and Planning Committee should be expanded to include the responsibility for evaluating whether new programs and policies are consistent with the "Strategic Guidelines" adopted by the Board of Trustees

APPENDIX D:  CHRONOLOGY OF CURRENT PLANNING PROCESS

In developing this recommended draft of the "Strategic Guidelines"a lengthy process was followed: