Strategic Plan

California State University, San Bernardino
Strategic Plan for the Future

This document represents the ongoing long-range planning efforts which will define the future goals and direction of the university.

This strategic plan follows the foundation set forth by the previous plan, which was developed in 1998. It extends many of the goals and objectives introduced at that time, accommodating changes in the university's priorities, opportunities, and mandates.

As with most strategic plans, the goals and objectives identified serve as a roadmap - a guide to what the university hopes to achieve and become. But with maps come detours and changes of direction. Some potential roadblocks and solutions are also noted in the report.

The most significant factor in the success of this plan is funding. The California State University has experienced staggering budget cuts in recent years, and how the university is funded in the future will help determine the extent and scope of many of our objectives and how they are accomplished.

Other issues will also play key roles. For instance, questions of accessibility, environmental sustainability, and internet security are increasingly important facets of today's decision-making process. Those issues and others are taken into account in the new strategic plan.

Given circumstances associated with the stability of state budget appropriations, the university will seek to reduce its reliance on state funding by enhancing, as appropriate, entrepreneurial initiatives, private and corporate philanthropy, external grants and contracts, and other innovative activities undertaken by university faculty, staff, and students.

This iteration of our long-range planning process doubles the number of goals that formed the heart of the previous three-point plan. However, the new plan maintains the direct focus that will allow the university to concentrate on the broad areas of teaching and learning excellence; student access, retention, and success; excellence in research and creative activities; campus community development; community engagement; and infrastructural improvement.

Much progress has been made since the previous plan's adoption. This strategic plan takes the next steps and will serve to help the university navigate its future.

I. Teaching and Learning Excellence

Excel as a teaching and learning institution that offers challenging and innovative educational experiences.

Objective 1.

Continue to provide and expand intellectually rigorous educational programs that respond to the diverse and evolving needs of learners in our highly complex region and global community.

Strategies:
  1. Continue to develop and assess effective coursework, both in the major and general education which provides knowledge, skills and perspectives that will be required of a productive 21st Century global citizen.
  2. Employ effective cutting-edge technologies in the teaching and learning process.
  3. Design on and off campus programs that encourage the development of global perspectives in the university community; study abroad programs; and venues where interaction between international students and domestic students and faculty are emphasized.
  4. Foster development of critical thinking, information literacy, computer competency, writing, reading, and visual and oral communication.
  5. Develop and deliver innovative and financially sustainable programs, including those offered in partnership with other CSU campuses.

Objective 2.

Promote and sustain a teaching-learning environment that emphasizes the importance of the partnership between faculty and students and cultivates each student’s sense of personal responsibility to undertake the work necessary to take full advantage of educational experiences.

Strategies:
  1. Foster student leadership through teambuilding and involvement in the community.
  2. Provide spaces for group and collaborative study, including “smart” group meeting rooms.
  3. Offer small, medium, and large venues for hosting cultural and learning communities.

Objective 3

Promote and support teaching excellence and the scholarship of teaching among faculty.

Strategies:
  1. Increase the number of new tenure track positions in addition to the replacement of any retiring, non-retained or non-returning faculty.
  2. Recruit and retain faculty who demonstrate excellent and innovative teaching skills.
  3. Support collaborations that create linkages between academic and experiential learning.
  4. Encourage experimentation and risk taking in teaching and learning.
  5. Provide faculty development programs that enhance teaching skills and celebrate teaching best practices and achievements.

Objective 4.

Expand information, knowledge, and data resources.

Strategies:
  1. Transform the current library into “the library of the future,” one that pushes the technology envelope and, as appropriate, brings together elements that currently reside in various units of the campus to create a hub for the benefit of students, faculty, and community users.
  2. Expand collection of resources and data bases related to regional, national, and international interests.
  3. Maintain and update library materials.

II. Student Access, Retention, and Success

Promote student access and degree attainment.

Objective 1.

Invest in student success and quality.

Strategies:
  1. Identify and replicate best practices for student success.
  2. Expand and strengthen financial aid and scholarship programs to attract additional talented students, as well as meet the needs of students requiring financial assistance.
  3. Continue Associated Student Incorporated (ASI) scholarship support to help retain deserving and talented students.

Objective 2.

Manage enrollments to balance regional needs with available state budgetary support.

Strategies:
  1. Work in partnership with state and local entities to identify community educational needs.
  2. Investigate the introduction of new academic programs that meet demonstrated needs for regional growth and development.
  3. Expand and improve upon the efficacy of student outreach efforts.

Objective 3.

Strengthen existing retention efforts and improve the graduation rate.

Strategies:
  1. Continuously improve the mandatory orientation programs in order to prepare first-time students for the rigors of academic life.
  2. Offer a first year experience program to enhance student retention and shorten time to graduation.
  3. Provide living and learning communities and partner with faculty in developing innovative teaching and learning spaces.
  4. Improve the percentage of students completing remediation within one year.
  5. Strengthen academic advising for students.

III. Excellence in Research and Creative Activities

Promote innovative research, scholarly, and creative activities.

Objective 1.

Foster an intellectual environment that promotes active engagement in research, scholarly, and creative activities.

Strategies:
  1. Enhance institutional support for faculty professional development.
  2. Create a research support infrastructure that enables users to easily utilize university technology services.
  3. Design databases and establish digital collections, storage projects, and environments, including, but not limited to, unique collections, portfolios, blogs, Wikis, videos, class presentations, and institutional repositories.

Objective 2.

Attract and retain superb tenure track faculty who engage in the teacher scholar model.

Strategies:
  1. Encourage and reward faculty research and creative activities.
  2. Develop and maintain a high performance computing, networking, and information storage environment to support instructional excellence and enhance research and scholarly opportunities.
  3. Celebrate the professional development successes of faculty.

Objective 3.

Enhance student learning by supporting faculty and student excellence in research, scholarly, and creative activities.

Strategies:
  1. Encourage and reward faculty efforts to secure relevant grants and contracts.
  2. Increase the number of projects and programs supported by grants and contracts.
  3. Develop a research support infrastructure that enables faculty to easily pilot programs, foster grants, and collaborate with peers, students, and others.
  4. Establish programs that support faculty-student joint research projects and student research dissemination activities.
  5. Initiate and sustain a mentoring program to assist new and existing faculty.

IV. Campus Community

Ensure a welcoming and safe, intellectual, social, cultural, accessible, and diverse environment that engages the campus community in the life of the university.

Objective 1.

Maintain and enhance a campus environment that fosters collegiality, diversity, and the intellectual and overall well-being of the campus community.

Strategies:
  1. Sponsor campus-wide activities with focus on diversity issues, including adoption of best practices that support recruitment and development of diverse students, faculty, staff and administrators.
  2. Expand leadership development opportunities for students, faculty and staff.
  3. Expand wellness and fitness programs to improve overall health.

Objective 2.

Enhance the use of technologies in teaching, learning, accessibility, communications, and administration.

Strategies:
  1. Expand effective use of technology to provide campus information and services.
  2. Expand on-line courses, degree programs, and services to effectively and efficiently educate students.
  3. Implement Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) for the campus.
  4. Expand professional development opportunities and the support of effective use of technology.

Objective 3.

Foster the active engagement of students in the life of the university to facilitate the development of a vibrant campus community.

Strategies:
  1. Support a strong Intercollegiate Athletics program.
  2. Expand and improve campus activities, events, services, and facilities which instill a sense of belonging and community.
  3. Help anchor students to the campus for co-curricular activities by providing social spaces and an increase in the number of campus activities and services that promote a sense of community, culture of openness and collegiality.

Objective 4.

Provide a safe and secure environment on campus.

Strategies:
  1. Expand and promote campus safety and emergency response programs.
  2. Maintain an effective preventive maintenance program to ensure regulatory compliance and safe and reliable operation of critical systems and equipment.
  3. Maintain effective law enforcement and security services.

Objective 5.

Improve accessibility of campus buildings and grounds for persons with disabilities.

Strategies:
  1. Monitor, maintain, and communicate accessibility requirements and compliance.

V. Community Engagement

Work as a meaningful partner in engaging the communities that the university serves.

Objective 1.

Expand the university’s role as a leading regional center with a proactive agenda for educational, social, economic, political, environmental, and cultural advancement.

Strategies:
  1. Expand the central clearinghouse to advance partnership development between the university and the communities it serves.
  2. Build new opportunities and expand on existing collaborations for faculty, staff, and students to contribute to community advancement, including addressing community economic, social and cultural issues.
  3. Develop credit and non-credit programs to meet workforce training needs of the communities we serve.
  4. Improve and expand programs that address lifelong learning needs of individuals.
  5. Encourage local businesses to compete for university contracts for goods and services.

Objective 2.

Engage our communities in the life and mission of the university, as well as engage the university and its students, faculty, and staff in the life of our communities.

Strategies:
  1. Involve our community audiences in assessing how the university can address regional needs.
  2. Increase involvement of alumni, retirees, community leaders and others in the university through service on boards, speaking engagements, mentoring programs, and philanthropic opportunities.
  3. Promote community and university relationships through increased attendance and participation at university academic, cultural, athletic, and other events.
  4. Actively promote the university’s visual identity and protect the university “brand.”

Objective 3.

Actively increase private and public sector support of the university’s mission through fundraising.

Strategies:
  1. Engage in fundraising that meets and exceeds CSU-established goals, and increase support for scholarships, programs, faculty development, and facilities.
  2. Establish university and divisional long-term fundraising priorities, goals, and strategies.
  3. Foster a culture of philanthropy among faculty, staff, students, and alumni to help support the university.
  4. Articulate and promote advocacy from our communities on behalf of the university and the CSU.

Objective 4.

Build more bridges between and among our communities to create a culture of engagement, inclusion, and belonging.

Strategies:
  1. Expand collaborations with local schools and school districts to increase awareness of college programs and improve the “culture of going to college” among area elementary, middle, and high school students.
  2. Bring community individuals and organizations to campus for cultural, educational, and athletic activities.
  3. Expand and foster student exchange agreements, internships, and service learning opportunities within our communities.

Objective 5.

Nurture a positive image for the university by providing focused communications to increase awareness of and interest in the university.

Strategies:
  1. Communicate the university’s value and contributions to education and the local and regional economies.
  2. Position the university as the area’s university of choice among prospective students, parents, community leaders, and potential donors.

VI. Infrastructure

Develop and maintain an administrative, fiscal, and physical environment that supports the university mission.

Objective 1.

Maintain an environment of continuous performance improvement.

Strategies:
  1. Establish performance measurements, set goals for improvements, and review improvement progress and services regularly.

Objective 2.

Ensure sound administrative and fiscal practices and policies responsive to the university’s needs.

Strategies:
  1. Meet the university’s internal and external requirements and mandates for financial reporting, audits, assistive technologies, and the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
  2. Monitor, identify, and implement effective and efficient fiscal and administrative policies and procedures that meet goals while minimizing risk and allowing for feedback and input.
  3. Continuously apply new technology for the purposes of cost containment and improved customer service.
  4. Develop and administer a budget plan formed on shared principles, accurate and timely data, and anticipated future needs based on the economic climate.
  5. Maximize competitive bidding processes to ensure best value purchases and to engage a wide range of suppliers.

Objective 3.

Provide opportunities for professional growth, and plan for staff and administrative retention, development, and succession.

Strategies:
  1. Implement the university’s succession management program.
  2. Provide staff development and training opportunities.

Objective 4.

Demonstrate commitment to environmental sustainability.

Strategies:
  1. Support sustainability and the use of green products through education of the university community.
  2. Further develop energy efficiency, renewable energy programs, and green facilities.
  3. Expand commuter services and campus-wide recycling program.

Objective 5.

Provide superior services to maintain and develop the campus facilities and grounds.

Strategies:
  1. Maintain the campus infrastructure and facilities with a well-developed, evolving, and adequately-funded maintenance program.
  2. Plan, develop, and construct new facilities that will be energy efficient, technologically advanced, and well maintained and operated to meet the needs of the university.
  3. Use information from inspections, surveys, and feedback to continuously improve, within available resources, the state of campus facilities.
  4. Expand student housing on campus and consider the development of faculty and staff housing.
  5. Maintain an effective and efficient parking program that accommodates student, faculty, staff, and visitor needs.

Objective 6.

Maximize the use of auxiliary services through superior customer service and strategic innovation to advance the mission of the university.

Strategies:
  1. Continuously assess and improve the effectiveness of bookstore, dining, convenience store, catering, and other services.
  2. Regularly assess the services provided by the Santos Manuel Student Union to ensure that the needs of our diverse student population are being met.