Faculty, staff tackle strategic initiatives through work on task forces

The guiding principles that anchored The Iowa Promise 2005–10, The University of Iowa’s strategic plan, led the University to raise faculty salaries, strengthen undergraduate education, and increase the diversity of its faculty, staff, and students.

Since The Iowa Promise was created, the campus has new leadership personnel in place; has received new strategic priorities from the Board of Regents, State of Iowa; has dealt with the devastating flood of 2008; and has experienced the effects of national economic retrenchment.

With these factors in mind, six strategic initiative task forces are convening to help articulate the University’s strategic vision and priorities in education, research, and service for 2010–2015.

“As a top public research institution, The University of Iowa helps create better futures for the people of Iowa in many ways—through education, scholarship, health care, economic development, arts programming…a tremendous array of engagement activities,” says Wallace Loh, UI executive vice president and provost. “All of those missions remain crucial. But we need to focus our collective attention on how we can have the greatest impact in each of those areas.”

UI faculty and staff comprise the six task forces, which deal with the following topics:

Strategic budgeting. Cochaired by Barry Butler, dean of the College of Engineering, and Sue Curry, dean of the College of Public Health, this task force will recommend principles and a process for the distribution of new and reallocated General Education Funds that enable the pursuit of the University’s aspirations, new strategic initiatives, and more entrepreneurial activities while preserving and enhancing The University of Iowa’s reputation as an internationally recognized public research university and health sciences center. http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/tf-budget.htm.

Undergraduate education and success. Chaired by David Gier, professor in the School of Music, this task force will develop plans to increase enrollment in resident, nonresident, international, and minority groups; improve retention and graduation rates, and provide incentives to the colleges while also holding them accountable; strengthen academic quality to position Iowa at the forefront of the Big Ten; and promote alcohol safety. http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/tf-ug.htm.

Graduate education—selective excellence. Chaired by Sarah Larsen, professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, this task force will identify areas deserving of enhanced investment, note emerging opportunities in graduate education, consider methods of recruiting more doctoral/master’s students, and address ways to improve the allocation of graduate student support. http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/tf-grad.htm.

Research and creative excellence. Chaired by Michael Cohen, professor of pathology in the Carver College of Medicine, this task force will make recommendations on the broad interdisciplinary themes that will distinguish the University in the years ahead. Areas of research, existing and future infrastructure for funding, and incentives for seeking extramural support for research are issues that this group will address. http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/tf-res.htm.

Internationalization and diversity. Chaired by Shel Stromquist, professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, this task force will articulate a vision for a campus that’s more international and more diverse in all aspects. The group will look at ways to increase international enrollment and study-abroad participation, while also determining whether diversity programs and international programs are optimally organized. http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/tf-int-div.htm.

Public outreach and civic engagement. Cochaired by Steve McGuire, professor in the School of Art and Art History, and Ann Ricketts, associate director of research administration in the Office for the Vice President for Research, this task force will state priorities for the University to form partnerships with communities and organizations in the state, in order to apply all the resources of the University and help create better futures for Iowans. Expansion of arts outreach and cooperative programs throughout the state are issues for discussion. http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/tf-outreach.htm.

“We have broad representation from across campus on these important task forces,” says Loh, “and each individual brings a unique perspective and a wealth of expertise to the table. I’m very grateful to each of them for agreeing to serve.”

Academic planning assumptions will carry over three priorities from The Iowa Promise—faculty salaries, undergraduate education, and diversity—while also addressing new challenges and exploring opportunities in areas such as sustainability.

Strategic planning cannot be done without considering budgetary concerns. The task forces are working under the assumption that fiscal year 2011 will require implementation of appropriations reductions that were staved off in FY2010 by receipt of nonrecurring federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“No matter whether our resource outlook is rich or bleak, our planning must always be informed by strategic vision and priorities,” Loh says. “We must understand intimately where our strengths lie, where we have the best opportunities for distinction, and what core priorities we must protect in order to maintain our excellence and the value we provide to the many constituents we serve.”

The planning process will run through December, and the process is intended to be open and consultative. Each task force has a designated contact member, whose contact information can be found at the bottom of each task force web page.

by Christopher Clair