Strategic Plan Chapter6.html

Achieving Distinction 2000:

A Strategic Plan For The University Of Iowa

Chapter 6: Goal-Specific Strategies

This chapter includes objectives and strategies for each goal. As with the previous plan, we have kept the number of strategies as small as possible; we make no claim to comprehensiveness. Complementary strategies and more detail typically can be found among the strategies of colleges, administrative units, and special committees serving as first-level planning units. We have retained some of the objectives and strategies of the first Strategic Plan virtually without change; others have been modified, re-ordered, or eliminated, usually to reflect the University's success in meeting the goals and objectives of the 1989 Plan. This progress has permitted previous high priority items to be replaced or set below new or revised objectives that should be emphasized over the next five years.

It is important that this chapter be placed in the context of the overall plan. As indicated in Chapter 3, the seven University goals are stepping-stones toward the University's aspiration and constitute the most general priorities of this strategic plan; the University-level strategies of Chapter 5 are broader institutional responses to particular features of the environment. Some of the strategies outlined in Chapter 5 generate resources for the more specific strategies presented in this chapter; others identify a policy issue followed up by this chapter. In either case, the basic institutional strategies of Chapter 5 set the stage for many of the specific strategies listed in th is chapter.

In devising strategies for each objective in this chapter, we attempted to accomplish the following: (1) address major policy issues with a set of reasonably coherent strategies; (2) avoid redundancy across goals even at the expense of too much compartmentalization; and (3) consider both cost and benefits, ranging from cost-free strategies to those that maximize the rate of institutional progress per unit of cost .

We recommend that the strategies in this chapter be considered for implementation by departments, colleges, and administrative units of the University. In most cases, departments and colleges are the appropriate places for implementation decisions to be initiated, although in a significant number of instances we suggest a need for action b y the central administration. All strategies, of course, will not be relevant to all units; it is up to each unit to identify those that are relevant and decide on a response. We anticipate that departments, colleges, and administrative units will deal with the relevant strategies in this University-wide plan as they move forward to implement thei r own plans.

Goal 1: Comprehensive Strength in Undergraduate Programs

In the late 1980s, The University of Iowa faced a crisis in its undergraduate programs. During the previous 10 years there had been a 40 percent growth in enrollment without an increase in faculty. The strain was particularly noticeable in the entry-level freshman and sophomore courses, but capacity limitations in upper-divisio n courses were also slowing students' progress toward graduation. All student services were under stress and innovation in educational programs had been slowed by the pressure of high numbers.

Enormous progress has occurred over the past five years, aided by increased support from the state, an enrollment decrease of 2000 students, and a renewed commitment of faculty and staff to the delivery of high quality undergraduate education. We reaffirm the 1989 Strategic Plan's commitment to comprehensive strength in undergraduate progr ams and its three objectives: strong advanced education, a select set of programs with an innovative curriculum, and a strong general education program. Among these three, general education programs have made the greatest advancement, making it possible to redirect emphasis toward improving the quality of advanced undergraduate programs, particula rly in the majors. Consequently, we have retained but re-ordered the three objectives of this goal from the 1989 Strategic Plan with revisions in some specific strategies.

Objective 1: Strong advanced education in undergraduate programs.

Strategy 1. Include in every department or program a significant number of advanced courses for majors with enrollments small enough to facilitate substantial interaction among faculty and students and to involve students in writing, speaking, and other communication skills.
Strategy 2. Support units that involve qualified undergraduates in research, scholarship, or creative activity by providing awards and resources for undergraduate students who participate in these activities.
Strategy 3. Provide administrative support to departments to conduct effective educational outcomes assessment and act on the results of the assessments.
Strategy 4. Identify undergraduate programs that are weak in quality and phase out, downsize, consolidate, or improve such programs according to the "Criteria for Institutional Enhancements and Reductions" (See Appendix C).
Strategy 5. Expand internal funding for innovative curriculum proposals that would enhance the education and experience of majors in programs.
Strategy 6. Accelerate the effective use of up-to-date library, computer, laboratory, and video technology in courses for program majors.
Strategy 7. Review opportunities for curricular sharing as a means of enhancing instruction and reducing costs of offering similar courses in different departments.
Strategy 8. Develop mechanisms to encourage team-teaching and other collaborative arrangements when they are pedagogically appropriate, both within and across departmental lines, and possibly with other institutions.
Strategy 9. Improve the quality of academic advising in the majors with more emphasis on matching advisors with the special needs or interests of students.
Strategy 10. Publicize opportunities for participating in international coursework or experiences in undergraduate degree programs.
Strategy 11. Expand opportunities for internships, cooperative learning, and similar arrangements that emphasize active participation and "learning by doing."
Strategy 12. Provide institutional and departmental support to develop undergraduate organizations and Honor societies based on the major.

Objective 2: A select set of programs and services that increase the quality and opportunities available for undergraduate learning.

Strategy 1. Expand educational activities for outstanding undergraduates through active Honors programs in all majors.
Strategy 2. Develop additional innovative undergraduate programs that complement existing programs; monitor such programs for continued effectiveness and improvement.
Strategy 3. Explore possibilities for expanding the duration and scope of freshman-year programs to include education about diversity, opportunities for community involvement, and awareness of cultural activities as well as academic skill enhancement.
Strategy 4. Support programs for improving the quality of undergraduate instruction, such as the proposed Center for Teaching.
Strategy 5. Strengthen efforts to promote and recognize excellence in teaching.
Strategy 6. Increase the number of international undergraduate students based on a plan to build enrollment to a level commensurate with that found at comparable public research universities. The plan should also address estimates of required support services and possibilities of increasing exchange programs.

Objective 3: Strong general education.

Strategy 1. Provide information to all instructors about requirements to accommodate persons with disabilities and the services available to assist accommodation efforts.
Strategy 2. Adhere to the established goals regarding the proportion of General Education Requirement (GER) courses that are taught by tenure-track faculty.
Strategy 3. Provide groups of entering students with common intellectual experiences inside and outside of the classroom, building on the "Classes in Common" concept.
Strategy 4. Protect the availability and upgrade the quality of "general-assignment" classrooms and laboratories available for undergraduate instruction (e.g., technological capabilities, acoustics, and accommodations for persons with disabilities).
Strategy 5. Implement General Education Requirements on ethnic/cultural diversity and fine arts.

Goal 2: Premier Graduate and Professional Programs in a Significant Number of Areas

This goal reflects the importance of strong graduate and professional programs to a major university, and the growing importance of advanced degrees in a number of professions. Graduate education is integral not only to the research mission of the University but also to undergraduate education, because of the role graduate stud ents play as research and teaching assistants. Similarly, post-doctoral scholars contribute to undergraduate as well as to graduate or professional education, in addition to research and service.

The strategies for reaching this goal are grouped under four objectives: excellent students from diverse backgrounds, a core of graduate and professional programs with quality comparable to that found at the best public universities in the nation, graduate and professional programs with a distinctive focus, and quality core resources (libraries, information and computer technology, equipment, and laboratory facilities). The strategies for each objective are primarily matters of University-wide policy or approach, and these are elaborated and complemented in important ways by the plan from the Graduate College. In addition, most of the other colleges should include, review, and revise strategies relevant to their particular graduate or professional programs. It is also recommended that graduate programs implement, wherever relevant, the strategies articulated in Goal 1, particularly to encourage team teaching and curriculum sharing (i.e., Strategies 7 and 8 under Objective 1) and to ensure accommodation (i.e. , Strategy 1 under Objective 3).

Objective 1: Excellent graduate students.

Strategy 1. Strengthen departmental efforts to recruit, enroll, retain and graduate top students on a national and international scale.
Strategy 2. Raise the net compensation (the difference between stipends received and tuition and fees paid) for teaching and research assistants to the third position in the Big Ten, and raise the student health insurance allowance to 80 percent of the single premium cost.
Strategy 3. Increase the portion of existing Graduate College funds for fellowships to recruit top graduate students.
Strategy 4. Create a diverse student body in each graduate or professional program of the University.
Strategy 5. Give more attention to the educational, professional, and personal (e.g., health insurance) needs of post-doctoral scholars.

Objective 2: A significant number of graduate and professional programs that rank in quality among the top ten public institutions in the country.

Strategy 1. Reallocate Graduate College research assistant support funds (i.e., Block Allocation) to programs identified as strong or potentially strong; annually increase funds by at least the amount of annual tuition and fee increases.
Strategy 2. Be flexible regarding the department of origin in selecting graduate teaching assistants for General Education Requirement courses; consider program strength and student quality where appropriate.
Strategy 3. Eliminate, phase out, or consolidate weak graduate and professional programs following the "Criteria for Institutional Enhancements and Reductions." An "early warning" should be given to programs whose quality ranks in the bottom quartile nationally based on professionally accepted criteria.
Strategy 4. Encourage graduate programs to strengthen interdisciplinary, international, and multicultural components in their curriculum, where appropriate.
Strategy 5. Encourage colleges and departments to develop resource pools to support research and travel expenses for graduate students.

Objective 3: Focused graduate and professional programs.

Strategy 1. Identify and develop foci or emphases in each graduate and professional program which will make it distinctive among its peers.
Strategy 2. Encourage graduate and professional programs to consider whether and how some of their own emphases can or should contribute to the University-wide foci or complement other strong disciplinary or interdisciplinary programs.
Strategy 3. Ensure that departments review and consider raising their admission standards to graduate and professional programs to reflect the available resources and placement prospects.
Strategy 4. Reduce or phase out subprograms that are not central to the program's mission; reallocate resources to stronger components within the same unit.
Strategy 5. Work with peer institutions to address the appropriate role of accreditation in academic programs.

Objective 4: Research and communication resources to support the needs of graduate and professional education.

Strategy 1. Complete the electronic communication linkage between each campus workstation and data bases; provide instructional resources to ensure that users are prepared to utilize the system effectively.
Strategy 2. Expand faculty, graduate student, and staff access to advanced computer technology and other resources and facilities used in research and scholarship.
Strategy 3. Improve the quality of laboratory, library, and instrumentation resources, and animal care facilities, in support of professional and graduate education, giving priority to distinguished and emerging programs.

Goal 3: A Faculty of National and International Distinction

In order to maintain and enhance the quality of its educational programs and scholarship, the University must establish a faculty of distinction. Raising the already high quality of faculty will be difficult in the present competitive environment, especially if current assumptions are correct and support for higher education do es not increase above the rate of inflation. The objectives for this goal emphasize the need for concerted effort in the recruitment and retention of the very best faculty members and the nurturing of the careers of all faculty.

The strategies under this goal are organized around four objectives: (1) recruitment of excellent faculty, (2) improved retention and opportunities for career development, (3) encouragement of strong interdisciplinary and international scholarship and teaching, and (4) judicious employment of nontenure-track faculty. It sho uld also be noted that many of the objectives and strategies under the previous goal on graduate education are also critical to maintaining a high-quality faculty appropriate to a major research university. Additional strategies relevant to the recruitment and retention of faculty can be found in the plans of colleges and the plans from the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Objective 1: Recruitment of first-rate faculty members at all ranks.

Strategy 1. Using established affirmative action procedures and nation-wide recruiting efforts, and maintaining a special emphasis on attracting women and minorities, recruit only candidates with the prospect of becoming excellent teachers and leaders in their field; in the case of senior positions, recruit only those who h ave already achieved such stature.
Strategy 2. Develop funds in colleges and the central administration to cover the start-up costs (including equipment, space renovation, library materials, etc.) necessary to recruit outstanding faculty at all ranks.
Strategy 3. Develop in each college or department a liaison relationship with University libraries to keep them informed of hiring and other academic decisions affecting the libraries.

Objective 2: Improved retention and career development opportunities.

Strategy 1. Ensure stringent promotion and tenure standards that reflect the University's commitments and aspirations.
Strategy 2. Develop proactive measures for retention of top faculty members by maintaining a competitive salary structure, appropriate recognition programs, and research support.
Strategy 3. Establish a substantial number of partially endowed Distinguished University Professorships to recognize senior faculty members who have reached the pinnacle of their field.
Strategy 4. Increase the number of Faculty Scholar awards to tenured faculty members, primarily associate professors, who are expected to reach the pinnacle of their field within 5 years.
Strategy 5. Increase the Old Gold Summer Fellowship awards to junior faculty members who have demonstrated the potential to become leading scholars in their field; continue to give priority to nontenured faculty.
Strategy 6. Maintain a vigorous Developmental Assignment program that enhances the faculty's ability to achieve excellence in teaching and scholarship. Strengthen the review of the Developmental Assignment outcomes to ensure the accountability of the faculty awardees.
Strategy 7. Provide faculty and staff members with greater travel support for research and scholarship and participation in national and international professional conferences, exhibitions, and workshops. Consolidate and/or coordinate the sources of travel funds, set clear policies for distribution of funds, and reduce the paperwork required to compete for travel support.
Strategy 8. Develop procedures to provide the faculty direct access to the University Central Research Facilities and encourage use of these facilities in research and scholarship.
Strategy 9. Review the reasons for loss of faculty and professional staff, with special emphasis on women, minorities, dual-career couples, established or emerging leaders, and others.

Objective 3: Strong interdisciplinary and international scholarship and teaching.

Strategy 1. Encourage and support faculty and staff efforts to teach and conduct research on interdisciplinary, multicultural, and global issues and problems, and to participate in international education and research programs.
Strategy 2. Strengthen the role of the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee in the creation, funding, and evaluation of interdisciplinary research units and instructional programs. Use stipulated "sunset provisions" and competitive evaluation to ensure that only the strongest units and programs are continued.

Objective 4: Judicious employment of nontenure-track faculty.

Strategy 1. Establish University-wide policies, with appropriate implementation in each college or department, for the nature, duration, and required qualifications for nontenure-track appointments including expectations for evaluation and term of appointment.
Strategy 2. Examine University-wide policies for providing benefits for members of the nontenure-track faculty who are temporary or part-time instructors, and assure application of those policies across colleges.
Strategy 3. Establish University policies, with college-specific implementation, for the appointment of adjunct and clinical faculty.

Goal 4: Distinguished Research and Scholarship

Research and scholarship, including scientific, literary, creative, and artistic endeavors, constitute an integral part of The University of Iowa's mission. Indeed, research and scholarship make up such a central component of our enterprise that the 1989 Strategic Planning Committee did not consider it necessary to formulate an explicit goal on the topic, assuming that research and scholarship would be integrated throughout all the goals and objectives of Achieving Distinction. We have come to believe, however, that if the University is to realize its aspiration of becoming one of the nation's best public universities, it must strive toward a goal that explicitly affirm s the importance of research and scholarship to that effort. It is a fact of academic life that the reputations of universities depend largely on collective ratings of individual colleges and departments. Therefore, in order to reach our long-term aspirations, a core of departments must be ranked among the top ten nationally. These rankings should be based on professionally accepted measures of each discipline; examples of such measures are the publications, creative or artistic works and displays, honors and awards, external research funding, placement of graduates, and reputational rankings. To improve the overall quality of the University, it is imperative that all departments and colle ges strive for excellence in research and scholarship.

By supporting and developing premier programs of research and scholarship, the University can enhance the quality of education at all levels, both through the teaching provided by distinguished faculty members and through increased research and scholarship opportunities for students. Outstanding research and scholarship can also enhance the University's contribution to the economic growth of the state by supporting a higher level of technology transfer and by providing informational resources for the state's business and industrial sector. Distinguished programs of research and scholarship are central to the University's mission and critical to its aspiration of ach ieving distinction.

Objective 1: A significant number of departments producing distinguished research and scholarship

Strategy 1. Use regular department self-studies and reviews, in conjunction with new proposals and the "Criteria for Institutional Enhancements and Reductions," (see Appendix C) to identify and support leading departments and those moving toward eminence. To the fullest extent possible, units must provide objective data of their standing within their disciplines and evidence of improvement, according to the best measures of each discipline.
Strategy 2. Develop strategies for improving the quality of each academic unit, in both objective and subjective (e.g., peer rankings) assessments.
Strategy 3. Allocate resources to units according to the stated "Criteria" of Appendix C, where the greatest opportunity exists for significant gains in program quality. Review progress regularly and hold units accountable for measurable improvement.
Strategy 4. Encourage colleges, departments, and programs to develop proposals that will advance research and scholarship objectives, build on existing or emerging areas of excellence, and achieve distinction among peer institutions.

Objective 2: Initiatives for strengthening research and scholarship.

Strategy 1. Identify, evaluate, and support a limited number of proposals for new initiatives which have unique strength and high promise to achieve national distinction, and develop strategies for funding these new initiatives. These initiatives may be either discipline-specific or interdisciplinary, but they must build on existing or emerging areas of strength and be consistent with University missions and areas of focus.
Strategy 2. Encourage projects that will enhance the University's involvement in research and scholarship with global significance, both in terms of research objectives and multinational participation.
Strategy 3. Encourage interdisciplinary, international, and multicultural research and scholarship in emerging or promising areas of endeavor.
Strategy 4. Regularly review existing centers and new initiatives; competitively assess their contributions to the University's mission; phase out centers and initiatives that fail to fulfill their missions or do not contribute as much to institutional quality as new proposals.

Objective 3: A stimulating intellectual environment that encourages faculty, staff, and students to achieve higher levels of excellence.

Strategy 1. Encourage each college to identify sources of financial support to establish distinguished lecture series, bringing world-class scholars and artists to the campus for seminars, exhibitions and other intellectual activities.
Strategy 2. Encourage departments to bring visiting faculty members, scholars, or artists to campus for varying terms.
Strategy 3. Support cross-disciplinary, University-wide seminars to encourage dialogue and the exchange of ideas among departments and colleges.
Strategy 4. Foster new means of facilitating intellectual exchange among students, staff, and faculty, and for encouraging interdisciplinary research and scholarship, including expansion of "conversation areas" and access to electronic information networks.
Strategy 5. Increase the involvement of all community members in the intellectual and cultural life of the University.

Objective 4: Organizational infrastructure to promote research and scholarship.

Strategy 1. Identify sources for improved internal funding of research.
Strategy 2. Encourage faculty, staff and students to make greater use of the Resource Center and electronic information available in the Division of Sponsored Programs to identify research topics and possibilities for collaboration and expand the capacity of Sponsored Programs to assist such efforts.
Strategy 3. Communicate departments' and colleges' research agendas and priorities to the Vice President for Research for representation to private sponsors.
Strategy 4. Improve University funding sources for faculty and staff scholarship through the Office of the Vice President for Research, based on the CIFRE model.
Strategy 5. Promote and facilitate joint research ventures with faculty/staff and industry/government.
Strategy 6. Improve infrastructure support for faculty and staff research by providing partial reallocation of indirect costs generated by funded projects.

Objective 5: Enhance research and scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research staff.

Strategy 1. Integrate research and scholarly experience into undergraduate Honors courses, seminars, and individual projects.
Strategy 2. Encourage departments to recognize outstanding graduate student research.
Strategy 3. Encourage departments and research units to develop programs for career development of research staff members.

Objective 6: Publicize the scholarship and research activities of the University.

Strategy 1. Improve dissemination of faculty and staff research results by providing more travel funds for presentations at conferences, exhibitions, or workshops.
Strategy 2. Publicize how research and artistic accomplishments benefit local, state, national and global constituencies; focus on the relationship between diversity and excellence.
Strategy 3. Emphasize the role of the University community in economic development.
Strategy 4. Establish additional public lecture series, on the model of the annual Presidential Lecture Series, which presents research and scholarship accomplishments and advancements to the local community.

Goal 5: A Culturally Diverse and Inclusive University Community

Increasing the diversity of faculty, staff and students continues to be of significant importance for the University community for three intertwined reasons. First, the entire community benefits from the presence of different cultural perspectives and identities in shaping a globalized view of society. Students leaving the univ ersity will continue to enter national and international communities that are heterogeneous. Accordingly, it is incumbent upon the University to maintain a community that fosters and promotes diversity.

Second, it is likely that the student body at the University will become increasingly diverse in race and ethnicity, gender, and physical and cognitive ability. The institution is increasing its appeal not only within the state but to students from other parts of the Midwest and elsewhere in the nation and the world. The ed ucational offerings of the University will be of particular importance as we see an emerging pluralistic student population seeking a climate for higher learning. On an academic plane, people with different backgrounds can provide the foundation for new approaches to diversity that will strengthen the experience of learning at our University and e nhance scholarship as well.

Third, the University can have a significant role in securing equality for individuals and groups traditionally disadvantaged in society. By actively seeking to include these underrepresented or disadvantaged individuals and providing opportunities for all persons to maximize their potential, we can strengthen and enrich o ur community, state, and society. It will be important for the University to recruit and retain a faculty, staff, and student body that are reflective not only of the constitution of the community but of the society at large.

The objectives of this section continue to suggest an emphasis on three general issues: a receptive climate, retention of faculty, staff, and students, and administrative structures and programs that promote diversity. It is important to note that climate appears as the first of the objectives in this revision to give prima cy to climate as an essential element in the success of retention and the administration of programs that address diversity. By working with the University committees, councils, and offices concerned with diversity and affirmative action, the sensitivity of the University community and the quality of the social and physical environment can be rais ed for all members of the community.

Objective 1: A climate that respects and values diversity.

Strategy 1. Improve the sensitivity of campus educational offerings, as well as the social and physical environment, by encouraging units to use orientation and informational written materials, videos, workshops, and learning sessions provided by the Office of Affirmative Action and other services.
Strategy 2. Respond appropriately and effectively to instances of racial or sexual harassment and continue to develop and disseminate educational programs to increase awareness of issues of harassment.
Strategy 3. Implement the General Education Requirement in cultural diversity.

Objective 2: Recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff who contribute to the diversity of the University.

Strategy 1. Increase the representation of women and minorities among faculty and staff; give special attention to units that have failed to make progress toward affirmative action goals.
Strategy 2. Ensure that necessary accommodations and support services are provided for students, faculty, and staff with physical, cognitive, or sensory disabilities.
Strategy 3. Increase the representation of minority students to at least 10 percent and provide support services appropriate for this level of representation.
Strategy 4. Encourage efforts to integrate faculty and staff from underrepresented groups into their unit and departmental life.
Strategy 5. Provide all staff, students, and faculty with opportunities to contribute to the quality of life in an increasingly diverse campus and environment, through continued educational programming, seminar series, student/faculty/staff workshops, conferences, and lectures.
Strategy 6. Encourage academic departments to pay extra attention to students with special needs by educating all faculty members about such students and by reassigning advisors when appropriate.

Objective 3: Administrative procedures and programs that support diversity.

Strategy 1. Encourage both individual colleges and the central administration to make funds available to support new faculty and staff positions, as well as continue efforts to fill existing openings, for women, minorities, and candidates with disabilities. Work with Opportunity at Iowa to devote significantly greater fun ds designed to attract distinguished scholars who are women and minorities.
Strategy 2. Recruit student applicants from geographical locations with high concentrations of underrepresented groups, along with increased efforts to attract minority students from within the state and elsewhere in the Midwest.
Strategy 3. Increase efforts to attract a wider pool of students into disciplines where one gender is traditionally underrepresented.
Strategy 4. Monitor more closely the affirmative action efforts of colleges, departments, and administrative units with a manifest imbalance with regard to gender or minorities.
Strategy 5. Strengthen affirmative action by identifying departments that have continuously failed to recruit or have underutilized minorities and women and develop remedial action; reward departments that have successfully diversified their faculty and staff.

Goal 6: Strong Ties between the University and External Constituencies

Education is an important item on national and state agendas, as is evident from (1) the growth of accountability to state and federal agencies, (2) increasing expectations from multiple constituencies within and outside of the state, and (3) a growing perception that higher education is a major basis for the competitiveness of the state in the nation and the world. The development of the state-educationally, culturally, and economically-depends significantly on the quality of its higher education.

To meet the challenges and opportunities posed by the relationship of the University to its external environment, this section stresses unifying external relations efforts, projecting the University's educational mission outward throughout the state and the world, increasing funding from private and government sources, and dealing effectively with a wide variety of external constituencies.

In addition to faculty, staff, and students, the constituencies of The University of Iowa include students' parents, the Board of Regents, the General Assembly and Executive Branch, Iowa leaders in various areas and fields, K-12 school officials, other academic institutions, alumni, professional constituencies, donors and p rospective donors, patients, corporations and foundations, Congressional representatives, federal agencies, international agencies, the media, the local community, and the general public.

Objective 1: A unified institution-wide external relations effort.

Strategy 1. Continue to increase coherence of decentralized external relations efforts through the Office of Vice President for University Relations.
Strategy 2. Strengthen the role and visibility of campus units and committees that foster institutional advancement.
Strategy 3. Support the role of The University of Iowa Foundation as the primary channel for private fund-raising by informing faculty and staff of its functions through orientation sessions and printed materials.
Strategy 4. Continue to build a more coordinated program for federal and state governmental relations, with greater involvement of faculty, staff, and the Alumni Association.
Strategy 5. Develop a closer connection between the University's external relations effort and the recruitment of students within and outside the state by exploring partnership initiatives at the high school and community college levels.

Objective 2: Effective communication with outside constituencies.

Strategy 1. Improve communication with each of the University's constituencies by developing and maintaining information databases about each group; encourage sharing of that information among the UI Foundation, the Alumni Association, and individual colleges and departments.
Strategy 2. Encourage colleges and departments to provide items of campus and general public interest to the University News Service.
Strategy 3. Make special efforts to improve the visibility of significant, but sometimes overlooked, areas of University life, especially those that will broaden the public's understanding of the range of University activities.
Strategy 4. Strengthen continuing efforts to promote technology transfer and University-business relations in support of the University's research mission.
Strategy 5. Improve communication with The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' patients, families, and visitors about the changes in delivery and funding of health care and its impact on the University and the state.
Strategy 6. Increase efforts to explain the role of athletics within the University.
Strategy 7. Recognize the importance of accreditation status to public perception of our academic programs and urge units undergoing accreditation review to communicate effectively with their constituencies.

Objective 3: Credit and noncredit educational programs to serve part-time and nontraditional students in all areas of the state.

Strategy 1. Examine the relationship between the Division of Continuing Education and academic units with respect to the accounting and crediting methods for student enrollment in Saturday and Evening and off-campus programs.
Strategy 2. Increase the use of telecommunication technology, including the Iowa Communications Network, with necessary training of instructors in new technology and teaching methods, to provide access to University courses and programs.
Strategy 3. Increase the number, scope, and quality of short-term programs to provide interested individuals with an "on campus" educational experience.
Strategy 4. Target more continuing education programs to serve the needs of underrepresented populations and attract them to the University.
Strategy 5. Develop wider use of off-campus classroom sites by colleges offering graduate course work and noncredit programs.

Objective 4: Substantial funding from private and public sources.

Strategy 1. Encourage academic units to initiate stronger private fund-raising efforts in collaboration with The University of Iowa Foundation.
Strategy 2. Create a better understanding and appreciation of the role of a research university by identifying high-priority global, national, and state research needs and by facilitating appropriate connections between these needs and research strengths of the University.
Strategy 3. Enhance corporate support of academic activities by developing mutually beneficial relationships with the business community through consultation, internships, and research projects.
Strategy 4. Provide better campus-wide information on how The University of Iowa Foundation contributions are used to enhance teaching and scholarship.

Goal 7: A High-quality Academic and Working Environment

The quality of our University academic and working environment reflects many influences, some of which are addressed in more detail elsewhere in the strategic plan. The many disparate elements making up The University of Iowa's environment have a strong bearing on our success in recruitment, retention, and development of the fu ll potential of members of the University community.

The objectives in this section are intended to foster a supportive and accommodating physical environment, a strong and effective staff, a sense of community, creative and vibrant cultural activity, the health and welfare of University members, and an efficient administrative framework promoting an atmosphere of civility an d mutual respect.

Objective 1: A supportive and accommodating physical environment.

Strategy 1. Continue to upgrade the physical environment to ensure accommodation for persons with disabilities which permits their full participation in University activities.
Strategy 2. Provide universal access to a campus-wide electronic communication network.
Strategy 3. Enhance the safety and accessibility of transportation, including attention to the mix of bicycles with pedestrians and vehicles on campus.
Strategy 4. Examine and evaluate parking policies, regulations, and services with special attention to safety issues and the accommodation of visitors to the campus; regularly communicate the priorities and concerns that affect parking policies to those affected by the policies.
Strategy 5. Modify the campus to facilitate interactions among community members by creating and enhancing outdoor pathways and gathering areas.
Strategy 6. Continue improvements in air quality, waste control, lighting, asbestos removal, and fire safety.
Strategy 7. Enhance the aesthetic quality of gathering places and public areas, drawing on the cultural diversity of our University community.

Objective 2: A strong and effective staff.

Strategy 1. Encourage the staff's continued participation in the governance structure of the University, including membership on University committees, search committees, task forces, and other ad hoc committees.
Strategy 2. Enhance tuition assistance and released time for staff to pursue education in support of job performance, in keeping with practice at comparable public universities.
Strategy 3. Support the rights of staff to express a diversity of viewpoints in a positive and open atmosphere.
Strategy 4. Implement improvements in the systems governing classification and compensation for staff in support of institutional goals.
Strategy 5. In consultation with staff, implement programs for cross-training, and use flexible scheduling to upgrade skills and expand responsibilities of staff.
Strategy 6. Involve staff in the University's external relations efforts.
Strategy 7. Encourage mentoring, informal workshops, and other means of information exchange among peers with similar positions to improve job performance and efficiency across the University.

Objective 3: A sense of community promoting the intellectual and professional development of faculty, staff, and students.

Strategy 1. Encourage participation by all members of the University community in the intellectual and artistic life of the University.
Strategy 2. Continue support for the Dual-Career Network Referral Service.
Strategy 3. Enhance existing forms of recognition for accomplishments of members of The University of Iowa community, including faculty, staff, and students, and develop new opportunities for recognition.

Objective 4: Creative and vibrant cultural activity.

Strategy 1. Establish an internationally important festival for the arts.
Strategy 2. Support, publicize, and enhance the exhibitions, collections, and programs of museums and academic units in the arts.
Strategy 3. Enhance the role and capabilities of The University of Iowa radio and television stations.
Strategy 4. Increase the diversity of cultural and entertainment activities through increased support of public events sponsored by historically under-represented groups.

Objective 5: Support for the health and welfare of members of the University community.

Strategy 1. Establish strong family leave policies comparable to the best programs at other major universities.
Strategy 2. Disseminate information and support programs aimed at preventing all forms of interpersonal coercion or violence.
Strategy 3. Support and enhance counseling services for students, staff, and faculty.
Strategy 4. Expand physical fitness and wellness opportunities for all members of the University community.
Strategy 5. Improve both preventive educational programs and treatment services for substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases.
Strategy 6. Expand high quality, affordable child care arrangements for dependents of members of the University community.
Strategy 7. Enhance preventive services (e.g., vaccinations, appropriate testing following specific exposures) for all members of the community, including students, in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration procedures and community members' right to know.
Strategy 8. Expand alternatives for health care coverage to provide a diversity of service and provider options while containing out-of-pocket expenditures.
Strategy 9. Increase access of the University community to health promotion facilities available in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Strategy 10. Assess provisions for student health care and the extent of insurance coverage for all students enrolled at the University; review policies for consistency with local and state health care reforms.

Objective 6: Efficient administrative framework promoting civility and mutual respect.

Strategy 1. Develop procedures within units for initiating and responding to suggestions and proposals for enhancing quality, improving cost effectiveness, reducing bureaucracy, and providing "customer-oriented" services.
Strategy 2. Continue to require supervisors and departmental executive officers to attend workshops on racial and sexual harassment policies; ensure that sanctions are enforced and monitor the outcomes of actions taken when community members violate the University's codes of acceptable behavior.
Strategy 3. Make all University and unit-specific policies available on the electronic communication network, with an electronic address for specific questions and comments on each policy.

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Last updated on July 17, 1995 by Campus Communications