Summary
The process of setting annual goals is a process of identifying specific projects for the year. The annual goals represent those areas in which we are seeking to expand or enhance activities of previous years and/or launch new initiatives in support of our long-term goals (commitments).  Overall responsibility for accomplishing the annual goals rests with the provost, deans, and directors.  Departments, programs, and campus committees will contribute to fulfilling these goals in ways appropriate to their own continuing improvement. 

This year we will continue several projects begun last year and will place added or new emphasis on seven goals.  The activities we will continue include:  projects to promote integrative learning and information literacy; efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty and student body; identification and development of programs for 2011 and beyond; activities to expand and recognize student and faculty scholarly and creative work; planning for effective learning spaces in Wilber, Penfield Library, Snygg, and Piez and begin conceptualizing renovations for other areas.  New or added emphasis will be placed on the following annual goals aligned to our overall commitments:

1.      promoting opportunities for students to develop knowledge and skills for engaged citizenship;

2.      developing a statement of learning outcomes expected for all graduates of SUNY Oswego;

3.      expanding requirements/ expectations for students to develop knowledge and skills for intercultural understanding;

4.      identifying regional needs and other data to inform program decisions;

5.      implementing planned strategies in departments/programs for improving student retention and/or assessing and improving strategies already in place;

6.      identifying staffing and facilities for an academic resource center/ professional development center—one-stop professional development;

7.      growing new partnerships between departments and external groups (community, business, or alumni) for mutual benefits.

In addition to these goals, members of the Academic Affairs Division will participate in campus-wide strategic planning and will work to develop a strategic plan for the division in line with the campus plan. 

Ongoing Commitments and Annual Goals

A.  Our commitment is to advance our students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes for academic success, personal growth, civic engagement, and life-long learning in a world of rapid change.

Our 2004-2005 goals were to:

a) “advance the discussion across campus of ways to help students integrate their learning experiences” and

b) “develop a planning process for the use of technologies in support of learning.”  The Catalyst Advisory Board, department chairs in each school, and many departments discussed integrative learning and made some curricular changes to encourage it.  In regard to rapidly changing technologies and students’ expectations, we launched the hybrid course initiative, worked on department web migration, and in Provost’s Council discussed many issues, such as information literacy, related to technology use in support of student learning.

Our 2005-2006 annual goals were to:

a) “develop new strategies to promote student’s integrative learning…” and

b) “work with each other and with student affairs to foster … integration of students’ learning across curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities”; and c) “articulate expectations for high levels of information literacy/ management/ evaluation in all Oswego graduates.”  The emphasis on promoting more integrative and intentional learning resulted in new research projects in some First Choice courses, the launch of Living-Learning Communities, new arts-across-the-curriculum programming, sponsorship of many co-curricular speakers, cultural events, and the Media Summit, development of plans for the Educational Planning Center, and the first Oswego Symposium on Learning and Teaching being dedicated to integrative learning.  We made some progress on clarifying expectations for information literacy/management/evaluation through discussions in Gen Ed board, A&S chairs and within some departments; we anticipate these discussions continuing in other schools and departments as we articulate related learning outcomes for all students.

In 2006-2007, we will continue to promote integrative learning and information literacy and we will:

1.  Promote opportunities for students to develop knowledge and skills for engaged citizenship.

2.  Develop a statement of learning outcomes expected for all graduates of SUNY Oswego.

B.  Our commitment is to prepare all of our students to live in multicultural and global communities.

Our 2004-2005 goal was “to identify additional strategies for increasing students’ learning about international and global perspectives.” The International Programs Office with faculty members’ help launched 5 quarter courses, which integrate a study abroad component, and began a project to increase recruitment and retention of international students.  These projects continued in 2005-2006.

Our 2005-2006 goal was two-fold; we worked to “expand attention to diversity in curricular and co-curricular areas and in faculty/staff hiring practices.”  In regard to curricular and co-curricular progress, we expanded learning opportunities focused on diversity in Learning Communities, in Native American studies, in African/African-American studies, in Modern Languages, in Accounting, and in student-teaching and practicums. We remained relatively stable in numbers of students going abroad and slightly increased the number of international students coming to our campus.  A CELT program focused on consideration of learning outcomes for preparing students to live in multicultural and global communities; this discussion and these efforts need to continue in the year ahead.

In preparation for increased efforts in faculty recruitment, 60 faculty and staff attended a teleconference on best practices, job ads were rewritten to include statements of our commitment to expanding attention in curricular and co-curricular areas, and a group of international faculty members was convened.  Additional approaches prepared for this year include a new brochure for recruitment packets on campus-wide diversity activities, a vacancy notice template for the website, and participation in a new dual career consortium for helping partners find jobs.

In 2006-2007 we will continue efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty and student body and we will:

3. Expand requirements/ expectations for students to develop knowledge and skills for intercultural literacy.

C.  Our commitment is to provide a range of programs appropriate to meet current and future students’ needs.

2004-2005 goals were to:

a) “develop strategic goals for the future of graduate studies;”

b) “study issues and set goals related to the size and mix of our undergraduate and graduate programs;” and

c) “develop recommendations regarding student-faculty ratios and the appropriate mix of faculty appointments to provide the best learning environments for our students.”  Many groups and individuals helped develop a working plan for graduate studies, and appointed a full-time graduate dean.  Other groups discussed size and mix of programs, student-faculty ratios, and other data to lay groundwork for future program discussions. 

Our 2005-2006 goal was to “articulate a vision of the mix of undergraduate and graduate programs we need in place by 2011.”  We made some progress in this regard.  We launched an initiative to offer some engineering programs on our campus in response to regional needs.  In Business we developed a Risk Management program in response to regional requests.  Other new programs have been developed and approved.  Some discussions began of programmatic emphases for the future, including theoretical and applied areas in the sciences and technology, global/multicultural fields, creative/design areas, communication/information fields.  These discussions will continue and need to be linked to earlier discussions of size and mix of programs.

In 2006-2007 we will continue to identify and develop programs for 2011 and beyond and we will: 

4.  identify regional needs and other data to inform program decisions;

D.  Our commitment is to promote an academic culture within and beyond the classroom that is both challenging to students and supportive of their success.

2004-2005 goals were to:

a) “develop strategic goals for future initiatives in scholarly and creative activities and in Research and Sponsored Programs;” and

b) “develop recommendations related to a new teaching symposium, graduate school mentoring, Phi Beta Kappa, and new initiatives for improving retention and graduation rates.”  Committees and academic units provided recommendations related to student and faculty scholarly and creative activities; a draft plan was finalized in Fall 2005.  The first Oswego Symposium on Learning and Teaching took place in Fall 2005, several departments offered workshops to talk with students about graduate studies, the small class (First Choice) initiative was expanded to all students, and groundwork was laid in the other areas.

Our 2005-2006 goals were to:

a) “promote, support, and showcase student and faculty scholarly and creative activities, particularly student-faculty collaborations” and

b) “develop specific strategies in departments and programs to improve students’ retention and to increase their interest in future graduate studies.”  We were particularly successful in expanding undergraduate student research presented at Quest and in expanding students funded by SCAC awards.  A reception after Quest highlighted the contributions of mentors to students’ success.  We hired a new full-time director to lead ORSP and to help us to expand opportunities for advanced scholarly and creative work by students and faculty. We still need to explore more ways of recognizing scholarly success.   In regard to improving retention and interest in graduate studies, departments and programs across campus have proposed a variety of new strategies for encouraging persistence and will implement the most promising beginning in the fall. Several departments conducted workshops on careers and graduate study, while Honors, McNair and the Graduate Office have planned a Graduate School Week for fall semester. Education, OLS, McNair, CSTEP and others contributed efforts to the retention of students of color.

In 2006-2007 we will continue to expand and recognize student and faculty scholarly and creative work and we will:

5.  Implement planned strategies in departments/programs for improving student retention and/or assess and improve strategies already in place.

E.  Our commitment is to help plan learning spaces to meet 21st century needs.

The 2004-2005 goal was “to provide recommendations to Facilities about the development and renovation of academic spaces.”  Many groups were involved in planning their new spaces in Poucher, Swetman, Lanigan, Wilbur, and Sheldon.  During 2005-2006, people moved into new spaces in Poucher, Lanigan, Sheldon, and Wilber (dean’s office).

Our 2005-2006 goal was to “advance discussions about facilities for learning, including visioning for a library for the 21st century, planning up-to-date spaces for the sciences, and enhancing other spaces for learning and student-faculty interactions across campus.”  Through the efforts of many, a library vision statement was completed, the sciences renovation planning continued to move forward with the choice of an architect to do a program study this fall, planning for Swetman and the Educational Planning Center is complete, and an architect for Wilber has been identified.

In 2006-2007 we will continue to plan effective learning spaces for Wilber, Penfield Library, Snygg, and Piez and begin conceptualizing renovations for other spaces such as Lanigan, Hewitt, and the Quad.

F.  Our commitment is to provide professional development opportunities for faculty and staff in support of our mission.

The 2004-2005 goal was “to review opportunities currently available to faculty and professional staff members for professional growth and develop strategies for appropriate enhancements.”  Broad discussions with many groups resulted in the development of a strategic plan for professional development.

Our 2005-2006 goal was to “implement our professional development plan for faculty and staff in support of our annual initiatives and over-arching goals for advancing student learning.”  There were many professional development opportunities on campus for faculty and staff sponsored by CELT, the deans, First Year, Registrar, Provost’s Office and others.  Sending faculty members to a PKAL conference or a department chairs conference off-campus supports current initiatives.

In 2006-2007 we will: 

6.  Identify staffing and facilities for an academic resource center/ professional development center—one-stop professional development.

G.  Our commitment is to partner with our communities for mutual benefits.

Our 2005-2006 goal was to “seek new partnerships beyond the campus with alumni, other institutions, business, industry, government and non-profit agencies to enrich student learning, serve our region, and enhance our resources in support of campus goals.”  In regard to students, EBE created new internship partnerships with community organizations and business groups and overall on campus more students participated in internships and service learning.  History and Meteorology have recently established new partnerships with other education institutions. Departments and schools continue to expand their connections with alumni through newsletters and other activities.  More opportunities could be pursued here.

In 2006-2007 we will:

7.  Grow new partnerships between departments and external groups (community, business, or alumni) for mutual benefits.

Approved by Provost’s Council 9/20/06