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2018 2023S t r at e g i c P l a n

Imagine Your Impact

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Friends,

I am pleased to present the roadmap forward for Columbus State University’s emergence as one of the South’s most creative and impactful regional universities.

This strategic plan is the result of much collaboration and discussion. I appreciate all the thought that went into creating a document that reflects our values as an institution, and spells out not only what we are going to do, but how we are going to do it. A special thanks is due to Gina Sheeks and Tina Butcher for co-chairing the strategic planning committee, to Shana Young for facilitating this process, and to all the committee members and participants for their input.

Our vision is to be recognized for our transformational learning experiences, while producing graduates who are creative problem-solvers and high-impact leaders. That means they will have the skills necessary to compete in the classroom, as well as the savvy needed to effectively contribute in business, cultural, scientific or educational communities.

As we prepare to celebrate our 60th anniversary, I believe Columbus State University is on the verge of something extraordinary.

Because of our rich history of partnerships, you are an important stakeholder in our journey toward greatness. Imagine your impact as we work together to become more student-centered, to be more responsive to local workforce needs, to better serve the populations that need us the most, to better prepare this community for the future, to more creatively empower the next generation of leaders, and to elevate this university’s stature.

Imagine your impact!

Chris Markwood, President

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STRATEGIC PLAN2018-2023

VisionColumbus State University will be a model of empowerment through transformational learning experiences that prepare students to serve the world as creative problem-solvers and high-impact leaders.

MissionColumbus State University will empower individuals to contribute to the advancement of local and global communities through an emphasis on excellence in teaching and research, lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, public/private partnerships and service to others.

ValuesExcellence: Commitment to best practices in teaching and learning, scholarship and creative activity, student engagement, cultural enrichment and campus environment.

Creativity: The pursuit of distinction through inquiry and innovation, challenging convention and focusing on solutions.

Engagement: Active civil participation by students, faculty, and staff in the university experience.

Servant Leadership: Effective, ethical leadership through empowerment and service.

Sustainability: Commitment to behaviors that recognize and respect our environmental context.

Inclusion: Fostering and promoting a campus that embraces diverse people, ideas, views and practices.

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“Columbus State taught me the science and art of teaching. It taught me why research is important. Why it’s important to constantly learn, and constantly grow. Why it’s important to be a good steward of the knowledge you gain. Why it’s important to be an ever developing practitioner.”

— Stefan Lawrence, Education major, ’09, ’12

2016 Teacher of the Year, Muscogee County School District

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & ACTION ITEMS

Strategic Initiative 1: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: CSU will be a leader in academic excellence

by utilizing evidence-based teaching and learning.

Goal 1.1: Maintain a culture of continuous assessment and improvement throughout the university.

Action Items1.1.1 Ensure that the curriculum for each program remains current and relevant during the annual and comprehensive program review processes.

1.1.2 Provide faculty development in support of high-impact practices and active learning strategies.

1.1.3 Use data from assessment of student learning outcomes to improve student learning.

1.1.4 Ensure graduates meet the expectations of employers for disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, communication, soft skills and other skills as identified.

1.1.5 Review and revise the First-Year Experience program to ensure alignment with USG “momentum year” goals and best practices for first-year students

Goal 1.2: Increase the productivity of faculty and students in scholarship through research and creative endeavors in order to elevate the academic reputation of the university.

Action Items1.2.1 Support faculty and student scholarship that focuses on real-world problems and/or advances the discipline.

1.2.2 Support faculty and student travel for scholarship appropriate to the discipline.

1.2.3 Provide resources to support graduate student recruitment and retention, graduate research, graduate student scholarships and graduate program development.

1.2.4 Seek external recognitions and awards that serve as indicators of academic excellence at CSU (e.g. U.S. News & World Report, Fulbright Scholarships, American Association of State Colleges and Universities Excellence and Innovation Awards).

1.2.5 Identify programs that would benefit from accreditation or certification and support them in obtaining and maintaining approval during the Comprehensive Program Review process.

Academic Excellence

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Strategic Initiative 2: STUDENT-CENTERED CAMPUS: CSU will increase student engagement

with the campus and community by building a creative and student-centered campus that supports recruitment,

increases retention and yields higher graduation rates.

Goal 2.1: Identify and support programs that are priorities for the university and have the potential to attract significant enrollment.

Action Items2.1.1 Utilize data to identify high- and low-enrolled programs and courses.

2.1.2 Leverage data in decision-making regarding course offerings, allocation of faculty lines, and other programmatic decisions.

2.1.3 Allocate resources in support of programs that reflect institutional priorities and growth.

2.1.4 Develop new programs that meet regional needs and also have the potential for significant student enrollment.

Goal 2.2: Strengthen efforts to recruit, educate, retain and graduate a growing body of diverse students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Action Items2.2.1 Develop and implement a comprehensive advising plan in support of student success.

2.2.2 Expand and enhance effective mentoring, development and recognition programs designed to improve undergraduate and graduate student retention and graduation rates, especially for students from underrepresented populations.

2.2.3 Establish a collaborative academic support service to improve student research and learning practices.

2.2.4 Enhance services for active duty military and veterans, and continue to be recognized as a military-friendly campus.

2.2.5 Develop and implement a comprehensive plan regarding online programs and services.

Goal 2.3: Increase student engagement with the campus and with the community.

Action Items2.3.1 Increase the number of students employed as work-study students, student assistants and graduate assistants.

2.3.2 Increase student engagement through academic, athletic, civic, cultural and social activities on campus and in the community.

2.3.3 Increase student participation in campus governance, honor societies, academic organizations, mentorships and internships.

2.3.4 Increase participation of faculty, staff and students in the celebration of university traditions, achievements and successes.

Student-Centered Campus

“Columbus State is really giving kids the opportunity to create, to innovate, to lead, to know how to learn, to be able to take all these tools and be a free agent and leverage all the amazing things that are going to be happening. It’s a great time to be a student right now.”

— Mark Cuban, Investor, Owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks

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Goal 2.4: Promote, encourage, and support an inclusive campus climate that welcomes all constituents.

Action Items2.4.1 Increase funding and support necessary to attain a level of diversity among faculty and staff that more closely reflects the student population.

2.4.2 Expand inclusion and engagement programming to include a broader focus on diverse populations.

2.4.3 Expand campus internationalization efforts through the development and implementation of the next CSU Internationalization Plan.

2.4.4 Increase opportunities for interaction between international students and domestic students.

2.4.5 Increase global awareness through curriculum enhancement, expansion of study abroad opportunities, and increased international student enrollment.

Goal 2.5: Provide a safe and secure campus environment.

Action Items2.5.1 Continue to develop, resource, and implement effective safety and security operations that ensure the welfare of the university community.

2.5.2 Promote safety and security educational programs throughout the campus community.

Student-Centered Campus

“The focus of the university now is to make this a university of choice for students. I think all of these elements are helping to make that a more attractive university, to make it better known, and to make quality students choose this university.”

— Marc Olivié, CEO, W.C. Bradley Co.

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Innovation and Creativity Strategic Initiative 3: INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY: The CSU culture will support

and recognize innovation and creative activity.

Goal 3.1: Balance instructional, service and research loads to enhance faculty productivity and to encourage innovative and creative collaboration on research and learning by faculty and students.

Action Item3.1.1 Develop, approve and implement faculty workload policies at the college and department levels.

Goal 3.2: Promote and reward innovation in teaching, support services, research and experiential learning.

Action Items3.2.1 Increase opportunities for students, faculty and staff that encourage and reward the development of creative solutions to real-world problems.

3.2.2 Maximize student participation in high-impact practices within curricular and co-curricular activities.

3.2.3 Participate in the University System of Georgia’s LEAP (Liberal Education & America’s Promise) Consortium by contributing to its steering committee, aligning general education assessment with LEAP Essential Outcomes, and forming a LEAP Council to coordinate high-impact practices across campus.

3.2.4 Provide faculty and staff development opportunities for high-impact, experiential learning practices.

Goal 3.3: Provide innovative and creative learning resources, research opportunities and information technologies.

Action Item3.3.1 Utilize contemporary technologies to identify methods of increasing efficiency and streamlining processes.

“We live in a very competitive world. Where we have to compete, not only with other manufacturers, but also for the attention span of our consumer. To do that requires we produce innovative products, with features that meet customer needs. It’s important for us to bring people into our organization that think beyond the normal curriculum and bring an additional spark of creativity and innovative thinking to the process.”

— Mark Olivié, CEO, W.C. Bradley Co.

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Strategic Initiative 4: PARTNERSHIPS: CSU will continue to build mutually beneficial partnerships that support local, state, regional, national and international communities.

Goal 4.1: Develop and maintain strong partnerships with P-20 institutions in the region.

Action Items4.1.1 Collaborate with secondary schools to increase the number of students served in dual enrollment.

4.1.2 Review and update articulation agreements with other institutions of higher education to ensure that they are current and relevant.

Goal 4.2: Build, sustain, and promote mutually beneficial relationships with the Columbus community and beyond.

Action Items4.2.1 Continue to inform external constituents about university engagements, achievements and economic impact.

4.2.2 Collaborate with Columbus 2025 and other initiatives to increase student engagement and interaction within the community.

4.2.3 Participate in partnerships that bring experiential and cultural enrichment opportunities to the university and its associated local and global learning communities.

Goal 4.3: Increase external engagement and philanthropic support.

Action Items4.3.1 Develop a coordinated plan to engage alumni with students.

4.3.2 Improve communication and promote programming of value to alumni.

Goal 4.4: Support the Columbus 2025 initiative to enhance regional economic and workforce development and the creative economy.

Action Items4.4.1 Collaborate with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce to retain CSU graduates in the Columbus region.

4.4.2 Partner with the Columbus Chamber at CSU Alumni events to promote the Greater Columbus area.

Goal 4.5: Increase philanthropic gift support and alumni participation through University Advancement initiatives.

Action Items4.5.1 Increase significant gift support for endowment through planned and estate giving.

4.5.2 Increase percentage of undergraduate annual giving participation.

4.5.3 Increase CSU Fund gifts by all constituencies to support the university’s strategic priorities.

4.5.4 Increase funding gifts to support student scholarships (e.g. merit-based, needs-based, program-based and donor specific).

Partnerships

“It is critical for us to always be looking for new ideas, new techniques, the best scholarship in the area of leader development and education, and that is where our partnership with Columbus State University has been so important to us. We have benefitted tremendously from the work that goes on at Columbus State University.”

— Lt. General H.R. McMasters, National Security Adviser,

Former Commander of Fort Benning

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Leadership Strategic Initiative 5: LEADERSHIP: CSU will provide faculty, staff and students with

opportunities and provide resources to develop leadership skills that support their current and future roles.

Goal 5.1: Increase faculty and staff development opportunities.

Action Items5.1.1 Develop and implement a leadership development program for department chairs.

5.1.2 Increase support for leadership development for faculty and staff.

5.1.3 Increase retention of faculty and staff through meaningful recognition programs.

5.1.4 Increase the number of faculty and staff participating in internal and external leadership development programs and opportunities to support career progression.

Goal 5.2: Increase student development opportunities.

Action Items5.2.1 Develop and implement student leadership development programs, such as Camp P.R.O.W.L. and iLEAD.

5.2.2 Increase the number of students participating in internal and external leadership development programs and opportunities.

5.2.3 Identify qualified faculty and staff to teach leadership development for undergraduate and graduate students.

Goal 5.3: Establish servant leadership as a concept practiced throughout the university.

Action Items5.3.1 Educate the campus community to ensure an understanding of the servant leadership philosophy.

5.3.2 Develop recognition of effective servant leaders at CSU.

“What I’ve said all along is, ‘So goes the quality of Columbus State, so goes the quality of our company. So many of our employees come from Columbus State, and so the Cunningham Center and what it’s doing in terms of training people and teaching them leadership - servant leadership - is exactly what we need in the business world today.”

— Dan Amos, CEO of Aflac

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Strategic Initiative 6: INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY: CSU will sustain and support

institutional growth through fiscal, physical, technological, environmental and human resource responsibility.

Goal 6.1: Sustain and support growth through increasing institutional efficiencies.

Action Items6.1.1 Ensure the fiscal health of the university and its ability to provide for anticipated growth.

6.1.2 Ensure that adequate physical space is allotted for all types of academic instruction.

6.1.3 Continue to upgrade instructional and office hardware and campus-wide wireless connections, and provide access to necessary software and applications.

6.1.4 Ensure that the number of faculty and staff are adequate for anticipated enrollment growth.

Goal 6.2: Demonstrate environmental sustainability.

Action Item6.2.1 Develop and implement an environmental sustainability plan.

Institutional Sustainability

“Education defines us, it gets us ready for the rest of our lives. We are very, very fortunate in this community to have a great institute of higher learning like Columbus State University. At TSYS, 30-45% of all the college graduates we have working at our company come from Columbus State University. It was my first choice university, I’m proud to be an alumnus, and we’re very proud to have Columbus State here in Columbus, Georgia.”

— Troy Woods, Economics major, ’74

Chairman and CEO, TSYS

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