University Strategic Plan (2000-2005)
Enhance the Academic Mission | Support for the Academic Mission
II. GOALS AND PRIORITIES
Some of the goals of the 1995 Strategic Plan have been achieved,
but many remain as priorities of the institution. In the section
that follows, the unfinished work of the 1995 plan is incorporated
into the goals and priorities for the next five years.
The vision is to provide an academic environment conducive to
effective and inspired teaching, learning, and scholarship and
to be recognized as one of the leading national state-assisted
research universities located in an urban setting. This entails
having significant state, national, and international roles as
well as serving the residents of the metropolitan Atlanta region.
In the twenty-first century, Georgia State University's curricular
and co-curricular activities must prepare students who are critical
thinkers, creative problem solvers, and responsible citizens who
make ethical choices. Students must be able to present their thoughts
cogently both orally and in writing, develop leadership skills,
and work well in teams. They should be literate in science, technology,
culture, and information. Georgia State University must also ensure
that students are able to analyze and evaluate important trends
in disciplines, comprehend how the world is changing, understand
the interconnectedness of knowledge, recognize that there is a
blurring of boundaries among disciplines and among nations, and
cope with the dynamics of change. A vision for students includes
exposure to multiple viewpoints and the free exchange of ideas,
an appreciation for diversity among peoples of the nation and
around the globe, an understanding of their urban environment,
preparation to utilize information technology, an ability to judge
the quality of information, and experience with collaborative
learning on campus and in the community. A diverse environment
such as that encountered at Georgia State produces a balanced,
better educated, responsible global citizen.
In striving to reach goals in the area of instruction, progress
must also be continued in establishing and maintaining outstanding
research programs and activities. Selected undergraduate, graduate,
and professional program research efforts -- those that are already
competitive nationally and internationally or that demonstrate
promise of becoming so -- will be targeted and supported so that
they can maintain their success and reach even higher levels of
excellence. The necessity of promoting research derives from the
fact that a university becomes great only when it contributes
significantly to the advancement of knowledge and when it becomes
a source of advanced knowledge that can be used widely for the
betterment of life. Moreover, research is an integral part of
advanced graduate and professional programs. Further, undergraduate
education is enhanced when students have research experiences.
Georgia State University's impressive array of professional programs
will continue to provide high quality education in the Atlanta
area and the region. Furthermore, in appropriate instances, advanced
educational programs will draw students from all parts of the
nation and abroad. In all cases the programs will assemble faculty
members that are capable of providing advanced expertise to outside
constituencies, thereby directly promoting the advancement of
society. We must strive to enhance our strong graduate programs
while enhancing our undergraduate programs and services.
In order to accomplish the University’s visions, goals
and priorities, the faculty must remain mindful that being a responsible
community member extends beyond disciplinary interests to the
(unranked) interconnected aims of:
- liberal arts education in all undergraduate programs;
- provision of a learning-centered environment;
scholarly activity for all faculty;
- advanced research programs;
- accomplished professional programs;
- intercultural and international perspectives;
- connections across disciplines and content areas;
- connections among graduate, professional, and undergraduate
studies;
- opportunities for collaborative research and scholarly interaction
among faculty and between faculty and students;
- exploration and use of new learning methods and technologies,
when appropriate;
- assessment of courses, programs and services for the purpose
of their continuous improvement;
- information literacy and lifelong learning;
- collaboration across institutions and between the campus
and the community;
- use of our location in an urban area, a center of international
commerce and a center of governance, to offer a distinctive
education to our students;
- participation in partnerships that have a positive impact
on community.
Achievement of these interconnected aims will contribute significantly
to student learning and an engaged university. A dynamic balance
is sought among teaching and learning, research and scholarship,
university and community service, and undergraduate and graduate
and professional programs.
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A. Enhance the Academic Mission
A great university requires great students, great faculty and
staff, and great facilities. Strong academic and co-curricular
programs attract students. Supportive staff and administrative
services with reliable physical and technological infrastructures
help retain students and faculty. Strong external communications
inform alumni, potential students, and other constituents of our
accomplishments. The first strategic initiative focuses on the
above and the infrastructure that supports teaching, learning,
scholarship, and outreach or engagement. This initiative is intended
to identify ways in which the intellectual environment for the
entire university community can be heightened.
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a. Students
1. Recruitment
Georgia State attracts students from all fifty states and over
one hundred countries around the world. These include high school
graduates, transfer students from two- and four-year programs,
working and "returning" students, and graduate and professional
students. While the university attracts students worldwide, the
downtown campus, the North Metro Center at Dunwoody (moving to
the Alpharetta Center in Summer 2000), and the Gwinnett Center
provide access to quality education in particular for residents
of the entire metropolitan area. Further, the Helen M. Aderhold
Learning Center is expected to be available for classes in Spring
2002. A Recreational Center is scheduled for completion in Summer
2001.
A student body of 27,000 by Fall 2005, with approximately 30%
being in graduate and professional programs, is a recruitment
goal. Georgia State will continue to serve both traditional and
non-traditional students. A goal is to maintain or increase diversity
while increasing the quality of the incoming students. A goal
is to develop a plan to increase the international undergraduate
student population on campus by 50 students per year for the next
five years. Short-term recruitment goals are 2000 freshmen, 2000
transfer students, and 1800 graduate and professional students
for Fall 2000. In addition, another 1800 students will be recruited
mid-year. For Fall 2005, recruitment goals are 2500 freshmen,
3000 transfer students, and 2500 graduate and professional students.
In Fall 1999, there were 23,500 students (including 1,200 international
students with visas). At present, approximately 55% of the students
attend full-time. The University offers a welcoming academic environment
to traditional students as well as working and returning students
- 53 percent work full-time and 25 percent work part-time. This
composition produces a mature, serious student body with considerable
diversity and a high proportion of graduate students. Approximately
6,300 African-American students are currently enrolled at Georgia
State University, more than at any other college or university
in Georgia. There is a significant metropolitan character to the
student body - approximately 85% of the students in the University
Village come from the 13-county metro area surrounding Atlanta.
For a campus that serves a large number of part-time students,
credit hours generated is an important metric. A goal is to increase
the average number of hours enrolled by a student so that the
student makes timely progress towards graduation. To accomplish
this goal, the university will investigate strategies such as
increasing courses at the upper division and graduate level from
3 to 4 semester hours or scheduling courses in groupings that
make it easier for part-time students to take three 3-hour courses
per term. Prior to semester conversion, students were averaging
11.2 credits per term. Experience for the first four terms under
the semester system shows averages of 9.9, 10.0, 10.2, and 10.0.
A goal of the Physical
Master Plan is to add varied types of student housing near
campus to accommodate 2000 students beyond the 2000 beds available
in the Village. Private
developers are being encouraged to build additional student housing,
particularly for married students, graduate students and international
students. Availability of student residence halls has increasingly
made Georgia State an institution of first choice for freshman
students.
Demographics predict an increasing number of high school graduates
over the next 10 years - Georgia is projected to have the third
highest increase in high school graduates nationally (~24% to
2010). Further, the population bulge is more likely to be in the
Atlanta metropolitan area rather than in outlying regions of Georgia.
With an increased emphasis in K-12 on college preparatory programs,
there should be more and better prepared students seeking a high
quality education. Recruitment efforts have been enhanced significantly
over the past five years as Georgia State transitioned from an
essentially ‘open admissions' institution to a limited admission,
research institution as mandated by the University System new
admission requirements that will be fully implemented in 2001.
Faculty and college personnel have worked collaboratively with
enrollment services personnel in recruitment efforts, particularly
since Fall 1998. Collaborative efforts will have to be sustained
and enhanced to reach enrollment targets for 2005. In addition
to an increased attention on new freshman students, the Admissions
office has focused on transfer students that still compose half
of our entering class. Transfer enrollment has declined for each
of the past five years with the exception of Fall 99. A continuing
challenge will be to sustain increases in transfer enrollment.
At present, only half of new students attend new student orientations
(Incept) - part of the problem is a small number of available
days for Incept due to constraints imposed by the legacy Student
Information System programs. A goal is to ensure that all new
undergraduate degree-seeking students come to an Incept that has
a stronger academic focus that includes placement testing, advising,
and registration. Placement tests in at least English, mathematics,
and second languages will be developed as part of Incept.
Part of a strong recruitment effort to attract and retain excellent
students involves availability of scholarships and fellowships.
One focus of the comprehensive campaign is to increase scholarship
endowments by $14 million. A goal is to increase financial support
for undergraduate and graduate students.
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2. Undergraduate Experience
A more welcoming environment is being provided through programs
such as the Freshman Learning Communities, Emerging
Leaders Program, and the Honors
Program. A goal is to increase participation in Freshman Learning
Communities that were successfully piloted for 300 students in
Fall 1999. In addition, a similar concept may be tried for transfer
students - an Advanced Learning Community. A goal is to increase
the number of Presidential Assistantships where students are guaranteed
opportunities as paid student assistants in areas related to their
majors. This program is distinctive at Georgia State, giving undergraduates
the opportunity of working with senior faculty on research projects
and exploring career options. Improvement in facilities will be
an additional attractant for high quality students. The Emerging
Leaders Program provides students ways to reflect systematically
on the exercise of leadership.
Improving retention rates is a significant goal for the university.
Retention from freshman to sophomore year for the Fall 98 cohort
increased over that of the previous year by 6 percentage points
to 76%. A goal is to increase retention rates to 85% for the Fall
2004 freshman class. Programs that attracted students to the university
should also play a role in retention especially those that provide
a vibrant learning community. New students are being aided in
their transition to Georgia State through a new centralized Student
Advisement Center that assists all freshmen, transfer, and
undecided students. This centralized facility is available to
all students until they have completed areas A - F of the University
System Core curriculum. The Student Advisement Center will be
an initial central point of contact for all entering students.
Once a student has earned 42 credit hours and has declared a major,
advising will be performed in the colleges, with juniors and seniors
primarily being advised in the departments. An Academic Improvement
Program is in place to assist students who are having academic
difficulty. This program may require students to enroll in study
skills courses and, in some cases, to meet regularly with staff
from the Counseling Center.
Also, there is a maximum of 12 credit hours placed on enrollment
in specially guided courses for the semester. Additional assistance
for students is available through the Student Success Center in
the Counseling Center, African American Student Services &
Programs, Writing Center, Language Acquisition & Resource
Center, Cooperative Learning Center, and many of the core departments
provide tutorial support - the Counseling Center has produced
a brochure that lists the various tutoring services available.
There needs to be better coordination and awareness of the overall
services that are available to increase student success.
National studies indicate that student involvement in the university
community is a good indicator of potential success in college.
The Student Life division is involved in the development of good
citizenship via community service and volunteer work, and generally
serves as a dynamic laboratory in which students can apply or
complement talents they also develop in classrooms. Student development
and leadership enhancement occurs through participation in the
250 organizations and intramural recreational activities. A goal
is to increase student involvement in such activities.
Successful intercollegiate athletics programs, especially men
and women's basketball, will help develop a sense of community
and college spirit among students, staff and faculty. Recognition
of the university can also be enhanced nationally through having
successful sports teams. A goal is to align the university with
a different athletics conference that includes more of the university’s
peers. Further, the Athletics
department initiatives in providing gender equity in the sports
teams and diversity of its student athletes and coaches will be
strongly supported by the whole community.
The academic enterprise will be further strengthened by efforts
of both Student Life division and academic departments in building
on the rich opportunities for community service by providing students
with more occasions to reflect critically on their experiences
in service. A goal is to increase student participation in service
activities. Moreover, opportunities for service-learning programs
that engage students in service that meets unmet community needs
while enhancing their academic study, civic skills, and sense
of social responsibility will be developed and supported by the
university. There are a number of voluntary community service
opportunities at Georgia State that are coordinated through the
Office of Community
Services. Location in downtown Atlanta, near the state capitol,
gives students many possibilities for internships, cooperative
education assignments, and other collaborative arrangements with
business, law, fine and performing arts, industry, government,
and service agencies while at Georgia State. The University participates
in a number of outreach and enrichment programs, including several
to increase minority participation in the sciences. Career
service units provide career counseling and career development,
teach job search skills and provide occupational information and
work experience to students.
The growth of a more traditional undergraduate student body provides
the opportunity for the university to increase study-abroad
programs. A goal is to increase student participation in study
abroad to two percent per year (approximately 480 students/year).
These programs can be developed in traditional and non-traditional
ways. For students who do not need to work, the traditional semester-
or year-abroad program opportunities can be expanded. For working
students, two- to three-week programs can be developed to link
an experience abroad with continued coursework in Atlanta. Faculty
and student exchange programs that provide for learning experiences
on our home campus with faculty and students from institutions
abroad can further enhance undergraduate, graduate, and professional
programs.
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3. Graduate Experience
A goal is to maintain the graduate student composition of the
student body at approximately 30%. This goal includes a continued
increase in the number of doctoral students in departments that
have nationally competitive doctoral programs and/or advance interdisciplinary,
urban, and international foci of other parts of this strategic
plan. The largest number of graduate degrees conferred at the
University occur at the masters level, including the MA, MBA,
M.Ed., and MS, all of which enroll a significant number of students.
Masters degree programs fill unique niches in the University.
Some serve as a progression into an available doctoral program,
or as preparation for entry into doctoral programs elsewhere.
In other areas, the knowledge base necessary to master a subject
has expanded beyond that obtainable during the traditional four-year
bachelor's degree program. In these areas, the masters degree
is now considered the entry-level degree or the mark of a well-educated
student of that discipline. In other areas, highly regarded professional
programs at the masters degree level play an important role in
educating in-service professionals.
A goal is to continue to build library collections, both paper
and electronic, so that the libraries within the university can
fulfill their strategic initiatives. Initiatives include partnering
with faculty, departments, and interdisciplinary programs to develop
a collection in all formats that support graduate programs of
excellence and distinction, and to provide information services
both virtually and in multiple physical locations, including Pullen
Library, Law Library, and the new Alpharetta Center, for all graduate
programs.
Development of criteria for graduate faculty designation since
1998 has strengthened the overall graduate student experience.
Graduate faculty members serve as mentors directing the research
of graduate students and supervising their maturation as teacher-scholars.
Formal guidelines for these mentoring relationships are under
development (Spring 2000). A goal is to place more emphasis on
pedagogical preparation for those doctoral students who hope to
become future teaching faculty with considerations such as these
students enroll in college teaching courses and become involved
with programs sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning.
A goal is to be more competitive for strong graduate students
by increasing the number, value, and benefits of graduate assistantships
and fellowships. In addition, the provision of graduate housing
on campus downtown (see II. a. 1. Recruitment) would enhance recruitment
and add to the liveliness of downtown. The intellectual vitality
and active scholarly engagement of faculty and students enhances
the overall quality of the institution. A large proportion of
extramural funding goes directly to support learning opportunities
for graduate as well as undergraduate students. Selected research
projects in which graduate students are involved also contribute
to improving the quality of life of the city and the region.
Graduate programs are also a strong magnet for international
students. In addition, for some graduate programs, the study-abroad
element of the Executive MBA program can be introduced to broaden
the experiences in a number of master- and Ph.D.-level programs.
For law students, four-to-six week summer-study abroad programs,
such as the Transnational Comparative Dispute Resolution Program,
in Linz, Austria, can be developed.
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b. Programs
Georgia State University will continue to strengthen its academic
and administrative and student support service programs in concert
with accepted recommendations of its program review process and
of accrediting agencies for its professional programs. This process
will include the University Senate in a review of academic and
administrative departments, schools, Centers, Institutes and student
support programs. A goal is to build on programs that have demonstrated
quality and are nationally recognized.
Academic programs are at the heart of a university and are the
attractant for faculty and students. To maintain vibrancy and
currency of programs, Academic
Program Review was initiated in 1994 and is being continuously
improved. Its successful implementation is due in large part to
its strong linkage with strategic planning and budget allocations.
Departments are encouraged to be actively and regularly involved
with curriculum management of their undergraduate and graduate
programs. A goal is to continue to strengthen and focus departmental
programs through academic program review. There is an emphasis
on liberal education in undergraduate programs in both arts and
sciences and the professional colleges. The need for increased
interdisciplinary interactions and increased globalization is
recognized as a competitive requirement in the future. As part
of a balanced academic program review process, external reviewers
provide an important evaluation of scholarship contributions to
the discipline as well as evaluation of interactions among faculty,
graduate students, and undergraduate students. An ongoing goal
is to redirect monies so that the proportion of the budget allocated
to academic programs is increased.
The effort to improve the quality of support service to faculty
and students has been a critical focus within the university.
The establishment of the Administrative
& Support Unit Assessment process has helped improve the
quality of support offered by the Office of Research and Sponsored
Programs. Similar efforts are underway now in Human Resources
and the Office of the Provost. A small representative committee
whose members come from the principal areas of the University
has developed this process as a pilot. Its work is now being folded
into the review processes of the University Senate. Administrative
& Support Unit Assessment may assist the University in increasing
its customer-service orientation, a continuing goal from the 1995
Strategic Plan.
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1. New Academic Programs
A goal is to develop new academic programs based on strategic
strengths of the university. The following are intended as illustrative
examples. The Yamacraw Project, of which Georgia State is a major
participant, calls for the doubling of the number of graduates
in three years in key areas of computer science. The University
is well positioned to meet this goal, given the current high demand
for majoring in this field. Concomitantly, the Computer Science
department is seeking authorization for a doctoral program in
computer science. Among programs that are anticipated to be under
consideration for request for authorization is a doctoral degree
in Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language. In concert
with the continued development of the Intensive English Program,
a doctoral program would serve as a strong basis for education
of international students and for important scholarly efforts
related to second language acquisition. The Department of African-American
Studies has built a strong foundation with its BA degree and may
be ready to seek authorization for an MA degree.
A goal is to develop more joint degree programs including those
with national and international universities that will enhance
the University’s programs and reputation. The following
are intended as illustrative examples. Near completion is a collaborative
program of the Young School with the University of Pretoria on
economic policy. The Robinson College has formed a consortium
with seven of the most preeminent European business schools, and
will offer a joint Global Electronic Commerce Masters (GEM) Executive
MBA program. This international program will prepare the next
generation of leaders to operate effectively in a global digital
economy. With its creation and development, Georgia State will
move to the forefront of e-Commerce academic programs, as this
nation's first university to offer a global graduate program in
e-Commerce. The College of Law is developing a joint degree program
in law and urban planning with Georgia Tech.
There is a strong commitment to development of writing, communication,
and information literacy across the curriculum. While the University
received funds to initiate implementation of a Writing-Across-the
Curriculum Program in the past five years, it has yet to be
fully integrated into general education and the major. Furthermore,
a goal of expanding the initiative to include communication-across-the
curriculum has yet to receive funds sufficient to initiate it.
A goal is to fully implement Writing-Across-the Curriculum and
to initiate a support program for oral communication similar to
that supporting Writing Across the Curriculum.
A movement to more courses and programs available on-line is
accompanied by a demand for flexible, fast, high quality programs.
Such programs will not be confined to on-line but may include
hands-on experience, research lab, or community based experience.
The trend is to more non-degree granting programs or to certificate
programs as part of degree granting programs. We need to consider
these possibilities in order to leverage our considerable capabilities;
to think in terms of sets of modular courses as part of certificate
programs. Development of standards will aid in quality control
of programs that lead to a diploma or certificate. A goal is to
develop high quality diploma or certificate programs in areas
that match our faculty strengths and market niches.
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2. Interdisciplinary Programs
A goal is to enhance the following thrust areas that cut across
some traditional organizational lines within the university and
advance a multidisciplinary approach to future complex problems
and needs.
As a partial consequence of successful competition in the Georgia
Research Alliance, a broad area of academic excellence has
emerged at Georgia State University in science, including the
preparation of undergraduate students for graduate and professional
schools, particularly in areas related to biological science.
Utilization of the University's scientific talent and resources
towards meeting economic and scientific development goals remains
a matter of continuing interest. A five-year goal is to continue
to strengthen the areas of biotechnology and drug design, brain
research through the neuroscience initiative, computational neurobiology,
and environmental science. In addition to encompassing a broad
area of interdisciplinary activity, there is considerable ongoing
collaboration with other state institutions, some regional universities
and several Middle Eastern countries. An economic development
dimension is being strengthened through infusion of students studying
entrepreneurship helping with business plans for fledgling biotechnology
start-up companies in our incubator facilities. This program could
be expanded to cover the legal aspects of entrepreneurship. A
related dimension of excellence in graduate training is ongoing
commitment to the "Pipeline Program", which has been
supported by funds from the University System and the National
Institute of Health (NIH), and which has proved successful in
increasing the numbers of women and minorities seeking careers
in the sciences. Sustaining excellence in the interdisciplinary
sciences will require the acquisition of new research facilities.
An initial design of such a research facility has been completed
and the University plans to seek funding for this facility from
sources other than the Board of Regents. A major teaching and
research laboratory building for the natural and the health sciences
remains as the highest priority for capital projects for the University.
A broad area of academic excellence exists in policy, particularly
as it relates to economics, the environment, education, health,
crime, poverty, transportation, and law. The Georgia
Research Alliance has funded the growing activity in environmental
policy in the Young School of Policy Studies and sponsored the
creation of the experimental economics laboratory. These initiatives
have grown to national academic prominence and have been integral
to the state in policy development, including work on the interstate
water compact, the monitoring of ozone emissions and water resources
policy. The environmental programs have attracted graduate students
who are interested in combining policy work with scholarly inquiry.
A five-year goal is to continue further development of sustained
collaborative efforts in the policy arena. By being broad-based
in academic disciplines, Georgia State University will be recognized
as a premier resource for analyses of problems facing the citizens
of Georgia and will become the pre-eminent think-tank in the South
on policy issues. One purpose is to contribute to the base of
knowledge about policy and thus produce information that is useful
for making policy decisions. Georgia State is not only a community,
state, and regional resource for consultation and training in
policy issues, but also a significant contributor in the international
arena especially in tax, dispute resolution, and disability initiatives.
Georgia State has emerged as a leader in state and national P-16
initiatives. Systemic renewal of education can be advanced through
a strong working partnership among business, community, and the
various education sectors - a P-16 context. The Georgia
P-16 Initiative is a statewide, voluntary strategy to solve
problems of low aspirations and under preparedness of students
in Georgia's public education systems from pre-school through
post-secondary education. With establishment of a Professional
Education Faculty (PEF) in 1991, Georgia State was an early
pioneer in creating joint responsibility between Arts & Science
and Education faculty for educator preparation. Teachers and administrators
from the P-12 sector have now been added to the PEF. Development
of a local P-16 council has created a climate of increased cooperation
across the various education sectors. The
Metropolitan Atlanta P-16 Community Council comprises five
school districts, three technical institutes, two two-year colleges,
five four-year colleges, and over twenty education and business
support organizations and foundations. A five-year goal is to
position Georgia State as a national leader in urban education,
an area of profound importance to this region, the state, and
the nation. Georgia State University will commit greater effort
and resources to working with public schools to ensure an excellent
education for all students, to create a larger pool of college-prepared
high school graduates, and to ease the transition of youth from
high school to college. While seeking to work with many school
districts, Georgia State University recognizes that the local
urban school systems offer opportunities for addressing some of
the more significant challenges that must be met throughout this
nation. PEF faculty are responsible for piloting successful new
models for advancing the achievement and well being of all children
in the schools in partnership with their communities. These initiatives
will also produce future teachers who can work collaboratively
to see that all children learn. In addition, collaboration with
other state institutions in contributing to systemic initiatives
already exists and will be further enhanced, as will collaborations
with urban communities in other countries. The PEF will continue
to collaborate in the improvement of teacher preparation programs.
For early childhood and middle school teacher preparation students,
an objective is to improve science content through a sequence
of upper-level integrated science offerings, involving collaboration
among the four science disciplines as well as coordination between
science and science education faculty. For students preparing
to teach at the secondary level, an objective is to help meet
state needs and to improve the quality and quantity of content
by developing multidisciplinary programs leading to dual certification.
Another partial consequence of successful competition in the
Georgia Research Alliance and
the Yamacraw Mission is emergence of strength in electronic commerce,
law reforms to accommodate electronic commerce and new technologies,
computer information systems and computer science, and digital
arts, visualization and communications. A five-year goal is to
strengthen these identified areas. The Yamacraw Mission, of which
Georgia State is a major participant, calls for the doubling of
the number of graduates in three years in key areas of computer
science and focuses on four target areas in education and research:
networks, wireless, high-speed access devices, and content processing.
Georgia State's Yamacraw focus is on digital image processing,
digital signal processing, VLSI manufacturing, pattern recognition,
and data compression. A new Ph.D. in Communication Studies program
includes an interdisciplinary curriculum and emphasizes computer-mediated
communication and international information systems -- all of
which contribute to the economic development of the State and
are supported by the Georgia Research Alliance. A premise of the
Georgia Research Alliance is that technological development in
telecommunication must be accompanied by a matching effort in
the content to be communicated. With this premise in mind, the
University and the Alliance developed the Digital Arts and Entertainment
Laboratory, an interdisciplinary laboratory that involves faculty
from Communication, Computer Science, and Graphic Design. A goal
is for this state-of-the-art facility to become (1) the nation’s
pre-eminent educational facility for creating cutting-edge content
for digital media environments and (2) a nationally recognized
model for collaboration between the academy and industry in training,
applied research, and incubation for digital media industries.
As the dominant provider of high quality, practice-relevant graduate
business programs in the metropolitan Atlanta market, a five-year
goal of the Robinson College of Business is to continue to develop
and deliver educational programs with curricula imbued with global
perspectives that earn the College recognition as a world-class
business school. The college will build on its reputation of delivering
a national top-ten part-time MBA program through further development
of the Center for Executive Education, the International Center
for Entrepreneurship, and the Electronic Commerce Institute. The
e-Commerce Institute is an innovative, interdisciplinary unit,
created to oversee the Center for Digital Commerce, regular and
executive degree programs, and an incubator. A goal is to be a
major resource for Georgia in attracting and retaining "industries
of the mind" and to make Georgia State University a primary
resource in theory and practice of electronic commerce in areas
such as the development of mobile commerce and the application
of wireless technologies. The Robinson College of Business recently
established The Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Center for
Entrepreneurship to provide innovative interdisciplinary academic
programs, foster community engagement, and encourage worldwide
knowledge creation, all for the goal of advancing the theory and
practice of entrepreneurship.
The College of Law is the only provider of high quality ABA accredited
part-time and full-time legal education in the state of Georgia
and the only public provider of legal education in the Atlanta
metropolitan area. A five-year goal is to continue to develop
programs and curricula that bridge legal theory and practice,
serve constituencies in the surrounding metropolitan area, and
possess interdisciplinary dimensions. Initiatives include the
Tax Clinic; an emerging programmatic linkage with the Georgia
legislature; Consortium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
programs, including its mediation program in the Atlanta public
schools; continued development of interdisciplinary, joint degree
programs in law and business (JD/MBA), law and policy studies
(JD/MPA), and law and philosophy (JD/MA); and continued development
of the Legal XML/Digital Signature project and its linkage with
law, business, and e-commerce.
Georgia State University’s schools and colleges contain
the necessary faculty expertise to fully implement a multidisciplinary
approach to problems of the cities. A five-year goal is the creation
of an urban initiative that will bring together the relevant strengths
existing across departments, schools and colleges. These strengths
include emphases on urban sociology, anthropology, geography,
economics, legal issues, politics, public policy, urban policy
studies, historic preservation, real estate, community and clinical
psychology, African American and ethnic studies, immigration,
nursing, criminal justice, social work, and labor and public history.
Together these areas house a critical mass of faculty with strong
reputations and extensive experience both in basic research, which
produces clearer understandings of urban structures and dynamics,
and applied research, that lends itself to policy and programmatic
analysis and reform. Their foci are both domestic and international.
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3. Assessment of Student Learning
Faculty-driven assessment of student learning is being emphasized,
especially in the prevailing environment of increasing accountability
and attempts to measure value added to the student. Colleges and
universities, especially in state-supported institutions, are
under increasing pressure from policy makers to be more accountable
for student learning. In addition, the number of possible paths
to a baccalaureate degree is growing. Not only do students transfer
freely among community colleges, state colleges, and research
universities, but also the development of "virtual"
on-line universities implies that courses must have value and
meaning beyond individual campuses. It is time for university
faculty to revisit the goals for general education and for departmental
faculty to review their goals for the major, both of which were
adopted in the early 1990s. A goal is to assess student learning
outcomes in general education and all the majors and to use the
data to continuously improve the learning environment and enhance
effectiveness of our educational programs. This assessment will
include examination of the curricula to ensure that they are reflective
of the intercultural and international realities of global citizenship
in the twenty-first century. With an increase in the number of
distance learning courses, especially with the advent of web-based
courses, particular attention will be given to development of
processes that ensure that these types of courses are no less
intellectually rigorous and at least of the same quality as traditional
face-to-face courses. Rapid increase of distance learning programs
heightens the need for reliable and valid performance measures.
An objective is to provide a clearly understood set of outcomes,
especially student knowledge, skills, and competency levels. Identification
of learning objectives for student performance will aid an objective
to develop assessment tools that may be used for on-campus or
on-line courses.
Standards and assessments that are publicly available are one
way to provide quality control in a diverse environment. Standards
are a vehicle for accomplishing the transition in undergraduate
education from teaching to learning that is being talked about
nationally, from an emphasis on knowledge conferred upon students
to the priority of students' use of their learning. Standards
imply mastery or proficiency, not minimal knowledge or skill.
To be effective, standards should be high, achievable, and credible
to students, faculty, the lay public and potential employers.
Some Arts & Sciences and Education faculty members at Georgia
State are already contributing significantly to various aspects
of standards-based education. The projects include a pilot program,
Performance Assessment
for College and Technical Schools (PACTS) for alternative
admission from high school to work, technical institute, or college.
In lieu of SAT scores and high school grade point averages, assessments
are being developed to measure what students know and are able
to do in six disciplinary areas. These assessments are being designed
to incorporate the Georgia High School Graduation Test as well
as common performance tasks and student work portfolios. In another
project, an objective is to develop a proficiency-based system
for exit from disciplinary areas (e.g. science) of the University
System of Georgia's Core Curriculum and to enable transfer from
one institution to another. In a third project, Quality in Undergraduate
Education (QUE) , an emphasis is on what a major (e.g. biology)
should know and be able to do in a particular discipline after
two years and four years of college. Common goals are to shape
courses for better understanding and to present curricula in an
understandable and integrated way, helping students to make coherent
course selections. A fourth project, Standards-based
Teacher Education Project (STEP) is designed to ensure that
future teachers and other educators will be able to bring all
their pupils to high standards. Pre-service educators must understand
and meet content and pedagogy standards that have been carefully
aligned with P-12 standards. The leadership role that Georgia
State is playing statewide and nationally on standards-based education
and educator preparation will be enhanced by increased involvement
by faculty. A goal is to develop standards and assessments in
some pilot disciplines as an alternate way to provide quality
assurance for undergraduate education.
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4. Urban and Community Initiatives
Georgia State can capitalize on its location in a vibrant metropolitan
international city, near the state capitol, and in the center
of the business and high tech community, the media center, the
not-for-profit sector, and many cultural attractions. As the leader
in the South, Atlanta and the region are growing in stature both
nationally and internationally. We should continue to use our
location and its international connections as a resource whenever
relevant to invigorate our teaching, learning, research, and community
service functions. As such, we can expect many of our students
and faculty, as well as the community broadly defined, to benefit
from activities such as urban courses, applied research, service
learning, internships, cooperative education, and study abroad.
Likewise our location in walking distance of the State Capitol,
City Hall, and the County office gives our students great opportunity
to observe governance first-hand, to hear regularly from leaders
in the political process, and to have ready access to internships
and work study. A goal is to provide an urban experience for students
in the Freshmen Learning Communities, so that they obtain a common
of understanding of the importance of urban structure and issues.
Our diverse student body means that there should be a much richer
cultural experience than on a typical campus. Another goal is
for our general education curricula and selected undergraduate
majors and graduate programs to reflect our distinctiveness and
our stated mission as a research university in an urban setting.
The University is committed to providing education for health
care and human service professionals. Currently, there is a shortage
of these professionals locally, regionally, and nationally. This
shortage is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade.
The College of Health and Human Sciences educates service providers
for entry-level and advanced practice and leadership positions.
The College also prepares graduates for faculty and research positions
in colleges and universities throughout the state and the nation.
The College works closely with the community in many partnerships
to enhance the teaching, research and service activities of the
College and the University. For example, the Master of Science
in Social Work program is the only social work program in the
nation that focuses exclusively on community building. A goal
is to continue to strengthen health and human sciences connections
with community initiatives.
The institution should make a concerted effort to compile, assess,
and publicize its community impact through support for undertakings
such as the web-site for the Urban
University Portfolio Project. A goal is to develop an increasingly
strategic approach to community
partnerships as we integrate The Atlanta Project into our
Neighborhood Collaborative initiative.
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5. Information Technology
One of the great challenges of the next five years will be how
we grapple with issues that surround information technology in
the digital age. Information and knowledge are not the same thing.
The central mission of the academy is the creation of new knowledge.
Information technology is an enabling technology not unlike the
development of the printing press. Technology and the Internet
are profoundly changing the economy, culture, and law. Information
technology allows for new dissemination mechanisms and new ways
for students to engage in inquiry-based learning. It opens up
new avenues for faculty collaboration to create more robust teaching
products that naturally integrate individual research into the
curriculum. Network-delivered, computer-mediated learning experiences
will probably dominate post-secondary learning in the decades
ahead. Extrapolation of existing approaches will be a failed strategy.
In the words of an old Chinese proverb, it is impossible to cross
a chasm with a thousand small steps. We need to create a vision
of different futures, then plan backward from the future, rather
than merely extrapolating forward from the present. A continuing
goal from the 1995 plan is the improvement of technology support
for instruction and the provision of technical and faculty-development
support for classroom enhancement. The critical need for students
in all colleges of the university is for additional access to
technologically supported classrooms. There is a marked shortage
of classrooms equipped with sufficient educational media and/
or computer workstations. A goal is to increase the number of
media-equipped classrooms and to provide instructor access to
the Internet in all classrooms designated for long-term usage.
We need to invest not only in information technology infrastructure,
but also in the skills of faculty and staff in developing a "learning
infrastructure" of learning tools and interactivity that
can be fused with traditional on-campus learning. Our challenge
is how to make the right investment to empower our faculty to
use these tools to improve the quality of the learning environment.
Therefore, a goal is to establish a Teaching and Learning with
Technology Center within the Center
for Teaching and Learning. The purpose is coordination of
the on-campus services for faculty that can provide training and
support so that faculty may take advantage of the opportunities
that information technology offers for improving student learning.
There is pressure to offer distance learning programs in response
to some perceived new markets. Another great challenge of the
next five years will be the extent to which we are willing and
able to provide any time, any-place quality education. On-line
courses will be an important option for students who are increasingly
technologically sophisticated. On-line courses are also attractive
for lifelong learning and as a mechanism to keep alumni connected.
We need to be selective in our development of new technologies
in general such as on-line courses and, more particularly, in
hybrid courses that use a combination of on-line and face-to-face
instruction. A goal is to explicate a strategy for development
of a selection of hybrid courses. Library faculty will play a
key role in helping students develop skills in evaluation and
validity of on-line information. Training and access to improved
facilities and technology support will be an important enabler
for electronically mediated learning. Georgia State must recognize
that we are competing in a market for baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate
degrees with for-profit providers of postsecondary education.
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6. International Initiatives
Georgia State has developed a strong international
reputation through its two-pronged strategy of thematic initiatives
and regional initiatives. In the next five years, a goal is to
be recognized (in Atlanta, nationally and internationally) as
an institution with a strong global perspective and a center of
international excellence in a number of areas in which we are
engaged with other countries. These areas include biotechnology
training and development, entrepreneurship development and business
training, global electronic commerce, environmental economics,
human resource development, instructional technology, peace education
and conflict resolution, international and comparative law programs,
professional media training, tax and fiscal policy, teacher education,
and programs for peoples with disabilities.
Thematic initiatives include tax and fiscal policy with proposals
being funded for work in a number of countries, including Russia
and some former Soviet states, Guatemala, Jamaica, and Uganda
and electronic commerce in five European countries. Country initiatives
include Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Mexico, and South Africa, with the
potential to broaden to other countries in West Africa, the Middle
East, Latin America, Europe, and southern Africa. A goal is to
have Georgia State constantly sought out by international development
agencies and international higher education institutions for expert
advice and consultation on matters related to the above. Parallel
to these research and technical assistance programs are graduate
degree programs tailored to the needs of leaders of tomorrow from
the developing countries. Countries, corporations, and international
agencies will provide principal funds for the university’s
international initiatives and programs.
The Institute of International Business serves as a catalyst
to position the State of Georgia at the forefront of global business
opportunities by mobilizing knowledge-based resources and intellectual
capital at Georgia State and within the business community. A
goal is to further internationalize the curricula, and to leverage
the potential of international linkages through strategic alliances
that facilitate faculty research on global issues. Under the auspices
of the Institute of International Business, the Robinson College
joined an elite group of business schools that offer a Master
of International Business degree. The MIB is the first program
of its kind in Georgia. It draws upon the historical strengths
of the Georgia State learning environment: flexibility in program
design, talented and experienced international faculty scholars,
and direct access to the Atlanta-based global business community.
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c. Faculty
Given that the undergraduate student body is mandated to improve,
the absolute driver of quality must be the faculty. Also of significant
importance is the quality of graduate students we attract. As
the perception of quality does not necessarily track the actual
level thereof, continuing improvements in, and accomplishments
by, the faculty must be heralded more effectively than heretofore.
Georgia State University's full-time instructional faculty approaches
950, with 89% of them holding the terminal degree in their discipline.
The number of full-time faculty has increased by 150 since 1995.
Initially rapid expansion of demand for undergraduate courses
in the years preceding semester conversion was met by a dramatic
increase in the number of part-time instructors. To assure academic
program quality, the University dedicated funds to replace the
large number of part-time instructors with a smaller number of
full-time instructors, who have the support necessary to meet
the needs of students in their classes. A goal is to convert non-tenure-track
positions into tenure-track appointments in targeted departments
where the service role is balanced with robust undergraduate majors
and graduate programs, achieving a condition where non-tenure
track faculty comprise no more than 10% of faculty.
A goal is to continue to increase faculty and administrator diversity.
In 1999, task forces on Advancement for Women and on Recruitment
and Retention of Underrepresented Faculty made a number of recommendations
to aid the University in its diversity efforts. These recommendations
are being systematically implemented with the aid of two faculty
members who are working part-time with the Provost’s office.
Georgia State University requires that its entire tenured and
tenure-track faculty be teacher-scholars. Being a scholar means
engaging in original research. The work of the scholar also means
stepping back from one's investigation, looking for connections,
building bridges between theory and practice, and communicating
one's knowledge effectively to students and the professional community.
After careful analysis of available models of faculty performance,
University standards, clarified by unit guidelines, were established
for promotion and tenure, graduate faculty status, and faculty
workload. The pre-tenure review process is established to nurture
faculty early in their career. The post-tenure review process
is being employed as a means of identifying the optimal utilization
of faculty skills and achievement of equitable faculty workloads.
A goal is to continue to optimize the ways in which faculty contribute
to the aligned missions of their department, college and the university.
Development of a policy on professional leave is one way to encourage
renewal of faculty and alignment of their contributions to their
profession and the University.
Some of our programs are superior in quality to those of competitor
institutions. An objective is to maintain and enhance recognized
quality programs and to develop additional complementary strengths.
A noticeable improvement can most quickly be achieved by focusing
efforts and resources on a limited number of programs that are
currently strong but not first rate. The Comprehensive Campaign
provides an opportunity to fund endowed chairs in areas of strategic
importance to the University. While endowed chairs normally will
be built on existing faculty lines, a goal is to have colleges
and departments cluster current or new faculty in areas closely
related to those of the newly added chaired professorships.
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B. Support for the Academic Mission
a. Governance
The University Senate
is the legislative body of the University as established in the
Statutes and Bylaws. The University Senate and its committees
are composed of faculty, staff, administrators, and students.
The Senate's structure and operation enable regular discussion
among faculty and administrators on matters of central importance
to the University community. The body also promotes collegiality
across colleges and fosters a sense of collective commitment to
the institution among faculty, staff, administrators, and students.
Much of the progress on objectives of the 1995 Strategic Plan
has resulted from the collegial environment provided through the
venue of various senates committees and subcommittees where, in
particular, faculty and administrators work together to advance
the university. A goal is to maintain and increase collegial working
relations between and among faculty, staff, administrators, and
students and to continue the strong commitment to this governing
process.
Members elected to a Staff
Advisory Council represent the staff of Georgia State University
and also serve on various Senate and university committees. The
Council advises the administration on staff issues both directly
and indirectly related to salary equity, personnel benefits, tuition
remission and various personnel policies/procedures. In addition
to salary equity concerns, the Staff Advisory Council works with
the administration on other issues affecting staff benefits and
development. One such benefit that has recently been provided
by the University System is tuition remission for employees of
the university. Encouraging the development of the staff through
support of their educational pursuits helps to enhance the scholarship
of a crucial segment of the university community. The Staff Advisory
Council will also continue to meet with sister institutions to
address University System staff concerns.
Students have an elected Student Government Association (SGA)
and some members of SGA represent student interests on the University
Senate and various Senate committees. A goal is to have significantly
more students involved in SGA elections and activities.
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b. Staff
Georgia State University's staff are a diverse and multi-cultural
body of approximately 1800. Full-time staff members fulfill a
critical role in support of the academic environment, administration
and facilities. They afford the University a high-quality foundation
upon which scholarly agendas of the academic community may be
built. There is a strong sense of staff commitment to the university
with approximately 250 either alumni or currently enrolled in
classes. Some scholarships are now available for staff to pursue
further education. Their commitment is also demonstrated significantly
through annual giving to the university that has increased dramatically
in the past several years. Over 75% of staff contributed in FY
99. In addition to their involvement in the university community,
the staff are strongly tied to the Atlanta community through volunteer
and leadership roles in civic organizations such as Habitat for
Humanity, The Atlanta Project, and United Way.
Although considerable progress has been made toward bringing
the salary ranges of staff positions to the median market value,
average actual salaries of many groups of incumbents still fall
below market value. A goal is to continue to close the gap between
average salaries and median market salaries and to correct salary
inequities among staff. The corrections must be based on market
and merit evaluations. Further efforts need to be directed toward
objectives to improve performance management (from defining job
descriptions to providing appropriate feedback to, and developmental
opportunities for, staff) and to staff recruitment outcomes (including
more active recruitment and applicant tracking) to ensure high
skill levels and diversity.
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c. Enrollment Services
Increased reliability and approachability in services to students
is a goal. At present, there are too many situations where students
have difficulties with the admissions process, financial aid,
student accounts, being able to register for a complete schedule
of courses, or academic assistance. At the heart of the problem
lies an antiquated and increasingly unreliable student information
system coupled with poor coordination among different offices.
An objective is to replace the legacy systems with a client server-based
Banner system by Fall 2002. However, concomitantly, we need to
redesign the processes used to serve students. We need a seamless
process from initial contact with potential students through matriculation,
to graduation, and into alumni status. We must improve significantly
the training and respect given to our front-line staff who interact
daily with students. We may also improve student services by linking
academic and academic support personnel in various cross- functional
teams to address opportunities for improvement in financial aid,
admissions, international admissions, student accounts, INCEPT,
and class scheduling. To improve communication with students,
an objective is to implement universal email service for students
to begin when students are admitted to the University. Similarly,
a goal is to improve utilization of our classroom space and to
provide a schedule that serves the needs of our varied student
body. Programs that involve on-line courses must also be supported
by a student system that provides on-line registration, advising,
chat rooms, security on tests, and asynchronous discussions. In
addition, for a successful experience, students need to be able
to take responsibility for their learning and need to have adequate
computing skills. A web-based readiness self-assessment survey
is available on-line.
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d. Administrative Services
In order to ensure optimal support for the University’s
mission, a goal is to enhance customer-service and preserve fiscal
accountability. Continuous quality improvement principles will
be promoted to underscore a strong student-centered and customer-focused
orientation that, in turn, will lead to improved administrative
processes. These principles include respect for ideas and people,
enhanced leadership and empowerment, use of facts to guide management
decisions (and the processes and systems for collecting those
data), satisfying those people served, and inclusion of appropriate
faculty, staff, and students on cross-functional efforts to improve
and streamline processes. Work will continue to be directed at
ensuring that the processes meet performance standards established
by State and Federal agencies.
A goal is to provide effective administrative services by enhancing
leadership at all levels of the organizational structure. Leadership
skills can be enhanced through training, role modeling, and opportunity
for participation. Succession planning needs to be incorporated
into operations to ensure smooth transitions. Employees at the
managerial levels must be empowered and assured of appropriate
developmental opportunities (see II. B. b. Staff).
Improvement of the electronic infrastructure and support is an
ongoing goal from the 1995 Strategic Plan. A Data Warehouse project
has been initiated to provide on-line the minimal set of data
useful for administrative decision making and reporting. Similarly,
an integrated system for student records that has improved data
management and data access will be accomplished. A goal is to
enhance or replace individual administrative systems, including
student records, faculty information, financial data and others
that have been developed over a long period of time, with an integrated
relational database system. Such a system should strive to eliminate
costly redundant data files, and place user-friendly report writing
and analytical tools in the hands of administrative users (see
II. B. f. Technology).
Process review and improvement is essential for ensuring the
fiscal integrity of the institution as well as for improving services
to the university community. Three modules of the PeopleSoft financial
systems were implemented in FY00. These modules will assist in
streamlining processes and monitoring performance. Adoption of
other technologies has allowed the utilization of the student,
staff, and faculty identification cards as debit cards (both on
and off campus), copy cards, and building access cards. Further
systems enhancements are needed in the near future, including
a faculty information system, PeopleSoft’s asset management
module of the financial system, the Banner system for student
accounts, and the PeopleSoft human resources information system
(see II. B. f. Technology). In addition, a goal is to provide more
feedback interactions between systems development teams and functional
users and customers.
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e. Facilities
The improvement of campus facilities since 1995 has been spearheaded
by the work to create a physical
master plan. Execution of a refined version of this master
plan will guide the University to at least 2005. As the University
has expanded westward in the downtown from its core of buildings
that were built in 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s
around Kell Hall, the lack of building and campus identification
made the University indistinguishable among the buildings of downtown
Atlanta. A program of signature signs and banners has helped to
establish a presence to the campus, which will be further enhanced
by the Main Street master plan for streetscape improvements along
Decatur Street. Space remains a critical need despite the acquisition
and construction of new buildings, including the residence halls,
the Rialto Theater, the Haas Howell Building, the Standard Building,
the Commerce Building, the Student University Center, and build-out
space in the Natural Science Center. The university has been successful
in gaining University System support for the acquisition of a
site and the construction of a new classroom building. Also, State
of Georgia support for a building for the Andrew Young School
of Policy Studies has been obtained and student activities fund
support is being used for the construction of a new recreation
center. The City of Alpharetta and the Georgia State University
Foundation with the support of the University System have joined
forces to develop a Georgia State satellite campus in Alpharetta.
A goal is to increase the quantity and quality of office, classroom,
and teaching and research laboratory space to accommodate additional
growth in student enrollment and faculty and student research.
A new teaching laboratory building is a top priority for capital
acquisitions requests to the Board of Regents. A research laboratory
building is being planned. These new buildings will provide for
relocation of programs from marginal lab space in Kell Hall and
free that building to serve as swing space for future capital
replacement projects. Georgia State will continue to encourage
positive development around the campus through good relationships
with neighborhood and city constituencies. Public/private partnerships
for student housing will particularly be encouraged (see I. a. 1.
Recruitment). Joint efforts for the development and maintenance
of traffic improvements, streetscape, and open green-space will
be continued.
Along with new construction, a goal is to maintain and upgrade
Georgia State University existing facility inventory and develop
strategies for improving operational efficiency. Securing adequate
funding for deferred maintenance, code compliance, and systems
infrastructure improvements will be a particular focus. Safety
will be enhanced through continued policy development and training
programs for the campus community.
With the expansion of campus westward, building access and other
security issues have become a growing concern to many in the community.
The concerns have been partially addressed by installing security
card access technology in the buildings, introducing a community
policing paradigm (including bicycle patrols) to the police operations,
and taking a broader role in downtown (for example, assuming the
responsibility for Woodruff Park). A goal is to continue to monitor
closely safety and security issues and to take rapid corrective
action as needed.
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f. Technology
A goal is to become and remain current in the application of
computing and information technologies. All students should have
ready access to computing resources and an opportunity to develop
information management skills for lifelong learning. The educated
citizen of the future will need to know how to access global databases.
Administrators will need easy electronic access to data on which
to base decisions for execution and continuous improvement of
the University's activities. Faculty and staff will need the support
of human resources, equipment, and classroom facilities in the
transfer and application of technology to new learning environments.
Out-of-class electronic connections between faculty and students
will be encouraged. Because of the University’s growing
dependence on the technology infrastructure, it is essential to
plan for and install adequate network and other infrastructure
capacity in advance of when it is needed. Regardless of whether
courses are being offered with technology-enabled components or
completely on-line, slow response and outages are debilitating
to the educational experience. Similarly, adequate network and
other infrastructure capacity are essential for administrative
and service functions. A Senate Committee on information systems
and technology has been formed to advise the provost on these
matters. A strategic
plan has been developed and will be updated regularly since
information technology is an area that is changing rapidly and
needs to be reviewed more frequently than every five years.
A goal is to complete the basic fiber optic backbone and the
accompanying vertical risers and horizontal in-building connections
for networking campus academic and administrative buildings. This
will provide easier electronic access for faculty, staff, and
students to the University's library and information resources.
The university libraries staff will continue to provide leadership
both locally and statewide in the Chancellor's project to link
Georgia's libraries electronically. Georgia State University will
continue to support the libraries' technological advances. Other
goals are addressed in II. A. b. 5. - Information technology.
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g. External Relations
A goal is to continue to enhance activities in the areas of alumni
support and fundraising and in public relations. Alumni involvement
at all levels of university activities will be increased. This
includes participation of alumni as guest lecturers in classes
and in panel discussions where relevant, as well as in fundraising
activities. Good stewardship of gift funds, the identification
of strategic opportunities for programmatic investment and a redoubled
effort to present the University's genuine needs in compelling
fashion has allowed Georgia State University to mount a successful
capital campaign that will have surpassed its goal of $75 million
by December 2000. As of December 31, 1999, over $70 million has
been received or pledged. It is anticipated that a second comprehensive
campaign will be initiated before 2005. In a future campaign more
active involvement of the colleges and the alumni will be sought.
In the interim, a special target will include matching funds necessary
to build a Teaching Laboratory Building.
A goal is to develop an effective internal and external communications
plan. Efforts to develop a strong web presence are being aided
through our collaboration with some other urban universities in
an Urban University Portfolio Project. Identification of the campus
has been improved significantly in the past several years through
unified identification in signage on various locations.
A clear and realistic image of Georgia State University's distinctive
strengths as a research university in an urban setting engaged
in significant teaching, research and outreach needs to be projected.
This is particularly important for national ratings. Published
ratings normally place significant weight on academic reputation
as measured by a survey of college presidents. A goal is to increase
our national reputation as reflected, for example, in the Princeton
Review or U.S. News & World Report annual rankings. Other
factors that are considered are faculty resources that includes
average faculty compensation, the percentage of faculty with the
highest degree in the field, the percentage of faculty who are
full-time, and the student/faculty ratio. A student selectivity
category includes variables of the fraction of freshman applicants
that are admitted, the fraction of accepted applicants that enroll,
the percentage of incoming freshmen in the top 10 percent of their
high school class, and the average SAT score of entering freshmen.
Two other student categories are retention rate and graduation
performance. Variables include the percentage of classes with
19 or fewer students, the percentage of classes with 50 or more
students, the six-year graduation rate, the freshman retention
rate, and the graduation rate relative to a predicted graduation
rate measure. Financial resources are also normally weighted in
the rating score. This category includes average education expenses
per student. The alumni giving rate represents yet another contributing
factor in some national ratings. Overall, we need to execute a
strategy to portray the very strong academic attributes of Georgia
State University to the region and the nation.
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