UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY

STRATEGIC REFRESHMENTMEETING OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

AND THE FOUR TASK FORCESNOVEMBER 10, 2011

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

• CHAIR OF THE BOT*• PRESIDENT

• FOUR TRUSTEES• 11 AQIP MEMBERS• TWO STUDENTS• CHIEF OF STAFF

*ALSO SERVES AS CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE

TODAY’S AGENDA

1. Understand the mission and charge to the steering committee

2. Confirm the four Task Force leaders and memberships

3. Review the missions for the four “Tracks”4. Start to ask the “right” questions5. Break into four Task Force groups6. Report back

WHAT IS A STRATEGIC “REFRESHMENT”?

• It is not a new strategic plan• For some participants, the process starts in the middle• Need to fill in strategic “gaps” where necessary to a

successful “refreshment”• Refreshment is narrowly focused on four Tracks• But same disciplines to ensure integrity and quality:

Intellectual engagementData integrityOpen, transparent and inclusive processActionable recommendationsAccountability for performance

STEERING COMMITTEEMISSION & CHARGE

1. Manage the Task Force process2. Ensure the quality of the Task Force work

plans3. Take ownership for the aggregated Task

Force recommendations4. Refer the Strategic Refreshment plan to the

Cabinet

TASK FORCE LEADERS & MEMBERS

• Task Force 1:Scott Figdore, ChairJerry PoppeLatisha SmithJobyna JohnstonDarren NobleRichard PohlCliff Ozmun

• Task Force 2:Dave Chown, ChairJanet ShepherdLouise ScottJudy LoonanKara HansenPeg ChownJohn Siblik

TASK FORCE LEADERS & MEMBERS (CONT’D)

• Task Force 3:Don Aungst, ChairEric EllerCelina PeermanMarshall WhitlockAndrew WentheWendell SnodgrassLeon Wyden

• Task Force 4:Melik Khoury, ChairMonica Bayer-HeatonHolly JohnsonDon McCombJohn GrummelBarb SchultzRyan GriffithAllen Ricks

TASK FORCE 1: TRACK 1

MAKE STUDENT CENTERED EXCELLENCE THE HIGHEST INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY

Question: What is a UIU educated person?Begin with the enrollment processEnforce academic rigorDesign state-of-the-art student servicesBuild resource supports that sustain life-

long learning

TASK FORCE 2: TRACK 2

RECOMMEND WHAT INSTITUTIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE WILL EMPOWER

UIU TO BEST FULFILL ITS MISSIONQuestion: What “architecture” should UIU aspire to?

Broadly based, traditional university structure?More narrowly focused, targeted collection of

colleges?What are UIU’s core competencies?What are the human and financial resource

implications of a new architecture?

TASK FORCE 3: TRACK 3

ENSURE THAT UIU’S OPERATIONAL PRESENT AND STRATEGIC FUTURE ARE SITTING ON AN

EDUCATIONAL AND FINANCIAL FOUNDATION THAT IS SUSTAINABLE OVER TIME

Question: How can UIU sustain the present while creating the future?

Consolidate the seven-year strategic and operational accomplishments

Reassess resource allocation balancesContinue to invest so that there is no strategic slippageEnsure that the UIU financial foundation is secure

TASK FORCE 4: TRACK 4

SHARPEN UIU’S COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICESQuestion: What can UIU do to broaden the base of

ownership, understandings and support for the approved strategic direction?

Open, transparent and timely communicationsExplain resource allocation decisionsShow how individuals and departments fit into the

strategic pictureMix bad news with good newsRisk on the side of “over” communicatingCelebrate!

TASK FORCE WORK PLANS

FOR EACH TASK FORCE:(Note: Customize the work plan to fit the Task Force mission)

1. Develop a Task Force mission: a clear and concise statement of strategic rationale

2. Articulate a statement of vision for your Track3. Conduct an environmental scan for your Track

• External environment• Internal environment

4. Build a credible database5. Examine the strategic options

TASK FORCE WORK PLANS (CONT’D)

6. Decide 3 to 5 transformative strategies7. Develop draft programmatic support for each

strategy8. Assess resource implications9. Develop time-lines for each program10. Frame the risks11. Make actionable recommendations12. Confirm responsibilities for action13. Attract additional talent to the Task Force, if needed

ONE HOUR: TASK FORCE BREAKOUTS

1. Discuss the mission for your Track and ask clarifying questions

2. Develop a draft work plan (slides 12 & 13)3. Develop a “best guess” time-line for each

step of the work plan4. Begin to frame the “right” questions5. Ask for additional talent needs, if any

ASKING THE “RIGHT” QUESTIONS

“If you are asking the wrong questions, the answers don’t matter.”

TRACK ONE: THE “RIGHT” QUESTIONS

• What is educational “rigor”? How does one recognize it?

• What intellectual benchmarks would best define UIU “rigor”?

• What criteria best define a UIU prospective student? Today and in the future?

• How would a strategy of accelerated “rigor” change the profile of UIU’s faculty?

• How can the standards and expectations of “rigor” be uniformly applied across all departments and all learning modalities?

TRACK ONE: “RIGHT” QUESTIONS (CONT’D)

• What student services are strategically critical to the achievement of UIU’s educational mission?• What alumni programs must UIU perfect to

ensure access to life-long learning?• What or who is a UIU educated person and

how will the recommended Track One strategies and programs change that definition?

TRACK TWO: THE “RIGHT” QUESTIONS

• What are UIU’s “architectural” goals and objectives?• Are there “architectural models” to aspire to?• How can academic “architecture” transform

intellectual outcomes?• How might academic “architecture” serve

future generations of UIU students?• What should be the principal components of a

UIU model?

TRACK TWO: “RIGHT” QUESTIONS(CONT’D)

• How do UIU’s current “architectural” components fit the model?• How would you prioritize the model

components?• What is the strategic time-line for

implementation of the model?• What resources are required?

TRACK THREE: THE “RIGHT” QUESTIONS

• What is the UIU history of resource allocations?• How have resource allocations for one specific

learning modality benefited other modalities?• What are the strengths and weaknesses of UIU’s

current business model?• How severely would an integration of Track One and

Two recommendations “stress” the model?• How much “stress” can the new model sustain before

risking “slippage” of the past seven years’ of strategic accomplishments?• How would risk be assessed for the new model?

TRACK FOUR: THE “RIGHT” QUESTIONS

• What are UIU’s current programs and practices of communications for strategic accomplishments, resource allocations and obstacles to overcome?

• Do today’s communications practices reach with equal effect all of UIU’s learning modalities? Online, Extended, International and Fayette?

• What innovative new practices might UIU test and implement?

• How can UIU communications practices break through the daily clutter of news and information?

• How can UIU communications filter to the lowest organization levels to answer the question “How and where do I fit in?”

FRIEDMAN: “THAT USED TO BE US”

•Recall how in 2007/8 UIU used Friedman’s “The World is Flat” for strategic and environmental context• “That Used to be Us” helps to

understand the skills and intellectual attributes necessary to professional life in the 21st Century:

FRIEDMAN: 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

InnovationLeadershipCreativityNon-routine

responsibilities

Critical thinking

Instincts to collaborate

IT skillsBring added-valueIntentional

learnerDedication to life-

long learning

REPEAT: ONE HOUR BREAKOUTS

1. Become comfortable with the mission for your Track and ask clarifying questions

2. Develop a customized Task Force work plan (slides 12 & 13)

3. Develop a draft time-line for the work plan4. Begin to frame the “right” questions5. Ask for additional talent needs, if any

? ONE VERY BIG QUESTION ?

What is the most feasible time-line for completion of this project?

Key dates:• Two interim meetings of the steering

committee• Build a new business model• Draft the “refreshment” plan

• Cabinet approval• BOT approval

CONSTRAINTS & OPTIONS

Constraints:1. AQIP/Accreditation Reaffirmation

2. Time to Ensure Quality “Refreshment” 3. End of Year “Push”

4. Summer R&R

Final Approval Options:Option A: April BOT Meeting

Option B: October BOT meeting

EMPOWER THE TASK FORCES

• Each to determine its own work plan• Each to determine its own time-line• Each to seek its own talent base• But need in the end to fulfill the task force

mission• And complete the task force work plans• With minimum imposed Steering Committee

structure• Except for key reporting and coordinating dates

TBD

QUESTIONS?