TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Texas A&M University

College of Education & Human Development

Strategic Plan

Meeting our Commitment to Texas and the Nation
College of Education Strategic Plan 2002 - 2007

Our strategic actions during the last planning cycle (1997 - 2001) targeted six major areas for College excellence. These were diversity, faculty and staff development, resource enhancement, technology and distance education, curricular innovation and reform, and College evaluation. These six overarching themes were associated with 16 objectives.Overall, in the past five years the College has been successful in:

  • Increasing the diversity of its graduate student body and faculty.
  • Enhancing its programs' national rankings.
  • Providing high quality staff development for faculty and staff.
  • Adding to the College endowment and level of annual external funding.
  • Improving technology and space resources.
  • Developing web based and other distance learning graduate programs.
  • Increasing the number of graduate students.
  • Organizing field experiences for all educator candidates.
  • Creating a College conceptual framework.
  • Implementing a comprehensive evaluation framework.
  • Attracting and retaining high quality faculty and staff.
  • Supporting faculty and staff in receiving many awards and recognitions.

We have been less successful in:

  • Increasing the diversity of our undergraduate students and staff.
  • Maintaining a highly rated advising effort for some of our undergraduates.
  • Adding honors experiences for undergraduates.

For the next five years, our focus remains in all these areas and adds particular emphasis on the elevation of faculty scholarship, staff development, diversity in human resources, technology, internationalization, and improved student learning outcomes. This plan is organized using several of the University's Vision 2020 imperatives and our own commitment to Engaged Scholarship to frame our goals and strategies.

The College has adopted the following vision: Our work transforms peoples' lives.

The vision flows from our mission to: Discover the conditions for success in teaching and learning, physical and mental health, and leadership in professions.

Our model of Engaged Scholarship supports both the College vision and the mission. We are a learning community committed to critical scholarship that creates new knowledge, improves practice, and furthers inquiry. Engaged Scholarship includes the scholarships of discovery, integration, teaching and application. We are determined to solve important problems, guide the direction of our various knowledge bases, and equip our students to be leaders in their chosen professional fields.

College of Education Imperatives

  • Elevate our faculty and their scholarship
  • Strengthen graduate education
  • Enhance the undergraduate academic experience
  • Diversify and globalize the College community and Create Metropolitan Connections
  • Demand enlightened leadership
  • Elevate our staff and their professionalism
  • Attain resource parity with the best national colleges of education
  • Meet our commitments to Texas and the nation

These eight imperatives (reflective of the University's Vision 2020) are described below with specific goals, strategies, timelines, evaluation indicators, and budget implications.  The goals and strategies have been developed from a number of sources, for example:

  • Departmental strategic plans submitted by the College's four departments
  • The results of ongoing self studies from the College's Centers
  • Reports from College committees related to graduate education, technology and space resources
  • Input from the College's panel of Distinguished Research Fellows
  • The reports from internal and external doctoral programs reviews
  • Accreditation reports from the National Council for Teacher Education and the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation
  • Feedback from the College Community.

Strategic plans from our Staff, Continuing Education Office, TLAC Advising Office, Technology Committee, and Space Committee are available for additional review. Each provides important guidance for College action.

Elevate our Faculty and their Scholarship

Goal

Attract and retain a faculty with international visibility based on high impact scholarship and exceptional teaching skills.

Strategies

  • Hire new faculty from excellent universities. They must arrive with research and technology skills, and experience in extramural funding.
  • Better beginning faculty and staff salaries and start up packages.
  • Manage faculty raises to avoid compression and inversion.
  • Require evidence of high impact scholarship for positive tenure decisions.
  • Establish a college-wide three-year mentoring process for untenured faculty.
  • Make more research seed money available from the College.
  • Reserve portion of merit monies to increase salaries of individuals with consistent records of scholarly excellence (market adjustments).
  • Reward excellent teaching that is rigorous and clearly evaluated with student outcomes.
  • Establish faculty workloads that support scholarships of discovery and teaching and are reflective of faculty productivity.
  • Implement rigorous annual reviews in all departments. All annual reviews evaluate evidence of high quality scholarship in every area. Merit funds based on exceeding expectations in, at least, one area and meeting expectations in all areas.
  • Devote more support to interdisciplinary efforts.
  • Offer continual professional development opportunities for all members of the community. Focus professional development for faculty on excellent teaching, research, international connections, and use of instructionally enhancing technology.
  • Create selective partnerships that enrich faculty and students' experiences
  • Publish and disseminate Engaged Scholarship: Research that Makes a Difference.
  • Continue and enhance the Faculty Mentoring Award.
  • Publish and disseminate a yearly COE Research Report.
  • Nominate two additional distinguished professors by 2007.
  • Seek funding for endowed chairs, endowed professorships and other forms of faculty support to promote excellence.
  • Evaluate the feasibility of implementing a Faculty Fellows program.
  • Support at least one Fulbright Scholar per year.
  • Develop a communications plan that highlights accomplishments and bold/broad policy statements (development newsletter; annual report throughout the capital campaign, aggressive placement of newspaper articles, research reports).

Evaluation Indicators

By 2007 80% of the faculty will:

  • Publish an average of one peer reviewed journal article every year. Current rate is 60%.
  • Be members of top editorial boards.
  • Submit proposals for extramural funding. Current level is about 50%.
  • Be able to report on important student learning outcomes as the basis for teaching evaluations.

By 2007 30% of the faculty will:

  • Submit proposals for research funding (scholarship of discovery) generating $400,000 per year.  Current level is 18% of faculty generating approximately $200,000

By 2007 20% of the faculty will:

  • Be members of federal scientific review panels.
  • Be Journal editors or associate editors.

By 2007 10% of the faculty will:

  • Hold endowed professorships or chairs. Current level is 4.6%.  Current chair endowment is $9.6 million.  Goal is $15 million.
  • Be recognized as college or university distinguished professors. Current level is 9%
  • Receive national recognition for outstanding scholarly accomplishments.  Current level about 5% yearly.

By 2003

  • COE Research Report will be available.
  • Multiple faculty development activities will be institutionalized.
  • Beginning faculty salaries will be increased and start up packages enhanced.

Strengthen Graduate Education

Goals

Improve the selectivity of graduate programs. Graduate students will account for 30% of the College student body.Place graduates as professors in top tier universities.Continue supporting graduates in professional leadership careers.Implement signature Ph.D. programs that are focused on in depth research preparation.

Strategies

  • Reward and recognize graduate faculty who secure financial support for graduate students.
  • Decide which programs will offer doctoral education; limit according to faculty expertise, state need, and available external funding.
  • Increase stipends and guarantee multi-year funding for graduate students ($18,000 for 12 months)
  • Make strategic use of Provost's fund for tuition remission for all full time graduate students.
  • Establish criteria for graduate faculty based on performance that predicts high quality dissertations and/or records of study.
  • Create a Core Research Methods Faculty who deliver a rigorous and advanced research core to all doctoral students (reduce number of departmental introductory research courses)
  • Require all doctoral students to present research or record of study at department-wide events.
  • Implement recruitment procedures and admission criteria that yield highly selective cohorts of graduate students from a nationwide pool.
  • Aggressively seek funding for graduate fellowships.

Evaluation Indicators

By 2007:

  • 80% of the graduate admits will have credentials that are at least at the 60th percentile of admission criteria. Exceptional admissions will be no more than 10% of the total admissions.
  • Graduate student funding will increase to $18,000 for 12 months plus tuition remission for all full time students.
  • External funds will support 66% of the funded graduate students.
  • Graduate students will comprise 30% of the College student population.
  • 100% of graduate faculty will have active scholarly programs that result in collaborative research products with graduate students.
  • Every year at least two students will win a national prize, award, or recognition for research.
  • Department students and faculty will attend doctoral orals.
  • National rankings of graduate programs will increase. Eight programs will be ranked in the top 25.
  • Graduate fellowship endowment will be at $2 million. Current level is $166,909.
  • 95% of graduate students will rate their COE classes, research experiences, practica, and internships as good to excellent on exit interviews.

Enhance the Undergraduate Academic Experience

Goals

Deliver instruction that is based on leading edge scholarship, enhanced with appropriate technology, and supportive of the University's growth in performance studies.Offer programs that result in 100% of our undergraduates being offered employment and/or entrance to graduate study.

Strategies

  • Rethink and reorganize large classes to increase faculty and student interaction.
  • Increase scholarship support ($8 million endowment for undergraduates)
  • Identify and reward the processes that lead to excellence in undergraduate teaching (e.g., teaching evaluated with demonstrated student outcomes, active research programs, external resources, infusion of technology, and multicultural/international focus).
  • Fully implement the College technology strategic plan.
  • Create an exemplary advising program for all undergraduate students. Rethink current strategies and organization of undergraduate advising.
  • Continue support of the Lohman Learning Community and increase the percentage of undergraduates who do research with faculty by 10% -- use the COE Research Exchange or a new Undergraduate research conference as a vehicle for involvement.
  • Attract a $1.5 million endowment for professorships in innovative undergraduate teaching.
  • Assign resources for excellence in dance education.

Evaluation Indicators

By 2007:

  • Undergraduate exit interviews indicate 90% of the students rate their experience in COE classes, internships, and with advising as good to excellent. Current rate is varied by area. Undergraduate advising is rated only as adequate.
  • First year ExCET pass rates for all teacher candidates will average 98%. Current rate is 96%
  • Of those seeking employment a 100% employment rate.
  • The three-year retention rate in teaching positions will be 95%. Current three-year rate is 89%.
  • 30% attend graduate school within five years of graduation.
  • Undergraduate scholarship endowment is at $8 million. Current level is $4 million.
  • College participation in the dance program will attract 100 students and contribute to the University's success in performance studies.

Diversify and Globalize the College Community and Create Metropolitan Connections

Goals

Add 12 faculty (tenure line, clinical) or research scientists who contribute to the richness of College diversity.Exceed Regents' Initiative recruitment goals for teacher candidates' ethnic diversity and in Math, Science, ESL, Bilingual Hispanic, Special Education, and Foreign Language students.Implement our Great City Initiative in HoustonCreate multiple study abroad opportunities and enrich the curriculum with international perspectives.Increase the number of international graduate students.Attract and retain excellent and diverse students, faculty and staff at same or better rate as majority members of the community.

Strategies

  • Continue to hire using clinical, tenure line and research scientist tracks so as to match people with the multiple missions of the College.
  • Use aggressive strategies to retain excellent and diverse faculty and staff (market adjustments).
  • Develop collaborative and distance masters and Ed.D. programs to widen our pool of excellent students.
  • Attain $1 million in external funding per year to support programs in Houston.
  • Support development of an instructional center in Latin America.
  • Implement active recruiting for international students including faculty trips abroad, exchange agreements with international universities.
  • Increase recruitment efforts in community colleges.

Evaluation Indicators

By 2007:

  • Weighted student credit hours increased by 8% and faculty scholarly productivity increased by 20%. WSCHs increased by 3.1% in last base period. TAMU increase was 8%. Sixty percent of faculty publish at least one article per year. Goal is for 80% to publish at least one article per year.
  • Members of diverse cultures comprise 30% of graduate students; 25% of faculty; 18% of undergraduate students; and 20% of staff. Diversity for staff includes gender diversity. Current level is 21% of graduate students; 19% of faculty; and 11% of undergraduates;
  • The number of students and faculty who take part in study abroad activities each year increased by 10%.
  • The applied technology and human resource development program will be serving 250 students.
  • Special education, math, science, bilingual, ESL, foreign language and teacher diversity Regents Initiative targets are met.

Demand Enlightened Leadership

Goals

Offer leadership that is ethical and informed.Be a college characterized by a continuous process of learning and improvement.Create a nurturing, high expectation environment for all individuals.

Strategies

  • Continue and refine implementation of College Evaluation Plan.
  • Link all resource decisions to data and strategic plan.
  • Seek input from focus groups throughout the year regarding college climate.
  • Model inclusive relationships.

Evaluation Indicators

By 2007:

  • Faculty and staff who leave the College do so for reasons of professional advancement. Exit interviews of 5 recent resignations suggest faculty are leaving to join other top universities.
  • Retention of valued faculty and staff is increased by 10%
  • 90% of respondents on evaluations of College leadership (deans, department heads) will indicate satisfaction.

Elevate our Staff and their Professionalism

Goal

Enhance the skills and salaries of meritorious staff.

Strategies

  • Implement the Staff Advisory Committee Strategic Plan
  • Continue and improve College-supported and other professional development activities.
  • Clarify the financial resources available for all staff development activities.
  • Provide improved ombudsperson access for all staff.
  • Nominate and support staff for all University level awards.

Evaluation Indicators

  • Retention of excellent staff is increased by 10%
  • Merit ratings of staff indicate that 95% of staff is meritorious

Attain Resource Parity with the Best National Colleges of Education

Goal

Attract sufficient resources to improve the quality of life for the College Community.

Strategies

  • Increase development activity to achieve $ 25 million College Endowment.
  • Use student fees, university competitions, and faculty workstation program to enhance resources.
  • Devise strategies to make distance education generate income for the College in order to provide funding for enhanced instructional opportunities for students and faculty.
  • Use financial and technology resources to assist faculty to find support for their research programs.
  • Identify space needs (a priority is air conditioning for G. Rollie White Annex) to enhance faculty, staff, and student quality of life.
  • Experiment with alternate incentive systems to support faculty (e.g., research investment model, compressed salaries) success in finding financial resources to support their scholarship
  • Provide incentives to faculty to seek and secure funding for graduate student support.
  • Generate increased income from State through strategic enrollment management and use of other state incentives.
  • Increase income from entrepreneurial efforts (e.g., corporate university models).
  • Build a communications plan that links the College with former students and supporters.
  • Seek private contributors for all departments.

Evaluation Indicators

By 2003:

  • Annual external funding matches State support, approximately $15 million

By 2007:

  • College Endowment at $25 million. Current level is $14.5 million.
  • Departmental operating budgets increased by 25%
  • All full time doctoral students are offered assistantships

Meet Our Commitments to Texas and the Nation

Goals

Realize the modern land grant mission of educational access and equity for all Texans.Launch a College and University ? wide focus on children and families.

Strategies

  • Expand undergraduate programs that add value to the lives of the Texans of the 21st Century ? Bridges to Success Programs.
  • Increase the size of the America Reads and Counts program to 200 tutors per semester and secure a $1 million endowment to fund infrastructure.
  • Create and maintain mutually supportive and innovative partnerships for research and instruction with State and national partners.
  • Implement the Continuing Education Strategic Plan. Establish an excellent and profitable continuing education program, introducing at least one new continuing education offering each year with special focus on accelerated teacher high need certification programs and other high need short/certification program opportunities.
  • Implement policy research boards, linked with existing centers, that proactively offer information for state and national decision making. Make our scholarship of application an important political force in the state and nation.
  • As retirements and resignations occur reallocate resources to respond to pressing needs and new opportunities.
  • Acquire funding for Ed Wave as the College's major electronic service, research and outreach to Texas schools.

Evaluation Indicators

  • Reading and Math TAKS scores in all America Reads and Counts schools increase by 20% due to that intervention by 2005.
  • Ed Wave pilot funding is acquired by 2003
  • The Continuing Education Office is evaluated as excellent and is profitable by 2004.
  • The College has led development of a Center for Prevention of Childhood and Family Disorder and the University has identified the welfare of children and families in Texas as a major strategic initiative by 2007.
  • At least one policy board is operational by 2003.
  • Strategic reallocations occur that enhance strategic missions.
  • Student population in new non-certification programs at 250 by 2007. An $8 million endowment has been secured to support the new programs.

Conclusions

Our College must recreate itself in profound ways if we are to be successful over the next five years.  We must implement truly pioneering efforts to prepare the highest quality and most diverse educator workforce in Texas. Our focus on children, youth, and families must be coordinated within the College and across the University so that Texas A&M University emerges as a leader in children's research, instruction, and outreach.

We must attract record levels of university and external support to be successful in elevating our scholarship, serving our students, and in meeting compelling state needs.

The mandate for change demands remarkable flexibility and unprecedented courage from the College Community and the University's leadership. Some of the risks we take will fail.  The development of multiple faculty tracks, the College-wide foci on continuing education and on the Great City Initiatives call for significant realignments of activities.  These are all high-risk ventures.

Committing to the preparation of the professoriate for the 21st century will demand that we all turn our attention to discovering the conditions necessary for success in teaching, learning, physical health, mental health, and leadership in professions.

Embracing the land grant mission of the 21st Century ? the century of knowledge systems? requires us to engage with each other and our entire community of students, partners, and supporters to teach and learn with them. Only our advanced knowledge systems will ensure that all Texans are offered the highest quality education no matter where they live, what their income, or what color of skin they celebrate.

We are diverse in our scholarly interests but we must be unanimous in our dedication to quality and rigor.  The only gift we have for each other, our students, state and nation is high quality scholarly work ? offered and demanded. Our work can transform people's lives.

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