Joint Strategic Planning Committee

Thursday, December 18, 2003

1:15 - 2:50 pm

Green Hall Conference Room

Attendance:

Robert L. Carothers, Beverly Swan, Bob Beagle, Tom Dougan, Judy Beckman, Mary Hollinshead, Faye Boudreaux-Bartels, Bill Rosen, Ann Morrissey, Earle Degraphenried and Soledade Surrette.

Announcements:

Faculty Senate Chairperson Judy Beckman announced that Senate Vice Chairperson Mary Hollinshead had received a grant from NEH and would be on leave from the University for two semesters to complete the work on her book.

Vice Chairperson Hollinshead said that she would step down as Vice Chair at the end of January and planned to attend January meetings of the Faculty Senate, Senate Executive Committee and the JSPC.

Future Priorities for the University: The Committee resumed its discussion, begun on December 4, about what kind of institution the University is and wants to be in the future. There was consensus that the original land grant mission of the University remains relevant into the future.

The committee reviewed the vision statement adopted in 1992:

In our quest for knowledge, the University of Rhode Island is building a new culture for learning. We will share in the power of discovery through collaborative teaching, learning and research, and through independent inquiry and free speech. This culture generates a spirited public life for our students, who will become engaged and productive leaders. Our research, scholarship, critical analysis and creative expression serve Rhode Island, the nation and the world. In this evolving future, our commitment to continuous improvement and high quality will guide our decisions.

The University community respects the dignity of each individual, valuing the diversity among us. We demand of ourselves uncompromising integrity, with imagination and pride evident in every aspect of our work.

Although there was some discussion about the "new" culture for learning, there was general agreement that the vision statement was still applicable almost a dozen years after it was drafted.

The committee continued to work to identify the core values upon which decisions should be based. It was agreed that it would be appropriate to bring the conversation about core values to the Faculty Senate at the January 29 meeting.

Simultaneous review of processes for evaluating cost and quality of programs: Members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee argued for the necessity of conducting a simultaneous review of the processes for evaluating both the cost and quality of programs in order that the quantitative information on programs is viewed in a broader context.

President Carothers said that he wasn't convinced that issues of quality were as relevant as cost factors when trying to make financial decisions because the quality of the University's programs weren't in question.

The Committee continued to debate the potential value to the administration of employing measures that take quality factors into account when looking at costs. The members of the Executive Committee said that they believed it was too simplistic to base decisions on financial information without concurrently viewing their context.

It was acknowledged that the Provost and the President did consider a program's quality and relevance to the University's mission along with cost factors when making decisions. Members of the Executive Committee indicated that these factors were for the most part anecdotal and that they believed that it would be more appropriate to look at the whole picture when evaluating programs.

There was also some discussion about the burden on department chairs to provide the same information in a number of formats. Provost Swan reminded the JSPC that she had solicited comments and suggestions from department chairs as to whether the PCA complement/accompaniment provided them with adequate opportunity to incorporate quality factors along with the measurement of cost associated with their departments and programs.

Senate Vice Chairperson Hollinshead said that the committee that drafted the PCA complement/accompaniment had believed that their proposal was only a first step towards putting financial data into a broader context.

Next Meeting:

It was agreed to meet from 10:30 a.m. &endash; 12:00 noon on Thursdays during the spring semester. The next meeting was scheduled for January 22, 2004 at which the committee would consider the Executive Committee's proposal for a simultaneous review of cost and quality programs and departments. It was also agreed that the PCA complement/accompaniment would be redistributed for that meeting. Provost Swan said that she would provide the committee with an historical perspective on program review at that meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m.