University of Minnesota, Morris

Operational Three-Year Plan

2005-2008

The University of Minnesota, Morris seeks to be America’s best public liberal arts college

The University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) is recognized as one of the best public liberal arts colleges in the nation because of its instructional excellence, its commitment to research, its numerous extracurricular programs and services, and its strong sense of community. UMM’s mission as a rigorous, undergraduate, residential, liberal arts college is distinctive within the University of Minnesota. The Morris campus shares the University’s mission of teaching, research, and outreach. UMM provides undergraduate students with the resources of the University of Minnesota, yet it is a small personal school where students can shape their own education. The campus serves undergraduate students from Minnesota, and across the nation, and is a highly valued educational resource and cultural center for residents of West Central Minnesota. UMM attracts and serves a student body, faculty and staff reflective of our multicultural society. The college empowers the campus community to participate fully and thoughtfully in a diverse society, regionally, nationally, and globally.

The goals which follow are both reactive and aspirational: they seek to address forthrightly and correct what we perceive as threats, challenges and problems, and to continue to move the institution forward in areas which enrich its core mission.

1. Manage Enrollment Strategically:

- Set and meet enrollment goals for new students of appropriate quality and quantity to fulfill UMM’s mission. Measures: increase entering first time, first year students by at least 10 per year; maintain or improve ACT combined scores and high school class rank; increase percentage students of color and range of communities of color; develop at least one additional international exchange program, preferably with China, increase number of incoming transfer students.

- Intentionally focus on continual improvement in student retention, working with the recommendations of the Retention Task Force, and building a contemporary student life program which supports the institutional mission. Measure: each year an improved retention/graduation rate.

- Maintain/enrich the undergraduate experience. Measure: devise and implement a more effective management plan for areas such as Undergraduate Research and Honors Program; make additional funding commitments in the area of undergraduate enrichment, show progress in strengthening the multicultural inclusiveness of the campus community

2. Work to improve the visibility of UMM locally, regionally and nationally:

- Hire a Director of Communication; develop and implement a strategic integrated communications plan. Measure: individual hired, office established, develop appropriate measures to demonstrate enhanced visibility locally and nationally

3. Increase and strategically manage resources:

- Significantly increase and effectively leverage scholarship resources to support UMM’s enrollment management objectives, while simultaneously beginning preparations for the next all-University Capital Campaign. Measure: increase scholarship endowment by at least $1 million by 6/08.

- Seek all available university, state, federal and private support with imagination and vigor in order to support key institutional priorities, and develop a flexible and realistic plan to fund 1/6 of new capital expenditures in the future. Measure: secure bonding funding for top priorities (library, biomass cogeneration plant). Place HFA III in all-University capital planning priority list and begin raising funds to cover UMM 1/6 match.

- Continue to develop better management tools in order to sharpen the budget reporting structure and to guarantee continued balanced budget. Measure: maintain budgets “in the black” throughout the entire period.

- Develop and follow an integrated technology plan. Measure: plan is developed and maintained through this period.

- Enhance the “green campus.” Measure: Build biomass cogeneration plant; link campus electrical system to wind turbine; develop additional alternative energy and energy saving strategies, enhance on-campus use of locally produced foods.

4. Recruit and retain top quality faculty and staff:

- Enhance salaries. Measure: prior to 6/08 develop a salary enhancement program that does not depend upon state funding (where permitted by collective bargaining agreements).

- Support in every way possible the entire UMM community, building an improved and steadily improving climate of forthrightness, trust, and mutual respect.

Approved by CRPC – 2/8/05

Approved by Campus Assembly – 10/31/05

February 2005