Faculty-Staff Convocation: August 24, 2007
Transformational Expectations: Vision 2012
By Dr. Joseph C. Rallo
Welcome to all, but especially to the new faculty and staff at Angelo State University. For some of you this is your first true academic position, while for others it represents a new stage in an already formed professional life. Angelo State University is my 7th campus after beginning my first faculty position at Rutgers University in 1980. At nearly 58 years of age I regularly note that I am old enough to have amassed some experience, but still young enough to be excited about the future.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term 'provocative' as "to provoke, excite or stimulate." My comments today will probably elicit one or all of these responses - sometimes simultaneously - from members of the audience.
Convocations are a time to reflect on our institution's history, traditions and values while also looking toward the future. Today I would like to focus on the next five years for Angelo State University in what I have been calling Transformational Expectations: Vision 2012. While our Centennial Master Plan projects out to 2028, a five-year window allows a more intimate concept of planning.
In June I created what I term planning pods, as opposed to task forces or committees, since pods conjure up images of alien life forms different than our own. Clearly our approach to planning must be different than in the past because the future for a successful university is no longer simply a straight line extrapolation of its past. The pods follow a 'matrix' of planning which acknowledge that each of us works in a vertical space, usually identified by a vice president or director, but recognizing that horizontal interactions are increasingly important to identify and resolve complex issues. The term usually associated with this approach is 'team,' but as I mentioned I prefer the more interesting concept of the 'pod.'
The overarching and most critical transformational expectation is to craft our institutional vision, values and mission statements, including metrics or measures to assess our progress toward achieving these agreed upon goals. One can assess progress by looking at how far an institution has moved from its past or by determining that the gap toward - the future end state has narrowed. Let me be very clear on my position: it does us no good as an institution to assert that we have moved from the 19th century into the mid 20th century and thus have made significant progress. Our success will only be measured by movement toward the expectations we have set for 2012 and beyond.
Beginning in September, we will initiate our strategic planning process to bring to life Vision 2012. An outside facilitator will lead what will be an intense series of meetings engaging faculty, staff, students, alumni and community leaders in crafting our positioning statements. By December we should have an initial set of expectations to guide our campus planning and budgeting cycle for spring 2008. This way we will have a coherent set of shared expectations against which the campus can prepare its requests for the 2009 state budget and allocation process. This planning process will also enhance transparency and accountability as to how funds are allocated and utilized on campus.
The second most important transformational expectation for ASU is to integrate all of our planning against the critical and central definition of our university - that is that we are a residential campus. A residential campus has a set of expectations which bring life to the definition, among which are:
- A University Center open seven days a week with activities and facilities, including food, to support our students.
- Flexible scheduling of classes to meet the expectations of students, many of whom work to support their education.
- An emphasis on full-time faculty positions, rather than excessive dependence on adjuncts or graduate teaching assistants.
- Co-curricular activities designed to retain students on campus, especially on the weekend.
- A First Year Experience which assists students in the critical transition from high school to college.
- Perhaps most importantly, a signature academic experience which all students engage in and which sets an ASU graduate apart from others.
Third, we must transform how we market and position our campus to attract, retain and graduate students. We have superb faculty and staff, small classes, world class facilities and a welcoming and safe community environment. Our students excel after graduation. Thus, it is unacceptable that our retention rate from the freshman to sophomore year is less than 55 percent and the six-year graduation rate is at 35 percent. This number is even more stark when compared to the retention rates for our peer institutions which are closer to 75 percent, with six-year rates above 50 percent. These numbers mean that the university has grown minimally in enrollment over the past five years, in spite of our stated objective of 10,000 students.
Let me be clear that we will not abandon our commitment to maintaining access and affordability for enterprising students who wish to pursue their education. Let me also reiterate that within 12-18 months I expect us to have initiated the process to be named as an Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) by the United States Department of Education. Nor will we open the flood gates by abandoning our commitment to academic excellence and intellectual rigor. But as someone once noted, a definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. We must, therefore, go beyond simply recognizing that regional, state and national demographics exist and actually craft our recruiting strategy against these emerging trends. Just as a major in home economics was reinvented by the emerging role of women in our society, so too must our faculty revisit and realign our curriculum in light of even more dramatic transformations in higher education.
Fourth, but really at the heart of Vision 2012, is to understand that no transformation can succeed without the institution attracting, retaining and valuing its faculty and staff. This professional core is the heart of the institution. ASU is blessed across campus with dedicated, creative and committed professionals who truly enjoy their role as mentors and guides to students. At the same time, when I look at the number of failed searches, issues of salary equity and the increased expectations for faculty for scholarly activity in addition to their instructional responsibilities, we have work to do. Those conversations have already started and will accelerate as part of our planning process. Specifically we will start an equity review process in the fall for all faculty and staff which will probably take the year to complete. At that time we will be better positioned to address these critical issues for the long term.
Fifth, we must acknowledge our role in the future of the city and region. I know that many of our staff, faculty and students are critical contributors to the performing and fine arts activities which make San Angelo such a wonderful place to live. The university is also an economic engine annually infusing more than $220 million dollars into the region. We must expand these roles to also become an intellectual engine to ensure that our community and its members are encouraged to embrace values and ideas from outside the region. Our success in attracting international students, as well as our commitment to our Hispanic student population enriches us as a campus, community and state. Yet, the educational success rate for our Hispanic population is simply unacceptable. As stated in Texas' 'Closing the Gaps' initiative: "enrolling more people is not enough, they must graduate." We are actively working with the school district and the Fine Arts Museum to see if we can craft a 'magnet' school to support academic success by embracing cultural and traditional values. Our support for the intellectual diversification of our community will also be bolstered as we create a new Center for International and Multicultural Studies on campus as the focal point for these transformational initiatives.
Let me close in this fashion. Angelo State University is an exceptional institution. I am excited to be here and honored to have been asked to serve as your president. As a university we are entrusted with the future. To be provocative is not to diminish or minimize what has transpired in the past. Rather it is a window to the future. One can simply glance through that opening or one can embrace the vision. I think that you know where I stand and I hope that you will join me in what is shaping up to be a great adventure.
As I mentioned at the outset of my remarks, ASU is the 7th campus in my professional career. At each of those institutions the highest academic honor was the annual selection of its outstanding teacher. While the recipient was recognized in many ways, the most enjoyable aspect of the honor was the right to display a whimsical statute in one's office for the year. Thus, all visitors to the office knew immediately that the person was the institution's honoree.
So today I wish to start a new tradition at ASU. This is an actual preserved and mounted piranha, which I believe makes a perfect representation for our university by embodying several of our core values:
- International: It is from South America
- Education: It travels and lives in schools
- Diversity: While most are carnivores, there are also vegetarian piranha who prefer seeds and fruit
- Technology: It has its own website: piranha.org
To start this new tradition, I will present the piranha to Dr. John C. 'Trey' Smith, this year's recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award, after this ceremony. I ask that he display it with dignity and whimsy for the year.
Finally, as you leave here to start the new academic year please always remember the words of that exceptional strategic planner from Star Wars, Yoda, when he intoned: "Try not, do."
Thanks for being here and have a great rest of the day.