Core Component 2A:
The organization realistically prepares for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends.

St. Cloud State University is responsive to demographic trends and regional needs. The university has shaped its enrollment management strategies and developed new programs, with a focus on graduate education, in response to demographic changes and the economic needs of the region and state. Outreach activities, new programs such as nursing, the Maple Grove M.B.A., and the development of the university’s first applied doctoral degree demonstrate that, through planning and resource allocation, the university realistically prepares for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends.

Planning and Decision-Making

As noted previously, St. Cloud State University is governed by the MnSCU Board of Trustees. As a campus that is part of this system, St. Cloud State University planning occurs within the context of system plans. MnSCU developed a Strategic Plan in 2002. A one-time Citizens Advisory Committee to MnSCU made several important recommendations preliminary to the planning process.

A new MnSCU Strategic Plan was approved by the board in January 2006. Three of its four strategic directions were retained from the previous plan. They include efforts to (a) increase access and opportunity, (b) expand high-quality learning programs and services, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines, and (c) strengthen community development and economic vitality. The new fourth strategic direction focuses on innovation. MnSCU recognizes the challenges in global competition, other important demands on state resources, and the growing recognition that virtually all young people will need higher education for career and life success. Innovation throughout the system will be required to meet these challenges.

Based on the board’s plan, the Chancellor prepares an annual Work Plan that provides direction for administrative action at the system level and at the individual campuses. The current annual work plan has five focus areas, which include efforts to stabilize revenue, enhance productivity, establish centers of excellence, continue strategic planning, and serve the underrepresented.

Along with our mission, these elements of the MnSCU system guide the university’s priorities and resource allocation. Each university has latitude to focus on its individual mission and goals within the parameters established by the board and the Office of the Chancellor. Thus, the President’s Work Plan supports the system’s, but is also responsive to and in tune with the university strategic plan and its five themes.

Several university committees develop plans that focus on various aspects of the university. Perhaps most important is the Strategic Planning Committee, comprised of faculty and staff from all components of the university. In addition, the university has developed a Facilities Master Plan and a Technology Plan. The Enrollment Planning Committee identifies goals for recruitment and retention. Task forces are created to address specific tasks that are not within the purview of a committee’s work, or that deal with specific challenges. For example, we created a Task Force on Restructuring to promote student success. Units at St. Cloud State University are expected to align their planning with the system and university plans as well as the mission. An example of success in this effort is represented by the technology planning on campus, which will be discussed more fully later in this section. Additional constraints are put on units to develop plans within guidelines developed for accreditation. An example of successful alignment in such planning is provided by the College of Education.

Planning at each level takes into account pertinent information regarding such factors as demographic changes, technology developments, regional economic need, and globalization, to name a few. For example, in response to demographic changes, the board has set targets for increasing enrollment and retention of students of color, and St. Cloud State University has made globalization of the university a significant priority.

The Strategic Planning Committee worked for several years to develop its plan. When the President charged the committee within the past three years to establish measurable performance indicators (PIs) to enable the university to track its progress in reaching its goals, the committee became re-energized. It sought input from a variety of sources, including legislators and regional community leaders. After considerable discussion, beginning in November 2005 and concluding in April 2006, the committee completed this task. These key performance indicators were approved by the Faculty Senate. The PIs establish benchmarks, identify offices responsible for achieving specific tasks, and set timelines.

As the Strategic Planning Committee grappled with the task of defining performance indicators, it became apparent that the university needed more and better data to measure progress. In the summer of 2002, after a search for a director of institutional research (IR) failed, staff at MnSCU proposed to contract with the university to provide the institutional research function. After two years of trial, the university determined that this arrangement was not fulfilling our data needs and the contract was terminated. Another staff person was hired to strengthen campus-based data collection and analysis. Furthermore, to facilitate the planning process, in 2005 St. Cloud State University expanded the Office of Institutional Research and changed its name to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE). The new office is now headed by an interim assistant vice president who reports to the President and also co-chairs the university’s Strategic Planning Committee. This office now provides support in three ways. First, the office conducts surveys of student perceptions of their experiences at St. Cloud State University. Second, it makes available summaries and analyses of university data from the MnSCU database. The material is provided in the Summary of Academic Data. (For more detail concerning continuous gathering of data, see Core Component 2C.) Third, the OIE is currently developing databases and a process to implement the Balanced Scorecard, which will help evaluate and assess the university’s progress in achieving its goals, ranging from measuring student academic achievement to ascertaining the extent to which the university is operating efficiently.

Monitoring and Responding to the Environment

Higher education faces a number of issues, and institutions such as St. Cloud State University must contend with demands for accountability, as well as demographic changes, budgetary uncertainty, important regional economic developments, social needs in healthcare, the globalization of the world’s economy, and requirements and opportunities created through legislative action. These influences have all led to changes in how the university prepares for the future. The population of traditional high school graduates in Minnesota is in decline. According to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, the number of high school graduates in the state peaked in 2004 at 63,347. This past June, the number of graduates was expected to be 60,581, making all the more important for the university to focus on retention, a goal of the strategic plan. The university responded by allocating significant resources to increase retention. (Details are provided below under “Recent Infrastructure Changes.”) While the overall demographic trend projects a decrease of 10 percent over the decade, populations that are expected to increase are African American, Latino, and immigrant groups, which should increase by 52 percent during the same period. In order to grow or even maintain a stable enrollment, the university must recruit from among these populations.

Minnesota also has a fair number of adults who have not completed a college education. In Stearns County, fewer than 23 percent, and in Anoka County, fewer than 26 percent of people over age 25 have a college diploma (see the State Demographic Center, Minnesota Department of Administration). We are cognizant that attainment of a college degree has become increasingly important as the workforce shifts from a manufacturing to a knowledge economy. Having recognized these trends, the university has planned a series of initiatives, all of which are part of an ongoing planning process grounded in environmental scanning. For example, the university’s Enrollment Management Plan addresses these demographic changes and has identified strategies that include focused recruitment of more students of color. Between fall 2003 and fall 2006, for example the university increased enrollment of students of color by 82 percent, from 533 to 971.

In response to environmental scans and community needs and interests, a number of new academic programs have been developed. Most notably, our programs in nursing science are among the newest baccalaureate and master’s level nursing programs in the MnSCU system and represent an institutional and system response to community and regional needs. A review of community needs and a consultant’s feasibility report led to establishment of these programs. Working with CentraCare Health Systems and other local higher education institutions, St. Cloud State University secured $1 million in federal funding to start this program. A new graduate program in regulatory affairs and services is another response to regional needs, as it was designed at the request of the bioscience industry to facilitate FDA approval of new products. New degree programs, such as the M.B.A. offered at Maple Grove, and the Master’s of Engineering Management at Metropolitan State University, also address the need for more advanced education for citizens in the metropolitan area. As a result of legislative action in 2005 permitting state universities to offer applied doctorates in order to better meet needs in the state, the university is also working diligently to prepare for offering this degree. Faculty members in several disciplines are developing proposals in response to the need for practitioner doctorates in the State. An Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration is the first applied doctorate to be submitted for approval.

Alternative Delivery Methods

To address the needs of non-traditional students, the university has expanded offerings of evening and weekend courses to more than 100 sections per year, significantly increased enrollment in online courses (see below), and provided courses and programs at off-campus sites, especially in Twin Cities locations that are underserved with baccalaureate and graduate education.

We also developed an accredited distance education (online) Master’s in Behavior Analysis, more than 200 e-learning classes, and the Evening and Weekend University. The online classes accounted for seven percent of the credits generated at St. Cloud State University in the 2006 fiscal year, up from 1.3 percent in 2003. For adult learners seeking to earn college credit toward a degree, St. Cloud State University has created a mix of learning options through the Center for Continuing Studies: evening classes, online courses, interactive television, off-campus courses, and even some weekend courses.

The fact that online courses now account for seven percent of university credits demonstrates an appropriate response to a changing environment; expanding online offerings is also a focus of MnSCU. System-wide adoption of web instruction software (Desire to Learn, or D2L) within MnSCU was an important step in developing Minnesota Online, which offers a full array of degree, certificate, and diploma programs and courses online. A separate web portal for employees of Schwan’s (an international food distributor headquartered in Minnesota) has also been created.

A priority within the 2004 Annual Work Plan on Minnesota Online indicated that MnSCU would undertake the following initiatives on behalf of system colleges and universities: develop a seamless delivery system; provide accreditation for online offerings so each institution does not need to seek separate accreditation; and design appropriate faculty development materials for online instruction.

Online course offerings have become an important choice for students. Currently, approximately 60 percent of the enrollment in online courses is by on-campus students, who appear to prefer the convenience of taking courses in this way. Online courses allow for a quick response to changing circumstances. Planning for online course offerings is driven by student demand, the marketplace, strategic planning by MnSCU as reflected in the Chancellor’s Work Plan, President Saigo’s Work Plan, and the demand for services in Continuing Studies, which is currently using strategic planning with the assistance of MnSCU Vice Chancellor Mike Murphy to plan for the future. Continuing Studies is also working with the college deans to plan how online courses can best supplement enrollment, better meet the needs of nontraditional students by providing the courses and programs they desire, define load issues for faculty who offer online courses, and ensure that online instruction better serves students no matter where they are located or when they choose to “attend” their classes.

Recent Infrastructure Changes

On a somewhat broader scale, in November 2003, a Task Force on Restructuring recommended the creation of the position of Dean of Undergraduate Studies. The task force also recommended other initiatives, including development of a first-year experience program which has been implemented. The Division of General Studies was expanded and provided with additional support. The goal was to coordinate services in order to help bring students from underserved populations to the university and to help all students succeed. The division of Undergraduate Studies includes the Academic Learning Center, Advising Center, Community College Connection Program, First Year Experience Program, General Studies Program, Honors Program, and New Student Orientation and Registration Program. These initiatives align with specific MnSCU and St. Cloud State University strategic directions and goals, notably those related to expanding student opportunities, improving retention, improving the transfer process, and enhancing accessibility for students. These changes prepare the university to meet students’ needs in the future by helping them succeed in their educational experience.

Technology Enhancement

Keeping current with technology is vital to contemporary higher learning and is one of the five themes and goals of the university’s Strategic Plan. Several major additions in recent years have helped the university stay abreast of technological changes and anticipate future ones. The university built a robust, hard-wired computing network supported by a fiber-optic backbone with more than 5,100 network connections. Wireless computer access is now available throughout the campus, facilitating students’ and faculty members’ access to resources.

In response to faculty interest, St. Cloud State University increased the number of electronic classrooms, from 20 in 1996 to the current 125. All of these classrooms are based on a single standard, having essentially the same equipment and a touch-screen control system, which allows for remote monitoring and support of the rooms, thus minimizing lost class time due to equipment problems. The university has provided a budget line item for maintaining and updating these electronic classrooms on a regular schedule, and a security system has been installed to protect equipment from theft.

Ongoing Data Gathering and Communication

St. Cloud State University makes use of standardized national student surveys. We have administered the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in 2001, 2003 and 2005; the ACT Survey of Student Opinions in 2005, the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) Faculty Survey in 2004-2005; and several campus-based surveys. Results from these surveys are discussed in academic and administrative venues and some changes that have resulted at least in part in response to these surveys are changes in the Division of Student Life and Development, creation of the First Year Experience program, and the development of an early warning system for students experiencing academic difficulty. We have discovered, for example, that our students do not evaluate advising at St. Cloud State University as positively as students at other universities. In response, we have added positions to the Advising Center so that advisers can spend more time with students and be more involved in their academic planning.

St. Cloud State University additionally performs an internal survey of students each spring, and has used the results in planning parking and residence hall facilities. Career Services surveys employers and graduates one year after graduation regarding the career preparation provided them through their experience earning their degrees. As a result of these surveys, staff was added in order to better prepare students for interviews with prospective employers.

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness is developing survey instruments to be used annually with graduating students to assess students’ level of satisfaction with their experience at the university. Data from these surveys will be used to evaluate and improve services. Student enrollment patterns and faculty workload trends are used in determining the allocation of faculty lines to departments. Data used to allocate faculty positions are described under Core Component 2B.

An important adjunct to internal planning occurs when the university invites external consultants to provide expertise and guidance. In 2002, for example, St. Cloud State University commissioned the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) to provide an overview of trends at St. Cloud State University and comparisons to national trends. Results were discussed at a President’s Council retreat in June 2002, and a consulting contract with NCHEMS was executed in 2002-2003 (report available in Resource Room). NCHEMS then returned in fall 2005 for an update. More recently, STAMATS was hired to review the university’s image and make recommendations that can be incorporated into our planning, marketing, and recruiting. The university has altered its marketing message to focus on quality educational programs, in response to student attitudes regarding the institution. In conjunction with significant turnover in the leadership of the Admissions Office, STAMATS has been invited to return to help guide recruitment strategies.

Discipline-based and employer advisory boards have been established by many departments to advise faculty regarding the relevance of their curricula. The St. Cloud State University Foundation Board of Trustees and St. Cloud State University Alumni Association Board of Directors are active and meet regularly with university leadership, as evidenced by their minutes, the St. Cloud State University Alumni Survey of 2003, and the 2005 St. Cloud State University Foundation strategic planning documents. Community involvement is also helpful and indeed necessary. The university President participates in the Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Dialogue Group, and the Director of University Relations serves on the Chamber of Commerce board. Further, the university participates in the Economic Development Partnership and Chamber of Commerce initiatives, and has a standing position on the local Heritage Preservation Commission. Continuing Education and Career Services have membership on Chamber committees, and the College of Science and Engineering is involved with the Science Initiative of Central Minnesota (SICM). The Board of Directors of the Anderson Entrepreneurial Center includes representatives from area businesses as well as from St. Cloud State University. Each of these groups provides information about regional needs and academic programs that can be followed up with more study and can lead to improvements.

Planning is also engendered by recommendations from external reviewers who visit as part of specialized accreditations or for the university’s own program review process. These processes apply to both academic and non-academic programs.

Student Involvement in Planning

St. Cloud State University uses a variety of approaches to consult with students in its planning and decision-making process. A student survey conducted in 1999 indicated that students wanted a number of related services in one location. In designing the renovation of Centennial Hall, therefore, a number of offices relating to academic success (the Advising Center and the Academic Learning Center, for example) will be clustered on the second floor. A bridge has also been constructed to connect this floor with the Atwood Student Center for improved access to services. In addition to collecting data from students through national and local survey instruments, the executive team (consisting of the president and vice presidents) meets twice each semester with student government and more often when requested. Further consultation with students occurs as the budget is developed and on major initiatives that might change services at St. Cloud State University. Students also hold referenda on various issues; for example, in recent years there have been referenda on student fees, the construction of a student recreation center and multipurpose stadium, and energy issues. Recent changes whose impetus was a response to needs expressed by students include the decision to construct a parking ramp on campus, expansion of support for the advising process, the creation of the Multicultural Resource Center in the Miller Center Library, increased staffing for Student Disability Services, expansion of Volunteer Connection, and an extension of library hours.

Prioritizing Initiatives and Allocating Resources

Intimately related to how we monitor and respond to a changing environment is how we prioritize initiatives and allocate resources in response to changes and trends. Central to this process is strategic planning, which informs numerous other processes such as budgeting.

St. Cloud State University assigns academic and student needs as the top priority in budget scenarios, using metrics such as student\faculty ratio and workload reports, as well as course backlog reports, in faculty hiring decisions. In these and other matters there is a high level of participation through scheduled meetings with collective bargaining units known as “meet-and-confers.” Capital budgets and operating budgets as well as major policy changes are developed with input, including consultation with student government, Town Hall meetings open to the campus community, and Campus Conversations. Another example of how the consultative culture works is that a 1997 student survey led to pursuing and obtaining funding for the previously mentioned student recreation center that opened in 2005.

Legislative priorities and community needs are also considered in prioritizing. As noted earlier, the nursing program was developed in response to community needs by collaborating with the St. Cloud Hospital, the College of St. Benedict, and St. Cloud Technical College to secure federal funding. The stadium and recreation center project was developed with different sources of funding because it did not match the traditional academic priority list. Also, the Intensive English Center was started in 1997 working in collaboration with local businesses. The Center helps immigrant workers improve their English language skills.

In fiscal year 2005 the university determined—after three years of very careful and conservative budgeting which had been necessitated by a reduced level of state support, the lack of reserves and some unexpected financial issues, such as the bankruptcy of the bookstore contractor—that there was now a pool of funds available for one-time and ongoing investment. The strategic plan provided the template to guide this investment and ensure it would be of greatest long-term benefit to the university. Following wide discussion—including consultation within operating units, among collective bargaining unit representatives, and with students—a plan was developed, shared in town hall meetings, and implemented. Support was provided to initiatives designed to improve student learning, to strengthen student support services, to improve and expand applications of technology, and to improve the campus climate for diversity. The results of this plan are directly tied to the mission and corresponding themes of the strategic plan.

Facilities Planning

The university maintains and follows a Facilities Master Plan. The plan is based on an analysis of the condition of campus facilities, the academic and student support needs of the campus, capacity for debt, and facilities operation, and it serves as a long-term guide for development, renewal, and improvement to the campus. It has been instrumental in securing legislative appropriation, the sale of revenue bonds, and the placement of financing through the University’s foundation. The procurement of these resources allows St. Cloud State University students to enjoy an educational environment that is safe, sound, attractive and useful, and that enhances their learning experience.

Our infrastructure needs to support existing operations, but most importantly, facilities planning is based on the academic needs of campus as we look to the future. The plan is aimed at five-, 10-, and 20-year horizons; it is reviewed every five years and comprehensively revisited every ten. The most recent review and revision took place in 2005. The review process involves a campus-wide committee and representatives of the neighborhood and the city planning office, to consider the impacts of enrollment, academic needs, state and community trends, and condition and suitability of facilities. The university has been operating from its Facilities Master Plan for about seven years.

With this plan as a guide, several major projects were completed at a total cost of $65 million. These projects included the new Miller Learning Resources Center, a stadium with a dome for winter, an addition to the student recreation center, and renovation of Lawrence Hall. Currently, four major projects are underway, including the renovation of Centennial Hall as a home for the College of Business, the Department of Philosophy, student academic support and advising services, and the campus bookstore. A parking ramp is being constructed near central campus, primarily for students and visitors. An addition to the Robert Wick Science Building, to replace aged science labs, has been approved for funding. Riverview, one of two buildings in the MnSCU system on the National Register of Historic Structures, is to be renovated as a home for Communication Studies. Additionally, the current Business Building will be improved to provide a home for the English department and added space for the social sciences. (See documents describing each of these projects in the Resource Room.

The campus has also made a concerted effort to improve and beautify the grounds and clearly define the campus edges. Key projects in this regard were the Skalicky Plaza at the entry to campus at University Drive and Fifth Avenue and the River Walk on the Mississippi along the entire eastern boundary of campus. There have also been more subtle yet critical infrastructure projects including new central boiler capacity, a central chilled water plant and the associated distribution system, a fiber optic backbone for information distribution, a new telephone system, replacement of the electrical distribution system, and extension of utility tunnels and ducts.

The university master plan is the basis for a “rolling” six-year capital improvement request keyed off the biennial legislative sessions that appropriate general obligation bonds for major projects. We are seeking approximately $90 million in funds for capital improvements in the next six years, consistent with the Facilities Master Plan. The six-year capital improvement plan is updated every two years in anticipation of legislative bonding appropriations. For facilities, the planning process needs to be tied closely to the academic plan, in part because educational needs can dictate change faster than facilities can be adapted.

Parallel to the Facilities Master Plan is an inventory of deferred maintenance issues. The university is in the fourth year of a 10-year plan to reduce deferred maintenance to less than 10 percent of replacement value, down from 17 percent, and to budget sufficient funds to maintain it at that level indefinitely. (See the Facilities Condition Study in the Resource Room.) On the residence hall and student union side of facilities, which are maintained and operated without benefit of state appropriation, there is a similar plan to reduce deferred maintenance to essentially zero by 2012 and, in addition, budget about two percent of replacement value per year to maintain that condition. Through following this plan; seeking state capital appropriations; budgeting for repairs and replacement; and seeking additional revenue bond funds, local bond funds, capital leases, vendor investment, and no-interest loans from our primary utility provider, the university generally has been able to offer attractive, well maintained, energy-efficient, and serviceable facilities.

Impact of Demographic Changes and Global Trends

Recognizing changing demographics in Minnesota and trends towards globalization, St. Cloud State University in recent years has emphasized diversity and global education. President Saigo has proposed an initiative to make the university a premier base for international studies. Because our society has become, and continues to grow more diverse, it is important that all our students become familiar with people from other backgrounds and cultures. The university has therefore recruited more multicultural and international students. Earlier we cited the increase in the number of domestic students of color. In fall 2006, the university enrolled 959 international students from 88 countries, compared to 679 students in fall 1999. A delegation to China in summer 2006 broadened our relationships and added to those established the previous year in Korea, Japan, and South Africa. The renovated Lawrence Hall houses the Center for International Studies offices, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, and a residence hall for international and American students. We have also provided increased opportunities for local students to study abroad. The university now boasts more than 20 programs in 12 countries. These initiatives reflect the university’s recognition of the importance of a global education, as stated in our mission.

International student representation and domestic student study abroad are both at levels that are a source of pride. An Institute for International Education (IEE) Open Doors 2005 survey of Master’s institutions found St. Cloud State University ranked nineteenth in the nation in the number of international students studying here, and ninth in the nation in the number of domestic students studying abroad. We are the only institution in our classification in the country that is in the top twenty for both categories.

Evaluation of Core Component 2A

St. Cloud State University’s planning documents, processes, and environment demonstrate its capacity to prepare for the future realistically. We also can point to numerous examples of our responsiveness to student and community needs.

Strengths: St. Cloud State’s planning and preparation afford evidence of our readiness for the future, whatever it may bring, and evidence of how our mission guides our efforts. New programs, delivery methods, and technical support demonstrate our ability to adapt and provide a base for future growth. Our curriculum development process is attuned to respond to needs of students, employers, and the community. Newly introduced programs, the substantial increase in online course offerings, the Evening and Weekend University, and the preparations for offering applied doctoral degrees, serve as evidence of the university’s flexibility. The installation of campus-wide wireless internet access and electronic classrooms and the Miller Learning Resources Center demonstrate preparation and readiness for meeting future needs. Facilities planning through the Facilities Master Plan and goals such as defining the campus perimeters and reducing deferred maintenance evidence the strong physical base on which our university will build in coming years. The recent Task Force on Restructuring demonstrates how the university responds to internal needs through such actions as creation of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies position and the initiative to establish the First Year Experience Program.

St. Cloud State University also prepares for the future by collecting information from a wide array of sources and developing a “consultative culture.” Collective bargaining meet-and-confers, consultation with student government, Town Hall meetings, various sources of data reflecting current trends, and involvement in a community network all contribute to that culture. At all levels, including the MnSCU system, the processing and application of information informs strategic planning. The university increases its global role, reinforcing and expanding international studies, both by bringing students from other countries to study here and by sending students to study abroad. These are some of the most significant ways in which we strive toward our mission of excellence now and in the future.

Initiatives in Progress: The university has worked and will continue to work at providing more and better data. With better data, the university will improve its decision-making by facilitating more efficient linkages between the strategic plan and budgeting.

Future Challenges: Demographic changes will challenge the university’s ability to meet its enrollment goals; however, through improved advising and retention initiatives, the university will continue to make progress in this area. An increasing number of faculty retirements along with a national shortage of faculty in several disciplines will make hiring new faculty difficult. Declining state support for higher education will challenge the university to find alternative sources of revenue.