Summary of Criterion Four
Consistent with its mission to promote and achieve “excellence in teaching, learning…scholarship” and global education, St. Cloud State University is a learning-focused organization, providing strong institutional support in the form of policies, financial and human resources, infrastructure, and campus culture for a life of learning for our faculty, administration, staff, and students. In keeping with our role as a comprehensive state university, St. Cloud State University defines scholarship broadly and values it in all its forms—discovery, integration, application, and teaching. Inquiry and creativity, applied scholarship, and social responsibility are not only supported by the institution, but are also integral to the life of the university, as demonstrated by the professional activity and achievements of faculty and staff in continuing professional development and in both basic and applied research; by curricular currency and breadth; by student participation in research and applied learning; by multiple opportunities for practical, global, diverse, and technological education; and by commitments to academic integrity and responsible scholarship.
As a connected organization, St. Cloud State University demonstrates an outstanding capacity for learning through service and collaboration. From student organizations and co-curricular activities, internship opportunities, service-learning projects, pre-professional experiences, international study and participation in applied research collaborations with external constituents, students enjoy a wealth of opportunities for applied learning. From the First Year Experience to a range of interdisciplinary graduate programs, St. Cloud State University provides a broad spectrum of scholarly collaborations and cross-disciplinary interactions. These multi-disciplinary activities significantly contribute to the breadth of St. Cloud State University’s life of learning.
St. Cloud State University is a distinctive organization in the clear focus of our mission on a life of learning, in our strong support for global education and diversity, in our commitment to assessment and continuing improvement, and in our demonstrated capacity for the kind of self-reflection represented in this report.
As a future-oriented organization, St. Cloud State University focuses on the future of its constituents through ongoing program review designed to provide high-quality, current, relevant, and broadly applicable educational experiences for our students and through substantial support for continued professional development for faculty and staff. Faculty members are engaged in cutting edge scholarship and development of programs in emerging fields.
We also demonstrate our focus on the future and commitment to program review and continuous improvement in a life of learning by our current initiatives in progress: to improve budgetary decision-making in support of scholarship and learning, to improve the quality of students’ first year experience, to revamp the General Education program, to develop comprehensive assessment plans, and to uphold responsible and ethical standards in research and scholarship. Through reflection and self-study, St. Cloud State University has also identified significant future challenges in the quality of the life of learning it provides. Among the most important of these future needs are increased support for faculty scholarship through equitable work reassignment and sabbatical awards; improvement of budget processes in support of research and creative activity; improved processes for public recognition of student, faculty, and staff achievement; revision of General Education; improved processes of data collection from employers, external agencies, alumni, etc., to ensure effective institutional outreach and responsiveness; development of infrastructure for use of assessment data for continuous program improvement; development of five-year bachelor’s to master’s programs and applied doctorates based on demonstrated external need; increased diversity in campus demographics, including more support for non-traditional students; expanded opportunities for international and study-abroad experiences; and improved animal welfare facilities/policies.
