New Mexico State University

Review Draft

Strategic Plan: 1998-2002

October 1, 1997

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Basic Planning Assumptions
• Mission
• NMSU's Strengths and Weaknesses
• Strategic Directions
  1. Creating a Student-Centered Learning Community
  2. Preparing for the 21st Century
  3. Emphasizing Distinctive Academic Opportunities
  4. Enhancing NMSU's Sense of Community
  5. Renewing NMSU's Capacity for Change
• Implementing Change
• Conclusion

• Appendix A - Feedback Mechanisms for Review Draft
• Appendix B - Membership of Planning Committees
• Appendix C - Recommendations for Institutional Program Actions
• Appendic D - Recommended Changes in Academic Department Structure
• Appendix E - Estimated Cost Implications of Draft Plan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

New Mexico State University's Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) is pleased to present the attached DRAFT strategic plan for comment and additional input from the university community. The draft plan is not THE plan but a working document that will be revised after much open discussion and comment.

The draft plan calls for significant changes in NMSU's academic programs, support services and administration. Yet the draft plan is neither a critique of the past nor an assignment of blame. The NMSU community can be justifiably proud of its heritage and past accomplishments. The draft plan is based on two fundamental premises: first, that even a strong institution of higher education can become better, and second, that the rapid pace of demographic, social, economic and technological change mandates that all institutions of higher education respond to new external and internal environments. The overriding goal of the draft plan is to make NMSU stronger academically and more intellectually exciting, user-friendly and efficient.

The draft plan draws on NMSU's traditional strengths and confronts the institution's principal weaknesses. The core of the plan is found in five strategic directions. The first strategic direction, titled "Creating a Student-Centered Learning Community," is designed to enhance NMSU's student-oriented learning programs by better coordinating all services for students and providing additional services to support student success. The second strategic direction is titled "Preparing for the 21^st Century" and addresses NMSU's need to respond to dramatic social, economic and technological forces by enhancing and coordinating our information resources and technology and increasing the emphasis on international and multicultural educational opportunities. The third strategic direction is titled "Emphasizing Distinctive Academic Opportunities" and is designed to strengthen NMSU's academic programs and enhance multidisciplinary academic activity. The fourth strategic direction is to "Enhance NMSU's Sense of Community" both internally and externally by increasing communication, emphasizing customer-friendliness, and improving external community relations and services. The fifth and final strategic direction is titled "Renewing NMSU's Capacity for Change." This strategic direction is designed to redirect our energy and resources toward our primary mission of teaching, research, extension education, and service by streamlining administrative functions and basing future program and budget decisions on our institutional priorities.

The SPC solicits and welcomes your comments, suggestions and criticisms. Appendix A of the draft plan contains a list of ways for the university community and the general public to have their voices heard before the committee meets in November to revise the plan. We look forward to a debate governed by thoughtful consideration of diverse viewpoints and a collegiality and respect for others. Strengthening the institution should take precedence over individual needs and desires.

INTRODUCTION:

New Mexico State University's Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) is pleased to present this DRAFT Strategic Plan to the university community and the people of New Mexico. The word "draft" can not be emphasized too strongly. We actively solicit comments and criticism of the draft and we have established a number of mechanisms (described in Appendix A) for comment and dialogue by members of the university community and the general public. After everyone has had an opportunity to comment on the draft plan, the SPC will convene to produce a "final" version of NMSU's first strategic plan to be presented to the university community, the President and the Board of Regents.

Strategic planning is a process by which NMSU can take charge of its future by asking the question "Where do we as a university want to go in the next five years?" and answering it in light of opportunities we see on the horizon and existing university strengths. The purpose of this strategic planning process is to provide a framework within which the university community and its external stakeholders can exercise their shared responsibility for shaping NMSU's future.

The SPC has strived to develop a plan that reflects both the need for change at NMSU and a commitment to build on our considerable university strengths. This is a comprehensive plan that anticipates an exciting next five years at NMSU. In it we have made difficult choices, which is a critical part of priority-setting. The recommendations in the plan are interdependent and can be achieved only if we address them as a cohesive package. Planning is a process of streamlining as well as enhancing. In a time of significant resource constraints, funding our highest priorities requires us to reduce or eliminate activities that may be of lower priority, less cost-effective, or less central to our land-grant mission.

NMSU's strategic planning process has actively engaged hundreds of people including faculty, students, administrators, staff and the general public over the last year. A Plan to Plan Committee was appointed in Spring 1996 and recommended the creation of the Strategic Planning Committee, which was appointed on October 31, 1996. Thirteen sub-committees worked diligently to develop background information and recommendations for the SPC. The subcommittee reports have been available for review and comment by the university community since June 1997. The Executive Review Board provided valuable counsel to the SPC. (The membership of the SPC, the SPC subcommittees and the Executive Review Board are listed in Appendix B.) Dr. Robert Shirley, formerly President of the University of Southern Colorado and a nationally respected expert on strategic planning in higher education, served admirably as a consultant to this process.

Three major outcomes are anticipated from the strategic planning process: 1) an institutional plan to guide NMSU's actions for the five-year transitional period from the 20^th to the 21^st century; 2) increased communication and discussions across the university community and broad participation in institutional priority-setting and the subsequent choice-making that carries out those priorities; and 3) the development of an ongoing planning and priority-setting process and a collaborative organizational culture.

The contents of the strategic plan are as follows. We begin with the fundamental assumptions guiding the strategic planning process, followed by a revised mission statement for NMSU that emphasizes our particular institutional strengths. An assessment of NMSU's current strengths and weaknesses follows. Next we present the core of the strategic plan, five strategic directions devised to capitalize on NMSU's mission, values and unique opportunities, followed by action steps designed to carry out these strategic directions. We close with recommendations for implementing change and responding to future challenges.

1. BASIC PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS:

The fundamental assumptions that guided the development of New Mexico State University's first strategic plan were derived from the reports of the thirteen strategic planning subcommittees, additional comments from the broader university community, and the independent judgment of the SPC.

First, NMSU will continue to be a comprehensive public teaching and research university with the commitment of a land-grant institution to advance and share knowledge and extend programs and services that respond to the needs of New Mexico and its citizens. NMSU's mission is elaborated more fully in the following section.

Second, NMSU's primary student clientele are New Mexicans. State demographic and economic trends suggest that NMSU's student population will be increasingly diverse in terms of age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. These trends also indicate relatively stable student demand for NMSU's educational services during the next few years.

Third, NMSU has achieved a reputation for providing high-quality teaching, research, service and extension education programs with a consistently lean budget. The university budget is unlikely to increase substantially over the next few years. The condition of the New Mexico economy, a small tax base, increasing competition from other sectors for a share of the state budget, public resistance to tax increases, real limits on students' ability to absorb tuition increases, and reductions in federal research expenditures all point toward limited inflation-adjusted increases in NMSU's major sources of funding. Therefore, the judicious use of internal resources, including reallocation, is critical to NMSU's financial health and the quality of its academic programs.

Fourth, NMSU, like most institutions of higher education, will continue to face demands from the public for accountability through regulations, information-sharing requirements and other measures intended to demonstrate our effectiveness in managing our resources for the public good.

Fifth, the rapid pace of technological change, particularly changes in information and communications technology, will profoundly affect how NMSU fulfills its teaching, research and service missions.

Sixth, the people of New Mexico live in an increasingly global environment and NMSU must have an international outlook in fulfilling its teaching, research and service responsibilities.

2. MISSION:

NMSU's mission statement emphasizes our land-grant traditions, our institutional strengths and our values:

New Mexico State University strives to become an exemplar among land-grant universities through excellence in teaching, research, extension education, and service to the citizens of New Mexico, with special emphasis on preserving the state's multicultural heritage. New Mexico State University's unique geographic location, heritage and intellectual history provide a natural focus that is intercultural and international. Consistent with its land-grant heritage, New Mexico State University strives to increase its prominence as an agent of economic, social and technological progress in New Mexico and the United States-Mexico border region. Our goal is to enact these mandates in a student-centered community of learner-scholars that is characterized by challenge, intellectual excitement, openness and accountability.

New Mexico State University's first responsibility is to provide high-quality education to a diverse student body. Its educational mission will be characterized by active learning, with emphases on learning-to-learn, critical thinking and the students' quality of life. High-quality fundamental and applied research, scholarly programs and creative activity are the vital underpinning of academic excellence at NMSU. As a land-grant university, New Mexico State has the principal responsibility to serve the people of New Mexico through practical education, university-community interaction and lifelong learning opportunities. Thus, critical interconnections exist among New Mexico State University's teaching, research, extension education and service responsibilities.

3. NMSU'S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES:

NMSU can accomplish this mission by focusing and building on its strengths and land-grant traditions:

• a multicultural environment with close ties and proximity to the U.S. border with Mexico;



• an advanced technological environment due in large part to the research expertise and research advances of New Mexico's research universities, national laboratories and testing facilities;



• a reputation and success in research and creative activity almost unheard of for a public institution of our size;



• an array of academic programs that provide high-quality education and good value;



• strong statewide support, which has made us the statewide university in New Mexico, attracting students from all counties of the state and extending our programs, research and extension activities to respond to citizen needs in every corner of New Mexico;



• an emphasis on student hands-on experience through cooperative education, internships, participation in research and other work experiences; and



• dedicated faculty and staff with wide-ranging expertise who are eager for the opportunity to work together in building NMSU's future.

We also must admit to our weaknesses and address them head-on. Some of these relate to resources and cannot be solved by NMSU alone. These include needs for:

• more competitive faculty and staff salaries;



• more competitive levels of technology and information resources;



• additional support for students struggling to meet increasing costs; and,



• improvements in existing facilities and infrastructure.

In addition, weaknesses have been identified which only NMSU itself can remedy. These were raised repeatedly during the planning process and cannot be ignored if we are to carry out our mission. NMSU's present weaknesses include:

• lack of a clearly-defined institutional image or sense of direction internally or externally. This deficiency affects NMSU's ability to project its distinctive strengths and diminishes the general appeal of the institution as well as decreasing student recruitment, employee enthusiasm, community and state support, and private fund-raising.



• a reward structure that contributes to a lack of cooperation within the decentralized confederation of colleges, inhibits the realization of common university goals, creates unnecessary duplication and a diffusion of effort, and limits the sense of collegiality across campus.



• a failure to provide the full range of services necessary to support students as they learn to make effective choices in their personal, educational and career lives. This is accompanied by administrative barriers impeding student enrollment and progress.



• inadequate recruitment and maintenance of a diverse faculty and staff to provide the sensitivities and perspectives needed to support an increasingly diverse student population.



• lack of a sense of challenge and intellectual excitement in the university community.



• inadequate development of the library resources, computing/networking support and programmatic focuses on internationalism that are needed for preparing the leaders of the next century.



• ineffective organizational structure and processes that need revising to build a sense of community and the opportunity to come together to solve problems and achieve priorities.



• underdeveloped institutional advancement and fund-raising programs.



• an inadequate university presence in the local community. As a land-grant institution we should recognize our obligations to share our intellectual, technological, cultural and recreational resources with our community and region.

4. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS:

Strategic directions are created from a careful assessment of an institution's mission, values, current strengths and weaknesses, and external environment. They furnish a framework for the future unique to the institution.

The central focus of NMSU's first strategic plan is on five interconnected strategic directions designed to capitalize on the university's unique mission, values, and strengths and to make it stronger and more responsive. (1) NMSU's first responsibility is to its students. For this reason our highest priority is to create a student-centered learning community designed to enhance significantly our students' on-campus experience. (2) Our second strategic direction is mandated by the rapid pace of technological change, the internationalization of the world economy, changes in social and demographic conditions, and the multidisciplinary nature of the creation of knowledge. This strategic direction is designed to prepare us for the 21st century. (3) Our third strategic direction exploits existing strengths and creates new programs that capitalize on NMSU's distinctive academic opportunities. (4) Our fourth strategic direction is to enhance NMSU's sense of community through increased communication, participation, decision-making and consumer orientation. (5) Our fifth strategic direction is to renew NMSU's capacity for change through a reassessment of our administrative functions and structure, a necessary condition for achieving the first four strategic directions.

4.1 Creating a Student-Centered Learning Community

The entire NMSU student experience should take place in a supportive environment that enhances students' personal, educational and career choices and nourishes students' sense of personal responsibility for their own educational outcomes. NMSU must foster a friendly, caring environment that minimizes institutional barriers to student learning. Advising and student support services must be readily available and coordinated, with a student focus rather than a department focus. In addition, NMSU must enhance efforts to retain students. Closer coordination of academic and student services in support of the whole student will improve the likelihood of student persistence.

NMSU must instill in its students a lifelong commitment to learning. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the workplace, students must be equipped with critical thinking skills necessary to adapt and even thrive when faced with change. Students need self-directed learning skills that can be acquired only through a learning environment focused on critical thinking, learning to learn, and problem-solving.

The special needs of minority students, nontraditional students and first-generation students must be identified and met. NMSU must renew efforts to attract a diverse and high- quality student population. Attracting and retaining a diverse student body will be enhanced by the presence of an increasingly diverse faculty, administration and staff; by increased minority student services to complement other student support services on campus; and by ensuring Spanish-speaking staff members are available in all offices serving new students and their parents.

Many talented New Mexico students attend college outside the state. One of our recruiting goals should be to attract these students. To do so we must ensure that our undergraduate and graduate programs are rigorous and intellectually exciting.

Action Steps to Create a Student-Centered Learning Community:

To create a challenging but welcoming learning environment for undergraduate and graduate students, we recommend the following actions:

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES FOR STUDENTS

• Provide stronger coordination of all institutional support services for students (including admissions, registration/records, financial aid, veterans' affairs, new student orientation, American Indian Programs, Black Programs, Chicano Programs, disability support services) by combining these offices under a single administrative unit to ensure policy consistency, efficient service and more effective sharing of information with academic units. Locate these services and the new services described below in a central location on campus.
• Provide flexible and extended hours for educational and student support services so they are available when students need them.



• Prepare and make available advising materials regarding general education requirements, academic support services and other information common to all students, faculty and staff advisors. All advisors should receive annual orientation and information updates.



• Develop a web-based degree audit system available to students and all advisors so students can plan their academic programs, monitor progress toward their degrees, and take responsibility for making their educational choices.



• Implement the program- and unit-specific recommendations found in Appendix C, III.

SERVICES FOR NEW STUDENTS

• Create a one-stop Student Information Center. This center will provide extended hours as well as round-the-clock assistance by phone and will be staffed by individuals familiar with NMSU and trained in information access. Students in need of information on nonacademic issues (such as student organizations, counseling, health problems) or academic issues (such as changing a major, seeking information regarding enrollment procedures or graduate school, problems with computer access) will be able to drop in and get help in the form of information, assistance with procedures, or direct referrals to appropriate units.



• Initiate Student Help Days: The student information center will coordinate student help days to meet the beginning-of-semester registration, scheduling and general information needs of students. Help agents, including representatives from every college and such offices as the registrar, financial aid, and student employment, will be available.



• Create a University Center for first-year and other students with undeclared majors, nontraditional or returning students, foreign students, and first-time transfer students. These students need focused attention and services as they enter NMSU. A special center will give these students a "home" and provide them with proactive monitoring and needed services. This center will work closely with offices involved in recruitment and admission, so new NMSU students will have a seamless transition from first contact with NMSU to the beginning of their second year or their selection of a major department.

The University Center will provide extensive orientation programs for students new to the NMSU campus. These programs will include traditional academic advising and introductions to the wide range of student service programs, including career counseling, financial aid, tutoring, and student life programs.

• The center will develop a first-year mentoring program for all new students with upperclass-student, staff and faculty mentors. The University Center, as well as the students' mentors, will maintain regular contact with all first-year students and monitor and support their progress.



• Create a new academic Crimson Scholars Program that encompasses and enlarges the current Crimson Scholars Program and the current Honors Program to provide vastly expanded academic programming to challenge the intellectual growth of superior students. Create a large array of general education and elective Crimson Scholar courses that provide greater opportunities for students to take seminar-style courses and research and readings courses, and to individualize their programs of study to meet their individual goals. This enhanced scholars program also should allow undergraduate students to apply for research funds to conduct research or engage in creative activities. Participants in the program should have special privileges, including the use of a reserved computer cluster, registration priorities, library privileges, specific dorm facilities, and preferential hiring for campus jobs. College and departmental honor societies should be tied to this program.



• Develop a recruiting focus to attract New Mexico's best high school graduates into the Scholars program. Colleges, admissions and minority program offices should be involved in the recruitment and retention of students in this program.

GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICES

• Waive tuition for all state-funded graduate assistantships to strengthen our graduate recruiting efforts.



• Enhance support services for graduate students under the auspices of the Graduate School to include: (1) an expanded graduate student orientation for all graduate students, and (2) mandatory and expanded university-wide training for graduate students who will be serving as teaching assistants in the classroom.

• Develop an endowment fund to support the unique research expenses of graduate students working on theses and dissertations.



• Create social and meeting rooms designated for graduate students. Encourage more participation in annual university-wide research fairs and interdisciplinary brown bag seminars for graduate students to present their work to other graduate students and faculty members.

LEARNING EMPHASES

• Ensure that all students have access to courses stressing active learning. Develop courses in which lower-division students work with faculty members in collaborative research, and develop more opportunities for upper-division and graduate students to conduct independent research or creative work. Encourage faculty members to create peer-taught classes in which students hold primary responsibility for learning. Further strengthen our emphasis on hands-on learning by encouraging departments to require service learning experiences (e.g., completing a co-op, internship, fieldwork, practicum) for each student.

INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

• Make intercollegiate athletics an integral part of the campus community, rather than a quasi-independent operating unit. Priorities and program decisions regarding athletics should be made as a part of the overall priority-setting process at NMSU. NMSU intercollegiate athletics has the potential to serve as a pivot point in establishing school spirit and a sense of community internally and externally.



• Ensure increased accountability through the establishment of an on-going, university-wide committee that continuously reviews the operation of all athletic programs. This committee would: a) Investigate and sanction any sport that does not meet the following standards at NMSU: graduation rates at least equal to the general student-body average; maintenance of positive image in internal and external communities; maintenance of NCAA Division I attendance standards; adherence to a balanced budget; no probation or other external disciplinary actions; creation of a positive atmosphere with broad consumer appeal at all athletic events. Any sport not meeting these standards does not serve the needs of our student-athletes, our overall student body, the university or the surrounding community, and must be brought to standard or considered for elimination. b) Determine the expected level of competitiveness for our athletic teams within the context of overall NMSU priorities. These expectations should be communicated clearly to both our athletes and our internal and external NMSU communities. If available resources are not adequate to meet current expectations of competitiveness, the issue of changing division status should be addressed. c) Consider the addition of other team sports to be funded within existing financial constraints.



• Implement the program-specific recommendations found in Appendix C, II.

4.2 Preparing for the 21st Century

Universities conduct the scholarly activities of teaching, research and service within an ever-changing external environment. At no time in history have the changes been so rapid and extensive as in the second half of the twentieth century, and there is every indication that the pace of change will accelerate as we enter the next century. Rapid changes in communications and computing technology already have had a substantial impact on our daily lives as students, faculty members and staff. It is not possible to predict where the changes in information and computing technology will take us over the next five years. It is, however, possible to predict with reasonable certainty that NMSU must, as an institution, be technologically competitive.

In addition, the world is characterized by the increasing globalization of economies and cultures. At NMSU exposure to global diversity and the resulting intellectual stimulation should be a daily occurrence. NMSU must have an international outlook in its teaching, research and service activities. We must produce globally-competent, life-long learners able to understand the interdependence of societies and cultures and demonstrate appreciation for differing values and perspectives. To succeed in this effort, faculty members, staff and administrators must be internationally competent.

Our students also enter a world characterized by diversity. The United States and particularly its border states are experiencing significant social and demographic changes. The ethnic and cultural base of NMSU's constituency is rapidly changing and we must be certain that these changes are reflected in diversity within the university. Much of NMSU's special identity lies in its multiculturalism.

Finally, the creation of knowledge and the sense of intellectual excitement are found increasingly at the boundaries between disciplines. NMSU must actively encourage multidisciplinary collaboration in teaching, research and service.

Technological change, globalization, New Mexico's ethnic and cultural diversity, and the multidisciplinary nature of new knowledge should not be considered in isolation. The fact that these trends are closely connected parts of the modern world intensifies the need for NMSU to prepare for the 21st century. The urgency of preparing for rapid change at NMSU is evident in the condition of the state economy and the income levels of the people of New Mexico. Clearly, New Mexico's future development depends on its ability to compete in this world-wide arena and on the skills of its future leaders.

The university must respond to the current job market by reassessing the educational process. We must teach students to be problem solvers and life-long learners as well as to be flexible and to be good communicators and listeners. These skills will help students respond to an economic and social climate characterized by a high degree of change.

Action Steps for Preparing for the 21st Century:

INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY ACTION STEPS

• Make the development and coordination of NMSU's information resources and technology (including the library and computing/networking) among the university's highest priorities. Enhance the ability of these components to respond to the needs of the campus community by focusing on the provision of integrated state-of-the-art information resources (e.g., electronic databases, electronic information resources for collections, on-line information resources, financial management systems, student record systems, human resource management systems, grant management systems).



• Combine the library, computing and networking, telecommunications, printing and instructional support services to provide for integrated development of NMSU's information resources and technology.



• Design, adopt, and implement a distance education policy within a year from the adoption of this plan. This policy should ensure that, when our delivery goes "high tech," our focus remains "high touch." This policy should be based on the following general principles. (1) NMSU's primary educational obligation is to its on-campus students. (2) All NMSU distance education programs must be based on genuine educational needs. Specifically, NMSU will not engage in distance education programs in which the primary purpose is to generate revenue. (3) All NMSU distance education programs will maintain high standards of scholarship and quality. (4) Course offerings and quality standards shall be under faculty control, with faculty senate approval for new courses, as is mandated for on-campus courses. (5) The distance education policy will encompass all forms of off-campus educational programs including, but not limited to, televised courses, computer-based (Internet) courses, and faculty teaching off-campus.



• Make completing and upgrading of the on-campus computing and communications network (NMSU-NET) a high priority. In a 21st-century communications system, faculty, staff and students must have universal access to networked communications and information.

INTERNATIONALIZATION ACTION STEPS

• Encourage foreign language and multicultural coursework. The internationalization of the world economy and culture mandate that our students become globally-competent learners. Among other necessary skills, globally-competent learning is greatly facilitated by knowledge of a foreign language. NMSU will adopt a policy encouraging all programs to require students (undergraduate and graduate) to demonstrate competence in a foreign language equivalent to a one- or two-year college-level sequence of courses or complete four courses with multicultural content.



• Enhance international opportunities for students. A remarkable variety of international educational opportunities are available, including study-abroad programs, short courses, intensive foreign language courses, internships with international organizations and businesses, and NMSU courses involving international travel. NMSU will ensure that all students become aware of international study and work opportunities by (1) maintaining a web-based database of international options, (2) making certain that student orientation programs present such opportunities, (3) ensuring that academic advisors are aware of and encourage international opportunities, (4) providing counseling on funding alternatives, and (5) increasing the number of active exchange programs with non-U.S. universities.



• Involve foreign students in internationalization efforts. NMSU's foreign student population constitutes an extremely valuable, low-cost, but largely untapped internationalization asset. NMSU's foreign students bring to campus a wealth of knowledge about their home countries, languages, economies and cultures. NMSU will develop a systematic program that simultaneously increases domestic (U.S.) students' knowledge of other nations and enriches the educational experience of foreign students. Among the possibilities are direct one-on-one mentoring relationships between domestic and foreign students, programs to provide two-way language tutoring, and an increased number of international cultural events and presentations on campus.

MULTICULTURAL AND DIVERSITY ACTION STEPS

• Institute cultural diversity training for all faculty and staff. In a world of increased face-to-face contact, all members of the academic community need to develop higher levels of intercultural competence through awareness of the ethnic and cultural characteristics of others. We cannot hope to prepare our students for the increasingly high levels of intercultural contact they will experience if we do not maximize first our own intercultural interaction skills.



• Mirror the great cultural diversity of our state and student population in our course offerings. We must increase the scope of multicultural education across the curriculum to better prepare all students to live in an increasingly diverse society. NMSU will increase the number of courses directed at Southwest and border studies, consistent with new academic directions proposed in the next section. In addition, we will incorporate information on cultural diversity to make as many courses as possible multicultural in nature.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTION STEP

• Make the teaching of multidisciplinary courses a high priority. Encourage each academic department to have at least one faculty member teach a multidisciplinary course every year and encourage the exchange of faculty between departments. Cross-college multidisciplinary courses are to be especially valued. The resulting cross-fertilization of ideas will stimulate new thinking about old problems, encourage multidisciplinary research programs, lead to exciting new teaching methods, and add to the general atmosphere of intellectual excitement on campus.

4.3 Emphasizing Distinctive Academic Opportunities

CREATING NEW ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

To promote institutional vitality--the sense of challenge and excitement shared by faculty, staff, and students alike--academic institutions need to identify and nurture the characteristics that distinguish them from others. These characteristics ideally both provide an academic niche that no other institution can fill and match the needs of the clientele served by the institution. As reflected in its mission statement, NMSU's geographic location, cultural heritage and intellectual history provide a natural focus that is multicultural and international.

We propose to highlight and strengthen NMSU's distinctive academic opportunities through the creation of three multidisciplinary units that showcase our cultural, geographic and intellectual expertise. Our intention is to cement NMSU's premiere scholarly position in this geographic and cultural area by engaging talented faculty members and students from throughout the NMSU community and attracting new faculty members and students with these areas of interest and expertise.

To this end, NMSU will create a Center for Southwest and Border Studies, an Institute for Sustainable Development of Arid Lands, and a Center for Computational Studies. The Centers and Institute will provide opportunities to combine resources and expertise found across colleges and departments and will provide national and international recognition to NMSU's unique academic assets.

The two Centers and the Institute will provide significant opportunities for university-wide interdisciplinary participation by encouraging and rewarding faculty members who engage in teaching, research, and service in these three broad areas. The Centers and Institute will encourage curriculum development, serve as a resource and coordinating agency for faculty members and staff seeking research funding, and work with the library to enhance significantly the library's collections. They will promote hiring faculty members with an active interest in these and related areas and will work closely with NMSU's communications efforts and with each other to enhance NMSU's image in these arenas.

Action Steps to Create New Academic Opportunities:

CENTER FOR SOUTHWEST AND BORDER STUDIES

The new Center for Southwest and Border Studies will enhance NMSU's position as a leading institution in teaching, research and service related to cultural, social, economic, political, environmental and other issues affecting the Southwestern U.S. and the United States-Mexico border region. The Center is a natural outgrowth of NMSU's mission statement, which stresses the importance of our geographic location, intellectual history and natural focus on multicultural and international issues. The Center will provide significant opportunities for university-wide participation and maintain close ties with the Center for International Programs, the Latin American Studies Program, the Center for Conflict Resolution, and other related university units.

NMSU's distinctive academic opportunities in the areas of Southwest and border studies will also be highlighted and enhanced by the strengthening of NMSU's academic programming in ethnic and women's studies. The ethnic and women's academic programs will be closely tied to the Center for Southwest and Border Studies and will encourage faculty hiring and collaboration on ethnic/women's studies research and community projects relative to the Southwest/border area. The focuses of the Center will include the border's history and cultures; environmental conditions; international business; grass-roots activism; multicultural education; engineering and business applications to maquiladoras; border social and educational problems; and the political dynamics of diversity and pluralism.

INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ARID LANDS

A new Institute for Sustainable Development of Arid Lands will be dedicated to the development of interdisciplinary programs which seek to understand and manage sustainable agriculture and natural resources in arid regions. The Institute's teaching, research and extension programs will emphasize a systems approach to problem-solving and bring together scientists from a range of disciplines to address the often-conflicting issues and challenges of environment and production in a fragile physical setting. The Institute starts from a position of strength--NMSU's existing agricultural teaching, research and extension programs and its land-grant tradition of responsiveness to area needs, as well as its strengths in engineering and natural sciences. Multidisciplinary, systems-oriented research and educational emphases of the Institute are likely to include heat- and drought-tolerant plants; plant genetics; plant improvement and protection; remote sensing and geographical information systems; soil, plant and animal interactions; water supply, quality and management, including economic, legal and technological aspects; hydrology; weed and brush management; diffusion and marketing of technology; the potential of arid lands to meet world food production; environmental protection and education; and ecologically-sound border development.

The Institute will promote collaboration among scientists throughout the university as well as with other institutions and agencies, particularly through NMSU's participation in the Southwest Consortium for Plant Genetics and Water Resources and the International Arid Lands Consortium, both of which bring research expertise and advances together in meeting regional and world needs. The Institute will be housed in the Center for Sustainable Development of Arid Lands soon to be under construction.

CENTER FOR COMPUTATIONAL STUDIES

A new Center for Computational Studies will be created as an interdisciplinary focal point for programs related to computer and computational studies. The use of computers in science, manufacturing, engineering, business, human services and education has become pervasive. Advances in semiconductor physics, electronics, and an intensely competitive computer market have resulted in desktop computers that have the power of the mainframes of just a few years ago at a fraction of the cost. However, the efficient use of the raw computational resources depends on software tools and applications that are user-friendly while at the same time bringing the full capability of the computer hardware to bear on a given problem. The Center for Computational Studies will provide a focus for research in these critical areas and a program of study for students seeking to specialize in some aspect of computational studies. It will build upon existing NMSU expertise and collaborations, such as parallel and supercomputing, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, data bases and visualization. The Center will be strengthened through the inclusion of the Computing Research Laboratory (CRL) and its related research.

The Center will allow NMSU to play a pivotal role for the state's national laboratories and testing facilities involved in computational science and engineering, for local industries that are using increasingly advanced computation to reduce the time of product design and development and other applications. The creation of this Center can make our region more competitive in attracting businesses requiring graduates and expertise in computational technology and information systems.

STRENGTHENING CURRENT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

NMSU's current academic programs are underfunded. We have genuine academic needs that are not being met. We commonly assume that the solution to our financial problems lies in increased funding from the state, federal and private sectors, and a reallocation from resources currently used for administration. The limited potential for new resources and the continuing need for administrative services renders these solutions incomplete. In difficult financial times we must be willing to assess our academic strengths and weaknesses. We must ask four questions: Does each of our academic programs meet a reasonable standard of quality and demand? Is each program central to our mission? And, particularly where the answer to one of these questions is "no," we must ask: Can restructuring our current programs better serve student needs? Is each of our academic programs essential?

All of NMSU's current academic programs were reviewed with our mission, current strengths, academic values, and competitive advantages in mind. The assumptions that guided our review and our recommendations were that we must promote program excellence; encourage high-quality programs that capitalize on our locational and multicultural advantages; and redeploy assets that are underutilized by our students.

Action Steps to Strengthen Current Academic Programs

• Provide equitable access for faculty in all colleges to instructional and research support services.



• Implement the program- and department-specific recommendations found in Appendix C, I. A summary of recommended departmental changes can be found in Appendix D. In total, these recommendations result in the reduction in the number of departments from 57 to 48 and the elimination of one doctoral program (Ph.D. in Business Administration) and four bachelor's programs (B.S.--City and Regional Planning, B.A.--Philosophy, B.S. in Agricultural Engineering, B.S. in Medical Technology). In addition, it is recommended that all associate's programs be moved to the branch campuses. Modifications have been recommended for other departments and programs to strengthen our continuing programs. Our recommendations are based on the following principles:

All programs to be offered at NMSU must rate high on at least one of the primary review criteria: quality, centrality to mission or need (student demand, employer demand, locational or comparative advantage).

All associate degree programs should be moved to the branch campuses. These are important programs to respond to student and employer needs but are not central to our mission. A Carnegie I research university should focus on baccalaureate and graduate education.

Ph.D. programs at NMSU must demonstrate high-quality research and publication efforts across program faculty. Employer demand and placement of graduates should be high.

Some programs with limited resources, a small faculty or fragmented offerings can be strengthened by reconfiguration or consolidation with similar programs.

Some programs with low student demand should drop the program major and reallocate resources to increase offerings for students across the university, thus increasing overall student access to the discipline.

Quality programs with disproportionately high student/teacher ratios must be enhanced to maintain quality and serve student needs.

• Maintain an ongoing cycle of program review to enhance our existing excellent and strong programs, examine and reduce duplicative academic offerings which are inefficient and costly for the university, and examine new course and program proposals for both need and possible duplication.

STRENGTHENING NMSU'S RESEARCH EFFORTS

Research, both funded and unfunded, is a critical component of NMSU's land-grant mission. Research efforts enhance the national reputation of the university and the sense of intellectual excitement on campus. Research grants are a major source of financial support for both graduate and undergraduate students. NMSU's research efforts also make substantial contributions to state and regional economic development. Providing adequate support for NMSU's research efforts is a high priority, and this plan emphasizes the role of research in strengthening our academic programs. It also emphasizes focusing both new program development and research efforts on our existing program strengths. Many parts of this plan directly impact NMSU's research efforts. In addition, we recommend the following specific actions.

Action Steps to Strengthen Research

• Encourage multidisciplinary research efforts, particularly across colleges, by removing administrative obstacles to such research. In particular, adopt a uniform policy for the distribution of overhead funds (described below) and provide a central administrative home for multidisciplinary, funded research programs (also described below).



• Adopt a uniform policy for the distribution of overhead funds based on the following principles: (1) A portion of overhead funds should be used to support central research infrastructure needs (e.g., the library, computing and networking services, and other administrative services); (2) A portion of overhead funds should be used to support multidisciplinary research efforts; (3) A portion of overhead funds should be returned to the academic colleges to support specialized infrastructure needs and new research initiatives; (4) A specific share of funds returned to the academic colleges should be allocated to departments on the basis of faculty contributions to research; (5) A specific share of overhead funds should be allocated to principal investigators to support their own research.



• A small, efficient and user-friendly central office is needed to protect the university from research-related liability issues, perform functions common to all colleges and research units (to avoid duplication) and provide an administrative home for multidisciplinary, cross-college research efforts.



• Eliminate the Plant Genetics Engineering Laboratory (PGEL). The overhead funds now spent supporting PGEL could be used more productively elsewhere.



• Encourage more publications by faculty and students in nationally and internationally recognized scholarly journals. Each department-level strategic plan should clearly delineate expected publication guidelines for promotion and tenure.



• Integrate the Physical Science Laboratory (PSL) more closely with NMSU's academic programs and faculty and investigate alternative organizational forms for PSL, including nonprofit corporation status.



• Recognize the importance of faculty research that is not externally funded by enhancing and centralizing the mini-grant programs currently within each college. This new mini-grant program could be administered by the Graduate School, eliminating the need for duplicative administrative chores currently performed by the individual colleges.



• Re-institute a campus-wide research speaker series to inform the university community of the on-going research (funded and unfunded) conducted by faculty.

4.4 Enhancing NMSU's Sense of Community

Centralized decision-making, feelings of disenfranchisement, lack of information on policies and priorities, internal competition, and low identification with the institution as a whole have been identified as existing problems. These conditions hamper efforts to create a strong and dedicated community of learner-scholars who identify with NMSU and who work together to create an effective and desirable learning environment for students and employees.

To remedy these problems, two major changes must occur within the university. First, any aspects of academic planning or decision-making that foster conflict among academic units need to be modified to reinforce the message that we are all part of a single institution with a common mission and direction. The boundaries of our learning community need to become more fluid even as we maintain the rigor of the disciplines and the quality of our services. Allocation of funds should promote cooperation in achieving university-wide strategic goals. Structural changes should increase coordination and reduce conflict and redundancy. Institutional policy should be enforced consistently.

Second, NMSU should exemplify institutional democracy. NMSU, as a university community, must involve faculty, staff and students as responsible and reliable partners in the decision-making process. This collaboration and communication will improve morale and lead to better decisions. More information should be disseminated throughout the institution on issues and priorities, and input from the range of campus constituencies should be sought and considered before final decisions are made.

There is ample evidence that many university offices are not customer-friendly. We need a philosophy of service at NMSU. We will institute a comprehensive campus-wide program to focus on quality customer service. All faculty and staff should possess the skills to ensure that we are, in fact, a friendly and caring university.

NMSU must strengthen its sense of community beyond the campus as well as on campus. We must begin with the assumption that NMSU is an interdependent part of this community and can contribute best through long-term cooperation and interaction.

In addition, we need to view the university not as a sole source of learning but as an educational partner with a variety of public and private institutions, including business and industry. We must listen to and learn from our state's citizens, our elected officials, our alumni and other friends. The communication revolution, which places us in the midst of a worldwide learning community, provides new ways to originate, adapt and transfer expertise to the people of New Mexico.

To a large and growing segment of the region's population, NMSU is important for its cultural and recreational resources as well as for its educational programs. As the cultural center in southern New Mexico, NMSU should continue to provide opportunities for community involvement in the performing arts and other cultural events. NMSU also should continue its participation in intercollegiate athletics, which can be a cornerstone of community spirit.

We must build long-term relationships based on communication and interaction with our students and alumni, employees and retirees, business partners and university supporters. NMSU needs a unified message and widespread participation of the university community in carrying and consistently delivering this message and building these long-term relationships. Our efforts in Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Washington, and in alumni groups nationwide should be based on the same message of NMSU's strengths and directions.

The image of NMSU is established through marketing and direct recruiting activities but also through the attitudes and actions of each unit and all employees in the university as they interact with the public. The NMSU educational experience and image are being created and marketed every day, whether intended or not. Currently, we miss many opportunities to promote a positive image both within and without the university.

Action Steps for Enhancing NMSU's Sense of Community:

VISITOR'S CENTER

• Create a new front door: the NMSU Visitor Center. The center will provide user-friendly information and directions for campus visitors, imparting a sense of university history, traditions and distinctions along with facts about NMSU's intellectual and cultural opportunities.

CAMPUS COMMUNICATION

• Create a meeting place for faculty and staff to facilitate informal interaction. It should be centrally located, self-financing, comfortable and should serve modest refreshments. Creating such a meeting place will not lower productivity, but rather enhance NMSU's sense of community and encourage university-wide discussion and communication on issues.



• Implement innovative forms of on-campus communication. Many campus problems stem from a lack of information and communication. Administrators (deans, vice-presidents and the president) should provide opportunities for dialogue such as departmental visits, town meetings and question-and-answer sessions on specific topics.

SERVICE ORIENTATION



• Provide customer-friendliness training for all faculty and staff within the next year. New employees need orientation on mission, vision, values, the user-friendly and student-centered philosophy of the institution, and a discussion of its major strengths. Regular refresher courses should be offered to all members of the campus community.



• Evaluate customer-friendliness. Each NMSU office that regularly deals with the public or has significant interaction with others on campus should be required to implement a customer satisfaction/customer friendliness survey within six months of training to provide continuous feedback.




CAMPUS ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMMING



• Combine all student programming efforts under a central programming director to enhance the quality and breadth of programming for students and reduce duplication.



• Combine ASNMSU Special Events with the Office of Special Events to utilize resources and efforts in the best interest of students and the entire university community.

EXTERNAL COMMUNITY RELATIONS/SERVICE



• Encourage communication and shared resources in our partnership with the public schools. Increasing retention rates and students' educational expectations should be a primary focus.
• Continue to increase cooperative educational efforts with the two-year and branch campuses throughout the state, easing the path for students wishing to transfer to a four-year degree program at NMSU. All academic departments should work with these colleges to ensure that students admitted to NMSU experience a smooth transition and have the skills to succeed academically.



• Reaffirm and energize NMSU's extension education and public service efforts in sharing the university's knowledge and resources with the citizens of New Mexico. The land-grant emphasis on service to our citizens should permeate every college and program at NMSU. We have a special obligation to make our programs accessible and responsive to our citizens' needs.



• Provide a variety of cultural and recreational resources for southern New Mexico in the form of concerts, exhibits, lectures and athletic events that are open to the public and that reflect New Mexico's cultural and intellectual diversity. A speaker's bureau of faculty and other university employees available to speak to the public should be created and widely publicized.




MARKETING



• Develop and implement a marketing plan for NMSU based on a market analysis of our institutional image and the strategic directions set by this plan. A university committee, representing academic programs, enrollment management, communications and marketing experience and interest, should be appointed to develop a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a coordinated set of marketing strategies and an employee orientation package based on institutional directions as set forth in this plan. This committee would provide oversight and assistance in the implementation of the marketing and faculty/staff orientation programs resulting from these efforts. The RFP should be prepared by the end of Spring 1998, and the consultants should be selected by the beginning of Fall 1998.



• Combine all institution-wide external community relations, marketing and image-building efforts and coordinate with additional activities conducted at college or unit levels.



• Mount a highly visible, major capital campaign with a goal of $100 million over the next five years focused on building from NMSU's distinctive strengths. The themes of the campaign should be linked to the priorities in the strategic plan and seek funding for efforts that will position NMSU to develop the programs and leaders of the 21st century. A successful campaign will require joint effort by institutional development, alumni relations, community relations and marketing as well as the support of the entire university community.




4.5 Renewing NMSU's Capacity for Change



This strategic plan focuses on our programmatic strengths and on building from these strengths to achieve our priorities for the next five years. To do so, we need to concentrate our energies and resources on our teaching, research, extension education and public service programs. The previous four strategic directions cannot be implemented without streamlining administrative processes for greater efficiency and responsiveness to student and program needs.



Administration exists to support and facilitate a learning environment and scholarly endeavors. We must ask three questions: Are current decision-making processes adequate? Does the structure of the university support effective communication and service? Are the university's patterns of resource allocation consistent with its purposes and priorities?



NMSU is currently a loosely coupled federation of colleges and units that operates with minimal coordination. This structure makes it difficult for the whole university community to work together to achieve common goals. We must implement process and communication to provide the university community with a common base of understanding and purpose. To bring together people with related responsibilities for serving our students and other constituencies, we must eliminate compartmentalization and conflict among units.



NMSU's budgeting process should serve NMSU as a whole by implementing the institutional mission and priorities established by this plan. Allocations to units--whether dollars, positions, graduate assistantships or space--should be based on their contributions to institutional mission and priorities, not their history of expenditures.



Finally, we need to recognize that NMSU is part of New Mexico's higher education community. We must reaffirm our partnership with all the other public institutions in New Mexico and recognize that each has particular program functions and responsibilities. By working together we can provide coherent programs that meet citizens' needs, demonstrate the value and contributions of higher education within New Mexico and ensure the prudent use of taxpayer dollars.



Action Steps to Renew NMSU's Capacity for Change



The following action steps are intended to strengthen effectiveness and efficiency in NMSU's administrative functions as well as provide for significant reallocation of our current resources. We have identified the need for almost $11 million annually in recurring funds and $4.4 million in one-time funds for full implementation of this strategic plan. The largest component of these identified needs is $8.4 million to make faculty and staff salaries at NMSU competitive with our peer institutions and comparable community positions. The proposed reallocation of approximately $8 million, as outlined below, will come largely from administrative support functions and will be shifted to provide direct support for our academic mission through implementation of our strategic decisions. This reallocation, together with the proposed major capital campaign, will make possible the enactment of our institutional program priorities as set forth in this strategic plan. (The cost implications of this plan are summarized in Appendix E.)



• Contract nationally for expertise in administrative systems to help us review our administrative structure and reporting lines and our systems, policies and procedures and recommend a restructuring and streamlining of administrative functions to correct deficiencies and reduce scale. Equal numbers of NMSU faculty, staff, and administrators should be appointed to a committee to develop an RFP, select consultants, and work with them to develop a restructuring plan. This contractual review process and the resulting restructuring plan should be completed by the end of Spring 1998 and implemented in 1998-99.




ACTION STEPS FOR COLLEGE-LEVEL ADMINISTRATIVE RESTRUCTURING AND STREAMLINING



• Set reallocation targets for streamlining academic administration:




(1) Reduce I & G funds spent on college-level administration from a base of $4.0 million to $3.6 million during 1998-99. Implement additional I & G funding reductions of $0.4 million in the 1999-2000 budget for a new base of $3.2 million, a two-year reduction of 20%.



(2) Reduce indirect cost recovery funds spent on college-level research administration from a base of $2.3 million to $1.8 million in the 1999-2000 budget. This is a two-year reduction of $0.5 million or 20% and should be phased in over the two-year period.



(3) Reduce cost-sharing, a voluntary commitment of unrestricted institutional funds to grants and contracts, from a base $3.7 million to $2.5 million in the 1999-2000 budget. This is a two-year reduction of $1.2 million or 33% and should be phased in over the two-year period.



(4) Reduce the automatic return to the colleges of salary savings accrued from vacancies during a budget year from a base of $1.3 million to $0.7 million in the 1999-2000 budget. This is a two-year reduction of $0.6 million or 50% and should be phased in over the two-year period.



• Incorporate these principles in restructuring college-level administration:




(1) Reduce duplication of effort and administrative overhead by reducing the number of colleges as well as duplicative administrative support efforts. Staffing can be reduced if academic administrative units provide direct support for programs rather than carrying out administrative processing functions.



(2) Reduce barriers for cross-disciplinary efforts. Consideration should be given to the development of new collaborative relations among faculty in programs with a similar focus. The current structure has fostered competitive behaviors among colleges that have proven to be detrimental to fostering interdisciplinary teaching and research programs.



• Address the following specific recommendations in restructuring college-level administration:




(1) Reduce the number of academic colleges from six to four or five.



(2) Provide equitable services to faculty in all colleges to support their teaching and research.



(3) Structure a university-wide dialogue to address the issues of convenience vs. cost regarding research support services. Clearly the research centers in some colleges have been far better staffed than the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). Adding substantial expertise to a central OSP office would cost many fewer dollars than maintaining many research centers. At the same time, these centers provide services tailored to the needs of the colleges and enjoy widespread popularity.



ACTION STEPS FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE RESTRUCTURING AND STREAMLINING



• Set reallocation targets for streamlining institutional administration:




(1) Reduce I & G funds spent on institution-level administration from a base of $11.0 million to $9.9 million during 1998-99. Implement additional I & G funding reductions of $1.1 million in the 1999-2000 budget, for a new base of $8.8 million, a two-year reduction of 20%.



(2) Reduce I & G funds spent on physical plant operations from a base of $8.4 million to $7.6 million during 1998-99. Implement additional I & G funding reductions of $0.9 million in the 1999-2000 budget for a new base of $6.7 million, a two-year reduction of 20%.



(3) Reduce indirect cost recovery funds (SURF) spent on current institution-wide priorities from a base of $2.0 million to $1.3 million in the 1999-2000 budget. This is a two-year reduction of $0.7 million or 35% and should be phased in over the two-year period.



(4) Reduce indirect cost recovery funds spent on Physical Science Laboratory administration from a base of $1.4 million to $1.1 million in the 1999-2000 budget. This is a two-year reduction of $0.3 million or 20% and should be phased in over the two-year period. This reduction can be accomplished while maintaining competitiveness by eliminating functions duplicated at NMSU (e.g., purchasing, personnel).



• Incorporate these principles in restructuring institutional administration:




(1) Reduce duplication of effort and administrative overhead. Eliminate administrative or academic support units which systematically duplicate administrative processing functions at various levels. Reduce the steps required in all review or approval processes to those which add value to the transaction.

(2) Consolidate administrative functions into fewer units with responsibility for broad administrative processes required to support NMSU's primary mission. Provide managers for major functional areas and consolidate and cross-train support staff.



(3) Automate and streamline administrative systems and provide necessary training and backup to give authority and responsibility to the lowest possible level, eliminating the need for additional levels of "expeditors."

• Address the following specific recommendations in restructuring institutional administration:




(1) Reduce the number of vice presidents to two or, at most, a provost and two vice presidents, and have them report to the president.



(2) Provide stronger coordination of enrollment management functions (admissions, registrar/registration/records, financial aid, new student orientation) by combining these offices to ensure policy consistency, efficiency of service to NMSU students and more effective sharing of information with academic units.



(3) Combine academic and student support services under a single administrative unit to improve the coordination and focus of these services on student growth and success.



(4) Combine auxiliaries with the other major business operations of the university in one management unit. The student programming aspects of auxiliaries should be combined with other institution-wide programming activities.

(5) Consolidate human resource support functions serving all employees and departments in the university, including personnel, employee benefits, employee health services, payroll and employee development programs.



(6) Clarify the relationship of NMSU's branch campuses with Main Campus administration through a higher profile reporting structure, a greater degree of independence for administrative functions and a review of the relationship of these campuses to NMSU's institutional mission and priorities.

ACTION STEPS FOR ENHANCING DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES

• Develop and implement an operating budget process that is integrated with strategic planning. All resource needs should be addressed during budget development, and resource allocation decisions should be based on these needs, within the context of our planning assumptions, mission and institutional priorities. The budgeting process can then become a powerful tool for accomplishing institutional goals and priorities. The budget process should be open and participatory, with representation from a full range of campus constituencies. Budget committee members will develop expertise on budget issues through information-sharing and continuity of membership on the budget committee. The 1996 recommendations of the Resource Priority Committee can serve as the model for creating the budget process. Meaningful and timely information will be made available to the university community on a routine basis to demonstrate the relationship of budget decisions to our institutional priorities.



• Develop a capital/space budget that is linked to the operating budget process and the strategic planning process. The university's ability to achieve its mission and strategic directions is strengthened if allocation decisions are linked with the priorities of the strategic plan. Competing demands for space should be reviewed in light of their "investment" potential in achieving institutional priorities. Capital funding and space allocation decisions must include justification of need, cost, and utilization data on current space allocations. Space allocations will be made with the understanding that space is not owned but temporarily assigned, and that sharable space (e.g., classrooms, laboratories, seminar rooms) will be made available to others when not actively in use by higher priority units. Space must be reallocated, where necessary, to provide equitable support for our programs.



• Develop priorities for NMSU's funding requests for state or federal appropriations based on how well these requests will contribute to the achievement of the university's mission and strategic directions.



• Develop an ongoing strategic planning process for monitoring and updating NMSU's mission and strategic directions as well as completing the next steps to implementation of this strategic plan (outlined in the next section).




ACTION STEPS FOR OTHER NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS



• Make salaries and benefits an institutional priority. NMSU's current salary levels create retention difficulties that permeate the institution. NMSU must attain salary parity with comparable institutions and comparable community positions for all employees. In addition, existing faculty and staff non-salary incentives, recognition, and reward structure should be reviewed for adequacy and equity. All employee efforts supporting institutional mission and priorities should be recognized and rewarded.



• Review and update the entire employee classification system; existing salary structure, including limits and salary increments; and hiring and advancement policies and procedures. A task force, with representation from faculty, professional staff and classified staff, should create an RFP by the end of Spring 1998 for an external consultant to conduct the review process, which should begin Fall 1998.



• Focus our capital planning on NMSU's existing facilities and how to make them more efficient and effective. The physical condition of some of our buildings results in a poor learning and working environment, and many buildings provide poor instruction and research infrastructure. This must be remedied by ensuring we have a fully-networked campus and by beginning to make classrooms on campus technology-ready. We must continue to place a high priority on improving the ability of our facilities to meet program needs by using funds received as expeditiously as possible to correct and prevent further facility deficiencies.



• Propose for legislative and voter consideration an increase in the size of the NMSU Board of Regents to seven members. A larger board membership would provide additional experience and perspectives, more opportunity for sharing the responsibilities of membership, and greater continuity, since the majority of the board at any time would consist of seasoned members.



• Work particularly closely with our branch campuses as the main campus pursues academic, budget or facilities planning and decision-making. All campuses of New Mexico State University have significant roles to play in meeting the educational needs of New Mexicans. We must keep in mind the responsibilities of each branch campus in serving its local community, support their respective roles and facilitate their ability to carry out their responsibilities.



• Work with the other four-year institutions and the two-year colleges in New Mexico in the course of our academic, financial and capital planning, as well as in our marketing and other external relations activities.




5. IMPLEMENTING CHANGE:



NMSU's strategic planning must not end with this report and its recommendations for change: the recommendations need to be implemented. For NMSU to remain a strong institution in the next century, it must continually respond to new opportunities and challenges. The following strategic planning steps need to be taken:



(1) The university must respond to this strategic plan by developing a set of major implementation strategies to carry out the strategic directions and recommendations of the plan. These implementation strategies should include the areas of finance, enrollment, human resources, organizational and program change and facilities. The implementation strategies will address actions, timelines and process for achieving the goals of the strategic plan as well as provide the context for the college and department planning to follow. These implementation strategies should be completed and shared with the university community by the end of Spring, 1998.



(2) Each college or other major administrative unit will develop or review its existing strategic plan to be consistent with the goals outlined in the university strategic plan and the university-wide strategies for implementing the plan. This process will be completed by Fall 1998. Departments will develop their own strategic plans during Spring 1999 in accord with the university and college plans.



(3) NMSU's President will report to the university community on an annual basis on progress achieved and goals remaining to be implemented.



(4) The Faculty Senate will make an independent assessment of progress and obstacles to implementation of the plan and issue a report to the university community on an annual basis.



(5) An ongoing strategic planning committee consisting of representatives from administration, faculty, professional, and classified staff, and students will be established. Terms should be staggered three-year terms and the chair should be elected annually by members of the committee. The Strategic Planning Committee will meet on an annual basis, or more frequently at the request of either the President or the Faculty Senate, to review the current plan, examine changing internal and external opportunities and threats to the institution, make recommendations for revision to the plan and review college and department strategic plans for consistency with the university-wide plan. It will institute a revised plan every five years.



6. CONCLUSION



In conclusion, we present this strategic plan with the hope that the suggestions and directions will culminate in the fulfillment of the ultimate goal: to renew and promote at NMSU a sense of intellectual excitement that pervades programs and units and captures all members of the campus community. This sense of intellectual excitement should be advanced by building on NMSU's existing strengths and its underlying values of intellectual curiosity and academic freedom, which foster vigorous and uncensored debate of important ideas and issues within a climate of mutual respect.





APPENDIX A

Feedback Mechanisms for Comments and Dialogue on this Draft of the Strategic Plan

1) E-mail responses to the Strategic Planning Committee at plans@nmsu.edu

2) E-mail SPC Co-chairs at strategy@nmsu.edu

3) Contact the SPC Co-chairs by telephone:

• Cookie Stephan 646-4312
• Jim Peach 646-3113

The co-chairs are willing to meet with your organization, department or unit to listen to your comments and suggestions on the plan.

4) Visit "Strategic Planning' on NMSU's Web home page. Respond through the "Comments on Strategic Planning" option.

5) Participate in discussions on the listserv available for Strategic Planning issues. To subscribe to this listserv, e-mail a message to listproc@nmsu.edu in the body of the text, type SUB plan_discuss your name

6)Mail written responses to:

Strategic Planning Committee
Box 30001, MSC 3004
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003

7)Deliver written responses to:

Strategic Planning Committee
c/o Institutional Research & Planning
Hadley Hall Room 126

8) Attend the Open Forums:

-----October 13, 1997 (3:30p.m. to 5:30p.m. in the East Ballroom, Corbett Center)

-----October 14, 1997 (11:45a.m. to 1:45p.m. in the Auditorium, Corbett Center)







APPENDIX B

Strategic Planning Committee



Jim Peach, Co-Chair	Faculty
Cookie Stephan, Co-Chair	Faculty
Kurt Anderson	Faculty
Sue Brown	Staff
Steve Castillo	Faculty
Dino Cervantes	Community
Rudolfo Chavez Chavez	Faculty
Carolyn Cordova	Student
Manny Encinias	Student
Miley Gonzalez	Administrator
Christine Marlow	Faculty
Joe Martinez	Community
Bill McCarthy	Faculty
Laura Gutierrez Spencer	Staff
Karen Becklin/Tammie Aragon Campos	Staff to SPC





Executive Review Board



William Conroy	President
John Owens	Executive Vice President
Larry Sheffield	President, Board of Regents
Danny Arnold	Dean
Patricia Wolf	Vice President for Student Affairs
Clyde Eastman	Chair, Faculty Senate
Lynn Chumbley	ASNMSU President





Strategic Planning Committee Subcommittees



Academic Programs

Steve Castillo	Faculty	Barry Smith	Faculty
Wenda Trevathan	Faculty	Charles Townley	Administrator
Tim Pettibone	Administrator	Reta Beebe	Faculty
Judy Karshmer	Faculty	Juan Franco	Administrator
Cheryl Young	Student	Tracy Sterling	Faculty
Sheela Stuart	Faculty	Lisa Zigment	Student





Academic and Administrative Support Programs

Bill McCarthy	Faculty	Roberta Derlin	Faculty
John Waelti	Faculty	Chris Burnham	Faculty
Jeanne Oliver	Community	Steve Loring	Staff
Bob Smiggen	Staff	Jerry Paz	Community
Diane Benson	Staff	Charla Seciwa	Student
Clarence Fielder	Community	Heather Laughlin	Student







Economic and Technological

Steve Castillo	Faculty	Chris Erickson	Faculty
Dino Cervantes	Community	Ken Hammond	Faculty
Shaun Cooper	Staff	Robert Wohl	Community





Educational and Competitive

Lowell Catlett	Faculty	Bonnie Pratt	Staff
Anne Gallegos	Faculty	Brian Ormand	Staff
Joe Martinez	Community	Wendy Hamilton	Faculty





Financial and Physical Resources

Bill Foster	Faculty	Bill Harty	Staff
Herman Garcia	Faculty	Ben Woods	Administrator
Laura Huenneke	Faculty	Tommie Kemp	Staff
Larryl Matthews	Administrator	Rene Walterbos	Faculty





Human Resources

Sue Brown	Staff	Shirley Pace	Staff
Christine Marlow	Faculty	Bob Howell	Staff
Judi Paulus	Staff	Michael Morehead	Administrator
Lana Gilkison	Staff	Doug Kurtz	Faculty
Nadia Rubaii-Barrett	Staff	Felicia Zamora	Student
Lydia Bruner	Staff	Dorris Hamilton	Community





Institutional Climate

Rudolfo Chavez Chavez	Faculty	Vivian Giron	Staff
Christine Marlow	Faculty	Charles Nolan	Staff
Lisa Frehill	Faculty	David Pengelley	Faculty
Sandra Westbrook	Student	Rachel Mangas	Student
Sharon Urtaza	Staff	Donald Reed	Staff
Glenda Urquidez	Staff	Timothy Ross	Faculty





Institutional Image

Pookie Sautter	Faculty	Cynthia Dillon	Faculty
Bill Eamon	Staff	Josie Green	Community
Gweyn Leabo	Staff	Julie Maitland	Student
Nena Singleton	Staff	Steve Warburton	Faculty
Carolyn Cordova	Student	Kurt Anderson	Faculty
Javier Vargas	Faculty





Institutional Values

Laura Gutierrez Spencer	Staff	Dick Bagby	Faculty
Kurt Anderson	Faculty	Del Hansen	Community
Marta Remmenga	Faculty	George Clever	Faculty
Yosef Lapid	Faculty	Barbara Siegel	Faculty
Rosalinda Barrera	Faculty	Selene Virk	Student





Organizational Structure and Governance

Bill McCarthy	Faculty	Gina Libo	Faculty
Linda Leeper	Faculty	Terry Meyer	Staff
Larry Mays	Staff	Enrique Solis	Faculty
Kathy Brook	Administrator





Political and Legal

Joe Martinez	Community	Elba Serrano	Faculty
David Myers	Administrator	Miley Gonzalez	Administrator
Nancy Oretskin	Faculty	Kim Seckler	Faculty





Social and Demographic

Dino Cervantes	Community	Marie Mora	Faculty
Jim Williams	Faculty	Walter Stephan	Faculty
David Levi Gwaltney	Student	Fred Rubio	Community
Maria Luisa Gonzalez	Faculty





Student Services and Athletics

Carolyn Cordova	Student	Lydia Jacquez	Staff
Manny Encinias	Student	Wendy Ray	Student
Sue Brown	Staff	Ulyssess McElyea Jr.	Community
Angela Throneberry	Staff	Darrell Smith	Staff
Eric Pratt	Faculty	Karen Stabler	Faculty
Robert Gallegos	Faculty	Lydia Bruner	Staff







APPENDIX C

Recommendations for Institutional Action



I. ACADEMIC PROGRAMS



Department/Program	Recommended Action			Specific Recommendations
Accounting/Business Computer Systems	Maintain
Aerospace Studies	Maintain	Increase focus on recruitment
Agricultural Economics	Maintain
Agricultural/Extension Education	Modify	Incorporate the Home Economics Education program from the Department of Family/Consumer Sciences; increase recruiting efforts
Agronomy/Horticulture	Maintain	Add 2 faculty positions; increase recruitment of U.S. students
Animal/Range Sciences	Maintain	Increase focus on funded research; focus more on industry needs
Art	Maintain	Focus graduate program on 1-2 concentrations
Astronomy	Maintain
Biology	Maintain	Increase outreach and involvement of senior faculty in teaching
Business Administration, Master of	Maintain	Evaluate and improve teaching
Business Administration, Ph.D. in	Modify	Eliminate
Chemical Engineering	Maintain	Development enrollment management plan
Chemistry/Biochemistry	Maintain	Review quality of service courses
Civil/Agricultural/ Geological Engineering	Modify	Eliminate Agricultural Engineering major
Communication Studies/ ESL	Modify	Merge Communication Studies with the departments of English and Journalism; move ESL to the College of Education
Computer Science	Maintain	Increase focus on external funding, research, outreach; review undergraduate curriculum
Counseling/ Educational Psychology	Modify	Incorporate the Family/Childhood Development program from the Department of Family/Consumer Science; increase admission standards; decrease student/faculty ratio; increase focus on funded research
Criminal Justice	Modify	Move 2-year program to the Dona Ana branch; add 1 faculty position; increase focus on funded research
Curriculum/Instruction	Modify	Move content courses to the appropriate departments and concentrate on teacher preparation; develop enrollment management plan
Economics/International Business/Experimental Statistics	Maintain	Increase focus on research and publication
Educational Management/ Development	Maintain	Increase research productivity; collaborate with faculty in related areas to enhance curriculum
Electrical/Computer Engineering	Maintain	Develop recruitment plan
Engineering Technology	Modify	Move 2-year program to branch campuses
English	Modify	Merge with the departments of Communication Studies and Journalism; add 1 faculty position
Entomology/Plant Pathology/Weed Sciences	Maintain
Family/Consumer Sciences	Modify	Move the Home Economics Education program to the Department of Agricultural/Extension Education; move the Family/Childhood Development program to the Department of Counseling/Educational Psychology; move the Nutrition/Food Sciences and Clothing/Textiles/Fashion Merchandising program to the merged Department of Marketing/Management
Finance	Maintain
Fishery/Wildlife Sciences	Maintain
Geography	Modify	Merge with the Department of Surveying; eliminate planning major
Geology	Modify	Merge with the Department of Physics
Government	Maintain	Add 1 faculty position in the MPA program to retain accreditation
Health Science	Modify	Eliminate medical technology program; emphasize quality in BCH and MPH programs
History	Modify	Merge with the Department of Philosophy; focus graduate program
Honors	Modify	Merge with Crimson Scholars program and enhance offerings
Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management Services	Modify	Merge with the departments of Marketing and Management
Individualized Studies	Maintain	Increase promotion efforts across university community
Industrial Engineering	Modify	Merge with the Department of Mechanical Engineering; increase research productivity and external funding
Journalism	Modify	Merge with the departments of English and Communication Studies; increase recruitment efforts
Languages/Linguistics	Maintain	Focus on Latin and Pacific Rim languages
Management	Modify	Merge with the departments of Marketing and Hotel/ Restaurant/Tourism Management Services
Marketing	Modify	Merge with the departments of Management and Hotel/ Restaurant/Tourism Management Services; increase focus on research and outreach
Mathematical Sciences	Maintain	Increase focus on research; emphasize quality of service courses
Mechanical Engineering	Modify	Merge with the Department of Industrial Engineering; focus on graduate education; increase research productivity
Military Science	Maintain	Increase focus on recruitment
Molecular Biology	Maintain	Increase input regarding hiring/tenure of participating faculty
Music	Maintain
Nursing	Maintain	Develop plan for unique role of graduate program in region
Philosophy	Modify	Merge with the Department of History; eliminate major; redirect teaching efforts from specialized courses to service courses; meet university-wide need for ethics courses
Physical Education/Recreation/Dance	Maintain
Physics	Modify	Merge with the Department of Geology
Psychology	Maintain
Social Work	Maintain	Develop an enrollment management plan
Sociology/Anthropology	Maintain
Special Education/ Communication Disorders	Maintain
Surveying	Modify		Merge with the Department of Geography
Theatre Arts	Maintain
Women's Studies	Modify		Merge into an interdisciplinary gender and ethnic studies program; add faculty positions







II. ATHLETIC PROGRAMS



Department/Program	Recommended Action	Specific Recommendations
Athletic Administration	Modify	Develop positive relationship with internal and external communities; develop strategy for elimination of athletic deficits. University must define role of athletics and establish expected level of competition within available financial resources
Baseball	Maintain	Improve marketing
Football	Modify	Participate in more campus activities; improve image
Golf Course	Maintain	Establish a 5-year operating plan and capital improvements plan
Men's Basketball	Modify	Improve image
Men's Golf	Maintain
Men's Swimming	Modify	Address poor travel conditions
Men's Tennis	Maintain
Men's Track/Field and Cross Country	Modify	Address track safety problems
Rodeo	Modify	Clarify organizational position
Special Events	Modify	Appoint an advisory committee for programming; establish a realistic budget; merge with ASNMSU's Special Events office and budget
Tennis Center	Maintain	Resolve conflicts with observatory
Volleyball	Maintain
Women's Basketball	Maintain
Women's Golf	Maintain
Women's Softball	Maintain
Women's Swimming	Maintain
Women's Tennis	Maintain
Women's Track/Field and Cross Country	Modify	Address track safety problems





III. STUDENT SERVICES PROGRAMS



Department/Program	Recommended Action	Specific Recommendations
Activity Center/Intramurals/ Club Teams	Modify	Separate Activity Center budget allocations from ASNMSU; provide stable funding for intramurals
Associated Students of NMSU (ASNMSU)	Modify	Combine all programming efforts under a central programming director; identify student needs and interests; merge ASNMSU special events office and budget with Special Events
Bookstore	Maintain	Expand general book section
Center for International Programs	Modify	Merge with NSE; increase outreach and interaction with other campus units; move services for international students into the new University Center
Computer Clusters	Maintain	Develop a maintenance and replacement plan
Conference Services	Maintain	Take advantage of revenue opportunities while being sensitive to student needs
Corbett Center Student Union	Maintain	Maintain and upgrade computer and audio/visual equipment
Counseling Center/ Veteran's Affairs	Modify	Coordinate with Placement Office to expand career counseling, including course instruction; move services for Veterans to Registrar
Dining Services	Maintain
Greek Organizations	Modify	Combine all programming efforts under a central programming director
Housing	Modify	Reinvest revenues to improve facilities maintenance; combine all programming efforts under a central programming director
Judicial Affairs/Special Services	Maintain	Train staff; market services to students
KRUX Radio Station	Maintain
Natatorium	Maintain	Tie user fees to costs
National Student Exchange	Modify	Merge with CIP; coordinate efforts with academic departments; enhance marketing of the program
New Student Programs	Modify	Combine with other services for new students in a new University Center
Office of Placement/Career Services	Maintain
Round Up (Student Newspaper)	Maintain
Services for Students with Disabilities	Modify	Merge with administration of ADA and educational diagnostician; provide training and funding to assure ADA compliance
Student Handbook	Modify	Phase out handbook in current format and put in course schedules or catalogs
Student Health Center	Maintain
Student Organizations/Programs	Modify	Combine all programming efforts under a central programming director; develop a recruitment week program; increase marketing efforts
Testing Services	Maintain	Serve the needs of the entire campus
Union Program Council	Modify	Combine all programming efforts under a central programming director; provide programming which meets the interests of a diverse student body











APPENDIX D





Summary of Recommended Changes in Academic Department Structure
Current Department	Specific Program Move, if Applicable	New Department/Unit
Communications & ESL	ESL	College of Education
	Communications	English, Communications & Journalism
Journalism		English, Communications & Journalism
English		English, Communications & Journalism
Criminal Justice	Two-Year Program	DABCC
Curriculum & Instruction	Content Area Courses	To specific depts. of content area
Engineering Technology	Two-Year program	DABCC
Geography		Geography & Surveying
Surveying		Geography & Surveying
Geology		Physics & Geology
Physics		Physics & Geology
History		History & Philosophy
Philosophy		History & Philosophy
Industrial Engineering		Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Mechanical Engineering		Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Women's Studies		Ethnic & Gender Studies
Family & Consumer Sciences	Family & Child Development	Counseling & Educational Psychology
	Home Economics Education	Agricultural & Extension Education
	Merchandising	Management & Marketing
	Nutrition & Food Science	Management & Marketing
Hotel, Rest. & Tour. Mgmt. Services		Management & Marketing
Management		Management & Marketing
Marketing		Management & Marketing













APPENDIX E

ESTIMATED COST IMPLICATIONS OF STRATEGIC PLAN


COSTS OF PLAN IMPLEMENTATION



Reallocated and Additional Funding for:
	Continuing	One-Time
Supporting student learning through enhancements to student and academic support services and academic programs	$ 1,963,000	$ 1,760,000
Supporting a sense of community and commitment to university service	600,000	2,600,000
Supporting university-wide quality through compensation equity with peers	8,400,000
	_________	_________
	10,963,000	4,360,000




SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

Reallocation of Existing Funds from:
College-level administration	3,100,000
Institution-level administration	4,900,000
Institutional/plant/equipment balances		3,010,000
	_________	_________
	8,000,000	3,010,000





Additional Funds from:



Major capital campaign for $100 million
Resulting capital and endowment income for plan implementation	2,963,000	1,350,000
Capital and endowment income available for additional priority enhancements	287,000	23,650,000
Endowment income reinvested for ongoing development efforts	500,000




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Last Modified: Monday, June 15, 2009


Copyright 2006, Regents of New Mexico State University