Institutional Planning, Analysis, and Special Services

The University is engaged in a long-range strategic planning process in order to develop effective strategies to fulfill its mission and to achieve its vision. The long range planning rests on assessment of key indictors that are consistent with the Institution’s status and goals. The University has made considerable progress in achieving the goals of the previous strategic plan, Toward the Year 2000. This revised plan is guided by the University’s Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee’s environmental scan, and it is consistent with the ABOR Strategic Directions.

The University of Arizona is a Doctoral/Research Extensive land-grant university. An important consequence of the land-grant mission is the increased number of constituencies of The University of Arizona. Beyond students, faculty, and staff, the public (including members of business, industry, and government) has an interest in what the University does and expects to have a voice in its decisions.

The University of Arizona, a distinguished public, land-grant, educational, and research institution, is dedicated to preparing students for an increasingly diverse and technological world and to improving the quality of life for the people of Arizona and the nation. The University provides distinguished undergraduate, graduate, professional and interdisciplinary education that is learner-centered; excels in basic and applied research and creative achievement; and promotes the integration of the products of these activities and achievements of regional, national, and international significance into everyday life.

Foundation Principles

1. The top priority (and virtually the only priority) of The University of Arizona is advancing learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others.

2. The intellectual, moral and financial integrity of The University of Arizona must be preserved.

3. The University must serve the people of Arizona both individually and collectively.

4. No University can prosper unless it is favorably perceived by the people who finance and otherwise support it.

Operating Principles

1. The learning experiences that deserve the highest priority are those that best prepare students for the lifetime of learning that will enable them to assume leadership roles in communities and lead productive and fulfilling lives.

2. We must build excellence by strategically developing and sustaining a competitive edge for the University of Arizona, recognizing that this goal can often best be achieved by collaboration among the strategic partners.

3. The University of Arizona must develop as an exemplary living and learning community.

4. Three special populations within the University community require special priority.

· Anyone who is directly or indirectly critical to the success of the University

5. Priorities should conform with the mission, vision and goals of the University.

6. A key strategy must be a commitment to agility in response to unanticipated change.

The Planning Environment

This section describes key strengths and weaknesses of The University of Arizona and key elements of the environment that affect how the UA operates. Drawing on the NCA accreditation self study and report and other university reports as well as on research about the university and environment, it highlights significant trends that will affect the University’s future and provides a context for planning. The University faces some extraordinary challenges that, while not unique, are extreme compared to our peers.

Demographic Factors

Arizona has been one of the fastest growing states in the nation. This growth will continue with a projected population growth of more than 23% over the period 2000-2010. Income growth rate has also been above national norms and promises to continue to do so. Some factors influencing the population growth and business climate in Arizona and northern Mexico during this period include:

· Expansion of retail and manufacturing opportunities with Mexico supported by GATT and NAFTA legislation and the recovery of the Mexican economy

· Diversification of Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan AFB due to the Base Realignment and Closures Commission

Arizona combines unusual diversity of population with a one-size-fits-all enrollment policy for its universities that occurs in only a few other states. Because of State mandated open access policies, The University of Arizona’s student population has an extraordinary range of skills, knowledge, and abilities. It is also becoming more diverse ethnically (see Figure 1). The academic heterogeneity of the student body challenges traditional instructional models and highlights retention issues.

After a two year downturn, University undergraduate enrollments have risen since Fall 1997. The proportion of high school graduates who go on to traditional higher education is flattening but has not declined. In both urban and rural settings, the population of the State of Arizona continues to become more diverse. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that the number of high school graduates in Arizona will increase 76% between 1997 and 2009, over three times the 23% average increase nationally. Only Nevada will increase faster. Elementary and secondary school populations are increasing, putting more pressure on state resources in K-12 as well as at the universities. Higher college entrance requirements have improved the preparation of new university students, but have also stressed some K-12 schools and Arizona’s drop out rate is still one of the highest in the nation. As the recent Arizona Town Hall report states, “Of 100 children who start in the Arizona educational system, only 22 will go on to college and only 6 will obtain a bachelor’s degree. The New Economy places a premium on the state’s ability to create an environment fostering research and economic development, and on a highly trained and educated work force.”

Managing these many changes and demands makes enrollment growth an extremely complex issue. Over the next five years, the University of Arizona must address the following strategic questions:

1) What do we want to be? What size of campus and what mix of graduate and undergraduate students will best serve the institution, the students, and the state?

2) What are the various roles and how do we articulate with the diverse programs of UA South, Arizona International Campus, Extended University, Arizona community colleges, and distributed and distance learning?

3) How do we address the political and social issues created by such a diverse student body?

5) How do we expand what we do with limited resources for physical infrastructure?

The University is still clarifying its understanding about what being a student centered research university means and how we achieve it without devaluing our research and outreach missions. Certainly, one element is becoming learning centered in instruction, research and service. Learning is one thing that students, faculty, and other staff have in common. Related needs include:

A related question is how to tie the student centered research university to the educational and other needs of the state. A high technology world and knowledge-based economy requires flexible workers who are able to respond effectively to changing economic and technological conditions. This demands a core education that prepares students with strong thinking skills and an understanding of the history, customs, and cultures of other nations while providing both general and specialized professional education.

In the last twenty years, the University has been one of the most rapidly rising universities in the country as measured by national rankings in grant funding (going from 16th in 1979 to 13^th in 1999) and National Research Council quality rankings (7th of all institutions ranked on rise in ranking). The University has some extraordinarily strong programs as a result of taking advantage of the social, economic and geographic characteristics of Arizona and the Southwest. We have unusually strong interdisciplinary programs (IDP) that maximize our chance to mobilize the diverse resources of the campus. The rise in IDP Ph.D. degrees in the last six years (from 42 in 1993 to 104 in 1999) has offset declines elsewhere on campus and maintained the UA’s Ph.D. output in a time of decline or stability of such programs nationally. Over the same period, the number of masters degrees in these IDP fields has increased from 299 to 389. We have clearly done some things right. The University continues to be successful in garnering grants, contracts, and gifts from multiple sources (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Sponsored projects revenue by Source Fiscal Years 1986 to 1999

Federal funds acquired allow the University to serve as one of the primary economic engines of the State in terms of transferring research from theory to practice and from laboratory to industry. In fact, extending the benefits of university research and creative activity to the whole State is part of our legal and practical mission. As a result, we can have a major economic impact in such areas as water and environment, health, information science and management, to including doing the research that creates high-tech industry such as in Optics.

Grant funding will be increasingly competitive, and there is constant downward pressure on the funding of institutional overhead that comes with such grants. Funding for traditional University strengths such as astronomy and space sciences, e.g., from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have not increased for several years and may not increase in the 2001 fiscal year. On the other hand, the UA was not heavily dependent on defense-related research and was not as adversely affected by the drop in defense spending. Generally, funding has declined for physical sciences and increased for biological sciences. As one of only 13 institutions in the U.S. that has the colleges of agriculture and medicine, as well as strong science programs, on the same campus, we are well placed to take advantage of expanded health and biological grant funding.

Faculty and staff are the University’s most important resources. The University’s size enables it to offer disciplinary depth and, at the same time, bring scholars together to work on a broad range of interdisciplinary problems and research. Without a faculty of the highest caliber, the University and State will not be able to offer or maintain world class programs of teaching, research, and outreach. A continuing challenge is the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty, particularly African American, Native American, and Hispanic in a competitive national market.

One place that budgetary short falls have shown up most dramatically is in declining salaries compared to those with whom we compete. In the late 1970’s, due to the State’s desire to build higher education, faculty salaries were ten percent above those of peers by several different measures of peer salaries. With the below inflation increases approved by the legislature for this year, we will be 10% below those peers. Further, those peers are all public institutions. The gap in salaries with private universities is much worse and steadily widening. We are also losing large numbers of faculty to private business. As a result, we have had a drop of 80 total regular faculty in the last five years. As the NCA Self Study noted, this cannot go on without destroying the university as we know it.

Technology and the Changing World

Examining new teaching technologies will be an important issue during the next five years. Improved information and communication technology (IT) has created higher expectations about delivery of educational services. A failure to keep up would make the University less attractive to students. The University also faces challenges in expanding education and communication technology to improve the quality and reach of higher education.

This fast-moving technology development has stretched the University’s ability to develop, use and protect intellectual properties and fund technology support. In the last 6 years, UA funding for technology staff has increased over $7 million (almost 65%) and for data processing equipment and supplies by $4.45 million (almost 40%). With other IT expenditures, we are spending over $14 million per year more than we were six years ago. This is especially challenging since IT has high up front costs, evolves rapidly, and is a continually shifting mix of central and decentralized equipment, services and applications.

The health care sector is undergoing a dramatic metamorphosis that is having a major impact upon the Arizona Health Sciences Center. A longer living, more active populace; managed care; costly technology; and an exponential growth in research and information bring great challenges to this area. The University, State and region are expected to deliver effective and efficient health care options and delivery systems. A more diverse, aging and growing population in Arizona, particularly among those over age 65, will create additional demands on the health care delivery system and on the education of health professionals.

Current demands on the health care industry will require professionals to work in interdisciplinary teams and engage in collaborative decision-making, often from different locations. In order to respond to the health needs of society, the health sciences curricula will need to emphasize managed care, treating patients along a continuum of care, management of chronic illness, prevention and health education, epidemiology, and the health of populations. Health professionals will need a thorough grounding in the principles and application of information management. Resources for technology for both the training of and practice by physicians must increase.

Arizona continues to have a surplus in many physician specialties with shortages of general practitioners and other health care professionals. Many rural and some urban areas are underserved by health care professionals and services. In the future, academic health centers will need to produce fewer physicians and fewer physician specialists overall, but given the need to provide more primary care for patients, more primary care providers will be required, including physicians assistants and nurse practitioners.

With or without governmental health care reform, the delivery of health care will continue to change dramatically in the coming decades. The emphasis will be on cost-effective quality care, providing care within the most appropriate settings of care (more non-hospital care), and health outcomes. Government reimbursement for education will continue to decline, and other payers will be reluctant to subsidize the costs of teaching health professions students. Health care providers will be expected to be responsible for the health status of entire populations. Academic health centers will continue to combine research and teaching with patient care, but will face increasing financial pressures from payers on these services. Managed competition will be the dominant model of health care, and academic health centers (like the AHSC) will be severely challenged to compete on the basis of price with community providers. Especially in the Tucson market which has too many hospital beds and is highly competitive.

Fierce national competition for health related research dollars will also continue. Nationally, some research centers of excellence will downsize or be eliminated entirely. Further constraints on resources for education within academic health science centers will emerge. Medicare and other federal funding of graduate medical education for physicians and for graduate nursing education will probably decrease.

College of Medicine reliance on clinical income will not abate, and pressures on clinical income will continue under managed competition. The core mission of education and research will be impacted by managed-competition revenue reduction. Clinical research will bear the greatest pressures with ever-increasing reliance on faculty to provide patient care, leaving less time for research. Other health professional schools and programs will feel similar pressures, although to a lesser extent.

Rural areas of the State face special challenges that place a greater demand on the research, instruction, and outreach services of the University. The University is expected to apply resources to address issues such as: the use of technology; leadership in small communities; new agricultural techniques; the use of biological materials and their interactions with natural and human environments; and the rapidly diversifying ethnic, economic, and vocational base of rural areas. Southern Arizona has some characteristics that set it apart from the rest of the state and create needs and opportunities for The University of Arizona. The lack of consistent support in the legislature and lack of unity in the Southern Arizona legislative delegation on higher education issues suggests the need for greater attention to these areas.

How the University Presents Itself

A particular challenge for The University of Arizona is defining a collective mission that unites the institution internally and presents a coherent image that the State will enthusiastically support. The University of Arizona is extraordinarily diverse. Only thirteen states locate both a College of Agriculture and a College of Medicine on the same campus. UA South has a unique role as a community-supported and regional institution. The University cannot afford to be all things to all people but encounters internal and external resistance to focusing on particular niches.

A problem in getting public support is our failure to address campus questions in a way that the public understands. For instance, it is a reasonable guess that campus terms such as “critical thinking” and “liberal education” either mean nothing to many citizens and legislators or, at worst, are interpreted as a threat to religion or family values. This lack of a public oriented presentation has real consequences. For instance:

· A state legislator who is an enthusiastic supporter of Cooperative Extension not knowing that it is part of the University.

· Lack of understanding on the roles and responsibilities of a research oriented, land-grant university.

· Vulnerability to public pressure to support parts of the University at the expense of the whole by those with a particular interest in only a part.

In short, we need to be clear on what we do and describe it in a language that Arizona can say, “Yes. We want our University to do that.”

There is strong evidence that The University of Arizona is playing out of its financial league.

· Of the twelve public Research I universities that are land grant and have a College of Medicine, the UA is the second lowest in combined state and tuition funding per student and is over $1200 below average.

· Arizona receives a smaller proportion of federal and local support for Cooperative Extension than most other states. By every comparison against other peer groups, we are severely under-funded.

· As noted above, the University is making major investments in information technology with equipment costs, maintenance and IT staffing costing over $14 million more a year than six years ago.

· Unlike most other states, the University has to fund its own buildings. The amount spent on university debt service rose $9.5 million over the five years from $25.2 million in 1993-94, and will rise another $10-15 million over the next five years. Every $1,000,000 in debt financing for buildings means we give up the resources for funding one typical faculty member.

· The total University revenue shortfall compared with 5 years ago is between $30 and $40 million annually. The revenue shortfall compared to our peers is between $60 to $90 million annually.

As a result of decreasing state funding, beginning in the 1970’s, the combination of federal, private, and other revenues exceeded University appropriations from the State of Arizona and now represent approximately one-third of the revenues supporting university education and general expenditures (Figure 3).

The last five years have been a time of prosperity for the United States, especially in Arizona where job growth has been third in the nation. The Department of Economic Security predicts that job growth will be more than twice the national average over the next two years. Nationally this prosperity has permitted an average increase in state appropriations for higher education of 5.8% per year for the last five years. But in Arizona it just averaged 5.4% per year (Chronicle of Higher Education 12/17/99), even though Arizona had the second highest population growth rate and second highest growth rates in the number of students in the country. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students at The University of Arizona has increased from 27,720 in fall 1985 to 31,011 in fall 1999. While State-authorized operating funds per student have increased during this period, the purchasing power of the dollar has declined and the State provides no funds for inflation adjustments. As a result, real State dollars per FTE student have declined. This failure to respond to a growing need is in spite of polls indicating that education is a top concern of the public (Arizona Capitol Times, 2/24/00, p. 25).

This lack of support during prosperity leaves us especially vulnerable when economic growth levels off to more historically normal levels, as is projected for 2000 and beyond (“2000-2001 Outlook: Slower Growth Ahead,” Arizona’s Economy, University of Arizona Eller College of Business. See page 5 especially for the reasons for this leveling off). In a report by Harold A. Hovey for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Arizona is projected to have a 10.5% shortfall in State revenues for all purposes within 10 years. Only six states are projected to have worse deficits (State Spending for Higher Education in the Next Decade, 1999, p. 10). This means even bigger shortfalls for higher education. A recession would be disastrous. It would completely disrupt university finances at a time when expanding numbers of new high school graduates and the newly unemployed would both increase demand for higher education.

Some of the decline in the State budget in real terms has been offset by tuition increases. Nationally and internationally tuition increases have been outrunning inflation. This is hardly surprising when you consider that over “the last ten years, service prices have risen three times faster than” durable goods (Fortune, 10/12/98, p. 200). Such increases are encountering growing resistance and leading to increased public scrutiny. However, Arizona tuition increases have been smaller than national trends since the 1970s. Over the last three fiscal years, The University of Arizona in-state tuition increases averaged only 3.0% per year, only slightly above inflation (see Figure 4). In addition, part of any tuition increase must be set aside for scholarships and is not a net addition to operating revenue.

Further, tuition per student at The University of Arizona is the second lowest of major public universities anywhere in the country. This creates a special problem because people tend to perceive tuition increases in percentage rather than dollar terms. At present rates of inflation, public resistance to tuition increases mounts as increases approach 4%. But with our extra low tuition, 4% at the University of Arizona is only a little over $80 for in-state students; in contrast, 4% at the University of Michigan is $240. Unfortunately, we cannot spend percentages, only dollars, and on dollars the Arizona universities are falling farther and farther behind.

These problems are especially severe for The University of Arizona because we have a higher proportion of high cost programs by discipline (science, engineering, and medicine) and by degree level. Ph.D.s, pharmacists and M.D.s are far more expensive to educate than masters level students. The University of Arizona produces 15% more Ph.D.s and first professionals than the other two state universities combined.

The University has tried to meet the shortfalls caused by rising costs and marginal increases in state and tuition revenues by deferring over $40 million in maintenance of the University’s buildings and infrastructure, giving up central reserves, cutting staff, and reducing the number of periodicals and books acquired by the library. We have also increased the efficiency and effectiveness of many administrative systems, and carried out $72 million in internal reallocations. These strategies have been stretched to the limit. Finances are not just a factor but a major factor in every other issue that faces us.

The University will continue to work to expand resources from all sources. However, even under the most optimistic funding circumstances, the UA will continue to be an under-funded institution compared to those with whom we compete. To compete effectively the university will have to:

2. Create facilities and a climate of collegiality, acceptance and mutual support that makes the UA a unique and unusually attractive place to work.

External constraints on management continually increase. From fiscal auditing to accreditation reviews, every function of the university receives multiple reviews. Recently, universities have become a focus of additional public scrutiny; and ever increasing reporting and paperwork complicates and slows decisions and adds costs.

Faculty-administration relations have improved in recent years, but such relations are still below that of other comparable institutions (HERI, 1998 Faculty Survey Institutional Summary, p. 16). Resource shortages tend to focus units on self-protection at the very time when a university perspective is most critical. University support services (facilities, accounting, police, human resources, administrative and academic computing, etc.) are budgeted separately from the academic units. Internal and external resistance to funding such “administrative costs” forces academic units into inefficient and sometimes ineffective business practices, higher overheads, and the creation of subsidiary systems to support their activities. The whole university is less effective and everyone’s life is more frustrating than it need be.

Constraints such as these make it extremely difficult to create the internal financial and social flexibility required to meet needs and adapt to changing circumstances and to give people confidence in their colleagues and the environment in which they work.

Every major institution claims to be unique. In the case of The University of Arizona, this is a more significant claim and factor in institutional planning than at any other institution. We have the momentum of the last 20 years, an extraordinary student and research diversity making possible a synergistic mix of medical, agricultural and interdisciplinary programs, and a strong track record of building on the social, economic and geographic characteristics of Arizona and the Southwest.

The University of Arizona also faces some critical challenges. The public demands and deserves greater accountability and expects the University to improve quality while reducing costs. Federal funding for education and research is decreasing, with some shifts of research funding among disciplines. Real State funding per student has decreased and salaries are falling behind. Resistance to further tuition increases, especially those above inflation, is growing. The goals, objectives, and strategies the University has designed to address these and other problems are outlined in the remainder of this plan.

Goal A. To enhance learning activities and outcomes at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels in a manner consistent with a student-centered research University.

The University of Arizona prides itself in being a student centered research university. In the State of Arizona, it is the premier residential campus for undergraduate education and the premier graduate and professional institution. The University is implementing its commitment to learner-centered education by improving instructional systems that respond to various student learning styles and that incorporate conventional and modern technology.

It is now common for top research universities, such as The University of Arizona, to undertake concerted initiatives to educate and serve undergraduate students more effectively, while maintaining and enhancing excellence in research and graduate programs. Nothing is more basic to the purpose of this University than its commitment to educate and serve undergraduates. Along with its high quality disciplinary programs, the University offers strong interdisciplinary programs. The University of Arizona successfully competes for the most highly qualified students in the country. Among top research universities, The University of Arizona has one of the more diverse undergraduate student bodies, having increased its minority student population during the 1990s.

Another element essential to the purpose and quality of The University is its commitment to support, educate, and train students in graduate and professional programs. The University of Arizona has outstanding graduate and post-baccalaureate professional programs, the quality of which has not been duplicated in the State. In the coming years, the university will build on its strengths and will work to maintain and expand its high-quality and diverse student body.

A.1. To improve the quality of undergraduate education through a focus on learner-centered instruction, as well as on assisting students to become effective and independent learners (Arizona Board of Regents [ABOR]: I-1, I-4, II-2, VIII). The University will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Develop innovative methods (including the use of new technologies) and courses in undergraduate education

b. Increase faculty development opportunities with a focus on improved instructional approaches, techniques, and environments that support a learner-centered approach

c. Foster student responsibility for building, refining, and executing their own educational plans and engagement in academic programs, research experiences, and campus and community activities

d. Increase undergraduate contact with faculty, including the expansion of freshmen seminars, and of honors and faculty fellows programs, and by increasing the proportion of lower division undergraduate courses taught by faculty

e. Provide students with on- and off-campus career related experiences and service learning opportunities that build character traits such as community perspective, cooperation, and teamwork

f. Increasingly emphasize instructional ability in the hiring and promotion process for faculty

g. Develop better procedures for using assessment of the individual student's progress and achievement relative to peers

h. Revise the University's general education curriculum so that it is more coherent and supportive of student objectives

i. Provide opportunities for students to integrate an international component into their educational experience

A.2. To attract, retain, and graduate a more qualified and diverse undergraduate student body (ABOR: I-2, I-4, IV-1, VI-2, VI-4, VIII). The University will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Excel in the recruitment of the most highly qualified undergraduate students in the State and the nation

b. Enhance recruitment of Arizona students in the top 10-25% of their class by increasing financial aid packages for such students

c. Enhance the achievement of minority recruitment, retention, and graduation programs

d. Improve and expand partnerships with K-12 and community college educational systems and with other countries to improve upon and diversify our student profile

e. Improve the educational, campus, and residential environments for first-year and transfer students

f. Develop instructional and student support systems that are responsive to a learner-centered approach

A.3. To strengthen our graduate and post-baccalaureate professional programs (ABOR: II-1, II-3, II-4, IV-1, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Excel in the recruitment of the most highly qualified graduate and professional students in the State and the nation

b. Enhance recruitment and retention of graduate students by continuing to increase Graduate College financial assistance

c. Enhance achievement of minority recruitment, retention, and graduation programs

d. Expand the involvement of faculty and students with interdisciplinary activities and programs

e. Be a leader in the graduate education of Native American, Hispanic/Mexican-American, and international students

f. Develop more equitable and quantifiable criteria to evaluate graduate and professional programs

g. Focus on selected graduate and professional programs that are successful in attracting, graduating, and placing diverse students, by redirecting resources based on success in these endeavors

A.4. To further capitalize on the new and emerging technologies to enhance learning effectiveness (ABOR: V-1, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

d. Provide opportunity for students to develop information literacy and assessment, as well as independent research skills

A.5. To integrate scholarly research and creative activity into the instructional program at all levels across the University (ABOR: III-1, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Ensure that research methods are included as a component of all undergraduate curricula

b. Facilitate undergraduate and graduate students’ involvement in faculty research and creative activities

c. Provide a rich array of research intensive experiences for undergraduate students, e.g., laboratory experiences, internships, capstone courses, and service learning opportunities, in which students receive academic credit and faculty receive teaching credit

Percentage of currently enrolled students expressing that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their University of Arizona experience as measured by annual survey of satisfaction with faculty on an exit survey

Percentage of recent alumni expressing satisfaction with University of Arizona educational experiences as measured by the triennial alumni survey.

Goal B. To maintain the quality and quantity of University research and creative activity.

The University of Arizona has realized an extraordinary rise in research standing among research universities in the last 30 years. The premier research university in the State, The University of Arizona is a leader among public research universities nationally. The University has developed a wide range of high quality programs of research and creative activity of national and international visibility. These programs create knowledge about our natural and social worlds. They contribute to creative and technological advances that benefit quality of life and economic well being of the State, the nation, and the world. The University's extraordinary success in competing for external grants and contracts also serves to provide financial support for graduate and undergraduate students. Further, research and creative activity enhance instruction at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Considerable proportion of these sponsored projects are instructional grants or are related to the improvement of education in the public schools or in colleges and universities.

B.1. To enhance research and creative activity in selected areas of distinction taking into consideration their relevance to societal concerns and needs (ABOR: III-1, VII-1). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Evaluate current areas of research distinction and appropriate levels of support for these activities

b. Develop and apply criteria for selecting future areas of distinction in which The University of Arizona can make a unique contribution

d. Develop appropriate assessment and ranking methodology for those areas for which National Science Foundation (NSF) rankings fail to provide adequate information

B.2. To develop partnerships in which scholars contribute to economic development and enrich the life of the community (ABOR: III-2, III-3). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Expand on-going interactions with State and local leaders to identify needs and areas of cooperation

b. Develop and utilize working partnerships with business, labor, and government to improve the transfer of technology and other appropriate information

c. Initiate opportunities for partnerships that respond to identified needs of the community

National Science Foundation research expenditures ranking among public universities

Baseline: In 1995, The University of Arizona received approximately $4.08 million in awards from the Arizona private sector

Percentage of graduating seniors who have participated in a research or capstone experience

Goal C. To strengthen University outreach to address needs of the community, State, and nation.

Outreach is a form of education that transcends the classroom and laboratory to bring knowledge and discovery to people outside of the University. As a manifestation of the University's teaching, scholarly research, and creative activities, outreach involves the generation, delivery, application, and preservation of knowledge for the well being of its constituents. Central to the University’s land grant responsibility, set by the Morrill (Land Grant) Acts of 1862 and 1890, is the provision of intellectual resources to all the citizens of the State. The University of Arizona's legacy of cooperative extension to the community and State is a tradition that lays a foundation for an expanded definition -- one that must evolve to keep pace with ever changing and global societal needs. The University of Arizona will meet its outreach goal by providing physical and human resources to integrate outreach responsibilities with teaching and research activities.

C.1. To address major social, cultural, economic, and public policy needs through outreach opportunities (ABOR: III-3, VI-1, VI-2, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Initiate outreach programs based on the interaction of on-going educational, research, and cultural activities with external needs and institutional capabilities

b. Expand working partnerships with early childhood, K-12, and community college educational systems to foster lifelong learning

c. Support activities that help Arizona benefit from regional and global economic developments, and contribute to the cultural and fiscal well-being of communities

d. Enhance the identification, transmission, and preservation of cultural and ethnic knowledge of the peoples in the State

e. Share learning in the arts, humanities, and sciences through community collaboration, public presentations, and publications

g. Identify and develop a representative range of cooperative activities with schools, business and industry, government agencies, and non-profit organizations involving University teaching and research programs

C.2. To coordinate and integrate overlapping outreach activities that address needs of the community, State, and nation (ABOR: VI-3, VII-2, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Establish an inventory of ongoing University outreach activities and monitor these activities for reporting and analysis

b. Form outreach oversight councils, centrally coordinated to address overlapping activities

c. Maintain a community planning advisory structure, widely representative, to assist in the strategic planning process

d. Assess the value of existing forms of outreach and adjust them in light of economic and cultural changes

C.3. Enhance outreach capabilities by incorporating new and emerging technologies (ABOR: V-1, V-2; VI-3, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Provide opportunities for the increased use of distributed education, primarily in cooperation with other educational institutions and university offices located in each county seat and in other Arizona communities

b. Utilize the World Wide Web and other electronic publishing capabilities to share resources and information with the local, State, national, and global communities

Increase participation in The University of Arizona outreach programs (number of registrants/attendance/credit hours)

*Baseline

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Coop. Extension

230

404

425

450

500

Cultural

Events

135

145

150

155

160

Museum

of Art

Extended Univ.

Athletic Programs

626

630

Goal D. To improve the way that all members of the University community are supported.

An essential element in the University's transformation is the relationship among students, faculty, and staff. The current context must place emphasis on people, with the knowledge that individuals, working together, know what needs to be accomplished and how best to meet those needs. People must be full participants in the organization's achievements and recipients of its rewards. The focus of the transformation in the University's approach is:

D.1. To motivate, develop, and support members of the University community effectively. (ABOR: VII-2, VII-3; UGEG:1). To achieve this objective the University will continue to:

a. Improve the effectiveness of support systems and services for students, faculty, and staff

b. Develop and implement equitable compensation systems that are aligned with University values and goals, and that promote job satisfaction

c. Promote proactive programs to educate and develop members of The University of Arizona community

d. Increase participation and influence of all members of the campus community in the functions of the institution

e. Strengthen forms of recognition and reward accomplishments of members of the University of Arizona community

D.2. To provide a healthy campus environment (ABOR: VII-3, VII-4, VIII). To achieve this objective the University will continue to:

b. Enhance diversity among faculty, students, and staff, and provide opportunities to increase awareness and appreciation for other cultures and perspectives

c. Assure high quality, affordable health, housing, food, recreation, safety, and disability support

d. Provide opportunities for faculty/student/staff/community partnerships that promote the synthesis of learning and life experiences

e. Provide opportunities for involvement in decision making processes of the institution

f. Support a rich artistic, intellectual, and cultural environment at The University of Arizona

a. Percentage of employees who respond affirmatively to a campus climate survey question: “I would encourage a friend or family member to apply for a job at the University of Arizona.”

b. Percentage of supervisors/managers who report improved performance by employees participating in the Supervisory Leadership Series Program 9 months after program complete.

c. Percentage of employees who utilize the faculty and staff tuition fee waiver to pursue higher education opportunities.

Goal E. To transform the University’s infrastructure to support the University's mission effectively and efficiently

Considerable progress has been, and continues to be, made in understanding and streamlining processes across the University. Successes must continue to be communicated and expectations must be defined so that these efforts can be replicated. Effective and efficient management of basic infrastructure resources in support of the University's mission, including financial, human, and physical, will require concentration on the following:

E.1. To build a flexible organization that continually learns by reviewing its work and results to adapt and improve (ABOR: VII-2, VII-5). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

b. Enhance communication between and among academic and non-academic units to promote student success

c. Invest in innovations and activities of excellence to maintain our position as the State’s premier institution of higher education

d. Promote greater synergy by rewarding cooperation among units, institution-wide

E.2. To use an improved planning and budgeting process to determine priorities, direct resources, and ensure accountability (ABOR: VII-1, VII-5). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Develop, within the principles of shared governance, effective and integrated assessment, environmental scanning, planning, and budgeting that results in the implementation of clear priorities

b. Develop reliable and valid indicators to chart progress toward implementation of University goals and objectives

c. Develop a pool of resources to be reallocated in support of institutional priorities

d. Structure administrative responsibilities and funding to promote accountability for the effective management of resources

e. Privatize where cost-effective operations will be achieved in a manner consistent with University values

E.3. To continue to develop or acquire technologies to support teaching, research, outreach, and administration (ABOR: V-1, V-2, VIII). The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following:

a. Provide logically integrated information systems that support smooth, effective University of Arizona business operations and provide needed information quickly

b. Clarify campus direction and priorities for information technology as they relate to learning initiatives

c. Provide effective management, coordination, and acquisition of campus-wide hardware, software, personnel, and other information technology resources

d. Develop the infrastructure necessary to provide electronic access to information anytime, anywhere for The University of Arizona community

e. Take a leading role in planning and developing the physical infrastructure for statewide education, research, and service efforts supportive of State K-12, community college, and other statewide telecommunications needs

E.4. To develop a physical environment supportive of the University mission and community. The University of Arizona will achieve this objective utilizing the following (ABOR: V-2, VII-1, VIII):

a. Ensure the maintenance, utility, and attractiveness of University buildings and grounds

b. Provide world class facilities in support of undergraduate and graduate education

d. Provide the physical infrastructure for statewide education, research, and service efforts

The number of librarian/faculty instructional partnerships developed for the purpose of integrating new information technologies into the curriculum and resulting in changing the method of instruction in at least one course per faculty member partner

The percentage of residence hall students (via residence halls, student centers, and faculty offices) with access to the network

The number of classrooms available for multimedia and computer based instruction each Fall

Resource assumptions suggest only modest incremental funding will be available for the planning period. The University depends upon funding from a variety of sources to accomplish its mission. The advent of biennial budgeting for the universities has established the appropriated funding level for the 1999-2001 period. Marginal new revenues approved for 2000-01 were set at approximately 3.1 percent and included an annualized salary adjustment pool of 2% which was effective April 1, 2000. Adjustments in revenue resulting from tuition are similarly modest. Marginal new non-appropriated revenues in the Designated, Auxiliary and Restricted funds will vary but are expected to be in the range of 2.5% to 3.5 % for the year. The University is embarking on an expanded fundraising program. However, the results of that activity are longer term in nature and not expected to have a significant influence on expenditures in the 1999-2001 biennium.