Academic Priorities Document Disseminated to Campus

By Kim Hachiya, Public Relations

Officials at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have released a document containing a tentative draft of the university's highest academic priority programs.

The draft report will be subject to a number of campus reviews, said Harvey Perlman, interim UNL chancellor. He noted that while academic planning is an ongoing and continuous process at UNL, this particular report was generated at the request of the university's board of regents and University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith.

"The list constitutes 20 to 25 percent of our programs and this will serve as the first step toward focusing our academic programs to enhance the university," Perlman said. "Although we do not contemplate dramatic reallocations, we do expect that over time, resources will move toward these priorities. However, there are many programs not on this list that must be maintained and nourished to continue to serve the needs of the people of Nebraska."

The process identified highest priorities, not necessarily the best programs, the report states, defining highest priorities as "those which the university wishes to advance and strengthen through additional funding." Setting priorities provides university officials with a basic pattern for future investment, the report said.

The priorities are grouped in four thematic areas. These areas cut across disciplines and include all of the university's missions of learning, discovery and engagement. The areas are:

o Graduate/Professional Education and Research/Creative Activity

o Life Sciences, Health and Natural Resources

o Undergraduate Education

o Outreach

A total of 102 programs were identified by deans of individual colleges and other program areas.

Academic deans were asked to forward priorities last fall. Three reviews were conducted by the deans, which resulted in the program areas forwarded for the current report. Throughout the process, college deans and department chairs were asked to involve faculty members in identifying and establishing priorities.

The next step is to discuss the document at the campus level through a number of public faculty forums to be convened the first two weeks in February. By mid-February, the emerging priorities will be evaluated against the criteria established by the board of regents. By mid-March, priorities will be forwarded to the campus Academic Planning Committee for its review.

The Academic Planning Committee will forward its recommendations to the chancellor by May 1 and on May 15, the chancellor will submit UNL's academic program priorities to the regents and NU president.

The complete report is available on the Web at: http://www.unl.edu/sv caa/prioritization.html.

Discussion Forums Feb. 8, 9

An abridged copy of the Prioritization Draft Document is printed on pages 6 and 7 of this issue of The Scarlet. In addition, the entire document is available on the web at http://www.unl.edu/sv caa/prioritization.html and printed copies are available in the offices of all college deans.

Two open forums have been scheduled where comments about the content of the document can be heard. They are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Georgian Suite of the Nebraska Union and 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Feb. 9 in the Nebraska Room of the Clifford Hardin Center for Continuing Education. Both meetings are open to all interested individuals.

UNL Campus Report

Academic Program Priorities

In October 1999, University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith charged the "Commission for Development of Criteria for Evaluation and Prioritization of Academic Programs" with the following:

The charge of the commission is to develop criteria by which academic programs of the University of Nebraska will be evaluated and prioritized. The criteria developed should address attributes of an academic program such as quality, importance to the overall mission of NU, centrality to the core mission of the appropriate campus, faculty productivity, fiscal considerations, and the need or demand for the program.

Each campus is now engaged in a process designed to identify its highest academic program priorities for future investments (approximately 1/4th of all programs). This interim report to the campus community describes the context for responding to the President's request, the process used at UNL to identify our highest priorities for future investment, and progress to date.

An academic program as defined by the Prioritization Committee refers to an organized and directed accumulation of resources to accomplish specific academic objectives, with educational, service and/or research outcomes. All mission components are included, and our planning decisions are premised on what we can foresee about current program needs and goals. The highest academic priorities are not necessarily the best programs but are those which the university wishes to advance and strengthen through additional funding. Unanticipated events and needs may require the campus to review and modify some specific priorities, but naming priorities provides a basic plan for the overall pattern of future investment. The objective of setting priorities is to be able to plan for development of the high quality and positive reputation of the university, which is the surest way to better serve the people of Nebraska.

Context for Setting UNL Academic Priorities

A. Role and Mission

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus is a comprehensive land-grant, AAU institution with a full range of academic programs in undergraduate, graduate and professional education. As a public institution, the university occupies a unique position in the higher education community of Nebraska. This uniqueness has been articulated in the expectations established by the Board of Regents, the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, and the State. The intersections of these expectations with historical AAU membership and federally mandated/sponsored outreach programs characteristic of a land-grant institution provide the primary context for establishing academic priorities and emphases at the University. In elaborating on the role and mission of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the BOR Bylaws (4/28/99) establishes the following elements of scholarship for the campus:

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL): UNL is the primary research and doctoral degree-granting institution in the state for fields outside the health professions, and offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs. UNL has primary statewide responsibility for the land-grant activities of the University of Nebraska which emphasize application and integration of knowledge and applied research in diverse areas. Scholarship at UNL should emphasize teaching and discovery but should also include the scholarship of integration and application.

Finally, the Board of Regents recognizes and encourages the diversity of the four campuses, with each campus having a different role and mission and each campus having distinctive core competencies. The Board encourages inter-campus collaborations which leverage the strengths of the individual campuses and their faculty in joint efforts.

The Regents' role and mission statement for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides the general benchmarks for identifying and establishing high priority programs. This includes placing a premium on (1) excellence in a select number of research, professional and graduate programs whose quality places these programs among the best in the nation and the world, (2) quality undergraduate education, and (3) extending our focus from teaching to learning, recognizing that learning is a life-long experience that takes place across the state and beyond in businesses, communities, and homes as well as on the Lincoln campus.

B. A Common Vision

Any strategic plan that purports to develop priorities campuswide must be built upon a vision that has achieved some degree of consensus. Fortunately, in late spring of 2000 a task force composed of faculty, administrators, and representatives of the public-at-large produced a report titled "A 2020 Vision: The Future of Research and Graduate Education at UNL." That report provided a candid assessment of the University and offered some ambitious goals to be achieved over the next 20 years. The focus of the task force on research and graduate education was appropriate because UNL is the Research University for the State of Nebraska and the report itself demonstrates that the research mission of the University helps define the nature of the education undergraduates receive. The "2020 Vision" report offered a foundation for the development of a vision for the Lincoln campus, and in preparation for the resumption of classes in the fall of 2000, the Deans were directed to engage their faculties in conversations about the acceptability of the report. The Academic Senate was also invited to solicit faculty views.

In early October at an administrative retreat the Deans reported that the report seemed to have achieved considerable consensus among the faculty and it was unanimously endorsed by the UNL Graduate Council on Oct. 10, 2000. The concerns expressed were largely of definition. Did "research" include the type of creative activity common to the arts and humanities? Was the quality of undergraduate education to remain a high priority? These questions led to the understanding that the term "research" encompasses all forms of original creativity and that the commitment to research in its broadest sense is not in conflict with a quality undergraduate experience but rather helps define the type of education undergraduates should receive at a research institution. With these understandings, the "2020 Vision" report emerged as the proper vision against which to define the priorities of the University.

C. Realities of Implementing Academic Priorities

Within a University context, it is neither appropriate nor practical to reallocate resources to a new set of priorities in one bold stroke. Shared governance between faculty and the administration requires collaboration in focusing the University and moving it forward. Nearly 80 percent of the faculty are tenured and specialized so it is not possible to instantly shift resources from one academic discipline to another. The trust between faculty and administration, so essential to implementing real and sustained enhancements, is often broken if campuswide reallocation occurs when not forced by financial emergencies. At the same time, universities must be responsive to the pace of change that characterizes the present time; and this campus must recognize the urgency of enhancing our quality. What is required is a collaborative effort to make firm and steady decisions toward a shared objective. Faculty must take full advantage of the opportunities to move the university agenda forward by maximizing their individual contributions toward achieving the institutional vision. Administrators must pledge that the decisions they make will be consistent with the established priorities. Measures must be adopted to evaluate this collective effort and document its success.

It is also important to recognize that UNL is the only comprehensive Research University in the State of Nebraska. This fact places limits on the extent to which we may narrow our focus. Our efforts to reduce the brain drain from Nebraska depend on the University offering a sufficiently broad set of programs to respond to the diverse needs of prospective students. The consequence of removing a program from the portfolio at UNL is often that bright students who seek that program will leave the state and may not return. At the same time, it is clear that some focus must be achieved for the University to enhance its quality. An appropriate balance, while not easy to draw, is required.

In prioritizing our research and service functions, we face a different problem. As the only land-grant university, the campus must position itself to respond to the changing needs of Nebraskans. Describing what those needs will be 3 years or 5 years or 10 years from now involves considerable uncertainty, and yet if the University is not able to respond when the time comes, the State as a whole will suffer accordingly. Like investors facing uncertain markets, the university must maintain a certain level of diversification in order to minimize its uncertainty. Too narrow a focus of university resources, if premised on a flawed prediction, could leave both the State and the University in difficult circumstances. At the same time, since resources are limited some strategic risk-taking is required.

UNL Process

Setting academic priorities at UNL is a continuous process that results from unit-level strategic planning, budgeting, and management decisions. It is an outgrowth of routine and periodic program reviews, accreditations, and the normal management practices at each level of the University. Focusing specific attention on UNL's highest priorities for the 2000-2001 academic year, as requested by President Smith, necessarily draws on and reflects these routine processes. Thus, during Spring and Summer, 2000, college deans reviewed these materials and consulted with department chairs and faculty to consider which program priorities to advance for their colleges. Additional discussion and clarification occurred at the Chancellor's Retreat in August 2000 and the Deans' Retreat in October 2000 with the goal of submitting preliminary program priorities by Nov. 15, 2000. Subsequent discussions in Deans' Council meetings were designated to review, refine, and make changes to program priorities identified for inclusion. To date, the deans have gone through three iterations resulting in the program priorities listed in this report. As the process developed, these priorities were checked against the criteria recommended by the President's Commission, as well as department, college and institutional plans. Throughout the process, college deans and department chairs were asked to involve the faculty in identifying and establishing these priorities. In addition, conscious efforts were made to incorporate elements from the following task force reports and most recent strategic plans for the university:

• A 2020 Vision: The Future of Research and Graduate Education at UNL
• Task Force for the Integration and Enhancement of the Life Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln h ttp://www.unl.edu/svcaa/priorities/plan/lifesciencesreport.html
• Task Force Report on Extension in the 21st Century
• Freshman Experience Task Force
• "Building a Culture of Excellence" UNL's Strategic Plan presented to the Board of Regents in August 1999

The purpose of this interim report is to provide the campus community the opportunity to review and comment on the preliminary list of academic programs identified as high priorities for future investment. It is a work in progress. When finalized over the next few weeks, these priorities will then be evaluated more carefully and systematically against the program criteria outlined by the President's Commission and then submitted to the Academic Planning Committee for their review and recommendations to the Chancellor. To the extent possible, the following dates will be targeted for its review process and preparation of the final report:

2/01/01 ­ Campus review and comment on initial programs identified as highest priority for future investment. Faculty forums will be held.

2/15/01 ­ UNL academic priorities established; begin validation of priorities against commission criteria and construction of a draft report for each priority academic program.

3/15/01 ­ Finalize a written report for each academic program priority for submission to Academic Planning Committee for review.

5/01/01 ­ Academic Planning Committee recommendations forwarded to Chancellor.

5/15/01 ­ Chancellor submits UNL's academic program priorities to the President and Board of Regents.

UNL's Academic Program Priorities (Tentative)

The following academic program priorities have been identified as areas for future investment and emphasis on the UNL campus. The organization that follows locates these priorities in four categories of primary emphasis consistent with task force reports and institutional strategic plans: Graduate/Professional Education and Research/Creative Activity; Life Sciences, Health, and Natural Resources; Undergraduate Education; and Outreach. Several of the programs cut across academic units and have mission components that integrate the missions of learning, discovery and engagement. They have been listed only once within the category of primary priority emphasis.

In addition to the Life Sciences, Health and Natural Resources, other programmatic clusters or areas of emphasis include: Knowledge Management; Globalization; Family and Youth; Rural and Community Development; Great Plains; Culture and Humanities; and Diversity. Knowledge management (i.e., how we collect, organize, and make accessible in a useful way for research or commercial use the vast new stores of information and knowledge now available) includes priority programs ranging from bioinformatics and software engineering to instructional technology and management information systems. Globalization, another area of priority emphasis, addresses the overall objective of increasing global and international emphases in all mission areas of the University. The priority programs that fall predominantly in this area seek to globalize the context of teaching, research, and outreach efforts by enhancing student opportunities for international experiences and understanding. These program priorities are intended to result in significant impacts on Nebraska's ability to function successfully in an increasingly global environment.

A. Graduate/Professional Education and Research/ Creative Activity

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a Research University. The commitment to research/creative activity and graduate/professional education is central to our role and mission and helps define the nature of undergraduate and graduate teaching, the type of faculty recruited, and the nature of the service the University performs for the people of Nebraska. The effort to enhance our research enterprise depends in part on making strategic investments at the University, but it is also driven, in part, by the focus of federal research funding that changes periodically, and the problems that emerge for which solutions must be found. Because the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the state's only Research University, we must be positioned to be flexible in its ability to respond to the research needs of our global community as well as the citizens of the State. The following are some of the components where investments will need to be made to sustain a strong research mission: opportunistic investments in research initiatives; professional development for faculty to support research initiatives; building and maintaining a research infrastructure, including laboratories, technicians, information technology, instrumentation, etc.; UCARE, a program to involve undergraduates in research; and support for graduate stipends. Academic program priorities included under Graduate/Professional Education and Research/Creative Activity are:

Instructional Emphasis

Administration, Curriculum and Instruction (ACI) Doctoral Program

Integrated Communications Program

International Media Communications

International Quilt Study Center

J.D. degree program

Management Information Systems Program

Master of Business Administration Program

Masters in Professional Archeology

Masters of Professional Accountancy Program

Methodology and Statistics (Psychology)

Museum Studies

Ph.D. Programs in Business and Economics

Philosophy and Moral Sciences

Post Colonial Literatures in English

Psychological and Cultural Studies (PCS) Doctoral Program

Spanish

Youth Development in the Family and Community - Distance Education

 

Research Emphasis

Algebra and Discrete Mathematics

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics

Bureau of Business Research

Business Leadership Program

Cather Project

Center for Great Plains Studies

Chemical Synthesis

Communication Disorders Program

Communication Studies

Comparative History

Constructed Infrastructure Systems

Creative Writing

Developmental Psychopathology Program

Digital Scholarship and Literacy Program

Early Childhood Development, Care and Education

Economic Education Program

Film Studies

French Language and Literature

Graduate Programs in the Arts

High Energy Physics

Human Rights and Human Diversity

Institute for Statistics and Survey Methodology

Instructional Technology Education Program

Law and Psychology

Materials and Manufacturing

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Nanoscale Science and Technology

Native American Studies

Nineteenth Century Studies

Professional and Doctoral Education in Architecture

Quantitative and Qualitative Measurements in Education/Buros Institute for Mental Measurements

Regional Geography

Religious Studies

Rural Studies

School Psychology Program

Sedimentary Geology

Simulation/Computing Engineering

Sociology of the Family

Software Engineering

Survey Research and Methodology

Teachers College Institute: Center for Effective Education and Children's Services

Value-added Processing of Agricultural Commodities

B. Life Sciences, Health, and Natural Resources

Advances in biotechnology and the historic importance of agriculture to Nebraska makes it essential that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln support the life sciences, health and natural resources. The biotechnology revolution, for instance, is too new to have a firm understanding of where new advances will lead, but it is clear that this University must be positioned to take advantage of the opportunities it will present. It is anticipated that cutting edge research will be interdisciplinary where substantial intersections between the programs listed below will occur. Priority programs for future investment in the Life Sciences, Health, and Natural Resources are:

Bioengineering

Bioinformatics

Biotechnology and Molecular Biology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Ecosystem Science Program

Food Safety Program

Functional Genomics

Hydrogeology

Meteorology and Climatology

Molecular/Biochemical Nutrition

Nebraska Center for Virology

Sociology of Health

Water Resources Conservation and Protection

C. Undergraduate Education

In a comprehensive Research University, the undergraduate experience is of primary importance. Our commitment to research helps define the nature of the undergraduate experience. This University should be a place where students sense first-hand the excitement of discovery and develop the skills to engage in the process of discovery. Because of the size and complexity of a Research University, special efforts must be made to personalize the experience for students as they adapt and mature in their experiences. In addition, the undergraduate experience must prepare students for all facets of their future, embed the discipline for life-long learning, prepare them for the diverse communities in which they will live, and broaden their horizons to the global community. Worldwide communication systems, access to information from throughout the world, worldwide travel, greater diversity of populations, and international markets are all representative of a ubiquitous globalization trend. Globalization is not something that can be readily controlled ­ and certainly not stopped. It is evident in almost all aspects of life and is becoming more and more pervasive. Undergraduate academic programs that, either in their present form or as they evolve, must be sustained through investment are:

Cedar Point Biological Station

Comprehensive Education Program (CEP)

E.J. Faulkner Writing Lab

E-Business Program

Humanities in a Global Context

Information Technology and Telecommunications

Interdisciplinary Studies

International Affairs/Honors Study Abroad

International Business Program

Mass Media in Transition

Math and Science Teachers for the 21st Century

Multicultural Issues and Diversity

Omaha Programs in Architecture and Architectural Engineering

Public Understanding of Technical Communication

Service Learning Program

Teacher Education Programs in Areas of Teacher Shortages

Textile and Apparel Design & Merchandising Management Program

Undergraduate Creative Activities & Research Experiences (UCARE) Program

University Honors Program (including JD Edwards Program)

University Learning Communities

Visual Literacy an Interdisciplinary Program

Web-based Professional Development, Certificate and Degree Programs

D. Outreach

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is this state's only land-grant University and has a special obligation to engage the people of Nebraska. The content of our outreach programs must be driven by the continually evolving needs of the people served. The dramatic changes that are occurring in rural Nebraska highlight the need for the University to be capable of responding to new sets of opportunities and concerns. The following are some of the components where investments will need to be made to sustain a strong outreach mission for the University: outreach infrastructure, including units like Cooperative Extension and the Division of Continuing Studies, as well as activities within academic units; maintaining a broad research program to provide the basis for flexible outreach programs; and, information technology. Particular areas of emphasis include family, youth, rural and community development. The program priorities for outreach are:

Agricultural and Community Development Program

Center for the Study of Financial Services

Community and Regional Development

Distance Learning Expansion and Support

Entrepreneurship Program

Marriage and Family Therapy Outreach and Research Programs

Public Policy Studies

Touring Component of Arts Outreach Program