MSU Strategic Planning Initial Prioritization for Potential Areas of Focus: 
December 2017

The Springboard International team conducted a series of stakeholder listening sessions from November 27 to December 1, 2017. During each of these sessions, participants were led through a series of brainstorming exercises to identify a list of items that they consider important for MSU’s Strategic Planning Committee to focus on throughout the planning process. Once each list was compiled, participants were given three to six stickers (depending on the size of the group) to identify those items they thought should be given the highest priority. Participants could award their stickers in whatever way they wished (i.e. all stickers could be connected with a single item or split among multiple items).

December 2017 Listening Sessions word cloud

The table below captures all of the items that were identified as important by each of the groups, along with the number of stickers each item received. Each item is listed exactly as it was recorded and prioritized during the listening sessions. Please note that two of the groups (November 28 Faculty and November 30 Students) decided to change the prioritization exercise in ways that altered the prioritization exercise according to the notes at the bottom of the table.

We welcome your feedback on the items below, as well as any additional thoughts or perspectives that you feel the Strategic Planning Committee should take into consideration. 

Stakeholder Sessions

Diversity & Inclusion Task Force
Budget, Outreach and Engagement, Planning, and Research Council
Faculty Senate
Deans
Faculty: November 28, November 29
Staff
Assistant and Associate Deans Council
Students 
Department Heads
Community Stakeholders
Student & Academic Programs

November 27: Diversity & Inclusion Task Force
6 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals
Stewardship of human resources

6
Diversity/inclusion as part of all we do
(litmus test, similar to how “Is this serving students?” is currently used)
6
Supporting in-state students for needs in the state (e.g. nursing/medical)
3
Graduation/retention
2
Land grant mission/agricultural foundation
2
Affordable housing/work with community (graduation students, too)
2
Realistic recruitment of students who can succeed and be supported by community
(in-state v. out-of-state)
1
Governance structure… leadership & VOC
1
Avoid conflicts of interest with large donors
-
Academic success and student success (tensions between them)
-
Student-centered/student-focused
-

 

November 27: Budget, Outreach and Engagement, Planning, and Research Council Members
10 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Compensation for (and number of) classified staff
9
More major research projects (research centers); invest in research facilities, instruments
6
Outreach and engagement with state (economic development)
5
[Combination of the two related to strategy]
4
Cutting-edge research
4
Providing student support inside and outside of departments
4
Undergrad research and access to faculty (graduate students, too)
3
Strategize and do things well (focus)
2
University branding (uniqueness and value of; finding an identity)
1
Excellent undergrad education
1
More intentional and strategic about managing growth and infrastructure
-
Land grant mission
-
Build on interdisciplinary activities
-

 

November 27: Faculty Senate
6 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Excellence in research
6
Civics (engagement of citizens in body politic); critical thinking & civics engagement
4
Strengthen research so more relevant to Montana (land grant mission)
3
Improve graduate student compensation (health insurance, stipends)
3
Foundation success for capital campaigns
(new sources of money; buildings and programs)
2
More internationalization (faculty hires working outside of U.S.)
2
Flexible workload policy (research v. teaching)
1
Research infrastructure (more money)
1
Writing and communication skills
1
Anticipate growth in student numbers (new faculty, facilities) 
1
Balancing high quality teaching w/ increasing enrollment and graduation rates
-
Promoting diversity
-
Affordable, high-quality education for all of Montana
-
Supporting undergrad research
-

 

November 28: Deans
12 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Bigger and broader in graduate education
6
Broader comprehensive identity as a university
(Are we more than STEM, or not?)
5
Reputation as a major regional college, not just for Montana
4
Culturally aware and globally competent graduates
4
Compensation
4
Engagement with community and state
4
Pedagogical innovation (unique to MSU)
3
Continuing to embrace land grant mission
3
More interdisciplinary
3
Undergrad experience, including research
2
Address space needs for past and future growth including parking
2
Sufficient faculty and staff to support enrollment (support services, too)
2
Student-centered (opportunity and access)
1
Prioritize and publicize work force development in Montana
1
Research vibrancy beyond undergrad (graduate/faculty)
1
Shared governance (faculty focus)
-
What is MSU known for?
-
Research excellence (multi-layered and interdisciplinary)
-
Interdisciplinary collaboration
-
Challenging and rigorous programs
-
Recruiting students (quantity and quality)
-
Be the university of choice
-
Decide who we are
-

 

November 28: Faculty
22 Members/10 Members*
Top Items
Sticker Totals 

Knowledge Generation
-
Graduate Education Improvement
-
Undergraduate Education Improvement
-
Community Outreach Improvement
-
*The November 28 Faculty group sent a list of un-ranked items to a second meeting, where a smaller group of attendees suggested four general areas of focus.

 

November 29: Staff
17 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Human capital (compensation, retention, progression, etc.)
17
More best practices
8
Engage broad population (MSU full community)
6
Research excellence
5
Support (financial and recognition) for graduate education and recruiting
4
Self-care of people and facilities (stewardship)
3
Helping minority and disadvantaged students
(enhancing visibility of programs)
2
Academic program prioritization (can’t be everything to everyone)
2
Increased retention and graduation rates for all
1
Recruitment of quality undergrad students whom we can support
-
Integration of learning, discovery and engagement
-
Talented and amazing faculty
-
We get it done (work ethic)
-
Helping employees with student interaction
-
Strong, engaging student experience
-
Opportunities for employee input
-
More faculty/staff control over initiatives (e.g. inter-departmental)
-

 

November 29: Faculty
14 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Diversity
(including Native Americans and others; institutionalizing departmental priorities)
 7
Integration/recognition of research as education
7 
First year experience
(core requirements, portable skills, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship)
7 
Faculty pay is low in some disciplines (faculty hiring/retention)
4 
Distinguish between training and education
4 
Ensure that students have coping skills and can self-direct as requested by employers
(develop resilience and coping as part of education)
3 
Globalization (e.g. study abroad)
2 
Interdisciplinary teaching
2
Teaching innovation (could be expanded)
2
Creating a faculty culture of interdisciplinary coordination
1
Committing to funding over long-term (such as funding for student support services)
1
Balance between teaching and research
1
Center of excellence in research/PhD education in physical sciences and math
1
Allowing/enabling all Montanans to get a good education
1
Attract rural to big city & big city to rural town (recruitment)
-
Being one community
-
Research productivity/efficiency
-
Culture that values strong work ethic (work that matters)
-
Good to reach 800 NAs goal by 2019 (almost there)
-
More opportunities for the top tier students than other state schools
(internships, research, honors college, authorship, courses, etc.)
-
Student resilience as a student well-being model (include as part of August orientation)
-
Invest in graduate education, particularly non-STEM to help with Carnegie status (R1)
-
Management of student growth
-
Engaging adult learners
-

 

November 30: Assistant and Associate Deans Council
15 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Human resources (recruit, retain, and 360 degree evaluation)
5
Educate whole person (undergrad)
5
Access (provides opportunities for all students)
3
Maintaining quality with increasing enrollment including staff impacts
3
Fix gap between STEM and non-STEM
3
Diversity and inclusiveness (e.g. food) for all students and faculty
3
Increased funding support for graduate programs
3
Facilities (deferred maintenance, classroom, dorms and infrastructure)
2
Focus on international and global programs within the classroom (internationalizing)
2
Expanding traditional 8-to-5 in favor of 24-hr and online access (classroom, services, library, etc.)
2
Community outreach
1
Interface in workflow and work systems (Banner, Task Force, Academic Analysis, etc.)
1
Increasing graduate programming (focus on society and not just Montana [non-compete])
1
Student success services
1
More support for faculty research
1
Undergrad research opportunities
-
Student-focused
-
Transparency and accountability
-
Safe, clean, and supportive for students and younger faculty
-
Promoting positive reputation of MSU
-
Accessible, caring, empathetic faculty
-
Excellence of undergrad recruiting
-
Research within Montana communities
-
Faculty mentors (for students)
-
More input from faculty before launching new programs (e.g. Sophomore Surge)
-
Affordable housing
-
Interdisciplinary initiatives
-

 

November 30: Students
20 Members**
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Sustainability (social, economic, environmental)
8 (3)
More support for programs and offices to address the needs of a diverse student body
8 (2) 
Respect student voice
6 (1) 

Differentiating among grad and undergrad
(e.g. pins from registration, same trainings [alcohol], bills and tuition deadlines)
5 (3) 
Increase efforts to obtain public funding to live land grant mission
5 (1)
Focus on research experience
4 (2) 
Access (fulfill land grant mission)
4 (2) 
Electronic infrastructure (replace Banner)
3 (0)
Better graduation rates within 4-5 years
3 (0) 
Growth rates (infrastructure not keeping up)
3 (0) 
Classroom maintenance (improving existing classrooms)
3 (0) 
Integrate infrastructure decisions with Bozeman (coordinate)
2 (0)
Affordability (living in Bozeman; stipends re: G.A.)
2 (0) 
Finding Montana solutions to Montana problems
1 (1)
Recognizing faculty and staff for hard work
1 (1) 
Listens to students
1 (1) 
Seamless MSU is not working as promised
1 (0) 
Community outreach
1 (0) 
Focus on rural students (Hilleman scholarships)
1 (0) 
Freshman engagement and retention
-
Supporting veterans
 - 
Resourceful with money
- 
Honors college
- 
Build graduate student class options (fewer dual grad and undergrad classes)
- 
Better internal metrics for student services and academics
- 
Highlight practical learning opportunities
- 
Living space for grad students
- 
Data collection/analysis and transparency
(e.g. around sustainability [e.g. carbon usage])
- 

** The Students & ASMSU group believed that undergraduate and graduate students may have different concerns, and would therefore prioritize different items. We captured this discrepancy by counting the total stickers for each item (undergraduate and graduate student) and then highlighting the number of graduate student stickers for the same items. This is represented in the right-most column as x (y), with x = total votes and y = number of those votes that came from graduate students.

 

November 30: Department Heads
12 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals

Focus on critical thinking, civics
9
Faculty and staff pay
(tough to recruit; ‘it’s a mess’; grad students, too; inequity, inversion, and compression)
7 
Raise Carnegie status (grad student recruitment, faculty/staff compensation and hiring)
3 
Interdisciplinarity in research and teaching
3 
Student-centered (recruitment, undergrad research and teaching, services, learning)
3 
Land grant mission (we live it out)
2
Market to voters and taxpayers (What does land grant mean in 21st century?)
2 
Infrastructure (buildings ‘so far behind’; ‘can’t support students we have’; disability access; Romney)
2 
Build leaders
1 
Hire and retain great and committed faculty and staff
1 
Emphasis on research productivity, education in all disciplines
- 
Research on environmental issues from science, engineering, and humanities
- 
Engagement with community
- 
Diversity of programs
- 
Marketing MSU as a whole
- 
Engaging North American tribes
- 
Metrics of success in STEM programs
- 
Focus on qualitative examination of departments and programs
- 
Instructional quality (class size, student retention, NTT group)
- 
Educate to produce good citizens and not just good technicians
- 
Internationalization
- 
Student assessment plan (no training on it, not a lot of resources)
- 
Adequate support for innovative programs (e.g. teaching for Honors)
- 

 

November 30: Community Stakeholders
7 Members
Top Items
Stickers Total
Effort to partner with city
7
4-year graduation rate with 15-credit semesters
4
Partnerships with school district (education department often, and sometimes with others)
4
Participation in community health conversations/projects
4
Strong leadership
3
WWAMI program (medical education)
2
Being more committed to heath issues (e.g. tobacco-free campus)
2
Bringing programs and speakers to community
2
Fulfilling land grant model through extension
2
LGBTQ and other minority students
2
MSU raise employee salaries
2
Ensure student population and classrooms don’t take backseat to research
2
Expand work around LGBTQ students and safe spaces both on and off campus
2
Data sharing (growth, enrollment, parking, affordable housing)
1
Non-traditional graduate student track
1
Fix tailgating protocol
1
Providing nighttime classes
1
Graduation rates still sub-optimal
1
Be proud of where they work and what they do
-
Easier access to a wider variety of classes for all (flexibility and interdisciplinary)
-
Add teaching options to additional majors
-
Opportunities for youth
-
Recruiting students
-
Remodeling of buildings/campus
-
Exposing MSU students to education careers
-
Entertainment venues
-
Raising money, development department
-
Attracting engineering students because there are no caps
-
Entrepreneurship
-
Keeping students safe
-
Parking
-
Be responsive to innovation systematically
(Amazing partnerships because of individuals/grants, but would like ongoing partnerships with departments, not just individuals)
-
Well-training reading interns, but expectations not aligned w/ high school setting
-
Increase ‘high-touch’ customer service with students, parents and others
-
Lack of study space on campus (especially during finals week)
-
Lack of executive leadership on community boards
-
Keep ‘foot on pedal’ to build housing
-
Educate incoming students about Bozeman’s community standards (minority students issue)
-

 

November 30: Student & Academic Programs
16 Members
Top Items
Sticker Totals
Staff to support infrastructure
9
Commitment to quality education and research
7 
“Good Morning” and “small town” feeling
5 
Service excellence
3 
Enhance and sustain health/wellbeing of all students/employees
3 
Focus on holistic curriculum; both workforce and global citizens
2 
Commitment to access
2 
Higher expectations for students
2 
Student support services and student success
1 
Advanced technology, communication improvements
1 
Focus on global image (beyond state/region)
1 
New learning spaces (e.g. classroom and library)
1 
Stewardship (avoiding financial waste; environmental)
1 
Problem being siloed—not enough time/energy to collaborate; more support for employees (support staff)
1 
Commitment to recruitment and success of indigenous peoples of Montana
1 
World class teaching and research faculty because of ability to pursue academic excellence and lifestyle
- 
Focus on student research
- 
Year of diversity (symposiums)
- 
Engaging students on campus and treating them as part of family before they arrive
- 
Exceptional research and undergrad education
- 
Collaboration across silos
- 
Good student engagement thru programs, student-faculty relationships
- 
Improving connections with Bozeman community, state, region
- 
Enhancing pathways to advancement
- 
Improve infrastructure (physical and technology)
- 
Support for diverse students and students at risk
-