Chapter VI: Modeling Ethical and Effective Behavior

To accomplish the University’s statewide mission in public affairs, we must be an institution known not just for the quality of our outcomes, but also the constant integrity of how we do our work, especially when it comes to respect, honesty, integrity, collaboration, inclusiveness, social progress, and the effective stewardship of its resources.

In this final chapter, we consider the following eight dimensions that will define Missouri State as an ethical and effective institution:

Commitment to diversity – The University will be inclusive and create a climate for diversity so that we can recruit excellent faculty and students from many backgrounds who enjoy the freedom to express and debate diverse viewpoints and ideas. We want to have a campus community that looks more like the world, and have our students, therefore, prepared to function well in that world.

Commitment to honesty and integrity – Missouri State will continue to follow a set of Community Principles that specifically describe the expectations for the members of the campus community.

Practice of "transparency" in its operation and decision-making – The University believes a public institution has the obligation and responsibility to conduct its business openly. Operating in this manner leads to greater accountability for the University and greater trust among the public.

Excellence in facilities, infrastructure, and support services – Missouri State will continue to emphasize the renovation and maintenance of its existing facilities, as well as the development of infrastructure and support services to allow the University to obtain its goals.

Modern, highly functional information systems – The University understands the importance of information technology, and it will strive to stay current with its systems.

Entrepreneurial institution that is a good steward of its human resources – Missouri State will be known for its commitment to performance-based compensation that meets appropriate market goals and to its provision of excellent benefits.

Sound budget strategy for funding the plan and financing the future – The University will develop its budget in a participatory manner and ensure that it advances the chief policies and priorities of the institution.

Public accountability – Missouri State will maintain and publish a Public Scorecard of important outcomes by which all stakeholders will be able to monitor and judge the institution’s progress.

Diversity

Diversity is comprised of the multiplicity of people, cultures, and ideas that contribute to the richness and variety of life. It encompasses a mixture of similarities and differences along dimensions including, but not limited to, values, cultures, concepts, learning styles, and perceptions that individuals possess. According to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, diversity "is represented in many forms, such as differences in ideas, viewpoints, perspectives, values, religious beliefs, backgrounds, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, human capacity, and ethnicity of those who attend and work in the organization."

Diversity is central to providing and retaining a quality educational environment. Missouri State University is deeply committed to developing educated persons equipped to contribute to the interdependent world in which we now live. The ability to adapt to rapid economic, social, and cultural changes is imperative. Skills and competencies to deal with diverse cultures and societies have not only become necessary to function in today’s workplace, but they also enrich one’s life and work.

Missouri State shares a belief in the following values of diversity as articulated in the American Council on Education’s 1998 Statement on Diversity:

• Diversity enriches the educational experience –– We learn from those whose experiences, beliefs, and perspectives are different from our own, and these lessons can be taught best in a richly diverse intellectual and social environment
• Diversity prompts personal growth and a healthy society –– Diversity challenges stereotyped preconceptions; it encourages critical thinking; and it helps students learn to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds
• Diversity strengthens communities and the workplace –– Education within a diverse setting prepares students to become good citizens in an increasingly complex, pluralistic society; it fosters mutual respect and teamwork; and it builds communities whose members are judged by the quality of their character and their contributions
• Diversity enhances America’s economic competitiveness –– Sustaining the nation’s prosperity in the 21st century will require us to make effective use of the talents and abilities of all our citizens, in work settings that bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures

As a result of these values, Missouri State is committed to creating physically and psychologically safe environments where students, faculty, and staff will be valued for both their similarities and differences. Differences should be viewed as valued resources for academic, cultural, and personal development. A challenging atmosphere which fosters the exploration of issues from multiple perspectives will enhance intellectual exploration as well as personal, professional, and institutional growth.

In order to increase and nurture its diversity, Missouri State will pursue the following strategies and initiatives:

• Create a campus climate that values and respects differences
• Expand programs that explore the experiences, perspectives and contributions of various cultures, groups and individuals
• Enhance efforts to recruit a diverse student body
• Emphasize diversity in the recruitment of faculty and staff
• Encourage a diverse community of faculty and students and staff that reflects both our pluralistic society and our commonalities and that is consistent with the goals of a public affairs institution
• Foster institutional environments and opportunities, including academic courses, that enhance learning about and respect for diversity

The successful implementation of these recommendations will depend upon the efforts of the entire campus community. However, to maintain a focus on issues of diversity, a standing group, the Presidential Commission on Diversity, has been appointed and will serve as an advisory council for the President and as a coordinating body for campus diversity initiatives.

Further, satellite operations will be established in St. Louis and Kansas City that will assist with student recruitment and alumni activities. One focus of the recruitment in these two cities will be to increase the diversity of students at Missouri State.

A commitment to honesty and integrity

The members of the Missouri State campus community developed a set of Community Principles in the late 1990s and faculty, staff, and students have strived to live up to those principles. The principles include practicing personal and academic integrity; being a full participant in the educational process, and respecting the right of all to contribute to the "marketplace of ideas"; treating all persons with civility, while understanding that tolerating an idea is not the same as supporting it; and being a steward of the shared resources of the community of scholars. (For Community Principles statement, see Chapter I.)

The University has taken a proactive approach to honesty and academic integrity, implementing a modified honor code in the fall of 2000 and hosting regular forums to raise awareness among faculty, staff and students. The University will continue to promote the importance of academic integrity in all of its educational and scholarly activities.

When it comes to furthering the fundamental mission of advancing research and scholarship, Missouri State University is committed to the highest ethical standards. University policies, procedures, and standards provide guidance for application of the ethical values in our work as members of the University community.

The University expects faculty, staff, and students to perform their duties and responsibilities in accordance with formal policies and procedures. The University provides various mechanisms to assist and encourage employees to come forward in good faith with reports of allegations of misconduct concerning compliance with University policies and procedures. Employees or students may report suspected non-compliance issues without fear of reprisal or retaliation. Diligent efforts are made to protect the complainant from retaliation for his/her activities in cooperation with, or initiation of, an inquiry or investigation, provided the complaint is not undertaken in bad faith.

Practicing "transparency" in its operation and decision-making

Missouri State believes a public institution should conduct its work in public. This philosophy leads to greater accountability and deeper trust among all publics. Toward that end, the University adheres to the Open Meetings, Open Records (Sunshine) Law; meets the requirements of Prong One (Proportionality) of Title IX in its intercollegiate athletics program; and meets or exceeds all state and federal law requirements.

In addition, the University uses various methods of communication, especially the Internet, to communicate fully with the campus community, decision-makers, and the general public. Further, Missouri State’s detailed budget information is available on the web.

This "transparency" contributes to the effective use of limited resources.

Facilities, infrastructure, and support services

Developing educated persons for the 21st century requires facilities, infrastructure, and supporting services that will meet not only current needs, but also the projected future needs of the institution. The demand for expanded services, constrained resources, changing technology, geographic separation of the Missouri State University System campuses, and the backlog of needed repairs all contribute to the challenge of creating a positive and productive learning atmosphere during the next five years.

Encompassing approximately 661 acres spread across the multi-campus system, the value of the University’s real property exceeds $356 million in 2005 dollars. Another 222,000 square feet of academic and administrative space is leased (principally in Springfield, Mountain Grove, Houston and West Plains) at an annual cost of nearly $940,000 to the University System.

Available space in University-owned and leased facilities consists of more than 2.54 million square feet, with instructional, research, academic, and institutional support accounting for about 62 percent of the total, and student services occupying the balance. With just 157 square feet of academic and administrative space per full-time equivalent student (fall 2004), the Missouri State System ranked last among Missouri’s public, four-year higher education institutions in this category.

Facilities on Missouri State’s campuses range from historic to modern, from agricultural cropland to sophisticated laboratories. Some facilities have been constructed expressly for academic purposes; others have been acquired and converted. Installed equipment for academic and administrative use ranges from obsolete to state-of-the-art. All of these facilities and equipment must be maintained (and modernized) to a level that reflects the University’s standards.

Maintenance and repair

The University’s backlog of maintenance and repairs continues to grow faster than the available resources –– in 2005, the backlog in maintenance and repair stood at nearly $72 million. In order to offer top-notch programs and maintain a competitive edge in enrollment, increased resources are needed for maintenance and repair.

Progress in addressing the backlog in maintenance and repair of the physical plant was achieved in the late 1990s; however, the fiscal realities of 2002-04 demanded a reallocation of $4 million that had been dedicated to facility maintenance. Since that time, University maintenance and repair resources have been insufficient to accomplish little more than the correction of life safety, accessibility and critical operational deficiencies.

The accepted industry standard for annual maintenance and repair expenditures is 2 to 4 percent of the base construction replacement value (BCRV). During the 1990s, Missouri State improved its maintenance and repair commitment from approximately 1.2 to 2.1 percent of BCRV in 2001. Since then, the University’s ability to dedicate funding to this important category has been limited to approximately 1.6 percent of BCRV.

A substantial increase in funding will be needed for Missouri State to reverse this trend. An annual commitment of $250,000 in additional funding over each of the plan years would allow Missouri State to restore its maintenance and repair program to a 2001 level, and by 2011, to penetrate the 2 percent industry-recommended funding band.

Capital investment requirements

In response to requirements articulated in the two preceding long-range plans, Missouri State received $66.2 million in state appropriations for capital improvements. During these same years, University auxiliary units expended $44.0 million to expand/modernize their facilities. Another $9.8 million in grant and gift monies was generated to support the construction of new buildings and/or facility additions. Despite these significant resources, unprecedented growth in program offerings and enrollment has outstripped the University’s ability to provide adequate per capita academic and administrative space to students, faculty, and staff.

An infusion of capital investment is needed for the construction of needed facilities to fulfill research, educational, and administrative demands; modernization and renovation of existing structures to comply with building code requirements; and the provision of progressive technology and classroom/laboratory equipment. Left unattended, the deficiencies in the physical plant and equipment inventory will seriously detract from the University’s ability to attain the goals in this long-range plan. Increased state funding, supplemented by the infusion of private contributions, must be planned and realized.

Missouri State’s capital spending is guided by the following principles:

• Adhere to a disciplined master planning process
• Submit a prioritized, coordinated annual request for state capital appropriations
• Renovate, repair and reutilize existing facilities
• Transform and reutilize existing facilities with grant funds provided through federal and state programs
• Construct new facilities using capital appropriations and donor funds
• Arrange leases to accommodate short-term requirements and outreach programs

Plans for the future

Tied to the aforementioned principles, the major facility renovation and new construction efforts during the plan years are described in the following paragraphs. These projects will affect all three campuses as well as a number of off-site educational facilities. For a 25-year view, please see the Master Plan Visioning Guides for each campus, which are updated annually.

These planned facilities reflect the anticipated growth in mission-related undergraduate and graduate academic and research programs. In recognition of the need to provide essential services and remain competitive in enrollment management, University auxiliaries plan to provide new space for health, fitness and wellness, for upgraded Residence Life services, and for the ever-increasing demand for on-campus parking.

Education and general support facilities

• Ozarks Public Health and Life Sciences Center –– In order to achieve its goals for expanded research in the sciences, the University will need to expand its wet lab facilities and associated research support space by 50,000-75,000 square feet. This need can best be met by constructing a new science and technology building, the Ozarks Public Health and Life Sciences Center, as well as by renovating and expanding Temple Hall and Kemper Hall.
• Facilities reutilization program –– Existing facilities on all three campuses will be reviewed by a Facilities Reutilization Program (FREUP) Task Force to prioritize additional projects renovation and/or refurbishment. This program also will investigate opportunities to allow the academic colleges to better consolidate geographically dispersed departments. The present FREUP plan will serve as the model, whereby required improvements have been programmed for nine facilities on all three campuses.
• William H. Darr Agricultural Center –– The Center, located in southwest Springfield, will be expanded to provide additional educational opportunities for the Department of Agriculture. Included will be renovation of the arena, provision of infrastructure improvements and a stalling barn. An agricultural education building with distance learning capabilities will be added during a subsequent phase.
• Jordan Valley Innovation Center –– Through collaboration with the City of Springfield, the University acquired the former Missouri Farmers Association (MFA) milling facility and warehouse for transformation into a state-of-the-art center for applied research in nano-technology and bio-technical fields. Phase I funding has been obtained through a federal grant to enable establishment of an innovative partnership with several private research firms. Federal funding for Phase II has been requested to create an adjacent manufacturing center for products determined to be successful through research. Additional phases will be developed to pursue biotechnology and biomedical research opportunities.
• McDonald Arena renovation/addition –– This 1940s-era facility on the Springfield Campus will be renovated to create an on-campus recreation center. The building’s structure and support systems will be rehabilitated for the first time since it was constructed. The planned addition will enable centralized, expanded student recreation programs. This project will be funded almost exclusively with dedicated student fees.
• Carrington Hall renovation –– The first building on the Springfield Campus, this facility is approaching its Centennial. Renovations will include reallocation and adjustments to internal spaces in order to better meet current and programmed future needs. Infrastructure upgrades will include HVAC, plumbing, fire suppression and electrical system improvements and window replacements.
• Art and design facilities –– It is essential that the University develop a plan to improve and consolidate the facilities of the College of Arts and Letters. One option is a new Art and Design Building adjoining Craig and Ellis halls. Once completed, it would allow the relocation of the Art and Design Department, which would then allow subsequent renovations of other departments within the College. Another option is to purchase and renovate a downtown property that would accommodate most, if not all, of Art and Design.
• Support Services Center –– We will continue to pursue opportunities to relocate Missouri State industrial operations away from the academic campus core, allowing creation of needed research and laboratory space. One proposed site is on the western perimeter of the campus, along Kimbrough Avenue. Alternatively, we can attempt to identify suitable commercial sites in proximity to the Campus for support facilities and administrative services units.
• Broadway Hall for Allied Health –– The No. 1 priority on the West Plains Campus is Broadway Hall, a 30,000-square-foot building that once housed the local Coca Cola bottler. It consists of three separate structures with a common roof. Approximately 20,000 square feet of the building will be used to house the Physical Plant and storage operations for the West Plains campus. The remaining 10,000 square feet will utilize the original two-story red brick building and former bottling plant area for Missouri State University-West Plains allied health programs.

Campus auxiliaries

• JQH Arena – Construction of this new 11,000-12,000 seat basketball and events arena is expected to begin in late 2006 with an opening planned for November 2008. The arena will be financed by a $30 million gift from John Q. Hammons and revenue-supported bonds. It will be located on the parking lot immediately east of Hammons Student Center.
• Renovation of Hammons Student Center – Hammons Student Center will be renovated to create improved facilities for intercollegiate athletics and to accommodate the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) programs and related research, which is anticipated to move from McDonald Arena.
• Residence Life and Services – Residence Life and Services will continue to integrate student living and learning to the greatest extent possible using revenues from residents in excess of the annual budget. Residence Life remains committed to providing additional facilities for married, international, and graduate student housing. Also, the department will collaborate with Parking Administration to provide safe and convenient parking for the current resident population of 4,050 students. Plans to fulfill this requirement include a new residence hall parking structure located along National Avenue.

Facilities-related support programs

• Classroom Upgrade Program – Annually, resources will be programmed for reinvestment in University classrooms and laboratories. Each fall, faculty and academic administrators will be asked to identify desired improvements to classrooms/laboratories. These requests will be evaluated and prioritized, with a budget identified so the projects can be completed prior to the following fall semester.
• Space Audit Program – This program will be used to assess the totality of physical space System-wide and enable informed decision-making for the allocation of new and existing space.
• Outdoor Space Management – Outdoor space planning is focused on matching the needs of the campus for new facilities, increased parking areas, athletic and recreation fields and aesthetically pleasing circulation space against the best use of constrained real estate.
• Public Art Program – The University’s Public Art Committee was established to assist in visualizing and planning for a "Campus as a Canvas" Public Art Program on the Springfield Campus. The Public Art Committee has identified suitable spaces conducive to the display of public art. When possible, the budgets for new construction projects will include an allocation of 1 percent of the estimated total project cost for public art. The Public Art Committee has requested the Student Government Association consider creation of a public art fee to underwrite the recurring cost of obtaining, displaying, and maintaining public art on campus.

Information technology

As society continues its transition to an information-based economy, 21st century workers will require even more skill in the use of information technologies and successful organizations will depend, in part, on their ability to leverage both information and technologies. Information technologies have limited inherent value; their real value is based on the effectiveness of their application. The University’s information technology infrastructure and level of support have come a long way in recent years, but technologies, the structure of the IT industry, and our customers’ expectations continue to change rapidly.

Because of the pace of change, most information technologies must be replaced or upgraded on a relatively frequent basis. Whenever possible, the University will continue to employ lifecycle budgeting of information technologies.

The current generations of students expect a robust technology infrastructure and the latest tools and services; they know nothing different. Potential students, faculty, and staff will continue to evaluate institutions, in part, by the level of technology infused into the institution and the way those technologies are used. Missouri State will continue to use these technologies to improve quality, increase access, and operate more efficiently.

Missouri State’s Strategic Information Technology Plan has six goals:

• Improve the linkage between University objectives and information technology products and services
• Support the development of educated persons by appropriately applying instructional technologies
• Develop employee skills to enhance performance, customer service, and personnel retention
• Enable more agile organizational responsiveness, improved efficiencies/effectiveness of business processes, and increased access to University information while maintaining existing functionality
• Improve the effectiveness, capacity, reliability, security, and transparency of Missouri State’s technology infrastructure and operationalize programs and services to ensure they can be maintained/provided over time
• Provide quality technical support, services, and effective communication to students, faculty, and staff

Enhancing system security and customer communication are two threads that are woven throughout all six goals. Our emphasis on improving system security ranges from the Internet to the campus networks to the servers to the desktop computers to the individual. System security must become an emphasis for everyone using the University’s information systems. We will emphasize improving communication to our customers and will continue to work to better engage, inform, and educate our customers via public forums and training opportunities.

• Improve the linkage between University objectives and information technology products and services – Missouri State will continue to identify methods of using information technologies to better support the University’s public affairs mission and five goals. Missouri State’s Strategic Information Technology Plan, which serves as a blueprint for future technology-related initiatives, is flexible, open-ended, reviewed regularly, and modified as appropriate.
• Support the development of educated persons by appropriately applying instructional technologies – Two major emphases supporting this goal are the systematic upgrading of the University’s physical learning environments and the increased utilization of the Internet. Technology-rich learning environments have and will be created where appropriate, realizing that not every learning environment requires technology. Instructional technology guidelines will be developed to promote standardization of classroom technologies to encourage sharing, increase serviceability, improve security, and reduce total cost (both purchase and ongoing maintenance). The University’s course management system will be upgraded and integrated more fully into the University’s administrative computer systems in order to accommodate an increasing variety of web-based and hybrid courses that utilize the Internet as a part of their delivery system. A back-up inventory of standardized classroom technologies will be maintained to allow timely replacements when failures occur. The University will continue to apply lifecycle budgeting techniques to the allocation of the Student Computer Usage Fee monies. At this time, the University continues to believe our students receive "more bang for their buck" by being charged a modest technology fee and promoting the sharing of resources rather than requiring student computer ownership by all students.
• Develop employee skills to enhance performance, customer service, and personnel retention – Missouri State recognizes that its personnel are a key technology infrastructure component. The University makes a significant annual investment in its technology infrastructure, tools, services, and support personnel. Ongoing professional development will be provided to maximize the return on that investment. For example, a series of Web-based training modules will be created to provide just-in-time training regarding University business processes and other topics. Users will be trained to utilize new web-based tools, including the new Web Content Management System. Users will be trained on HIPAA compliance; accessibility requirements; assessing, implementing and maintaining security and disaster recovery measures; and implementing a new administrative computer system.
• Enable more agile organizational responsiveness, improved efficiency/effectiveness of business processes, and increased access to University information while maintaining existing functionality – To be responsive to the needs of the 21st century, Missouri State will implement the following major initiatives:
  • Replace Missouri State-Springfield’s existing "in-house-developed" suite of administrative computer application systems with a commercial suite of applications.
  • Continue to pursue a "self-service" model of providing services to students and the workforce and conduct an increasing amount of business electronically.
  • Enhance technology services to meet new and expanding University initiatives.
  • Enhance web services.
  • Enhance information security.
• Improve the effectiveness, capacity, reliability, security, and transparency of Missouri State’s technology infrastructure and operationalize programs and services to ensure they can be maintained/provided over time – Missouri State will continue to dependent on its information technology infrastructure, which means the University will enhance the infrastructure’s level of security and expand the University’s network infrastructure. A multi-layered security defense strategy will be developed and implemented. Missouri State will continue to enhance and expand its network infrastructure. The network provides the foundation upon which a variety of University services supporting learning, research, and business processes are built, including the course management system, administrative computer systems, electronic mail, the web, interactive television courses, and other collaborative technologies. To meet the expanding requirements, the University’s network must continue to increase in speed, breadth, and capacity as resources allow.
• Provide quality technical support, services, and effective communication to students, faculty, and staff – The Technology Accessibility Committee will lead the implementation of the Information Technology Accessibility Plan so that the University is in full compliance with the Missouri Information Technology Accessibility Standards (MITAS). The University will clarify the delineation of responsibilities among the various University technical support service units. The "federal model" of technical support will continue to be used, consisting of centralized staff offering core support for institution-wide technologies and decentralized staff offering support for discipline-specific technologies.

Human resources

Missouri State University recognizes the importance of fairly compensating its workforce, providing a quality benefits package, and providing ongoing training/development opportunities to its faculty, staff, and student workers. Accordingly, all actions recommended in this plan will focus on enhancing the quality of worklife of all our employees.

Compensation

Beginning in 2006-07, Missouri State will introduce a performance-based compensation system for faculty and staff. There are six key elements to the new plan:

• As of July 1, 2006, the Grade and Step system was eliminated for staff.
• No later than 2008, separate performance-based compensation matrixes will be developed for faculty and staff.
• All faculty and staff will receive annual performance evaluations, effective in spring 2006.
• All supervisors will be trained in standardized methods of establishing performance goals and conducting performance evaluations to maintain the integrity of the process.
• The Faculty Handbook and the Employee Handbook will both be revised to reflect the new plan.
• The salary objectives for University employees (Springfield Campus) will be as follows: Average salaries for all positions will equal or exceed their respective comparison salary survey averages (for faculty, the College and University Personnel Association [CUPA] "C" National Faculty Salary Survey of public, master's-level universities by rank) for exempt staff, including administrators, CUPA "A" Administrative/Professional Salary Survey for public, master's-level universities; and for nonexempt staff, Missouri Chamber of Commerce Statewide Survey, organizations with 1,000 or more employees.

Healthcare plan

Missouri State University recognizes the importance of providing an excellent healthcare plan for its employees. It offers medical and dental plans through a self-insurance approach. Both plans are solvent now, but the University, like all businesses, has been forced to increase its funding annually (more than 200 percent in the past decade) to the point that it now spends in excess of $10 million each year to cover employee medical and dental expenses, and subsidize dependent and retiree expenses. The University has not required any employee contribution to the cost of health care premiums, but it has relied on deductibles and co-pays that are higher than higher education averages. The University will continue to examine this policy and implement changes that maintain a high quality program that is in the best overall interest of the institution and its employees.

In an effort to operate within the "guiding principles" provided by the Board of Governors, the University will use a three-pronged approach to maintain a competitive, fiscally sound health care plan:

• Promote increased "consumerism" in healthcare choices
• Implement an incentivized Wellness Program, including the use of health risk appraisals, promotion of healthy lifestyle choices, and education of plan members with the goal to change the culture toward wellness. The University will provide seed money –– $200,000 in 2006-07 –– to initiate the wellness program. Subsequently, the program’s ongoing operational costs will be funded via the Healthcare Plan budget. The Wellness Program will be enhanced by a new Recreation Center which is being planned for completion within the five years covered by the plan
• Implement various design changes to help manage the healthcare plans, including implementing a disease management program, enhancing plan auditing efforts, continuing the close review of the premium structures, and encouraging increased utilization of the Taylor Health and Wellness Center for those services that are shown to be less costly than other providers

In addition, the University will continue to contribute toward the total healthcare plan cost; continue to offer the dental plan as long as it’s financially feasible; explore the possibility of adding a fully insured vision plan; and maintain its Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) Plan.

Workforce development

The University significantly increased its offerings of training and professional development opportunities over the previous five years and that trend will continue in the future. The Academic Development Center will have a leadership role for faculty; the Human Resources’ Training and Development staff will play a similar role for staff. Working together, these offices will provide a Professional Development "clearinghouse" function.

Missouri State will work toward implementing an automated Individual Development Plan (IDP). The areas of emphasis for workforce development will include:

• Enhanced orientation programs, with perhaps a comprehensive week-long program for new faculty prior to the fall semester and an extended 6- to 10-week program for new staff
• Development of the capacity for effective leadership. This is true at all levels throughout the institution –– departments, colleges, and the central administration. It is crucial for the University’s continuing progress that both faculty and staff have opportunities to explore and refine their leadership skills. It also is essential to employee morale that each individual have appropriate means by which he or she can identify and build his or her personal capabilities
• Continuation of proven training programs for all employees, such as Bear Basics: A Matter of Respect, Preventing Sexual Harassment, Doing Business at Missouri State, and Bear Business

To the extent possible, the training will be made available on-line and via webcasts for anytime, anyplace learning.

Worklife initiative

Beginning in 2006, the Staff Senate began a Worklife Initiative to explore ways in which the integration of satisfying personal lives and productive work at Missouri State University can be improved. A Worklife Task Force will be formed to discuss a variety of ideas and to develop a roster of recommendations for consideration. One initial idea is to develop a policy to allow personal leave sharing to address the need for short-term disability insurance that other employees experience.

Post-retirement employment

To take full advantage of faculty and staff expertise, Missouri State will develop an expanded post-retirement employment policy. This is an option that may be exercised by departments to address critical needs. Such a policy is another mechanism by which Missouri State can use its human capital to achieve its goals.

Funding the plan

Funding for this long-rang plan will derive from the following five sources:

• State appropriations (operating and capital) – If we assume an annual inflation rate of 3.5 percent and we normally expect that the University will receive an annual increase in state appropriations equal to inflation, approximately $2.5 million in new support would be available to the institution annually. However, Missouri’s appropriations to higher education have not kept pace with inflation in recent years, so a more reasonable expectation might be an annual increase in the $1.5 million to $2 million range.

  In addition, the University will annually request enrollment growth money in consideration of the fact that its enrollment has grown to the point that it educates more FTE students per dollar than any other four-year public institution in Missouri. We will request such equity funding until we reach the average FTE funding for Missouri’s four-year institutions.

  The University also will continue to request capital improvement funds, with priority given to the FREUP strategy of renovation and revitalization.

• Tuition and fees – Assuming a constant or slightly increased enrollment, we anticipate the increase in annual tuition/fees will not exceed inflation so long as the state appropriation is increased at the same inflationary rate. As a result, the University can anticipate an annual net increase in tuition and fee income (after funding increased scholarships) of approximately $2.5 million. If the state appropriation does not keep pace with inflation, the University will be forced to offset its costs with larger increases in tuition and fees.
• Grants and contracts – The University will aggressively seek to increase its extramural grant and contract activity. Of course, direct funds received from this source are earmarked to the contracted activity. However, the indirect costs can be dedicated to research, administrative, and overhead costs. The University will seek to realize a 15 percent annual increase in its indirect cost recovery from grants and contracts. This rate of increase would result in a doubling of indirect costs recovered and budgeted by 2011.
• Private support and endowment – The University will initiate a new comprehensive campaign –– the first for Missouri State University. Although additional study and consultation will be performed, it is anticipated that the goal of a new five-year campaign will be at least $100 million. As part of this campaign, the University anticipates that it will see annual giving increase by 10 percent and its endowment increase by 15 percent annually. As a result, the University intends to double the size of its endowment by 2011.
• Internal reallocations – The University is committed to reallocating 1 percent of its operating budget (net of scholarships and fixed costs) annually through FY 2008. For the remaining three years of the plan, it is reasonable to assume that savings and re-prioritization can yield a minimum of $500,000 annually that would be available for reallocation.

Total available funding for the long-range plan

Public funding (state appropriation plus students fees) for Missouri State’s operating budget should increase between $4 million and $5 million (recurring) on an annual basis. Such increases should be adequate to budget an annual salary and benefit pool of 3-4 percent plus inflationary increases in other cost-to-continue expenditures, fringe benefits, and fixed costs.

Should the institution be successful in acquiring the enrollment growth (equity) funds from the state to which it is entitled, these funds will be used for program enhancements; additional faculty and staff in key areas; maintenance, infrastructure and facility improvements; additional performance-based salary increments; and financial aid for deserving students.

New capital funds will be sought every year to address the University’s capital needs. The availability of such funds is unpredictable, but it is reasonable to anticipate at least two significant investments of such funds within this plan period. As a match against such funds and as a source of additional investment, the University will continue to solicit private support for increasing and improving its physical facilities.

Internal reallocations and increases in indirect cost recovery, annual giving, and annual interest from new endowments should generate an additional $1 million annually in the first two years of the plan. This amount should grow to $2 million annually by the end of this plan period. These funds will be available for program expansion and enhancement, additional faculty and staff, catch-up salaries, endowed scholarships, professorships, and chairs.

The Missouri State University public scorecard

The extensive use of specific annual performance measures, which has served the University well in the past, will continue within the various units across campus. Further, Missouri State will also implement the student assessment measures identified and recommended by the Higher Learning Commission and monitored by a standing committee established for that purpose. These measures are valuable to evaluate the University’s success.

Missouri State University will focus on a set of 25 important institutional measures (including student outcomes) that will be presented in a "Public Scorecard." During 2006-07, baseline data for each measure will be established. Once the baseline data have been established, the University will seek to improve each year and report on the progress annually. The elements for that scorecard include:

1. Student Achievement
   1. Quality indicators of entering first-time freshmen (ACT, class rank, and/or grade point average)
   2. Retention rate of first-year and transfer students
   3. Six-year and other graduation rates
   4. Number and percentage of students involved in research projects and community service
   5. Number and percentage of students winning state, national, and international awards
   6. Number and percentage of students authoring refereed publications and conference papers/presentations
   7. Pass rates on licensure exams
   8. Student learning measures and nationally-normed student satisfaction measures
2. Research and Creative Activity
   1. Total and federal grant and contract proposals, awards, and dollars
   2. Total books and refereed publications/scholarly products
   3. Total refereed national and international presentations and exhibits and articles in national/international newspapers and periodicals
   4. Number of faculty winning any of 15 categories of national awards (from the Lombardi report)
3. Access and Diversity
   1. Number and percentage of minority enrollment, and the number and percentage of minority faculty and staff
   2. Number and percentage of international student enrollment
   3. Graduate enrollment
   4. Extended campus enrollment
4. Community Impact
   1. Licenses, commercial start-ups, and patents
   2. Number of partnerships with educational institutions, governmental entities, community agencies, businesses and health care organizations
   3. Number of graduates meeting the workforce development and professional education needs of the community
   4. Number of cultural and public affairs events and conferences
5. Institutional Support
   1. Total Endowment
   2. Annual Giving
   3. Percentage of alumni giving
   4. Faculty and staff salaries
   5. Number of Endowed Chairs and Professorships

Benchmark institutions

In addition to the Public Scorecard, the University has identified a set of Benchmark Institutions. This set of institutions is similar to Missouri State University-Springfield in many respects (e.g., student headcount, level and span of degree programs), but possesses characteristics and accomplishes outcomes that we aspire to achieve. This set of institutions will be used as a benchmark cohort for comparing our performance in a variety of categories over the next few years.

A list of 11 Benchmark Institutions was recommended by the Ad Hoc Process Improvement Committee. The Ad Hoc Process Improvement Committee used the following process to develop the proposed list of Benchmark Institutions:

• The committee reviewed the IPEDS Peer Analysis System database. An initial set of criteria produced a list of 120 institutions.
• Additional information was collected from the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings and the list of Metropolitan Universities.

The following criteria were used to narrow the list of Benchmark Institutions:

• Public university with a total headcount enrollment of 10,000-29,000 and 12-30 percent enrollment of graduate and first professional students
• Lower end admission test scores representing the middle 50 percent of the freshman class were either 19 or higher for schools reporting ACT scores or 950 or higher for schools reporting SAT scores
• Actual graduation rate of 45 percent or higher
• Research expenditures per FTE > $170
• Both Master's I and Doctoral-Research Intensive institutions
• No more than two institutions from any state
• No more than one institution from California and from New York
• No institution from Missouri
• No institution with a hospital or medical school
• No historically black institution

The following institutions were selected as Missouri State University-Springfield’s "Benchmark Institutions" in conjunction with this long-range plan:

• Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)
• Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Michigan)
• Illinois State University (Normal, Illinois)
• James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
• Louisiana Tech University (Ruston, Louisiana)
• Towson University (Towson, Maryland)
• University of Montana—Missoula (Missoula, Montana)
• University of North Carolina—Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina)
• University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
• University of Texas—Arlington (Arlington, Texas)
• Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas)

There is no perfect Benchmark Institution. However, this set of 11 institutions has, in the aggregate, performed as well or better than Missouri State University on a number of key indicators.

The Benchmark Institutions will be used for the following three purposes:

• To provide a group that can be used for comparing public performance measures.
• To identify and analyze "best practices" that would make Missouri State more effective and/or efficient.
• To analyze salary levels as one component toward identifying salary goals for Missouri State University.

The Benchmark Institutions will be reviewed every five years in conjunction with the University’s strategic plan development.