Graduate School Strategic Plan 2023-2028
Mission
Support graduate programs in the production of well rounded, successful graduates and the development of cutting-edge programs for the enrichment of our ever-changing society.
Vision
To become nationally recognized for high quality, innovative, and creative graduate programs and universally known for providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all graduate students.
Strategic Goals
Goal 1: Aggressively provide access.
We will seek partnerships within and beyond the University to grow domestic and international graduate enrollment by pursuing a diversified and far-reaching recruiting strategy that emphasizes our university’s quality and compelling value proposition.
1.1 Grow International and Domestic Graduate Enrollment.
1.1.1 Identifying key areas of growth, emphasizing STEM+H+B.
1.1.2 Establish a Graduate Enrollment Advisory Board to assist in the development of recruitment strategies.
1.1.3`Establish specific college/department enrollment targets.
1.1.4 Develop a comprehensive communications plan for prospects, leads, and applicants, and implement in SLATE.
1.1.5. Revamp the graduate school website to be content rich and user friendly.
1.1.6. Revamp department/program admission websites so prospects and applicants can get the program specific information they need.
1.1.7 Develop targeting advertising plans for set of identified “destination” programs.
Goal 2: Create opportunities to succeed.
Foster an exciting, all-encompassing graduate student experience, that encourages graduate students to persevere, grow, and thrive while building the foundations for future success and creating an enriching lifelong bond with the university.
2.1 Create opportunities to succeed for all graduate students.
2.1.1 Identifying graduate student mentoring, career, and professional development needs.
2.1.1.1 Develop and deliver a comprehensive graduate student survey.
2.1.2 Collaborate with the Graduate Student Association (GSA) to develop targeted programs to address those needs.
2.1.3 Collaboration with departments to develop targeted programs that address those needs.
2.1.4 Develop a career and professional development website for graduate students that includes linkedin training videos and other online resources for graduate students.
2.2. Secure a health insurance plan for graduate students and a health insurance subsidy for full-time graduate assistants.
Goal 3: Recruit, retain, reward, and recognize our people
Cultivate a respectful, supportive culture for our CIES and graduate school staff that recognizes and rewards excellence and success and that provide ample opportunities for personal growth, professional development, promotion and leadership.
3.1 Provide staff with at least one professional development opportunity each year.
3.2 Regularly nominate staff for university wide staff awards
Goal 4: Exemplify operational excellence
Optimize operational effectiveness in the graduate school by maintaining high standards and implementation of process improvement measures to maximize resources.
4.1 Review and improve process for submitting thesis and dissertation forms. Transition all forms to etrieve.
4.2 Revise and improve admissions processing
4.2.1. Revise process for admission deferrals for ease and efficiency
4.2.2 Revise process for student program modifications for easy and efficiency
4.2.3 Revise department application review processes to increase department review times
Goal 5: Generate and steward financial resources
Increase funding for graduate student fellowships and assistantships, and improve resource allocation to fuel growth through better alignment of internal priorities and external funding opportunities.
5.1 Grow graduate student support in the form of scholarships and assistantships through the identification of and stewarding of external donors.
5.1.2 Establish a graduate school advisory board to assist in fundraising and the identification of donors for graduate student support.
5.2 Revise and restructure graduate student funding to maximize the use of full-time graduate assistantships in order to increase recruitment of top students.