Prioritization: A Vision for UDM's Future

From University of Detroit Mercy's Spiritus Magazine, Spring 2002 issue

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An interested observer would need to look no further than the past 10 years to find evidence of revolutionary change in higher education. A decade ago, the world wide web was virtually unknown to the general public. Concepts of what we now call distance education and online classes were in their infancy. The lecture/discussion model of classroom organization was virtually universal. By contrast, today's higher education is more visibly dynamic and is offered through a broad variety of venues and delivery systems. At the same time, the past decade has seen a proliferation of education providers, many of which do not fit traditional models of what universities are about.

These factors, including greater competition in the marketplace and continuing challenges in meeting the changing educational needs of a broadly diverse student body, have led UDM to undertake an unprecedented strategic planning initiative during the past year. This process, called Prioritization because it includes an assessment and evaluation of every academic and administrative program at the University, is the most comprehensive strategic planning process undertaken since consolidation at UDM. Prioritiza tion sets the stage for the University's future for the next 10 years and beyond.

Whether in business, industry or higher education, in a changing environment, internal assessment and strategic planning are essential to long-term success. In the 21st century, education-as-usual is learning to accommodate and integrate more flexible models to serve students better. While the fundamentals of teaching and learning are still the bedrock of education, the need for advanced information technology, sustainable infrastructure, responsive educational systems, and vibrant student life are more evident than ever. Prioritization provided the opportunity for UDM to frame its future in this context.

Prioritization began in the spring of 2001 at the initiative of Vice President for Academic Affairs Gerard Stockhausen, S.J., after it had become clear that the University must clarify its strategy and refine the focus of its resources to ensure the continued excellence of its educational programs. In order to achieve the University's vision to become a "premier private university in the Great Lakes region," the University needed a unifying vision for its path into the 21st century.

The seeds of the process were initially sown in the 1995 Commission on the Future initiative that brought together 245 business professionals and community leaders to assess the University's programs and services and draw the broad strokes of what the University might seek to achieve in the 21st century. The recommendations of the Commission led to the implementation of The Legacy Campaign, whose current progress is detailed on page 11 in this issue. "The analysis of the Commission on the Future helped us to clarify our focus around our critical success factors," says UDM President Maureen A. Fay, O.P. "For Prioritization, we undertook a deep examination of all our activities in order to determine the most strategic use of resources to ensure the excellent quality of a UDM education. The process provided us with the opportunity to imagine the future. Its outcomes will enable us not only to continue our mission, but also to achieve our vision as a premiere Catholic University in the region."

The process has moved forward with the close involvement and full support of the University's Board of Trustees, as well as its sponsors. "The Board of Trustees and the leadership of both religious sponsors, the Sisters of Mercy and the Society of Jesus, remain deeply committed to UDM and its urban Catholic tradition in metro Detroit," says President Fay.

Guiding the process

Changes in the world, in society and in the higher education marketplace require initiative, imagination and flexibility. In view of UDM's foundational commitment to excellence, Prioritization has been a highly participative and collaborative process. The best of UDM's substantial creative intelligence has been brought to bear on the process and its outcomes. The entire UDM community has been invited to join in open forums, to evaluate and comment on the process itself, and to submit ideas and suggestions formally or informally, anonymously or by name, over a period of many months. Administrators, faculty and staff were invited to participate on program review committees, and more than 170 colleagues were selected for these committees. The process was led by the steering committee, whose 14 members comprised eight faculty, four administrators and two deans.

"It was the right time to undertake Prioritization," says Gerard Albright, S.J., professor of Biology and member of the steering committee. "As a full-time faculty member for 42 years, I have seen a lot of changes in the world, in the city and in our students. Within the University, we have to be alert and function in that context. Prioritization was a necessary step toward an effective future."

To begin the process, the steering committee identified criteria, weights and measures that would form the framework for Prioritization. From the early stages of its work, the steering committee became aware that its job would be a consuming process for many months. The imagination, forethought and collaboration required to engineer and shepherd such a comprehensive process were immense. "We were fortunate to be able to function very effectively as a committee," says Albright. "We held more than 90, 3-hour work meetings as a committee, as well as countless additional subcommittee meetings during those months. There were a lot of personalities involved, and our rapport and efficiency were exceptional."

The steering committee identified all UDM academic and administrative programs, asking every program to complete a report addressing its history, mission, activities and economic factors by the end of the summer of 2001. These reports (and subsequent review committee interviews of the report writers) formed a primary basis of information and evaluation for Prioritiza tion.

Each program report was extensively evaluated by two separate review committees, which created summary evaluations and recommendations that were presented to the steering committee. These individual program recommendations informed the comprehensive program and "big picture" recommendations that the steering committee developed and presented to President Fay and Vice President Stockhausen in December.

President Fay and Vice President Stockhausen spent the next several weeks reviewing and optimizing the recommendations in light of extensive economic modeling information, expected resources, logistical realities, and their responsibility for overall management of the University. The final recommendations were approved by the Board of Trustees in January 2002. "The final recommendations require reinvestment and restructuring to reach the University's vision," says President Fay. "The recommendations focused on maximizing the use of the McNichols Campus for a more dynamic campus life experience for students; creating more interdisciplinary opportunities among the University's Colleges and Schools; and restructuring and eliminating duplication of services. The resulting savings and enrollment stabilization and growth will enable additional program investments over time."

A visionary picture of the University's future

President Fay and Vice President Stockhausen emphasized that they entered the Prioritization process with no preestablished ideas about outcomes. Every program and area of the University, including their own offices, was subject to identical, objective evaluative procedures. In many ways, Prioriti za tion's outcomes reflect a visionary picture of the University's future. A number of very practical steps in the coming years will allow the University to move toward that future.

"The Prioritization process has provided a strong vision for reinvestment in individual academic programs," notes Vice President Stockhausen. "At the same time, reviewing all the recommendations and needs, it was clear that the top priorities for immediate investment must be University-wide priorities. As we move forward with necessary changes and growth, we will be able to invest additional resources within our centers of excellence in academic programs."

In general terms, five University-wide initiatives were identified for continued or additional investment to enhance the vitality of student life and general campus environment: enrollment strategies, information technology, campus life and infrastructural improvements, advancement and marketing. More specifically, the following strategies will be undertaken in the near future to accomplish these goals:

Consolidation on the McNichols Campus. Most of the University's undergraduate and graduate programs, with the exception of the Schools of Law and Dentistry, will be consolidated on the McNichols Campus within the next three years. The first move will be to combine the College of Education & Human Services with the College of Liberal Arts to form the new College of Liberal Arts & Education, housed primarily in the Briggs Building on the McNichols Campus, by fall 2002. During the 2002-2003 academic year, plans will be finalized to move the College of Health Professions to the McNichols Campus, housed primarily in the Ford Life Sciences Building.

Renovations to Campus Buildings. Consolidation on the McNichols Campus will require additional renovations to campus buildings, including Briggs, Ford Life Sciences, and the south wing of Lansing-Reilly Hall. Planned renovations to the residence halls will continue as well.

A New Strategy for Management of the Residence Halls. In the near term, the University is exploring the feasibility of contracting with a student housing consulting firm for management of the residence halls. The goal is to enhance the comfort and convenience of the student residential experience while the University focuses its physical plant resources toward ongoing campus improvements, including a new energy management plan and infrastructural alterations.

A Study of the Highest and Best Uses for All Campuses. In view of the consolidation of most academic programs on the McNichols Campus, the UDM Board of Trustees charged the University to undertake a comprehensive study of the long-term highest and best uses for all UDM campus facilities. A task force under the leadership of Architecture Dean Stephen Vogel has been charged with this responsibility. The study should be completed within the next year, and will set the stage for future plans for the McNichols, Outer Drive and Renaissance campuses.

During this time, the University will continue its efforts to make progress on the Livernois Rede vel opment project, with the collaboration of local and state government, as well as the local community.

Focused investment in University-wide priority initiatives. Enrollment marketing and recruitment, image enhancement and University Advancement have been identified as University-wide priorities requiring immediate and ongoing investment. Recruitment of new students, retention of existing students, promotion and fundraising will be areas of strong focus. To improve the living and learning environment on campus, information technology and physical plant will reorganize and receive additional staffing.

An Ongoing Process of Program Evaluation. This process, an outgrowth of the Prioritization evaluations, will set benchmarks for both quality and enrollment for all academic programs at UDM. "We need to approach program assessment in a systematic way as an institution to ensure that we continue to meet our students' needs, and to support the institutional quality and enrollment goals that we have identified," says Vice President Stockhausen. Ongoing assessment, he points out, will ensure continued academic excellence and program flexibility. Also, in combination with the concurrent development of quality and performance benchmarks for administrative programs, it will minimize the need for further exhaustive institutional reviews.

The challenge spurs creativity

At the beginning of Prioritization, President Fay and Vice President Stockhausen asked the University community to "give at least as much thought and energy to imagining the future as you do to evaluating the present." The University community responded with creativity and a broad array of suggestions for ways to improve how the University accomplishes its mission. The purely practical outcomes of Prioritization represent only one measure of these efforts. Prioritization's outcomes also produced a number of intentional, long-term benefits for the educational environment at UDM.

One of the most important benefits of Prioritization will be the added opportunity for aca demic programs on a single campus to establish interdisciplinary strategies, collaboration and synergy. Success in today's workplace requires well-rounded professionals who understand how their field of expertise interacts with others, and who can work in a variety of interprofessional environments. Consolida tion of programs on the McNichols Campus will allow faculty and students to explore additional opportunities to connect their curricular and extracurricular activities, and to enhance the educational process. The campus consolidation will also contribute to an increasingly interactive, dynamic environment.

"We are looking at opportunities to build on our strengths and respond to needs in the professions for which we are educating students," says President Fay. "How can our programs collaborate more effectively in producing visionary, skilled leaders for their professions? These will be key considerations as we move in the directions recommended by Prioriti za tion."

Prioritization will also result in greater efficiencies in the Univer sity's operations and services. Providing optimal service to UDM's entire student body must always be a paramount consideration in how the University functions. Consolidation of services on one campus, with additional services available through avenues such as the University's ongoing information technology improvements, will further enhance the student experience at UDM.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of Prioritization, in the long term, will be the increased availability of resources to support the development of promising new academic programs that can build on the University's current strengths. Both the educational process and the educational programs at UDM must be dynamic, not static. To this end, a flexible, responsive, substantive curriculum must be a cornerstone of the University's commitment to educational excellence.

The Prioritization steering committee is currently studying promising areas for new academic programs for future development that could optimize the University's strengths. Market studies for such program initiatives will be conducted to determine their feasibility.

The University community: location and mission

While UDM has not yet determined what the long-term uses of the Outer Drive Campus will comprise, it is clear that many programs currently offered at Outer Drive will relocate in the next two years. Task forces are currently considering questions of how to best serve the students, faculty and administrators of those programs as they move to the McNichols Campus.

For faculty and staff such as Mary Kelly, R.S.M., who has spent the majority of her life on or near the Outer Drive Campus, the change represents a significant historical moment. Kelly, chair of the Health Services Administration program, says, "I first moved onto this campus when I was 17, and certainly there is a sense of loss in not offering our educational programs here. But from a practical viewpoint in looking toward the University's future and the ways higher education is changing, this is clearly the right decision at the right time. In the spirit of Catherine McAuley (foundress of the Sisters of Mercy), buildings have never been more important than service. Consolidating most programs on one campus gives us the freedom to select the means to meet our students' needs."

Kelly points out that changes in pedagogy and educational delivery have already altered the way the University uses its campuses and buildings. More courses for adult students are being offered in professional environments off campus, and many other courses integrate a technology component that does not require traditional use of classrooms and campuses. "During the past academic year, I have used classrooms half as much as I previously did," notes Kelly, "because half of my class sessions have met online rather than on campus."

As always, the focus of UDM's educational offerings must be on students' needs and expectations. Kelly points out that while the campus environment does have great value in reflecting elements of the Univer sity's mission and services, "our programs are alive in our students on and off campus alike, and we need to find ways to reflect, communicate and substantively share the intangible components that make our University a teaching and learning community."

Kelly also emphasizes the importance of integrating the Mercy and Jesuit charisms into the visible and dynamic environment of the McNichols Campus. "There will be logistical and physical changes on campus in order to serve all our students well," she says. "At the same time, we want to ensure that what is primarily representative of our Mercy heritage, as well as our Jesuit heritage, is evident and vibrant on the McNichols Campus. Part of our challenge is to make visible the components of our shared heritage that are not buildings or infrastructure, both on and off campus.

"Amidst our changes," she adds, "we need to use the vision of the University of Detroit Mercy as our guide. As an institution in the past 12 years, we have forged a clear vision and a clear mission statement reflecting the strengths of the Jesuit and the Mercy heritage that we share. We need to view our future and our current decisions in terms of all our assets--campuses, programs and people. This is the focus that will lead to new and healthy growth for UDM."

The University of Detroit Mercy in 10 Years

Prioritization gives us a glimpse of what to expect at UDM between now and 2012. Today's priorities are clear: enrollment, campus consolidation, and assessment and benchmarking. The next 10 years will bring increases in enrollment, external funding resources, and the vitality of the campus environment. The coming decade will also bring substantial increases in varied uses of technology to enhance student life and augment UDM's educational programs, both on and off campus.

One thing that will not change is the University's central commitment to its mission. UDM's mission is a compelling, defining force that guides its actions and identity. The mission encompasses a model of educational excellence that addresses the whole person and equips the learner for a lifetime of success in the professional, personal and civic arenas. UDM graduates will continue to be spiritually aware, ethical, collaborative leaders in their professions and in the world. During the next decade and beyond, UDM's mission will be a prominent, defining characteristic of the University community.

As Prioriti zation moves into its implementation phase, UDM colleagues, alumni and friends are rededicating themselves to supporting this strong, strategic direction for a thriving University in the coming years.

"We are confident," says President Fay, "that this vision of the Uni versity will create a more dynamic educational experience for our students and will continue the legacy of Catholic higher education in the charisms of our sponsors.

"While the University still faces challenges, we have a clear direction of how to reach our goals and ensure a vital future for UDM and its students. We invite all students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to participate wholeheartedly in this continuing endeavor of excellence."