Vol. 1, No. 7

Long-Range Plan

Next Wednesday, May 31, we will post the First Draft of the Missouri State University long-range plan on the University's web site at: http://www.missouristate.edu/longrangeplan  I invite you to review that draft, correct any factual errors, and provide any additional comments and feedback no later than Friday, August 4, 2006. As always, you have the ability to provide instant electronic feedback.

Let me draw your attention to several items regarding the long-range plan:

• This long-range plan, titled Imagining and Making Missouri's Future, covers the years 2006-2011. It is the result of an extended 24-month review and revision of the previous plan, Countdown to the SMSU Centennial: A Long-Range Vision and Six-Year Plan (2000-2006).
• The long-range plan was delayed from its original timeline because of the historic events of 2005-06: the Centennial Celebration; the name change from "Southwest Missouri State University" to "Missouri State University"; the change in the membership on the Board of Governors; and the change in Presidents.
• Although this first draft of the long-range plan reflects the significant changes that have occurred in the past year, it incorporates much of the work done by the University Planning and Advisory Council (UPAC) over the past 24 months.
• You will note that the plan has been reorganized and reduced in size. As you will see, the organization follows the five goals that we have established:

  Preface

  Chapter I – University System and Mission

  Chapter II – Developing Educated Persons

  Chapter III – Democratizing Society

  Chapter IV – Incubating New Ideas

  Chapter V – Imagining the Future

  Chapter VI – Marking Missouri's Future

  Chapter VII – Modeling Ethical and Effective Behavior

• There are two significant content changes. First, instead of using a spreadsheet format to describe how we will fund the plan, we identify a philosophy and process, with some rough estimates of amounts available. Second, instead of identifying several dozen performance measures, we have identified 25 institutional measures to include in a "Public Scorecard."
• The Board of Governors has requested 60 days to review the plan, which it would intend to discuss and vote on at the August 4 meeting. During that same period, we will collect input from the campus community and the community at-large. The plan will be finalized and printed/distributed soon after the August 4 meeting. Also, a more promotional Executive Summary version of the plan will be developed for use with various publics, including donors and legislators.
• Although the summer is not necessarily the ideal time for the review of the plan, we have moved on the plan as quickly as we could, given the events of the past year. We have worked closely with the leadership of the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate, as well as the University Planning and Advisory Committee (UPAC), during this process.

Thank you in advance for your participation and your review of this first draft of the plan. I look forward to your comments that will help strengthen the plan. But most of all, I look forward to August 4 when we adopt and begin implementing the important elements the plan contains.

Send Comments to the President's Office