School of Education & Human Sciences - Strategic Plan
School of Education & Human Sciences - Strategic Plan
April 2024
Plan contents
I. Mission-Based Institutional Priority: Healthy & Vibrant Communities
- 1. Strengthen Service to Local & Global Communities
- 2. Improve Culture of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging
- 3. Increase Health & Wellness
- 4. Increase Workplace Satisfaction
- 5. Ensure Stewardship of the Institution
II. Mission-Based Institutional Priority: Research & Discovery
- 1. Grow KU Research
- 2 - Recruit Retain, & Recognize Highly Productive Faculty Researchers
- 3. Expand the Impact of KU Research in KS & Beyond
- 4. Promote Innovation & Entrepreneurship
III. Mission-Based Institutional Priority: Student Success
- 1. Increased Enrollment
- 2. Assure Retention & Completion through Student Engagement and Satisfaction
- 3. Improve Placement & Reduce Student Debt
- 4. Assure Quality of Academic Programs
Revised April 2024
1. Strengthen Service to Local & Global Communities
Goal 1.1 - Monitor service activities by faculty for local, state, national and global communities
Actions
- Appoint a committee to annually compile service contributions being provided by SOEHS faculty, staff, and researchers
- Committee assigned by Dean’s Office composed of representative from each department
Metrics
- Service activities collated into a schoolwide document
Goal 1.2 – Identify state and regional needs for professional service and support
Actions
- Poll Superintendents’ Circle members
- Appoint committee of faculty and staff to conduct needs assessment regarding professional development needs for local educators and other professional communities
- Monitor and develop lists of needs for global communities (Global Education Academy)
- Plan strategies through Dean’s office for addressing needs
Metrics
- Compile document of professional service and support needs for communities we serve
Goal 1.3 – Provide formal vehicle for providing service support to schools, school districts and other educational entities
Actions
- Support implementation of Center for Educational Evaluation and Leadership (CEEL) activities across the state and region
Metrics
- Yearly analyze performance of CEEL’s work addressing schools’ educational and other needs
Goal 1.4 - Increase faculty engagement with service learning and community engaged scholarship
Actions
- Create schoolwide liaison with Center for Service Learning
- Annually assess service-learning activity of faculty
Metrics
- Faculty member and student engagement with Service Learning
2. Improve Culture of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging
Goal 2.1 - Increase awareness of SOEHS student/faculty/staff diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging issues.
Actions
- Analyze and share diversity toolbox data to assess how SOEHS is doing on selected metrics
- Conduct an internal review to examine how diversity is addressed in various academic programs (including course offerings, curricular materials, field-based experiences, etc.).
- Provide quarterly equity/diversity related events for students, faculty, and staff
- Provide seminars and other events that promote deep understanding and encourage difficult conversations in addition to those focused on more basic-level understanding
- Encourage faculty and staff to participate in programs that allow for reflection on issues of equity and diversity beyond SOEHS offerings (e.g., Colors of KU, Safe Zone Training)
- Create opportunities for difficult conversations for various groups
- Encourage departments to consider recognizing participation in diversity-related activities in faculty/staff evaluations (e.g., adding an item about research/teaching/service related to diversity and equity to faculty annual evaluation and P&T documents)
- Provide opportunities for students to work in diverse settings (urban, rural, inclusive environments, ESL, etc.) through field experience, student teaching, internship, and practicum
- Provide seminars and other events that promote deep understanding and encourage difficult conversations in addition to those focused on more basic-level understanding
Metrics
- Prepare an annual report on SOEHS faculty, staff and student awareness activities for presentation at end of academic year
Goal 2.2 - Promote a climate that respects and celebrates DEIB
Actions
- Strengthen representation of diversity-related research and activities on the SOEHS Diversity website
- Have departments examine if there are issues of inequity in promotion, salary, etc. among faculty and staff based on race, gender, or other demographic characteristics
- SOEHS DEIB committee to establish guidelines for these reviews
- DEIB committee (with support of Dean’s office) to host professional development events and schoolwide conversations related to DEIB issues
Metrics
- Dean’s office – Assistant Dean for DEIB – to assess diversity related efforts annually
- Assistant Dean of DEIB to compile an annual report documenting diversity and SOEHS climate related outcomes
Goal 2.3 - Increase diversity of SOEHS faculty and staff
- Analyze data on our current faculty / staff populations and compare to that of our aspirational peers
- Develop guidelines for assessing diversity statements for candidates for faculty and staff positions
- Specify ways to increase diversity in candidate pools for all searches
- DEIB committee to assess retention supports provided for diverse faculty and staff
Metrics
- Monitor trends longitudinally of diversity of faculty, staff in SOEHS identifying specific areas for further development with goal of increasing faculty of color and number of underrepresented minorities
Goal 2.4 - increase DEIB related curricular opportunities for our students
Actions
- Prepare standards for the assessment or select an established model of assessing diversity related materials in academic programs
- Complete curriculum audits of SOEHS academic programs – identify courses that contain a diversity element and compile an inventory of how courses address diversity (e.g. through curriculum maps)
- Identify any new courses needed or existing courses that could be included in programs where deficiencies are identified
- Participate in AACTE Holmes Group to support graduate students interested in careers as faculty members
- Include syllabi and other course materials from relevant courses in the DEIB data base on the SOEHS server
- DEIB committee (support from Dean’s Office) to support bringing exerts to campus to specifically work with departments/programs on DEIB identified needs
- Partner with other departments across KU (e.g. AAAS, social justice minor) to increase DEIB-related course opportunities for SOEHS students
Metrics
- Annual diversity report from office of Assistant Dean of DEIB to report results of curricular audits and provide assessment of steps taken to address concerns
3. Increase Health & Wellness
Goal 3.1 – Support socio-emotional health and wellness for SOEHS faculty, staff and students
Actions
- Provide wellness related professional development opportunities for faculty, staff and students in SOEHS to develop stronger sense of community
- Publicize socio-emotional and wellness supports and opportunities available through KU for the SOEHS community
Metrics
- Dean to provide year end assessment of socio-emotional activities completed each year with assessment of future needs derived from department chairs
4. Increase Workplace Satisfaction
Goal 4.1 – Build a stronger sense of community across the SOEHS
Actions
- Strengthen SOEHS mentoring program for new faculty and staff
- Conduct periodic internal climate surveys – share results, develop plans based on feedback
- Create opportunities for better collaboration for faculty within and across departments
Metrics
- Dean’s office to analyze data and report on results of internal climate survey building a longitudinal data base of effort and results
- Analyze results of university generated survey data on faculty, staff, and student satisfaction
5. Ensure Stewardship of the Institution
Goal 5.1 – Fully implement all funds budget model
Actions
- Dean to share annual updates regarding budget process and outcomes at School Assembly
- Prepare annual state of the SOHES finances and financial trends to present to SOEHS
- Prepare and implement annual fund raising/endowment analysis to share with faculty and staff
Metrics
- Monitor year-end budget levels in all SOEHS funding accounts.
1. Grow KU Research
Goal 1.1 Increase research productivity
Actions
- Collaborate with AAI, other research centers, and KU Office of Research to increase the number of faculty in the SOEHS who apply for external funding
- Provide opportunities that lead to an increase in the overall external grant funding dollars to the SOEHS
- Offer workshops to support faculty in the SOEHS efforts in gaining external funding
- Share supports that AAI and other research centers provide for pre-award and post-award administrative assistance
- Assist faculty in identifying research and granting opportunities that align with their research agendas
- Create writing groups to support faculty research manuscript preparation and dissemination
- Provide opportunities to collaborate to increase the number of refereed publications
- Increase the number of faculty getting awards and assess the impact of the research utilizing the SOEHS research support program
Metrics
- Number of faculty applying for external funding
- Number of faculty participating in the SOEHS research support program
- Grant funded dollars in the SOEHS
- Number of refereed publications and number presentations given
- Number of workshops and writing groups in the SOEHS
Goal 1.2 - Strengthen research culture
Actions
- Support inter-departmental and interdisciplinary collaborative research efforts through the SOEHS research support program
- Continue research presentations at SOE events – SOEHS research conference
- Invite noted scholars to give presentations and workshops to the SOEHS
- Provide more opportunities to support research discussions and writing groups
- Strengthen mentoring of faculty by implementing a comprehensive mentoring program that includes supporting and training mentors
- Enhance the research and writing support for mid-career faculty
- Provide support for teaching faculty to engage in scholarly activities
- School and departmental revision and clarification of research expectations, including clarifying how to evaluate community engaged scholarship, social media, other nontraditional forms of scholarship
Metrics
- Faculty attitudes on research support provided
- Annual performance and P&T criteria and policies alignment with goal
Goal 1.3 - Engage undergraduate and graduate students in research
Actions
- Encourage faculty to participate in the KU Center for Undergraduate Research
- Develop research opportunities connected to specific undergraduate courses in the teacher preparation programs and HSES programs
- Provide more opportunities to increase the research collaborations between faculty and graduate students
- Improve the publicity of the SOEHS undergraduate and graduate student travel and research support funds
- Provide financial support to students who participate in faculty research projects
- Create opportunities for sharing student research
Metrics
- Number of faculty publications with students
- Number of students who receive travel and research grants awards
- Number of faculty who participate in the KU Center for Undergraduate Research
Goal 1.4 - Promote research related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
Actions
- Improve the recruitment of faculty with research interests related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB)
- Encourage departments to consider adding an item about research related to DEIB in faculty evaluation documents
- Create an interdisciplinary group of SOE faculty with research interests related to DEIB
- Provide special GRA funding for research focused on DEIB
- Provide support to bring researchers to campus to give talks on DEIB related research
- Create a pool of funding to of extra travel money to present at DEIB conferences
Metrics
- Policy reviews of the SOEHS departments personnel and search committee documents
- Budget allocations focused on DEIB
2 - Recruit Retain, & Recognize Highly Productive Faculty Researchers
Goal 2.1 Recruit Highly Productive Faculty Researchers
Actions
- Focus searches to recruit highly productive scholars with external funding and impactful research
- Revisit the recruitment plan to emphasize increasing the hiring of highly productive faculty
- Increase SOEHS representation at national, regional, and local conferences and workshops to recruit top faculty researchers
- Improve attention to recruiting highly productive faculty researchers who have scholarly activities focused on DEIB
Metrics
- Review departmental search committee documents and processes
- Number of attendances at national, regional, and local conferences
- Number of DEIB related publications
Goal 2.2 Retain and Recognize Highly Productive Faculty Researchers
Actions
- Strengthen research culture and support for research
- Recognize the work of present highly productive faculty researchers by nominating them for national and local awards
- Provide greater financial support for the scholarly activities of highly productive faculty researchers
- Publicize the Research Buy-Out Program
Metrics
- Number of internal and external research presentations
- Number of SOEHS awards, research grants, etc.
- Amount of funding provided to top faculty researchers
3. Expand the Impact of KU Research in KS & Beyond
Goal 3.1 - Engage the SOEHS faculty in state collaborative research activities
Actions
- Coordinate efforts across programs to strengthen partnerships with state organizations
- Work with new center on Educational Evaluation and Leadership (CEEL in AAI) to engage in outreach to Kansas School Districts
Metrics
- Number of faculty involved in state-level research and research-related activities
Goal 3.2 - Engage SOEHS faculty in national and international collaborative research activities
Actions
- Review tenure and promotion guidelines to promote collaboration within and outside of KU
- Engage with the Global Education Dean’s Forum to explore opportunities for collaboration and research
- Continued development of SOEHS Global Academy’s efforts to bring international scholars to work with KU faculty
- Support the SOEHS Global Academy and their efforts to reach new audiences
- Provide opportunities for increased faculty involvement in national and international level research through the Achievement and Assessment Institute (AAI) and other organizations.
- Examine P&T and Annual Review guidelines to assess incentives on collaboration
Metrics
- Number of faculty involved in national and international research activities and collaborations
4. Promote Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Goal 4.1 - Create innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities for faculty
Actions
- Host an Innovation/Entrepreneurship Incubator Camp over the summer to support faculty’s creative ideas
- Foster collaborative spaces across departments to foster innovation and entrepreneurship
- Work with Global Education Academy on potential Micro-credentials
- Explore and follow through with opportunities for innovative certificates and degree programs
- Work with CB3 on potential competency-based education programs
Metrics
- Annual assessment by Dean’s office of innovative and entrepreneurial activities underway or initiated
1. Increased Enrollment
Goal 1.1 - Recruit and market for undergraduate programs
Actions
- Hire an undergraduate recruiter
- Update program print and online materials
- Promote programs on social and other media outlets
- Work with school districts to develop partnerships or “Grow Your Own” teacher
programs and health and sport programs - Determine and put into place supports for diverse applicants including financial support,
cultural support, tutoring - Develop new programs
Metrics
- Number of students recruited, admitted, and enrolled (funnel data)
Goal 1.2 - Recruit and market for graduate programs
Actions
- Develop recruitment and marketing plans for graduate programs.
- Identify a graduate recruitment team
- Gather information from departments about graduate programs to individualize
recruitment strategies - Update program print and online materials
- Promote programs on social and other media outlets
- Work with relevant agencies/institutions (i.e., school districts, health organizations,
IHEs, sport organizations) to develop partnerships - Determine and put into place supports for diverse applicants including financial support,
cultural support, tutoring - Develop new pathways and programs for enrollment working with SOEHS Global
Education Academy, C3BE, and Jayhawk Global to develop programs
Metrics
- Number of students recruited, admitted, and enrolled (funnel data)
Goal 1.3 - Enhance graduate student advising
Actions
- Survey graduate students to evaluate advising satisfaction
- Develop graduate advising evaluation model
Metrics
- Advising satisfaction survey data
- Advising evaluation model data
Goal 1.4 - Increase diversity enrollment of SOEHS undergraduate and graduate students
Actions
- Review recruitment materials and consider whether design is welcoming to prospective students from a variety of backgrounds (e.g., individualistic vs. interdependent messages)
- Create targeted scholarships and assistantships at the graduate and undergraduate levels for underrepresented groups
- Develop departmental marketing plans targeting our goals for enhancing a diverse student body
- Establish a better linkage with MSIs (minority serving institutions/Universities) and diverse school districts for recruitment
- Use existing master’s programs to recruit students from underrepresented groups into doctoral programs
Metrics
- Number of students currently enrolled compared to aspirational peers
- Number of students from diverse backgrounds enrolled.
2. Assure Retention & Completion through Student Engagement and Satisfaction
Goal 2.1 - Enhance the pre-service teacher education and HSES undergraduate students’ experience in the School of Education and Human Sciences
Actions
- Host student-oriented events to increase engagement
- Encourage and support student participation in action research projects related to their field of study in academic and real-world settings.
- Highlight volunteer opportunities in students’ field of study.
- Coordinate with the KU Study Abroad Program to make programmatic changes that enhance the feasibility and access to the program for SOEHS students.
Metrics
- Participation rates in hosted events, study abroad, research, and volunteer work
- Longitudinal retention and completion data
Goal 2.2 - Enhance the graduate student experience in the School of Education and Human Sciences
Actions
- Host student-oriented events to increase engagement
- Encourage and support student participation in research related to their field of study in academic and real-world settings
- Highlight volunteer opportunities in students’ field of study
- Coordinate with the KU Study Abroad Program to make programmatic changes that
enhance the feasibility and access to the program for SOEHS students
Metrics
- Participation rates in hosted events, study abroad, research, and volunteer work
- Longitudinal retention and completion data
3. Improve Placement & Reduce Student Debt
Goal 3.1 - Increase post-graduation placement of graduate and undergraduate students.
Actions:
- Inform students of scholarship and funding opportunities
- Encourage students to utilize the resources of the University Career Center.
- Foster relationships with potential employers of SOEHS graduates
Metric:
- Placement data from University Career Center (Destination Survey)
- Debt level trends of undergraduate and graduate students
4. Assure Quality of Academic Programs
Goal 4.1 - Engage in Continuous Improvement of Academic Programs
Actions
- Develop learning outcomes and identify evidence of student attainment of the learning outcomes for all programs
- Align learning outcomes—where applicable—to KU’s institutional learning goals
- Complete curricular mapping with clear degree sequences that ensure scaffolding of learning outcome attainment
- Develop outcome-based assessment plans that inform continuous improvement
Metric
- Revisions and improvements of academic programs
- Outcome-based assessment data
Goal 4.2 - Use emerging technology to support instruction and research
Actions
- Provide professional development opportunities for faculty to strengthen use of emerging technology and other instructional practices
- Continue offering technology summer camp for faculty
Metric
- Number of faculty and instructors participating in training opportunities