The Griffon News

As Missouri Western reaches the end of the last 5-year strategic plan, students and faculty are optimistic about the changes the new plan will bring.

“We are still in the process of developing plans [for the next 5 years],” James Scanlon, president of Missouri Western, said. “There are large numbers of faculty, staff and students involved in the process to determine our focus for the future.”

“Our progress is excellent,” Scanlon said. “The new plan is focused on building the new American Regional University. Our focus is on applied learning for students and applied
research and service to the region, and what additional ways could we focus on that for the next 5-10 years.”

One of the most important focuses of the 5-year plan is the university’s commitment to Applied Learning, which is a primary emphasis for Missouri Western, as noted in the legislation which made Missouri Western a university in 2005.

“Students take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it in, shall we say, real world settings, beyond the classroom,” Scanlon said.

These beyond the classroom settings include internships in a variety of programs, as well as clinical settings and student faculty research projects. Last year more than 200 students presented results of student faculty research projects in regional and national meetings, Scanlon said.

Community involvement is another important aspect of Applied Leaning with 81,000 hours of community service in the region completed by students, faculty and staff at the university.

In addition to Applied Learning, another key focus is the area of Communication Quality.

“The quality of what is true about our faculty or students, our technology here at Western and our facilities, and sending that message out, not only to the campus, but the community and region to perspective students,” Scanlon said. “Another emphasis is on Student Engagement. The kind of things that connect students to the university that bring them here, and retain them here. That increases their satisfaction with being here.”

SGA President Natalie Bailey, who has been involved with drafting and developing the new strategic five-year plan, believes an emphasis on Student Engagement is crucial.

“The number one thing I am most excited about is the support for student activities, student life and student engagement,” Bailey said. “I think our areas are really suffering right now because we don’t have the full staff. It’s a big problem here and I’m really excited that it’s something that’s going to be addressed in the next five years.”

Additional areas the plan will focus on are information technology, which has a strong emphasis. The plans include a newly renovated hardware and software system, part of a $3.5 million dollar plan which the university has been in the process of completing for the past three years. In terms of the previous five-year strategic plan, the new plan will focus on improving on previous plans.

“The new plan is to set the standard for excellence for the new American regional university, so that’s bridging it,” Jeanie Crain, special assistant to the president said. “We’re not leaving the old version, but it’s building on the vision we had for the first plan. This is an evolution of that plan.”

“We’ve been looking at goals in stage one. Written objectives have been identified in seven areas, with written opportunities for the seven areas,” Crain said.

While the plan is still in the drafting process, Western has seen immense involvement from all areas of the university in the process.

“We’ve had excellent participation by people on campus, and we’re going to have some focus groups within the community to help us develop the new plan.” Scanlon said. “Hundreds of folks are participating, and have remained involved to help.”

“They’re really getting a lot of people involved, including students,” Bailey said. “I know we’ve had a lot of students participate and I think it’s really good to have the student input.”

Bailey has also been impressed with the hardwork and effort that has been put into the plan b the committee thus far.

“Every time I go to one of the general meetings, there are so many faculty and staff,” Bailey said. “Everyone is really concerned with how it is going and is really involved. The committee goes back and definitely listens to what everyone has to say and reevaluates the plan.”

The committee expects to have the new plan drafted and brought to the board of governors sometime in the spring semester.