Regents hear from university community in strategic planning session

A consultant solicited ideas from dozens of members of the Southeast Missouri State University community, hoping to define how best to move the university forward in coming years, during a daylong session with the university's Board of Regents on Wednesday.

A strategic-planning workshop at the Glenn Convocation Center on the River Campus gave nearly 70 members of the Southeast faculty, administrators and staff an opportunity to discuss ideas for the university's new strategic-planning guide. Participants were led by Dr. William Weary, president of the Fieldstone Consulting Group of Newcastle, Maine, who has presided over five strategic-planning workshops at Southeast since 2007.

"I'm here because it's time for a new plan at Southeast," Weary said. "People here are feeling the need to move forward, but there needs to be a definition of what forward is. My job is to facilitate a new vision and identify what has to be done to implement that vision."

The workshop placed an emphasis on five areas: a vision for the university, components of the university's working environment, the university's performance, obstacles and drivers found at the university and developing a planning guide for use during the next three to five years. Participants were divided into nine groups to study each area and exchange ideas.

When it came to a vision for the university, Weary presented the groups with the idea about how Southeast should be in 2019. The groups responded with positive images that included continuing the student-centered process and becoming nationally recognized as a technology leader, which drew praise from Weary.

"A great strength of Southeast is its care toward individual students," he said, "and I like that an emphasis on becoming nationally known is present."

The study of components of Southeast's working environment elicited responses that included the need for a central technological office, for the university to remain student centered and for more funding sources. For the university's performance, the groups were asked to assume the role of an external evaluator and assign a grade to areas such as Southeast's online program, adult learners and administration. Most groups awarded the university a "B" in performance areas and acknowledged there was room for improvement, something with which Weary agreed.

"I'm not seeing any As given," he said. "That is something a strategic plan will have to take into consideration."

The session ended with the groups providing input about an agenda for Southeast for the next three to five years, which included ideas such as the need for Southeast to establish a market brand for itself, its development of innovative academic programs and a funding strategy that would minimize tuition increases.

Ideas discussed at the workshop met with approval from those who participated.

"When you think of how a broad representation of the university was able to reach a consensus on the issues, that's really a plus," said university president Ken Dobbins. Dr. Dobbins said he hoped to have a strategic plan developed by fall.

Jay Knudtson, sworn in as a new regent by U.S. District Judge Steven N. Limbaugh Jr., was impressed with what he saw happening.

"I think it's ironic that I was sworn in during a strategy session that saw small group discussions among university faculty, administrators and staff," Knutson said. "It couldn't have been scripted better."

The board will meet in open session at 9 a.m. today at the Glenn Convocation Center. Regents will consider issuing bonds to finance construction of instructional space and a housing option at the River Campus and refinancing of previously issued bonds.

klewis@semissourian.com

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