Annual Operating Plan Objectives 2020-2021

Elevate the academic profile of the University

2020-2021 University Academic Profile Objectives:

• Increase community engagement on journalistic topics by hosting a series of video presentations focused on media innovation and presidential politics.

• Develop the framework for the Center for Entertainment Management.

• Middle States self-study, visit, and re-affirmation is scheduled for this year.

• Increase the percentage of students registered with disability services who utilize accommodations in the 2010-2021 academic year.

• Expand the Midterm Progress Initiative to improve academic outcomes.

• Promote awareness to increase usage of Open Education Resources to assist in providing affordable education for students.

• Initiate the process to establish a Center for Social Equality.

• Proceed with feasibility study to determine if the Theatre Programs would benefit from Accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Theater (NAST).

• Create a sports communication major that provides greater opportunities to recruit outside our region, as well as to produce graduates who will tend to take jobs outside our region. This will increase the academic profile of the University.

• Establishing clear processes and metrics for identifying low enrolled programs for improvement, revision or possible discontinuation. 

Expand high quality online and hybrid programs to provide a Point Park education to populations underserved by the University's on-ground program

2020-2021 Online and Hybrid Programs Objectives:

• Expand educational offerings that employ technology and support the online education market.

Create opportunities for innovative, integrated learning

2020-2021 Innovative, Integrated Learning Objectives:

• Support students who have remote capability issues during the Covid pandemic.

• Continue to complete holistic curriculum revision in the Department of Dance to align with University "Workplace Readiness" initiatives.

• Assess and make changes to the current Ph.D. program including university and external communication of program, faculty involvement, and curriculum.

Elevate the regional and national profile of faculty

2020-2021 Faculty Profile Objectives:

• Update and maintain SPOL credentialing module with accurate evidence to provide useful information of all active faculty members.

Promote Inclusive Excellence as a cultural and academic value

2020-2021 Inclusive Excellence Objectives:

• Increase faculty awareness of three components to inclusive excellence: diverse learning styles, diverse writings, and diverse assessment techniques.

Implement and practice the tenants of shared governance across University operations

Connect every student with at least one meaningful experiential learning opportunity each year.

2020-2021 Experiential Learning Opportunities Objectives:

• Create a catalog of hybrid and virtual experiential learning opportunities in the event that traditional experiential learning opportunity is not available.

• Throughout the year provide the student body with various alternative opportunities to achieve experiential learning.

Develop a sense of community and pride throughout the University.

2020-2021 University Community and Pride Objectives:

• Provide the student body with at least four virtual experiences that encourage Pioneer pride.

• Create an environment where New Students feel connected to Point Park University.

Promote the connection between the liberal arts foundation and preparation for careers now and
throughout the lives of Point Park students.

2020-2021 Liberal Arts Foundation and Career Prep Connection Objectives:

• Explore the extent to which the career readiness platform can assist students when continuity plans are implemented.

Foster a culture of respect, civility, and inclusivity in the Point Park community for all students,
staff, faculty, alumni, and administrators.

2020-2021 Culture of Respect, Civility, Inclusivity Objectives:

• Work with students, faculty, and alumni on building a roadmap for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the department including staffing, events, and curriculum.

• Increase participation in implicit bias education for students.

• Increase participation in civic engagement.

Assure the highest quality of life on campus.

2020-2021 Quality of Campus Life Objectives:

• Explore and implement options for additional student basic needs support including textbook support, community garden, additional pantry offerings, etc. 

• Develop virtual protocols to interface with students to provide them a safe, timely manner to meet with community members.

• Identify student needs regarding their outside classroom experiences during COVID-19.

• Coordinate mitigation efforts to address student concerns regarding their outside classroom experiences during COVID-19.

• Alter communal spaces on campus to protect students during COVID-19.

Develop and implement an ongoing, rolling three-year strategic enrollment plan that ties directly
to a rolling three-year financial plan that clearly demonstrates the operational vitality of the
University and generates enough resources to reinvest in the University according to the Strategic Plan.

2020-2021 Strategic Enrollment Plan Objectives:

• Engage with high school and transfer students through workshops and High School Media Day events with the goals of making them aware of Point Park University and encouraging enrollment, particularly within the School of Communication. Because of restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these interactions will take place virtually, rather than in person.

• Select and integrate a new OPM partner who will facilitate the growth of applicable Point Park Online programs.

• Drive enrollment through increased comprehensive marketing plans.

• Increase School of Communication's first-year class by 20% through enhanced student recruitment.

• Continue working with student-facing departments to create meaningful opportunities for alumni to engage with students directly that help feed into university-wide retention efforts.

• Formalize follow-up structures and assessments for SERP projects that were approved in 2018-19.

• By joining the Common Application, Point Park University will reach a new audience while making the application process for them more streamlined.

• The goal is to increase the percentage of inquiries for on-ground graduate programs for Fall 2021 who convert to applicants and/or matriculants by instituting a "drip campaign" of contact for those inquiries.

• Implement a virtual live audition/interview process (via Accepted) for Acting, Musical Theatre, Theatre Arts, and Theatre Production.

Leverage the University's brand to promote being on the cutting edge of innovation in
communications, media, technology, business, and the arts, inside and outside of the classroom.

2020-2021 University Innovation Brand Objectives:

• Continue presenting staff members and professors as expert resources to the media via non-COVID-related topics.

Adopt models of resource development and constituent engagement that align and support the
University's strategic initiatives.

2020-2021 Resource Development and Constituent Engagement Objectives:

• Begin implementing a structure that realizes the newly developed business plan for the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

• Maintain a consistent and steadily growing source of revenue from foundation, corporate, and government sources while also diversifying the sources of funding the University pursues.

• Benchmark best practices in university grant management and establish processes in conjunction with involved offices/departments including the business office, human resources, development resources, and academic affairs. Train internal programmatic grant managers on the new system.

• Maintain a consistent and steadily growing giving program that will provide the university with reliable revenue yearly; through meaningful investment opportunities for alumni, students, and friends of the university.

• This department of one will continue to do its best to maintain accurate gift and data entry and provide timely and relevant fiscal reporting. This department is sorely in need of another, part-time even, person to become less of a concern.

• Increase Point Park University's social media followers and engagement with a focus on Instagram. Increase Instagram followers by 10%.

Grow the Board Designated Reserve Fund by 35 percent.

Implement integrated strategies and systems designed to increase workplace productivity by
developing improved processes for attracting, developing, retaining, and utilizing people with the
required skills and aptitude to meet the University's current and future needs.

2020-2021 Workplace Productivity Objectives:

• Increase workplace productivity measures by Implementing remote teaching guidelines for faculty without ADA accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

• Acknowledge, honor, encourage, and support individuals and teams who are committed to the University's mission, vision, and values and who contribute, through behaviors and actions, to forwarding the mission.

• Establish training plans that link to individuals' goal attainment, career planning, and succession planning.

• Develop and implement hybrid new international student orientation for the 2020 -2021 academic year.

Build the technological infrastructure to enhance our instructional and administrative needs.

2020-2021 Technological Infrastructure Objectives:

• Develop data security assessment for use with vendors who have not been subject to a SOC Type 2 audit.

• Completion of Phase 1 of the Network Infrastructure Plan with the installation of firewall.

• Initiate Phase 2 of the Network Infrastructure Plan.

Improve utilization of facilities and space.

2020-2021 Facilities and Space Utilization Objectives:

• Create efficiency by integrating unit operational goals and coordinate with IT to provide pathways and the ability to support learning opportunities unique to the state’s higher education institutions.

• Integrate a sustainable mission that is cohesive across all facilities departments.

Develop a strategic planning assessment strategy to align resources with the plan.

2020-2021 Strategic Planning Assessment Strategy Objectives:

• Continue to improve PARA process using assessment and show evidence of resource allocation linked to planning and assessment. 

Optimize the efficient use of University resources across all levels of operations.

2020-2021 Optimize the Efficient use of University Resources Objectives:

• In 2019-20 Procurement & Contracts developed SOC Report Review policy. This year's objective is to implement the procedure and further develop the policy as necessary.

Create opportunities for field studies to complement doctoral-level coursework.

Leverage partnerships with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, government agencies to create relevant and impactful dissertation thesis project opportunities.

Utilize our facilities and programs to engage campus communities to advance our mission.

2020-2021 Campus Communities Engagement Objectives:

• Engage with media outlets across the Pittsburgh region to provide support, training, and educational opportunities, while creating opportunities for Point Park students to gain real-world experience, particularly in fields offered by the School of Communication.

• Implement a structure to support the local business community during the Covid pandemic.

• Continue and expand community conversations on social issues and additional community engagement opportunities for both internal Point Park community members as well as external community members.

Emphasize the University's mission and focus on community engagement by attaining the "elective" Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement.

2020-2021 Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement Objectives:

• Continue work toward the Carnegie Classification framework as well as the Campus Compact micro-credentialing program.

Establish influential and impactful constituent outreach and engagement

2020-2021 Constituent Outreach and Engagement Objectives:

• Foster a positive connection and support engagement with the community locally and nationally, as well as assist recruitment, by sharing diverse stories of alumni, faculty, staff, and students through a proactive public relations strategy that shapes the public image of Point Park University.

Strategic engagement with our alumni.

2020-2021 Alumni Engagement Objectives:

• Establish a School of Communication advisory council to enhance alumni outreach.

• Increase overall communications with Sch of Comm alumni to strengthen engagement.

• Increase alumni engagement with University.