Annual Operating Plan Objectives 2021-2022

Elevate the academic profile of the University

2021-2022 University Academic Profile Objectives:

• Increase student course evaluation response rates to 40% by end of the 2021-2022 academic year.

• Coordinate the construction of the new Strategic Plan.

• Continue to assess and develop the PARA process by improving transparency and increasing collaboration with academic committees and faculty members.

• Improve Academic Outcomes for the Men's Basketball Team.

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

2021-2022 Online and Hybrid Programs Objectives:

• Lead a committee of faculty, staff, and a student government representative to evaluate and select a new Learning Management System, which we will pilot for the Fall of 2022.

Create opportunities for innovative, integrated learning

2021-2022 Innovative, Integrated Learning Objectives:

• The CMI will host two high school media day events (one each in the fall and spring) to raise awareness about Point Park University and the Center with the goal of attracting at least 100 students in person and 1,000 through online platforms during the 2021-22 academic year.

• Promote free education resources to assist in the initiative of affordable education for students.

Elevate the regional and national profile of faculty

2021-2022 Faculty Profile Objectives:

• The Center for Inclusive Excellence will work alongside Institutional Research and the Faculty Campus Academic Resources Committee to conduct a survey regarding faculty development sessions held on a monthly basis by the CIE.

Promote Inclusive Excellence as a cultural and academic value

2021-2022 Inclusive Excellence Objectives:

• The Center of Inclusive Excellence is working alongside the Director of Student Life to establish a system of co-curricular proposals. The proposals are meant to provide time and financial support for one-off, educational co-curricular events or initiatives.

• Incorporate culturally sensitive practices into the advising relationship.

Implement and practice the tenants of shared governance across University operations

2021-2022 Shared Governance Objectives:

• Attend monthly Faculty Assembly meetings and report on key issues facing the University.
• Provide departments scheduled for a chair appointment or reappointment an opportunity to share a department chair recommendation.
• Meet with Faculty Assembly leadership on a monthly basis during the fall and spring semesters to address issues of faculty concern.

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

2021-2022 Experiential Learning Opportunities Objectives:

• Integrate the former co-curricular records/transcripts within the Career Readiness career-path model. Updating the co-curricular transcript.

Develop a sense of community and pride throughout the University.

2021-2022 University Community and Pride Objectives:

• Build online student advising team/services and offload Wiley retention by end of August 2022.
• Update research on the basic needs of Point Park University Students and develop a plan to update basic needs offerings based on the results.

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

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

2021-2022 Culture of Respect, Civility, Inclusivity Objectives:

• Build and maintain an infrastructure that will contribute to the University's ability to identify, attract, and retain a diverse student body.

• Develop a University equity plan that enables a campus climate and culture that fosters and embraces transparency trust, and alignment that ensure diversity, inclusion, equity, and access on campus.
• Create environments for student learning, teaching, and research that are diverse and inclusive.
• Ensure accountability that builds upon shared responsibility through partnerships (new and existing) that enhance the University's commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts on campus and in serving neighboring communities.

Goal 5 - Quality of Campus Life:

2021-2022 Quality of Campus Life Objectives:

• Decrease recidivism by 10% regarding drug and alcohol first offenses.
• Continuing to make Pioneer Experience a University Initiative, which in turn will impact the retention of students from freshman to sophomore year.

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.

2021-2022 Strategic Enrollment Plan Objectives:

• School of Communication will increase on-campus visits of prospective students and their families by 25% during the academic year.
• School of Communication will hold two events for first-year students as retention initiatives during the academic year.
• Create a text messaging plan for tour guides to foster relationships with students take who a campus tour. This will allow a future student to continue to interact with a peer at the university who will answer questions throughout the admission process.
• The goal is to increase by 5% the percentage of inquiries for on-ground graduate programs for Fall 2022 who convert to applicants and/or matriculants by instituting a "drip campaign" of contact for those inquiries.
• Continue to Increase Point Park University's social media followers and engagement with a focus on Instagram. Increase Instagram followers by 10%. Instagram followers as of 8/31/21 = 10,833. Increase to 11,916 by 8/31/2022.
• Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Conservatory will need to offer both in-person and virtual audition/interview options in order to maximize accessibility for both domestic and international applicants. Therefore, the COPA Recruitment Office intends to offer both (live) in-person auditions and virtual audition options for dance and theatre applicants for the 2021-2022 audition season.
• Increase the number of FAFSA filers by 1% or maintain 97% by utilizing a recently developed communication process called "Financial Aid Myths", emails, texts, and mailings every 3 weeks.

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.

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

2021-2022 Resource Development and Constituent Engagement Objectives:

• Earned and contributed revenue will play an increasingly important role in the Playhouse revenue goals. The new director of marketing and the managing director will create a development and marketing plan that charts a course to meet our revenue goals.
• Use data gathered in AY/FY2021 to benchmark best practices in university grant management to 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 source of revenue from the foundation, corporate, and government sources while diversifying the sources of funding the University pursues long-term sustainability of projects.
• Increase the number of alumni engaging within the university. Through a variety of offerings, including virtual events and virtual 1:1 visits with the Alumni Engagement and Giving the team the most important objective is to increase the number of alumni and the number of times alumni engage with the University.
• Meet the goal of raising $160,000 in budget relieving dollars. Increase the percentage of total alumni gifts.
• Create opportunities for alumni to engage with students that directly impact and/or feed into retention efforts university-wide.
• Support all university fundraising efforts with Database and Donor Services education and support.

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.

Goal 6 - Technological Infrastructure:

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

2021-2022 Technological Infrastructure Objectives:

• Three years ago the University began to complete a network infrastructure redesign. We are now in phase three. Phase three will consist of the installation of wireless access points.

Improve utilization of facilities and space.

2021-2022 Facilities and Space Utilization Objectives:

• The CMI will generate enough revenue through rentals and production services to pay the salaries of three part-time studio techs during the 2021-22 academic year.

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

2021-2022 Strategic Planning Assessment Strategy Objectives:

• Continue to enhance the PARA process through improving transparency and increasing academic collaboration.

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

2021-2022 Optimize the Efficient use of University Resources Objectives:

• Improve decision-making processes around “low enrolled courses” that balance academic quality, financial necessity, and equity.

• Evaluate low-enrolled academic programs through extensive analysis and collaboration between Academic Affairs and Deans. 

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

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

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

2021-2022 Campus Communities Engagement Objectives:

• The CMI will expand its Community Newsroom initiative to include a second community, McKees Rocks, during the 2021-22 Academic year.
• School of Communication will create a student advisory board that will meet with me at least twice this year.
• Continue to expand University/ Community Partnerships and communication.
• Expand volunteer/service learning offerings of the Dept. of Community Engagement.
• Collaboration between Student Affairs & DEI hosting 3-5 training events for students, faculty, and staff.
• The Student Health and Wellness Center will hold three workshops throughout the academic year.

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

2021-2022 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

2021-2022 Constituent Outreach and Engagement Objectives:

• Work with Artistic Director/Dean to complete the strategic plan. We have established vision, mission, core values, and financial modeling.

• Increase overall communication among departments and schools.

Strategic engagement with our alumni.