PART I

Top   Contents

Introduction

EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

In 1906 a group of public minded citizens, concerned with the provision of public higher education in the Commonwealth, convinced the Kentucky General Assembly to create Eastern Kentucky State Normal School.

Historic Richmond, where the Bluegrass region meets the foothills of the Cumberland, was chosen as the site of the new, two year school. Higher education had begun in the community some 32 years earlier with the founding in 1874 of Central University. The Central University campus, which had served from 1901 to 1906 as the grounds for Walters Collegiate Institute, became the physical plant for the normal school.

An urban college community of about 25,000, Richmond is in a rich farming area. Inter and intra state highway systems enhance Richmond's accessibility. Interstate 75 (north south) passes within a mile of the campus, and I 64 (east west) is only 30 minutes away. The Blue Grass and Mountain Parkways are also less than an hour's drive from Richmond.

Places of historic and scenic interest surround the University. Richmond, 20 miles south of Lexington on I 75, is within easy driving distance of Boonesborough State Park, Kentucky Horse Park, Herrington Lake, Cumberland Falls, the State Capitol at Frankfort, Natural Bridge State Park, and My Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown.

The normal school at Richmond soon began the development that culminated in the granting of university status in 1966. Eastern became a four year institution in 1922, and its name was changed to Eastern Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College.

Eight years later the words "Normal School" were dropped, and in 1935 Eastern offered its first graduate level degrees. The first nonprofessional degrees were offered in 1948, when the General Assembly removed "Teachers" from Eastern's name.

On February 26, 1966, a state law was signed renaming the institution Eastern Kentucky University. With university status came the approval of graduate degrees in fields other than education.

Today, Eastern Kentucky University stands as a testimonial to its founders, a multi purpose institution with a history of service to its students, the Commonwealth, and the nation. Its role expanded beyond the original mission of teacher preparation, Eastern now seeks to fulfill higher education's threefold purpose: teaching, public service, and research; and emphasizes the three in that order.

Eastern Kentucky University's interest in teaching is twofold. Besides the preparation of teachers for elementary, secondary, and college classrooms, the University is deeply concerned with the quality of instruction that takes place within its own halls.

It is difficult to find a program at Eastern Kentucky University that cannot be construed as public service. The University's existence can be justified only in terms of the benefits reaped by the society that created it. However, certain functions can be described as public service in nature. These include extended campus courses, the University radio stations, and workshops and institutes for professional, in service personnel.

As a regional university, Eastern Kentucky University is charged with the responsibility of providing services to the people of the region. As an example, Eastern's specializes in areas such as local government; law enforcement, recreation, public health, business administration, and ecology provide consultative services to the communities of the Commonwealth.

Many Eastern professors engage in scholarly research in their disciplines. In the early years, research was predominantly education oriented. However, since the institution gained university status, the research activities of individual faculty have become much more diverse as well as more numerous.

Top   Contents

Executive Summary

During the past century, Eastern Kentucky University met the challenges of change and is now undergoing a transformation from a regional comprehensive university to one of state leadership and national distinction. Where does the University go from here? What steps should be taken to prepare for the future? The Strategic Plan described herein is the roadmap that will guide us throughout our transition. It delineates a vision, revised mission statement, core values, six institutional goals, and 16 strategic directions with performance indicators to empirically measure the university's transformation.

The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) developed this Plan by using an inclusive strategic planning process, with participation from faculty, staff, students, and representatives from the broader University communities. In a university setting, in particular, an effective planning process is highly contingent upon wide-spread university acceptance and participation. As a result of scanning the contextual environment, the Plan represents the SPC's and constituents' perceptions of current and anticipated challenges to and opportunities for EKU as well as EKU's strengths and areas needing further attention. The SPC recognizes that planning must be continuous and flexible to ensure that the institution remains open and responsive to a changing environment.

In the first section, the Plan reaffirms our commitment to students and high quality work through a revised mission statement. The Plan states publicly and proudly the core values upon by which we learn, work, live and play together. These values guide the decision making in all aspects of the university. The first section also contains a brief review of political, economic, political, sociological/demographic, national enrollment, and technological forces affecting EKU. The Plan represents an effort to position EKU within these influences.

The second section presents the initial phase of strategic planning for the 2003-2006 planning cycle, which includes the elements of Vision, Goals, and Strategic Directions. This Plan guides us with a vision of the future stating: Eastern Kentucky University will be the leading comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, earning national distinction, where students come first. To direct the university's actions toward achieving this Vision, to support the university's Mission, and to function effectively within an environment of challenges and opportunities, Institutional Goals and Strategic Directions are articulated. Together, these elements serve to focus our work and will guide us over the next three years.

In the third section, additional phases of the strategic planning process are discussed. During these phases, planning units will conduct strategic planning and develop strategic plans, which will be incorporated into this University strategic plan.

This is an exciting time at Eastern Kentucky University as we begin the journey of MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER.

Top   Contents

Description of the University

Eastern Kentucky University is a regional, coeducational public institution of higher education offering general and liberal arts programs, pre-professional and professional training in education and various other fields at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Located in Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky, Eastern has a distinguished record approaching one hundred years of educational service to the Commonwealth.

Since February 26, 1966, when Governor Edward T. Breathitt signed into law a bill granting Eastern university status and sanctioning the awarding of graduate degrees beyond education, Eastern Kentucky University has increased rapidly in size and stature. Beginning with a few students engaged in short review and certificate courses, the University today serves thousands of Kentuckians, citizens from most other states, and individuals from all over the world. The curricula lead to associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, and an expanding graduate program that currently offers degrees at the master's level in many fields, and the specialist degree in education and psychology. In addition, Eastern offers cooperative doctoral programs with the University of Kentucky. Currently, Eastern Kentucky University serves more than 16,000 students and an alumni base of 89,000.

Top   Contents

Mission Statement

For more than a decade, a mission statement approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education (formerly the Kentucky Council on Higher Education) has guided the University (see Appendix D). During the planning process, the statement was modified to better reflect our present role. The revised mission statement appears in the context of this 2003-2006 University Strategic Plan, "Moving Forward Together" and does not include the long series of addenda that accompanied the previous statement as seen in Appendix D. It incorporates many of elements of the previous mission statement, but focuses them in a new and concise perspective. The revised mission statement is:

Eastern Kentucky University is a student-centered comprehensive public university dedicated to high-quality instruction, service, and scholarship.

The growth in the quality and impact of our academic and service programs, many already recognized outside the Commonwealth, make clear that EKU aspires to and shall become an institution of national distinction. Therefore, the limiting term "regional" has been removed from the revised mission statement. Nonetheless, it is clear that the faculty and staff of EKU value the connections to our Appalachian service area. Within EKU and our service area, it is important to realize that moving beyond our regional focus does not diminish the importance of EKU's commitment to the Appalachian region. Rather, it recognizes a much broader role that EKU already fulfills in the Commonwealth and beyond.

EKU has always focused strongly on its role in educating students. In the 1959-60 Catalogue of our ancestor institution, Eastern Kentucky State College, the Purpose Statement (which was a precursor to our modern Mission Statements) listed "preparing only worthy teachers" first among its efforts to meet its obligations to its service area and the Commonwealth. Although our mission is now much broader, the commitment to educating our students remains strongly imbedded in the institutional culture. Thus, the phrase "student-centered" has been added as a reminder that students and their education will remain our primary focus.

Universities function best when the dissemination and creation of knowledge happen in concert. Although the relative importance of our three primary endeavors, teaching, service and scholarship, varies greatly among institutions and even among the academic and service units within EKU, the members of our university community will always strive for the highest possible quality in their undertakings. That commitment has been added to our mission statement.

The members of the SPC believe that these changes in the mission statement better reflect a new vision for EKU and better summarize the role that EKU should play in its service area, the Commonwealth, the Nation and the World.

Top   Contents

Core Values

Values are the code of organizational conduct. They guide the decision making in all endeavors of the university. They direct our actions and must both inspire and compel all faculty, staff, and students to continuously be true to them. The Eastern Kentucky University community is committed to demonstrating these values in our daily actions to accomplish our mission and achieve our vision.
Since its inception in 1874, Eastern Kentucky University (then known as Central University) has been driven by shared values of its university community. Although its mission has evolved and expanded to meet the changing needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth, shared values are still an integral part of the university community. Core Values were generated with extensive input from members of the EKU community. EKU will be guided by the following six values when planning, setting priorities, and making decisions regarding the university community's pursuit of the three fold mission of higher education: teaching, service, and scholarship.

Civic Responsibility and Civility

We believe that it is the duty of Eastern Kentucky University to educate our students and to deliver an understanding of how the knowledge passed to them can benefit the citizens of southeastern Kentucky, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the nation, and globally. The values that we must teach of civic responsibility and how to influence democratic decision making must embrace both the skills and the spirit of democracy thus creating innumerable opportunities for our students to practice and reap the results of the real, hard work of citizenship. At the heart of civic responsibility lies the value of civility. The university community strives to propagate the understanding and practice of civility in public discourse and social life and encourages the promotion of learning regarding the techniques and value of dialogue and nonviolent conflict resolution.

Diversity, Dignity, and Integrity

The EKU university community holds our students, faculty and staff to the demonstration of high moral principles and professional standards both in and out of the university setting. We hold ourselves to the responsibility of dignity as exemplified by a proper sense of pride and self-respect in fulfilling all areas of the university's mission. We honor and pursue a university community climate that respects and celebrates the diversity of peoples and seeks to embrace all citizens and prohibit judgments based on race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and cultural or national backgrounds.

Excellence and Innovation

Our university community believes that excellence is achieved as a continuum of effort and not as an event. To this end, we envision achievement of the highest standards to be attained through ongoing assessment and continuous quality improvement. The promotion of personal and academic excellence is the foundation for institutional excellence. We deem that an environment, which fosters innovation at all levels, is critical to the success of the institution.

Opportunity and Access

The EKU university community is dedicated to the idea that its history and tradition are embedded in Appalachian values, foremost of which are uniqueness of the individual and the provision of opportunity and accessibility to all who seek the fulfillment of education intellectually and experientially.

Shared Governance and Collaboration

The EKU university community accepts as true that leadership char4acterized by vision and embedded with participatory decision-making at all levels is the emblem of an effective organization. We are committed to providing an atmosphere in which we pursue our joint aspirations in the spirit and practice of collegiality and collaboration at all levels of our community.

Student Success

The EKU university community acknowledges that its students, faculty, staff, and alumni are the source of its strength: collectively they determine the spirit, eminence, and efficacy of the institution. However, it is the success of its students upon which hinges the future of EKU. To this end, our greatest value is "student success", in the classroom at work, and on the stage of the world at which they represent the collective efforts of the EKU university community.

Top   Contents

Initial Phase of Strategic Planning

After implementing an inclusive planning process, strategic elements of an institutional-level plan were developed, which provide the framework from which more detailed plans will be built by divisions, colleges, departments, and units. This constitutes the initial phase of strategic planning for the 2003-2006 planning cycle.

Top   Contents

Vision For The Future

The vision expresses an ideal to which the university aspires and relates its future. The vision for the 2003-2006 University Strategic Plan was developed after gathering input from external and internal constituents, including top-down and bottom-up perspectives of EKU's future. The Vision for Eastern Kentucky University is:

Eastern Kentucky University will be the leading comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, earning national distinction, where students come first.

Top   Contents

Institutional Goals

Eastern Kentucky University's Institutional Goals chart the efforts that will enable the University to realize its Vision for the future and to fulfill the university's Mission. The goals encompass all the facets of the University's life. These goals advance Eastern's Vision to be a leading comprehensive university in the Commonwealth with national distinction. (Please note: these are not listed in any particular order or suggested priority.)

• To promote and support a climate that respects and celebrates diversity.¹
• To continuously improve the programs, services, and infrastructure of the university through the use of inclusive and innovative processes.
• To promote learning through high quality programs and services.
• To provide intellectual and cultural opportunities which will develop and enhance scholarship and intellectual curiosity.
• To increase and enhance external and internal constituency engagement, while maintaining a connection with Appalachia.
• To attract, develop, and educate an increasingly diverse student body.

¹University Diversity Committee's Definition of Diversity: EKU promotes a climate that respects and celebrates diversity within its community which includes, but is not limited to race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and cultural or national backgrounds, in pursuit of common unity. (February 13, 2003).

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

To direct the university's actions toward achieving the Vision, to support the university's Mission and Institutional Goals, and to function effectively within an environment of challenges and opportunities, Eastern Kentucky University has selected the following Strategic Directions for the 2003-2006 Strategic Plan. These Directions serve to focus our work to realize our Goals and will guide us over the next three years.

In addition, central to our plan and its Strategic Directions are Key Performance Indicators. As the Strategic Directions are linked to the Institutional Goals, the plan provides measurable indicators that will permit evaluation of progress. Key Performance Indicators provide us with the data necessary to evaluate progress toward goal achievement and supply the foundation for continuous program improvement. Some KPIs need operational definitions before the actual data are collected. The university office and/or committee responsible for each KPI is provided in parentheses. (Please note: the Goals and Strategic Directions are not listed in any particular order or suggested priority).

GOAL 1: To promote and support a climate that respects and celebrates diversity.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 1.1: Enhance a climate that supports diversity.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 1.2: Increase recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, staff, and student body
to reflect the global society.
___________________________________
Performance Indicators

Strategic Direction 1.1

• Enrollment in African/African American Studies Program and a Hispanic/Latino Studies program. (Institutional Research)
• Percentage of EKU faculty, staff, and students of diverse backgrounds. (Institutional Research)
• Responses of faculty, staff, and students to a biannual climate survey. (Institutional Research; University Diversity Committee)
• Number of and participation in campus events with diversity themes. (Student Affairs)

Strategic Direction 1.2

• Percentage of EKU faculty, staff, and students of diverse backgrounds. (Institutional Research)
• The targeted eight objectives set by the Council on Post-Secondary Education on recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students set forth by the "Kentucky Plan for Desegregation." (President's Office; Institutional Research; Equal Opportunity Office)
• Goals of the University Affirmative Action Plan. (Equal Opportunity Office)

GOAL 2: To continuously improve the programs, services, and infrastructure of the University through the use of inclusive and innovative processes.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2.1: Enhance faculty and staff use of technology.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2.2: Improve institutional effectiveness by utilizing a strategic planning,
budgeting, and assessment process that incorporates shared governance.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2.3: Increase base budget funding for deferred maintenance.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2.4: Increase financial flexibility.
___________________________________
Performance Indicators

Strategic Direction 2.1

• Percentage of smart classrooms. (UITC*)
• Percentage of courses that are web-based or web-enhanced. (UITC)
• Percentage of faculty and staff using Blackboard. (UITC)
• Percentage of staff using email. (UITC)

Strategic Direction 2.2.

• Program accreditation and re-accreditation review results. (President's Office; Provost's Office)
• Comprehensive and institution-wide planning and evaluation process for quality enhancement that provides for the annual development of departmental/unit plans, an annual feedback report to communicate institutional progress, and an updating of Key Performance Indicators every three years; and that includes linkages of that process firmly to learning outcomes and corollary university plans for facilities, maintenance, technology, and budget. (President's Office)
• Expected outcomes for all educational programs and administrative and educational support services. (University Assessment Committee; Institutional Research, Planning and Reporting Units)
• Workshops to train appropriate Eastern personnel in the relevant methodologies and techniques of the strategic planning processes before January 2004. (Administrative office responsible for planning; Strategic Planning Committee)
• Guidelines and procedures to evaluate the extent to which educational goals are being achieved and to demonstrate the use of results of these evaluations to improve educational effectiveness, including the quality of student learning, scholarship, and service. (Administrative office responsible for planning)

Strategic Direction 2.3

• Deferred maintenance base budget. (Financial Affairs; Facilities Services)
• Actual spending on deferred maintenance. (Financial Affairs; Facilities Services)

Strategic Direction 2.4

• Amount of unallocated unrestricted budget reserve. (Financial Affairs)
• Amount of contingency fund. (Financial Affairs)

GOAL 3: To promote learning through high quality programs and services.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3.1: Enhance student learning through excellence in teaching, scholarship,
and service.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3.2: Improve compensation to attract and retain high quality faculty and staff.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3.3: Increase opportunities for and participation in learning experiences inside and outside the classroom.
___________________________________
Performance Indicators

Strategic Direction 3.1

• Graduating student survey questions measuring satisfaction with the education in major course of study. (Institutional Research)
• Alumni survey questions measuring satisfaction with the education in major course of study. (Institutional Research)
• Student learning outcomes for each appropriate program in the university. (University Assessment Committee)
• Use of student learning outcome measures for program improvement. (University Assessment Committee)
• Student learning outcomes for University General Education. (University Assessment Committee)
• Use of student learning outcome measures for assessment of University General Education. (University Assessment Committee)

Strategic Direction 3.2

• EKU faculty and staff salaries compared to benchmark institutions or other appropriate comparators. (Institutional Research; Human Resources)
• Employee benefits package. (Human Resources)
• Institutional process and funding plan to identify and address faculty and staff salary issues. (Financial Affairs)

Strategic Direction 3.3

• Trends/characteristics of the student body as they relate to student engagement. (Student Affairs; Institutional Research)
• Graduating student survey questions and focus group results measuring satisfaction with learning experiences. (Institutional Research)
• Number of students participating in academic enhancement/enrichment activities. (Planning Units)
• Attendance at student events/activities. (Student Affairs)
• Student computer availability. (UITC)
• Student computer use. (UITC)

GOAL 4: To provide intellectual and cultural opportunities which will develop and enhance scholarship and intellectual curiosity.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 4.1: Enhance professional development opportunities.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 4.2: Enhance resources and opportunities for faculty/staff/student
collaboration in scholarly and creative activities.
___________________________________
Performance Indicators

Strategic Direction 4.1

• A plan with measurable outcomes to assess faculty and staff development. (Teaching and Learning Center; Human Resources; Continuing Education and Outreach; Planning and Reporting Units)
• Use of outcome measures to enhance professional development of faculty and staff. (Teaching and Learning Center; Human Resources; Continuing Education and Outreach; Planning and Reporting Units)

Strategic Direction 4.2

• National Survey on Student Engagement questions measuring participation in research with faculty. (Institutional Research)
• Publications, presentations, and creative activities. (Provost's Office; Planning Units)
• Thesis credit hours (undergraduate and graduate). (Institutional Research)

GOAL 5: To increase and enhance external and internal constituency engagement, while maintaining a connection with Appalachia.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 5.1: Increase net external funding with emphasis on grants, contracts, private
support, and economic development activities.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 5.2: Enhance partnerships with business and community entities.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 5.3: Enhance external and internal marketing and public relations to increase visibility.
___________________________________
Performance Indicators

Strategic Direction 5.1

• General university support generated by contract and grant activity for instruction, public service, and scholarship. (Financial Affairs; Sponsored Programs Office)
• Private contributions to university and foundation. (Institutional Advancement)

Strategic Direction 5.2

• Cooperative proposals involving other educational institutions, businesses, communities, and government entities. (Provost's Office)
• Participants served through outreach activities. (Continuing Education and Outreach)

Strategic Direction 5.3

• Integrated marketing communications audit. (Public Relations and Marketing)
• Integrated marketing communications plan. (Public Relations and Marketing)

GOAL 6: To attract, develop, and educate an increasingly diverse student body.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 6.1: Develop and implement a comprehensive enrollment planning process.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 6.2: Develop a student-centered support system for a diverse student population.
___________________________________
Performance Indicators

Strategic Direction 6.1

• Comprehensive strategic enrollment management plan. (Provost's Office)
• Annual enrollment, retention, and graduation goals set forth by the Council on Post-Secondary Education. (Institutional Research)

Strategic Direction 6.2

• National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE) questions measuring student satisfaction with the student-centered support system. (Institutional Research)
• Biannual Climate Survey questions on student satisfaction with the student-centered support system. (Institutional Research; University Diversity Committee)
• Alumni survey questions measuring student satisfaction with the student-centered support system. (Institutional Research)
• Participation in International Studies and Study Abroad Programs. (Enrollment Management)

Top   Contents

Additional Phase of Strategic Planning

Now that the initial phase of strategic planning is complete, it is necessary for additional phases to be implemented, specifically, campus-wide planning. It is essential that all subcomponents align with the University Strategic Plan. Planning unit strategic plans will be included in this University Strategic Plan after the planning units conduct their strategic planning.

___________________________________

Revised August 2005