Strategic Plan Accomplishments and Priorities, 2003-2004

Excellent Academic and Co-Curricular Programs

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004 

• Added four tenure-track faculty positions and four instructor positions
• Increased salaries for faculty with part-time appointments
• Developed a formal interim review of tenure-track faculty
• Established and implemented a formal mentoring process for new faculty
• Made commitment to hire a Director of Academic Support Services and the First Year Experience as soon as possible.

Top Priorities for 2004-2005

• Develop and publish performance expectations in teaching, scholarship/creative activity, and service for each academic unit
• Develop and implement a formal process for peer review of teaching
• Develop and implement an honors program
• Study faculty workload with the goal of developing a plan to provide relief where most needed
• Improve student success and retention.

Superior Faculty and Staff

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004

• Hired new faculty and staff in strategic areas including nursing, foreign language, business, communications, political science, sociology, advisement services, career services
• Increased funding for staff pay-for-performance, for part-time faculty salaries, and for faculty salary inequities
• Developed a formal mentoring process for new faculty
• Developed a new staff orientation program with staff sponsor component

Top Priorities for 2004-2005

• Develop a plan to address workload concerns among faculty.
• Maintain competitive incoming salaries and address salary compression for faculty
• Encourage collaborative research among faculty and encourage faculty to seek external funding for scholarly and creative activities
• Strengthen review processes for faculty through annual meetings between unit heads and individual faculty and development of a process for peer review of teaching
• Develop a plan to retain and attract minority faculty and staff.

A Dynamic Student-Centered Environment

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004

• Garnered support for the establishment of an Academic Support Center and the hiring of a Director of Academic Support and the First Year Experience
• Constructed a new 316 bed housing facility.
• Developed conceptual plans for the renovation of the Student Activities Center
• Hired a Coordinator of Experiential Education and Employer Relations to increase our focus in these areas
• Opened the Assistive Technology Center

Top Priorities for 2004-2005

• Develop a comprehensive academic support program that includes Orientation, advising, and First Year initiatives. 
• Develop and implement an early warning program for at-risk students.

• Utilize the newly created Athletic Task Force to evaluate the future role of athletics at USCA.
   

Building Strong Community Relations

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004

• Expanded the Office of Career Development to include a Coordinator for Experiential Education
• Created a comprehensive database to track all information related to experiential education (cooperative education, internships, and job shadowing)
• Enhanced the scope and focus of the Office of Continuing Education and hired a new director

Top Priorities for 2004-2005

• Increase student participation in experiential education
• Foster opportunities for community service through the American Democracy Project
• Strengthen and increase partnerships with community groups, P-12 education, and local businesses.

Enhanced Organizational Effectiveness

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004

• Created/restructured the University Advancement Office
• Replaced the Institutional Planning Committee with the Campus Budget Committee.
• Developed a student email policy
• Procured campus wide unified messaging

Top Priorities for 2004-2005

• Refined the approval process for new academic programs to include analysis of the campus wide impact of the programs

• Analyze classroom scheduling to ensure optimal utilization of facilities

Strategic Enrollment Planning

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004

• Created the Enrollment Planning Team  (http://www.usca.edu/ESIP/ept/)
• Developed a recommendation, based on studies conducted by the Institutional Effectiveness staff and the Enrollment Services Division, to present to faculty to increase freshman admission requirements for Fall 2005.
• Developed EPT focus teams to examine strategic enrollment issues    

Top Priorities for 2004-2005

• Assess minority student recruitment and retention strategies

• Analyze implications of increased grade point average requirements for admission to specific majors

• Reevaluate current USCA Financial Aid/Scholarship practices and strategies

Quality Facilities and Equipment

Important Accomplishments, 2003-2004

• Obtained approval for and began construction of new campus housing.
• Obtained external funding for campus development

-         $2 million from Aiken County for Convocation Center

-         $100K from Gregg-Graniteville Foundation for Library renovations

-         $25K from SC DOE for solar heating of pool

-         $745K from City of Aiken (Contingent on Local Option Sales Tax referendum - Nov 2004)

• Made significant progress toward the completion of a Campus Master Plan which supports Strategic Plan objectives

Top Priorities, 2004-2005

• Complete the campus Master Plan and continue implementation of the Plan objectives, including construction of the Convocation Center 
• Complete all phases of planning for the Student Activity Center renovation with a goal to preserve the building for student activities and support functions
• Establish a comprehensive plan to fund life cycle maintenance and replacement of campus furnishings/equipment