Visionary Goals: The "Three Fives"

The foundation for each of these goals is provided by one or more existing programs or activities that offer a starting point for our efforts. All the goals satisfy the criteria defined in the charge of the University Strategic Planning Committee: they will enhance educational excellence in a personal environment, they are multidisciplinary, they are feasible and assessable, and they are funded or externally fundable. Each goal also meets an additional criterion set by the committee: all will support the University's efforts to achieve its "bread and butter" goals, including recruitment and retention.

The "three fives" define for the University community areas in which UWG should work to achieve national recognition. It will be up to those who carry out the later phases of the strategic planning process to decide how individual units should participate in achieving the goals and, based on those decisions, how our progress towards reaching them can be assessed.
 

• Faculty-directed student research and professional activities.

Faculty-directed student research and professional activities complement classroom learning by providing opportunities for learning by doing and by reflection on doing. We can build on existing programs like the Celebration of Scholarship, Big Night, the debate program, the Concerto Competition, and the Sigma Xi research paper competition to become national leaders in this area. 

The activities best suited for a particular student will depend on the discipline and the talents and interests of the student. Appropriate experiences may include theoretical or applied research in collaboration with a faculty member; creative work under the supervision of a faculty member; community service, co-op, and internship positions on or off campus related to the student's area of study, with faculty members providing the structure for reflection on the "real world" experience; and academic competition under faculty guidance, like debate tournaments and investment management contests. 

Given this wide range of activities, every academic department at UWG can participate in the achievement of this goal. In addition, student research and professional activities can contribute to the success of the other visionary goals.

We can assess UWG's national standing in this area using such measures as:

1. Rates of participation in experiential learning activities.
2. Number of publications in undergraduate research journals, of juried exhibits and performances by students, and of adjudications.
3. Amount of external funding for student research.
4. Number of student presentations at academic and professional conferences.
5. Success in academic competition.

The home unit responsible for this goal would be a Center for Student Research and Professional Activity. 

• The Honors College and the Advanced Academy.

The Honors College at UWG is one of fewer than fifty such colleges in the U.S., and has developed a strong foundation for future growth. The Advanced Academy is one of fewer than ten such programs in the nation.

The development of the Honors College and the Advanced Academy can work hand-in-hand with each of the other of these five visionary goals, increasing the likelihood of success in each. By strengthening its ties to other worthy programs like international studies, the Honors College can contribute to their success while fashioning a unique niche for itself.

We can assess UWG's national standing in this area using such measures as:

1. Growth in enrollment in the Honors College and the Advanced Academy.
2. Admissions standards.
3. Breadth of Honors offerings.
4. Participation of Honors and Academy students in research and professional activities.
5. Admission of Honors graduates to graduate and professional study.

The home unit responsible for this goal would be the Honors College.

• The First-Year Program.

Building on the work of the Freshman Center, the First-Year Program would provide an integrated approach to the academic, social, and personal development of UWG's freshmen. 

The First-Year Program would offer programs such as learning communities for groups of freshmen who would take classes together; peer mentors for learning communities; access to LIBR 1101 for all at-risk students; service-learning opportunities; and comprehensive academic advising.

We can assess UWG's national standing in this area using such measures as:

1. Listing in the University of Colorado's "College and University Service-Learning Programs" directory.
2. Staff presentations at the National Conference on the First-Year Experience and publication in the Journal on the First-Year Experience.
3. External funding for support of first-year programs. 

 
The home unit responsible for this goal would be the Freshman Center.

• Technology across the curriculum. 

UWG should develop a comprehensive strategy for incorporating appropriate information technology into our academic programs and student services. To achieve national recognition, the University should (a) develop high-tech minors and programs for students in the humanities, natural and social sciences, business, and education; (b) ensure that every graduate is competent in the use of information technology in his or her discipline, and (c) become a leader in the innovative use of asynchronous learning environments to support both distance education and classroom instruction.

An institutional focus on technology across the curriculum could contribute to UWG's success in faculty-directed student research and professional activities and in regional economic and community development. It could also help provide distinctiveness for the programs of the Honors College.

We can assess UWG's national standing in this area using such measures as:

1. Inclusion in Yahoo! Internet Life's list of Top 100 Wired Colleges.
2. Listing in the Sloan ALN Consortium Catalog of On-Line Educational Programs.
3. Publications and presentations in asynchronous learning journals and presentations at asynchronous learning conferences.
4. Disciplinary recognition for the integration of information technology into academic programs, particularly in traditionally low-tech disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

The home unit responsible for this goal would be an expanded Center for Teaching and Learning.

• Innovations in professional preparation.

Drawing on the resources of our three Colleges, West Georgia should become a national model for innovations in professional preparation grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

This goal links two core elements of the historical mission of state universities like UWG: professional education and a commitment to excellence in teaching. To reach it, the challenge will be to infuse the systematic investigation of teaching and student learning into professional preparation.

Achieving this goal can help satisfy urgent state and national demands for innovation in teacher preparation while strengthening the professional and pre-professional programs offered by all three Colleges. Moreover, insights gained through the scholarly study of teaching and learning can be generated by and can contribute to the work of faculty members in any discipline. While the focus of the goal is on improving professional education at UWG, the benefits will accrue across the University.

Achieving this goal will require support by the University and the Colleges for the scholarship of teaching and learning in all disciplines and genuine collaboration among the three Colleges to promote innovation in professional preparation.

We can assess UWG's national standing in this area using such measures as:

1. Participation in the Teaching Academy Campus Program of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
2. Recognition by scholarly and professional societies for work in professional preparation and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
3. External funding.
4. Improvement in acceptance rates to professional schools.
5. Improvement in passing rates on professional licensure and certification examinations.
6. Media coverage of our innovations in professional preparation.

The home unit responsible for this goal would be a Center for Innovations in Professional Preparation.