Plans

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Last Updated: Jan 24, 2024, 01:31 PM

Original Plan

Vivid Description of the Future State

  • Imagine 15,000 students enrolled by 2030
  • Imagine a top 200 ranking by US News and World Report
  • Imagine SIU Carbondale being renowned for having a campus that is diverse, inclusive, and where every student feels safe and at home
  • Imagine our campus leading the way by being completely carbon neutral within the decade
  • Imagine if we were no longer a best kept secret in our region…

Strategic Pillars

Student Success & Engagement

Student Success & EngagementWe will have a diverse and culturally responsible student body that is fully engaged in the SIU Carbondale experience, thriving in the face of robust academic challenges, and that has gained practical skills to allow them to enter the workforce as effective ambassadors for our University.

OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE

  • Objective 1: Increase student population
  • Objective 2: Increase retention/persistence rates
  • Objective 3: Increase graduation rates
  • Objective 4: Create a strategy for fostering post-graduation success in our students
  • Objective 5: Cultivate a positive university environment
  • Objective 6: Enhance engagement in the learning experience in and out of the classroom by investing in resources and learning spaces (faculty, technology, new courses, facilities, improvements, experiential learning opportunities, etc.)
  • Objective 7: Investment in the needs of our students with efforts that begin before their arrival and continue after graduation
  • Objective 8: Strategic enrollment, retention, completion, career development and placement with specific focus on our campuses commitment to meeting student needs and goals

KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES

  1. Expand outreach areas to different regions including Missouri, Kansas, and Texas
  2. Utilize current students and alumni during the recruitment cycles
  3. The offices of Admissions, Student Affairs, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will collaborate on at least one major outreach event each semester
  4. Implement a “Recruit Back the Pack” campaign for the fall semesters
  5. Implement a “Plan Ahead the Pack” campaign for the spring semesters
  6. Develop an intensive partnership with District 95 and other Southern Illinois districts to implement 7th and 8th grade planning campaigns
  7. Enrollment management task force will complete a comprehensive, viable, strategic enrollment management plan that is adopted by all key stakeholders
  8. Intentional career services: host workshops, mentor programs, placement into jobs/internships
  9. Develop student ambassador programs in all colleges and leadership training opportunities
  10. Build programming that assists with life skills and assisting students with building soft skills not learned in the classroom
  11. Host an all-campus event that includes the community (increase the number of social events in general)
  12. Identify opportunities for more alumni engagement and involvement with students
  13. Create more paid and unpaid research opportunities
  14. Strengthen and expand Living Learning Communities and Freshman Interest Groups
  15. Create summer programs that offer additional support
  16. Promote networking with national organizing, alums in industry, and professional organizations
  17. Work with the community to create more dynamic student life experiences in and around Carbondale
  18. Further enhance student advisement, early warning systems, tutoring opportunities, mentoring opportunities (student-to-student and student-to-faculty)
  19. Career objectives (recruiters/advisors/faculty): utilize career center partnership, tools/assessment for recruiters/advisors, and increase collaborations
  20. Increase gainful employment and internship programs for all graduates, enhance collaboration of Career Development Center with academic programs in collaboration with the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity, Equity & InclusionSouthern Illinois University Carbondale will be the model for inclusive excellence; we will engage and welcome all stakeholders on and off campus.

OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE

  • Objective 1: Be intentional in our recruitment, support and advancement of a diverse student body, faculty and staff
  • Objective 2: Create safe spaces for all students
  • Objective 3: Increase cross-cultural engagement between students, faculty and staff.
  • Objective 4: Cultivate and nurture a campus community that values, respects and supports diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Objective 5: Increase retention and graduation rates with racial and ethnic parity

KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES

  1. Reallocate University resources so that diversity, equity and inclusion is clearly prioritized and valued
  2. Focus on economic development opportunities that attract diverse businesses in our community
  3. Diversify the curriculum so that all students learn about DE&I
  4. Reward faculty for cross-disciplinary collaborations
  5. Proactively develop social activities for new faculty to aid retention
  6. Provide more formal opportunities for mentoring to support new (and mid-career) faculty
  7. Conduct yearly workshops for Associate Professors to prepare for promotion to full Professor
  8. DE&I initiatives need to be discussed regularly in meeting (walk-the-talk)
  9. Incorporate DE&I into faculty on-boarding and New Student Orientation
  10. Increase staff and resources for programming for students — especially first generation and marginalized students
  11. Increase mentorship opportunities and resources for underserved populations
  12. Improve communication between academic programs
  13. Invest in defining, evolving, and sustaining a robust organizational culture
  14. Provide pipeline programs and mentorships
  15. Improve our capability for early detection of needs and disabilities
  16. Provide scholarship dollars that target underserved populations
  17. DE&I training for Residential Life staff (includes directors, hall directors and resident assistants)
  18. Develop opportunities for faculty, staff and students to engage in scholarship and research activities that address DE&I social issues

Branding & Partnerships

Branding and Partnerships

SIU Carbondale will be a “first-choice” institution, compared favorably to the flagship institution. The University will take a much stronger role in actively improving connections within the community, state, nation, and world through key partnerships.

OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE

  • Objective 1: Stronger relationships with alumni and donors as ambassadors for SIU, resulting in more private gifts to support University’s mission
  • Objective 2: Better collaboration with Carbondale (and greater region) business leaders to invigorate social vibrancy within the community
  • Objective 3: Increased enrollment
  • Objective 4: Position SIU as a leader and an important and reliable resource on key subjects
  • Objective 5: Elevate the prestige of SIU Carbondale and increase visibility of research and other hands-on opportunities for students
  • Objective 6: Clearly define what it means to be SIU Carbondale
  • Objective 7: Improved communication and collaboration across the University

KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES

  1. Define roles for alumni and advise alumni on how they can make a difference
  2. Examine how to improve University–alumni communication, including how we use technology to reinforce two-way communication
  3. Evaluate expanding “Forever SIU” campaign
  4. Seek targeted and unique opportunities to engage alumni and donors
  5. Pursue partnerships between campus entities and community entities
  6. Include pride in the region as a theme in overall marketing endeavors
  7. Leverage the beauty of our region as part of our enduring identity
  8. Capitalize on student successes to market the university
  9. Foster collaboration among campus departments to achieve streamlined and efficient conveying of our message
  10. Define external partners and objectives of partnerships for mutual benefits
  11. Identify a position responsible for maintaining and establishing strategic partnerships
  12. Evaluate effectiveness of agreements and adjust as needed
  13. Pitch more news stories of interest to national media
  14. Leverage social media, marketing and advertising, including billboards, commercials, print publications, targeted digital advertising, etc.
  15. Develop an “elevator pitch” to describe SIU Carbondale
  16. Evaluate current branding and develop clear and consistent brand standards
  17. Promote consistent standards to campus community
  18. Establish a shared vision of where we want the university to be
  19. Identify key people to implement the vision and establish clear roles to improve efficiency

Research & Innovation

Research & InnovationSIU will support and foster the discovery of knowledge and creative professional achievement to benefit the world and the people of our region.

OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE

  • Objective 1: Strengthen our research profile and status as an R2 institution, with the ambition of creating the infrastructure and identifying the resources required to seek R1 status
  • Objective 2: Establish several areas of research excellence that will gain national and international recognition
  • Objective 3: Target strategic hiring of faculty who can contribute to building and growing areas of research excellence
  • Objective 4: Invest in centralized infrastructure that is needed to support the overall research enterprise
  • Objective 5: Establish a strategic, research-focused vision and strategy in research
  • Objective 6: Nurture a spirit of collaboration of research and innovation across the university and the SIU system

KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES

  1. Identify the requirements to be recognized as a Carnegie R1 institution and make investments toward achieving that designation
  2. Secure permanent leadership for the research enterprise, including assuring there is long-term leadership in place for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and other key research-focused units that can work together
  3. Provide incentives to faculty to become more proactive in seeking external funding
  4. Identify signature doctoral programs and strategically invest in them to increase capacity and productivity
  5. Convene a group to develop a strategic plan for research and innovation
  6. Analyze current projects to determine potential impact on university goals
  7. Study the utility of developing focus areas for research and innovation
  8. Increase the quality, focus and number of showcase events in research/innovation
  9. Work toward ensuring appropriate facilities, staff support and funding are committed to the research enterprise
  10. Incentivize faculty grant applications, research productivity and intellectual property development, including through promotion and tenure
  11. Enhance graduate assistantships and undergraduate research opportunities

Sustainability

SustainabilityTo become known as a forward-thinking, environmentally responsible University that embraces sustainability, reduces its carbon footprint, pursues conscientious energy efficiencies, and creates new innovative practices to become a leader in sustainability within the state and higher education community at large.

OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE

  • Objective 1: Embrace digital transformation investments and activities across campus
  • Objective 2: Pursue campus-wide energy efficiencies
  • Objective 3: Seek to achieve a renewed campus strategy on sustainability and reducing the campus’ environmental impact

KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES

  1. Identify and implement an e-signature and workflow product and campus policy
  2. Reduce paper consumption across campus by creating business processes embracing paperless transactions
  3. Evaluate space utilization across campus and develop a plan to right-size the physical space of the university to reduce energy usage and eliminate costs
  4. Create a strategic plan to address the use of coal while pursuing alternative energy opportunities
  5. Support the work of the university task force on sustainability and establish a sustainability education program, including recycling
  6. Invest in the technology infrastructure across campus, from classrooms and research labs to offices and student housing
  7. Embrace office technology such as Voice over the Internet Protocol (VOIP) and robust cyber security tools to keep campus safe
  8. Replace antiquated software systems, from accounting services to grants management
  9. Pursue a farm produce lifecycle
  10. Use the campus’ focus on the environment and sustainability as a marketing niche to prospective students
  11. Partner with the City of Carbondale and other entities to pursue more green initiatives on and off campus
  12. Support the implementation of broadband access in the surrounding regions, especially in rural and underserved areas
  13. Pursue an opportunistic cloud-first philosophy to reduce footprint and power consumption

2022-2023 Plan

Updated Strategic Alignment: In April of 2024, the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Institutional Ranking and Educational Quality (CIREQ) concluded its 3-year charge to qualitatively investigate and report on potential steps along key metrics that will help improve both the quality of the University and its ranking as a National University. Action Steps within Imagine2030 that correspond with the recommendations of the committee are asterisked and noted

Student Success & Engagement Objectives

Increase student population

Expected Outcome 

Enrollment at SIU Carbondale will increase by at least 5% annually.

Action Steps

  • Conduct (minimum) one major outreach event each semester. 
  • Develop an intensive partnership with District 95 and other SI districts to implement 7th and 8th grade planning campaigns. 
  • Evaluate Saluki Commitment to find best awarding strategies to utilize the allocated money and attract students from Illinois.
  • To identify programs that can increase in capacity.
  • Work with vendors to build pipelines of students for those programs.
  • Pursue non-traditional college-going populations and work with SIU Global to market various modalities of instruction for programs. 
  • Leverage and expand programs like Saluki Step Ahead. 
  • Seek out new markets where there is population growth. 
  • Work with Colleges to award foundation scholarships through Academic Works to reach all student with need. 
  • Move all student communication to Slate including the student award letter.
  • Summer bridge programs

Increase retention/persistence rates

Expected Outcome 

Increase the retention rate by 4% each year.

Action Steps

  • Provide award letter including continuing foundation scholarships (awarded the first year with expectation will be carried forward if terms of scholarship are).
  • Develop a training program to educate academic advisors/faculty on how to use Degree Works SEP to advise students.
  • Develop and provide a training video for students on how to use plans (SEP) map out their pathway.
  • Update Banner SHATATR appropriately with proficiency exam groupings.
  • Analyze data to build an ideal student profile that aligns with the university’s mission and supports growth at the Undergraduate level.
  • Increase student understanding of costs and assist where possible to utilize resources to decrease balances owed.

CIREQ Recommendations on improving retention rates:

  • Innovative Pedagogy
  • Personalized Outreach
  • Strategic Student Tracking & Collaboration for Preparation

Increase graduation rates

Expected Outcome 

Positively impact 6-year graduation rate; improve by 5% each year.

Action Steps

  • Assure that admitted students meet guidelines.
  • Provide award letter including continuing foundation scholarships (awarded the first year with expectation will be carried forward if terms of scholarship are fulfilled).
  • Educate students to graduate in four years to reduce loan debt. 
  • Continue sending student loan debt letters. 
  • Webinars on the loan repayment and loan default.
  • Duplicate successful efforts of individual colleges.

CIREQ Recommendations on improving graduation rates:

  • Academic Interventions & Support
  • Financial Incentives & Accessibility
  • Enhanced Advising
  • Early Interventions

Cultivate positive university environment

Expected Outcome 

Review and restructure First Year Experience and New Student Orientation—Enhance program/initiative offerings by 25%.

Increase student involvement/memberships in organizations and programs by 25%.

The retention/persistence rate of students who are referred to Saluki Cares will be 70%.

Action Steps

  • All Saluki Success Initiative students are to meet with Life Coaches weekly or as needed depending on the need of each individual student.

CIREQ Recommendations on student outcomes post-graduation:

  • Financial Aid Enhancement
  • Financial Literacy Education
  • Tuition Affordability
  • Career Readiness
  • Financial Opportunities
  • Curriculum Modernization

Enhance the in/out of classroom learning experience

Expected Outcome 

Deliver one workshop on each of three topics each month for a total of 36 workshops annually; 75% of all faculty attend at least three workshops or complete microlearning activities annually; 80% of students complete instructor/course evaluations in all courses; increase instructor and course evaluations scores across all categories; achieve and sustain a 3.7/5.0 evaluation score on the standardized instructor and course categories evaluated.

Action Steps

  • Plan and implement online and face-to-face workshops; develop microlearning activities that can be reviewed in a self-service format. Identify a reward system to encourage faculty attendance and participation in these activities.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Objectives

Be intentional in our recruitment, support and advancement of a diverse student body, faculty and staff

Expected Outcome 

Retention of staff, possibility of more staff utilizing services on campus either for their job or personal.

Increase representation of ​women in leadership, student, staff, and faculty black, indigenous, and ​people of color (BIPOC) ​employees by 10% by the end of 2023.

Key Initiatives

  • Re-design New Employee Orientation to provide more and better quality information to new employees.
  • Increase representation of individuals from underserved groups and provide professional development/mentoring of faculty from underserved groups.

Create safe spaces for all students

Expected Outcome 

Incorporate and increase participation in multicultural welcoming and graduation events.

Increase participation and completion of training on various aspects of student health, safety and wellness through in person and online venues.

Key Initiatives

  • Synthesize DE&I best practices across colleges and departments to eliminate disparities in educational curriculum and outcomes.
  • Develop student success metrics across race/ethnicity, (BIPOC), socioeconomic status, gender, physical or mental abilities, and other demographic traits and intersectionality.
  • Ongoing training and education through DPS.

Increase cross-cultural engagement between students, faculty and staff

Expected Outcome

Provide numerous and varied opportunities for students, faculty and staff to increase empathy and understanding of cultural differences and experiences.

Key Initiatives

  • Increase adoption of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and diversity rubrics in programs/courses.
  • Continue development of cross campus DEI taskforce
    1. Recruit diverse staff for a formal task force.
    2. Pair DEI Task Force staff to collaborate with MRC Coordinators.
    3. Invest and develop diverse trainings to increase cultural humility and awareness.

Cultivate and nurture a campus community that values, respects and supports diversity, equity and inclusion

Expected Outcome

Enhance on/off campus volunteerism through multiple recurring events.

Key Initiatives

  • Establish specific performance factor on CS and AP Performance Evaluation that addresses the staff member's participation and support of campus-related diversity and inclusion efforts. Revise current form to include diversity and inclusion performance expectations and evaluation outcomes.
  • Establish Salukis helping Salukis initiative.

Increase retention and graduation rates with racial and ethic parity

Expected Outcome

Support overall retention and increase the graduation rates for males of color by 5% annually.

Key Initiatives

  • Development of ongoing programming designed to assist at-risk individuals in achieving greater academic, financial and involvement success.

CIREQ Recommendations on success for underserved populations:

  • First-Year Experience
  • Career Development
  • Financial Literacy
  • Faculty Engagement
  • Bridge Programs
  • Financial Aid Workshops
  • Parent/Guardian 101 Course
  • Transition & Inclusivity Initiatives
  • Personalized Academic Guidance
  • Peer & Community Support

Branding & Partnerships

Stronger relationships with alumni and donors for SIU, resulting in more private gifts to support University's mission

Expected Outcome

Increased engagement, particularly among recent/younger alumni.

Key Initiatives

  • Evaluate the current dues-based membership program's appeal for current and future alumni.
  • Create a proposal (based on research/data/trends) for either enhancement or phasing out the membership program.
  • Develop Salukis helping Salukis program.

Better collaboration with Carbondale (and greater region) business leaders to invigorate social vibrancy within the community

Expected Outcome

Increase number of community students in our camps and conferences.

Create new branding and partnerships between region and university.

Key Initiatives

  • Host and participate and in community job fairs.
  • Grow summer camp program and publicize throughout local schools.
  • Activate mural project within Carbondale.
  • Create/repurpose Carbondale messaging in roadshows and open houses/web.

Improved communication and collaboration across the University

Expected Outcome

Increased readership and interaction with SIU Today and This is SIU.

Reduce extraneous communications to students/faculty staff.

Make onboarding and regular training/policies more accessible via web.

Key Initiatives

  • Conduct analysis of both email programs to ensure content matches needs of faculty/staff.
  • Overhaul and relaunch enhanced emails.
  • Begin process to enable web design/functionality & search to assist SIU personnel easier access to information.

Position SIU as a leader and an important and reliable resource on key subjects

Expected Outcome

Attain out-of-region coverage across multiple news venues for 5 positive stories of significance.

Key Initiatives

  • Actively pitch stories and university experts to news media.
  • Grow relationships with Chicago/St. Louis news media.
  • Target media in expansion areas (neighbor states, TX, FL, Denver).

Elevate the prestige of SIU Carbondale and increase visibility of research and other hands-on opportunities for students

Expected Outcome

Add 3 new international partnerships (program articulation) by 2030; Increase international undergraduate and graduate student enrollment by 5% by 2030.

Key Initiatives

  • Showcase SIU and Imagine campaign within region and through out of region opportunities.

CIREQ Recommendations on reputation and perception:

  • National Visibility Initiatives
  • University Image Enhancement
  • Faculty Compensation Strategy
  • Communication & Marketing Strategies
  • Faculty incentives
  • Faculty Recruitment & Retention
  • Financial Strategies

Research & Innovation

Strengthen our research profile and status as an R2 Institution, with the ambition of creating the infrastructure and identifying the resources required to seek R1 status

Expected Outcome

Increase the number and variety of research proposals submitted by faculty.

Key Initiatives

  • Develop and fund 3 proposals for research and tech entrepreneurship.
  • Host an annual, hybrid conference open to SIU and non-SIU educators with at least 1000 unique attendees annually by 2030.

CIREQ Recommendations on research improvement:

  • Competitive Compensation
  • Infrastructure and Grant Writing Support
  • Strategic Faculty Hiring Plan

Establish several areas of research excellence that will gain national and international recognition

Expected Outcome

Increase proposals and grants vs. 2022 fiscal year.

Strengthen Southern IL region as a live, work, play region.

Key Initiatives

  • Develop video stories highlighting the opportunities for students at SIUC to engage in faculty mentored research and creative activities through interviews of students currently engaged in UG research and recently graduated students. Similar stories should be developed for graduate students and faculty engaged in impactful research and creative activities.

Invest in centralized infrastructure that is needed to support the overall research enterprise

Expected Outcome

Increase the number of undergraduate students supported to engage in faculty mentored research/creative activity.

Increase the number of supported students from ~30 to ~60 per year.

Key Initiatives

  • Field economic impact study.
  • Reinstatement of undergraduate research funding piloting program of Foundation scholarships.

Establish a strategic, research-focused vision and strategy in research

Expected Outcome

Increase external funding by 10% per year on average until 2030.

Increase Ph.D. enrollment by 5% by 2030, leading to an increase in scholarly publications per faculty member.

Develop McLafferty Annex as a research support for SIU and SIL.

Key Initiatives

  • Identify multiple cross-disciplinary research areas of excellence in the unit and focus on building "clusters" in these areas.
  • Engagement of the unit leadership team in research-related fundraising efforts, including establishment of externally funded research centers and endowed faculty positions.
  • Mentorship programs for tenure-track faculty during their probationary period by the leadership team and faculty with established research record.
  • Development of new Ph.D. programs in areas of demand.
  • To increase Ph.D. enrollment, support faculty participation in national and international conferences to advertise the unit's programs.
  • Provide training to improve faculty compliance with state and federal mandates.

Nurture a spirit of collaboration of research and innovation across the university and the SIU system

Expected Outcome

Collaboratively develop 3 proposals business and economic development to meet needs of SIU System communities & businesses.

Key Initiatives

  • Involvement of 80% of Honors students in research and experiential activities.

Sustainability

Embrace digital transformation investments and activities across campus

Expected Outcome

Audit paper usage throughout campus and reduce output by 20%.

Train faculty/staff on utilizing digital and automated technology solutions to reduce paper and increase process efficiency.

Key Initiatives

  • Computer lab workstations to be replaced by more sustainable VDI solutions.
  • Raise awareness of VDI sustainability impact by publishing impact statement in all locations using the technology.
  • Install virtual desktop solutions where possible to reduce power consumption and e-waste.
  • Create sustainability messaging/education around tech sustainability.

Pursue campus-wide energy efficiencies

Expected Outcome

Energy savings.

Improved infrastructure through targeted investments.

Key Initiatives

  • Provide complete list of infrastructure initiatives underway with expected completion timeframes. Including physical resource maintenance+revitalization.
  • Converting the exterior lighting to LED will provide the following Identify 5 underutilized productivity tools, create and deliver training in a variety of modalities to raise awareness and adoption.

Seek to achieve a renewed campus strategy on sustainability and reducing the campus' environmental impact

Expected Outcome

Seek green cleaning goal of 90% cleaning supplies Green Seal or UL ECOLOGO certified cleaning products in the following categories: ​
  carpet ​
  window ​
  all-purpose bathroom​
  and general floor care.

Collaboratively develop 3 proposals to secure funding in environmentally-focused initiatives including EVs and the grid​.

Key Initiatives

  • Increased completion of accessibility training; Annual increase in digital conversion of instructional materials; increase adoption of digital uploads of course materials; decrease in printing and production of course materials.