Fall 1996
Message from the President
In my introduction to Binghamton University's first University-wide strategic
plan in 1992, I mentioned the factors pushing Binghamton toward unified
planning: con tinuing budget reductions, declining state support, the recommendation
for planning by the Middle States Association accrediting agency, and accountability
to the SUNY system. Four years later all of these influences continue to
reinforce the necessity for careful planning and priority setting. We have
had budget reductions in seven of the last eight years, and state support
to the University has fallen from 47 percent to 27 percent of Binghamton's
revenues. As we prepared Binghamton's periodic review re port, submitted
to the Middle States Association this June, it was clear that A Plan
for the Future had provided the framework for our decision making.
Our remarkable accomplishments during the recent years are clear evidence
of our success in pressing forward to meet our objectives. As we move ahead,
we must be able to understand and address the needs of the present as well
as anticipate and meet the demands of the future. Under the leadership of
Provost Mary Ann Swain, the Strategic Planning Council provided us with
clear directions for the future in this up dated version of A Plan for
the Future. I thank them for their dedicated efforts.
A Plan for the Future, 1996, as its predecessor, describes both what
we are and what we want to become. It provides a broad framework within
which day-to-day decisions about our priorities and the allocation of resources
can occur. We must move forward with strength and perseverance in order
to achieve our goal of con-tinuing Binghamton's tradition of excellence
in the face of expected and unexpected changes. In just five short decades,
vision, determination, hard work, and innovation have transformed a small
collection of Quonset huts into a nationally recognized research university.
These same qualities are reflected in our strategic plan and are the best
insurance that the University will continue its remarkable development.
Sincerely,
Lois B. DeFleur
President
A Plan for the Future
Fall 1996
The State University of New York at Binghamton is a research university
committed to excellence in teaching and scholarship. As one of the nation's
best public institutions of higher learning, Binghamton Univer sity recognizes
its responsibility to the larger society and actively con tributes to the
state and nation through continuing education, applied re search, and other
services. In its relatively short 50-year history, Binghamton has achieved
distinction for the quality of its undergraduates, its nationally competitive
graduate programs, its research and creative endeavors, and the impact of
its collaborative work with business, educa tional, and governmental organizations.
The University's strength lies in its people. Faculty, staff, and students
represent a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and ideas, and contribute
to an open and supportive campus environment with a high level of intellectual
and creative energy. Faculty active in research are also deeply committed
to teaching, advising, and working closely with students at all stages of
their academic careers.
From its beginning, Binghamton has had a commitment to the liberal arts
that forms the basis for its undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences
and in profes sional programs in engineering, education, human development,
management, and nursing. Binghamton has also recognized that insights gained
by professionals as they reflect upon their practice often pose important
questions and issues to the basic disciplines. These disciplinary and professional
perspectives have been enhanced by the intercultural awareness that has
grown out of Binghamton's history of meaningful ties to other parts of the
world. From this foundation of strength, Binghamton is poised to begin the
next stage in its development and position itself to meet the challenges
of the 21st century.
Those challenges are multiple and varied. First, the state has significantly
reduced its support of public higher education. As Binghamton becomes more
revenue dependent, it must work cooperatively with the state to assure that
access to programs is not denied for reasons of family income. Realizing
our aspirations with diminished state support will require greater creativity
and adaptability. To achieve its goals with limited resources Binghamton
University must become a learning organization characterized by the follow
ing: a commitment to the continued growth, development, and learning of
all faculty and staff; a commitment to evaluating programs, structures,
and methods of operation; and a willingness to adapt to new conditions in
order to achieve and sustain excellence. Second, the needs and requirements
of business, education, government, industry, and social services for a
more skilled and capable work force are expanding rapidly. To broaden its
role as a comprehensive research institution and better serve the needs
of the state, the region, and the community, Binghamton University, with
the necessary resources, is pre pared to increase its enrollment to approximately
15,000 students by the year 2002. Third, the world continues to shrink.
Distance no longer poses a major barrier to interac tions and alliances
that cross national boundaries. Events that occur in one geographic region
now have a much more direct impact on all other regions than was previously
the case. In light of that fact, Binghamton recognizes that it must become
a fully internation alized institution. Its instructional, research, and
outreach programs must incorporate extensively the knowledge and perspectives
of other countries.
We have outlined six fundamental objectives to guide our entry into the
21st century. Thereafter, A Plan for the Future is organized into
five themes: Teaching and Learning, Research and Scholarship, Campus Community,
Outreach and Service, and Support of the University's Mission. Within these
themes are major objectives that serve as a guide to achieving the University's
aspirations in the years to come. These critical overarching objectives
are shown in boldface. More specific and concrete action items follow in
regu lar type.
FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES
Create meaningful standards of excellence for University endeavors and gauge
our performance annually within vice presidential divisions. Achieving and
sustaining excel lence requires understanding its multiple dimensions and
information about our relative standing along those dimensions.
Ensure that the allocation of resources supports our complex mission and
that differ ent contributions made by individuals, units, and divisions
in achieving the University's collective obligation for excellence in teaching,
research, and service are recognized. Strengthen the recognition and reward
structure to encourage and reinforce the highest achievement throughout
the University.
Become more internationally focused in our educational programs, topics
and methods of inquiry, outreach, and operations.
Improve the quality of University life, promote a positive University identity,
enhance a sense of community, and encourage loyalty to and pride in the
University.
Promote a campus atmosphere of inclusiveness and respect that fosters full
opportu nities for growth and advancement to all people.
Provide state-of-the-art technological support for instruction, student
learning, re search, and administration, including the development of information
delivery and man agement systems, computing and library facilities, advanced
scientific instrumentation, and computing equipment and software appropriate
to the needs of individual faculty and staff. Assist faculty, staff, and
students to adopt and use the changing technology as it becomes available.
THEME l: TEACHING/LEARNING
The Binghamton tradition has been to integrate undergraduate and graduate
educa tion to provide an intellectual environment that reflects diverse
national and interna tional perspectives in curriculum and programs. The
University is committed to maintain ing and enhancing its undergraduate
excellence in the liberal arts and in professional programs, as well as
offering master's and doctoral programs of the highest quality. These goals
reflect the special history of Binghamton where undergraduate and graduate
programs complement each other, drawing upon nationally recognized faculty
to create an outstanding academic experience for students at all levels.
Our institution strives to provide a challenging learning environment that
fosters critical thinking for its exceptionally talented students. The following
objectives guide the University as it continues to fulfill aspects of our
instructional mission.
Objectives:
Structure our undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs to capitalize
on our comparative advantages; take action to strengthen critical programs;
judiciously develop new programs; and reduce or eliminate other pro grams
as appropriate.
Enhance the quality of our outstanding undergraduate and graduate student
body, recognizing that excellence comes in many forms.
Promote the adoption of instructional practices grounded in the best re
search available on how students learn.
Ensure that curricula and programs are innovative, rigorous, up-to-date,
and responsive to societal needs.
Graduate Education
Create a doctoral program in nursing so as to provide the most advanced
learning opportunities to students in all of our schools and colleges.
Promote judicious growth in those doctoral programs where demand is evi
dent.
Increase the flexibility of doctoral education by providing opportunities
for students to prepare themselves for different kinds of postgraduate careers.
Increase the number of stipends for graduate students, raise the stipend
amount, and assist graduate students in obtaining externally funded fellowships.
Change the pattern of support for doctoral students to encourage timely
completion of degrees. Increase the ratio of fellowships to assistantships
and establish a model of graduate student support that provides fellowships
for the first year and for a final dissertation year with assistantships
during the inter vening years.
Increase master's degree enrollments in fields where this degree is becom
ing the preferred level of preparation. Develop new master's programs in
se lected areas where the advanced preparation of students can improve their
prospects for meaningful careers.
Undergraduate Education
Implement fully the general education program adopted by the Faculty Sen
ate on May 5, 1994. Encourage experimenting with various approaches to inte
grate the learning envisioned within the different components of the program.
Strengthen and expand Binghamton's mentoring and experiential learning pro
grams.
Review the desired quality and characteristics of the student body and ad
just admissions criteria to achieve these objectives.
Establish a system that involves faculty in advising all students.
Double the amount of Foundation money available for undergraduate scholar
ships, with the goals of making the University available to all qualified
students regardless of their financial need and maintaining the University's
competitive ness for the most talented students.
Encourage and support qualified undergraduates in applying for prestigious
national scholarships, with the goal of ensuring that Binghamton undergraduates
win at least one of the six major national scholarships in each of the next
five years.
Increase the visibility and activity of chapters of student honor societies
and professional societies on campus.
Academic Alliances
Increase interdisciplinary and cross-school and college collaboration in
the design and implementation of innovative degree programs that contribute
to defining an educational leadership position for Binghamton University.
Promote the development of alliances with other institutions that enable
Binghamton to strengthen the quality and range of degree programs provided
to students who enroll on this campus.
Internationalization
Develop course offerings, research opportunities, and extracurricular programs
that emphasize an increasingly interdependent world.
Provide appropriate international education experiences (study or research
abroad, field work, internships) to students in every academic program with
the aim that 25 per cent of Binghamton graduates will have had a significant
international experience as part of their education.
Provide opportunities for students to develop and increase proficiency in
foreign lan guages.
Increase the number of international students on the Binghamton campus in
order to enrich the education of American students.
Facilitating Excellence in Teaching
Define standards for teaching that do justice to its multiplicity and complexity,
de velop multiple ways to evaluate teaching according to those standards,
assist all faculty in achieving those standards, and develop recognition
and reward systems for teaching excellence, with the goal of improving teaching
continually.
Establish teaching requirements appropriate to respective doctoral programs,
and ensure that all students who engage in classroom instruction receive
formal training in teaching.
Award formal recognition to students for the teaching competencies they
have ac quired.
Provide assistance in instructional design, graphics and other visual presentations,
and in the effective use of educational technology.
Support for Instruction and Learning
Develop an action plan for Binghamton's role in distance learning. Such
a plan should address the following elements: the needs of those who would
benefit from distance learning, the purposes or aims of our use of distance
learning, the infrastructure needed to accomplish those aims, the faculty
and staff development needed to accomplish those aims, and a time frame
for achieving those aims.
Invest in equipment and software that will facilitate Binghamton's becoming
a na tional leader in promoting student learning.
Plan, construct, and equip sufficient research, office, classroom, library,
and computer space to meet current and projected enrollment and staffing
needs.
Strengthen and expand the offerings within the Center for Academic Excellence.
THEME 2: RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
Research and scholarship at Binghamton University provide the essential
underpinnings for the intellectual climate of the campus. The institution's
mission includes conducting research that advances knowledge through discovery,
scholarship, and creative works and using that knowledge to address the
problems and meet the needs of the community and society at large. Supporting
creativity and discovery is critically important to the contin ued welfare
of this institution. Over the past several years Binghamton has increased
its research and scholarly activity significantly. Our aim for the future
must be to build upon these notable achievements.
Objectives:
Maintain an intellectual and support environment conducive to attracting
and retaining an active research faculty. Increase the rewards for productive
researchers.
Aggressively pursue funding for research, other creative endeavors, and
graduate edu cation in order to improve the research infrastructure and
provide vital support for faculty, graduate students, technicians, research
centers, physical facilities, equipment, and travel.
Establish at least two endowed professorships during the next five years.
Attract new faculty with high research potential by emphasizing research
resources in start-up packages and by improving the working environment
of faculty during their initial years at the University.
Protect the quality of the library collections, expand electronic access
to library infor mation resources, augment document delivery capabilities,
and increase access to the li brary collections at other universities.
Maintain and upgrade existing research facilities with particular emphasis
on meeting health, safety, and other regulatory requirements, and consider
research requirements in any future construction or remodeling.
Review and publicize criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of research
centers and selectively provide University support for successful centers,
with a concomitant reduction of support for less productive operations.
THEME 3: CAMPUS COMMUNITY
As a public institution, Binghamton University has provided access to excellence
to stu dents from many different backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. The
institution has a long-standing commitment to building a multicultural community
through recruitment of a diverse student body, faculty, and staff and to
shaping that community into one that en courages full participation and
respect. Further, our campus has maintained a tradition of open communication
and freedom of expression. More than a collection of individuals, we aspire
to form a community wherein our traditional expectations of civility, reasoned
de bate, and dialogue prevail, and wherein those with differing views may
respect one an other.
The University nurtures the academic achievement and personal development
of its students through the offering of activities that enrich their educational
experience. Resi dential colleges, student governance, honorary societies,
fraternities and sororities, athlet ics, and special academic, career, and
support programs and services augment the students' classroom experiences
and contribute to their intellectual, physical, and emotional develop ment.
Objectives:
Enhance programs and services that address the physical and psychological
health, fi nancial, and career development needs of all students.
Improve the integration of students' academic and extracurricular experiences.
Optimize use and support of physical resources in order to preserve an attractive,
func tional, and safe campus environment.
Promote a sense of community through annual all-University events that provide
com mon experiences and promote interactions among faculty, staff, students,
alumni, and members of the local community.
Increase the number of faculty and staff from underrepresented groups, including
women, with particular attention to offices and departments lacking such
representation, and commit University resources to the retention of these
individuals.
Enroll a growing number of undergraduate and graduate students from groups
that have been underrepresented in the past.
Simplify campus administrative procedures and emphasize friendly and efficient
assis tance in all offices and services.
Increase school spirit by developing an environment which, through collegiate
experi ences, including intercollegiate athletics, promotes pride in and
identification with the cam pus.
Enlarge and upgrade the University Union to enhance programming, meeting,
and office space to better serve the needs of students, faculty, and other
campus groups.
Begin the planning process for the construction of a field house. Incorporate
in the plan the establishment of a larger space where members of the community
may assemble. Generally upgrade other athletic and recreation facilities.
THEME 4: OUTREACH AND SERVICE
As a public institution of higher education, the University seeks to serve
a vari ety of internal and external community needs by employing the institution's
talents and resources in applied research, providing programs in adult and
continuing edu cation, and fostering an intellectual environment for the
encouragement of aca demic conferences, meetings, and other special events.
Binghamton will continue to work cooperatively with business, industry,
government, schools, and service agen cies in our region and state to provide
elements critical to the solution of some of the problems facing society.
In recognizing the challenges of the state's demo graphic changes and the
world's global economic competitiveness, the University has a responsibility
to develop the minds of the future work force, provide opportu nities for
work force retraining, nurture the climate for research and discovery, and
offer technical and managerial expertise to the business world for the purpose
of aiding the economic development of our region and state.
Objectives:
Leverage University resources by (1) developing creative partnerships and
alli ances with other institutions, with the private sector, and with public
service agen cies and (2) using advanced technologies to expand the University's
outreach.
Determine local and state needs and encourage faculty to develop programs
in research, continuing education, economic development, and job training
to meet those needs.
Strengthen the Alumni and Parents' Association and further integrate parents
and graduates into appropriate aspects of the University.
Improve awareness of and access to University programs and activities by
indi viduals not otherwise affiliated with the University.
Increase the participation of retired faculty and staff in appropriate activities
that recognize their special abilities and experience.
Expand the use of University facilities for conferences, meetings, and other
spe cial events, and develop closer relationships with external organizations
that may use these facilities.
THEME 5: SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY'S MISSION
Over the past several years, budget reductions and changes in state funding
have moved the University from the status of a state-supported to a state-assisted
institution. During that time, Binghamton University has made effective
use of the resources available. We are now at a crossroads. In order to
maintain our level of quality in the future, we must increase and further
diversify the resources available to support our complex mission. We must
better inform our various constituencies of the strengths and needs of the
University and solicit their support. We must strengthen our relationships
with our alumni, friends of the University, local busi ness and community
leaders, legislators and government officials, and various do nors and foundations
in order to increase their level of contribution to our efforts.
As the institution moves into the future, we must maintain with a vigilant
eye the excellence on which our foundation has been built. External review
and self -evaluation of the programs and functions of the University will
assist in sustaining our high standards. The development, implementation,
and periodic review of a strategic plan is critical to the success of Binghamton
as we continue to design our approach and evaluate our progress toward the
accomplishment of our institutional mission.
Objectives:
Enlarge the base of financial contributions and political support for the
University.
Develop widespread support for affordable public higher education in the
State of New York.
Publicize the accomplishments of the University at the local, state, national,
and international levels.
Improve our performance through self-evaluation, monitoring of selected
indices of how well we are doing, and taking appropriate action based on
that information.
Develop guidelines for the allocation of resources among academic units
and programs that support the complex mission of Binghamton University.
Communicate these guidelines widely and continually monitor their effect
on achieving our goals.
Integrate the University's planning and budgeting process with an annual
review of progress toward the attainment of strategic objectives.
Update the strategic plan periodically.