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Saturday, November 21, 2009
| FOCUS GROUPS |
| Student Focus Group |
| Oct. 7 |
| Faculty Focus Groups |
| Oct. 1-14 |
| Staff Focus Groups |
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Oct. 1, 2, 8, & 9
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TASK FORCE REPORT
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| December |
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FINAL CORE MISSION ADOPTION
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| January |
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OUR PATH FORWARD
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| January & Beyond |
| FOCUS GROUPS |
| Student Focus Group |
| Oct. 7 |
| Faculty Focus Groups |
| Oct. 1-14 |
| Staff Focus Groups |
|
Oct. 1, 2, 8, & 9
|
|
TASK FORCE REPORT
|
| December |
|
FINAL CORE MISSION ADOPTION
|
| January |
|
OUR PATH FORWARD
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| January & Beyond |
Core Mission Task Force
Jay Parkes
Task Force Chair
Allison Borden
ELOL
Susan Copeland
EdSp
Cathy Gutierrez-Gomez
IFCE
Tom Keyes
TED
Todd Seidler
HESS
Ruth Trinidad-Galvan
LLSS
Don Zancanella
LLSS Dept. Chair
Sarah Vallez
Staff
Paula Steele
Staff
Jalen Dominguez
Graduate Student
Hart Lewis
Graduate Student
Kara Dana
Undergraduate Student
Core Mission Task Force
Jay Parkes
Task Force Chair
Allison Borden
ELOL
Susan Copeland
EdSp
Cathy Gutierrez-Gomez
IFCE
Tom Keyes
TED
Todd Seidler
HESS
Ruth Trinidad-Galvan
LLSS
Don Zancanella
LLSS Dept. Chair
Sarah Vallez
Staff
Paula Steele
Staff
Jalen Dominguez
Graduate Student
Hart Lewis
Graduate Student
Kara Dana
Undergraduate Student
| The Core Mission Process: Our Path Forward |
| The Core Mission Process: Our Path Forward |
Why Core Mission Now?
A vibrant and growing college needs to revisit its basic assumptions, including its mission, at regular intervals to ensure that there is alignment and that it is still relevant. The last time this College looked at its mission was in 2004. In the intervening five years, the worst economic recession in nearly a century is changing the financial underpinnings of public universities fundamentally, and public desire for accountability in higher education is growing rapidly.
Perhaps more importantly, we do this for ourselves. Since 2004, 37% of the current COE faculty has joined UNM, and UNM has had three presidents and three provosts and the COE has had three deans. As change around us accelerates, we must respond nimbly and decisively to maintain and expand our ability to pursue our core mission.
What is Core Mission?
We will revisit our own aspirations, those things that we are passionate about, and those things that make us unique as a group of educators. We will look at the purposes we serve and the contributions we make.
We will re-visit our mission statement to ensure that it still guides our work, looking for overlap between the current things that move us and the statements that we have made in the past that seek to define our work. This is simply what strong organizations do to stay strong.
What are the expected outcomes?
We anticipate that a re-commitment to our mission, not just the production of another mission statement, will be the major outcome of the effort. This is not another writing exercise, it is a re-affirmation of who we are and an organized look at what we believe is our critical work for the future. We know that we will need to have the confidence that a common mission offers in order to accomplish all that we hope to achieve together. A common mission will set the guideposts with which we will navigate both everyday and long-term decisions as a college. It will aid in managing our growth as well as the reductions that we envision in the next few years. It will guide our work with students and with each other, enliven our partnerships, and keep us on the path of our own choosing into the future.
Why Core Mission Now?
A vibrant and growing college needs to revisit its basic assumptions, including its mission, at regular intervals to ensure that there is alignment and that it is still relevant. The last time this College looked at its mission was in 2004. In the intervening five years, the worst economic recession in nearly a century is changing the financial underpinnings of public universities fundamentally, and public desire for accountability in higher education is growing rapidly.
Perhaps more importantly, we do this for ourselves. Since 2004, 37% of the current COE faculty has joined UNM, and UNM has had three presidents and three provosts and the COE has had three deans. As change around us accelerates, we must respond nimbly and decisively to maintain and expand our ability to pursue our core mission.
What is Core Mission?
We will revisit our own aspirations, those things that we are passionate about, and those things that make us unique as a group of educators. We will look at the purposes we serve and the contributions we make.
We will re-visit our mission statement to ensure that it still guides our work, looking for overlap between the current things that move us and the statements that we have made in the past that seek to define our work. This is simply what strong organizations do to stay strong.
What are the expected outcomes?
We anticipate that a re-commitment to our mission, not just the production of another mission statement, will be the major outcome of the effort. This is not another writing exercise, it is a re-affirmation of who we are and an organized look at what we believe is our critical work for the future. We know that we will need to have the confidence that a common mission offers in order to accomplish all that we hope to achieve together. A common mission will set the guideposts with which we will navigate both everyday and long-term decisions as a college. It will aid in managing our growth as well as the reductions that we envision in the next few years. It will guide our work with students and with each other, enliven our partnerships, and keep us on the path of our own choosing into the future.
Determining Our Path Forward
A four-part process will take us from our current mission statement and other documents to our core mission:
Discovery
During October, focus groups of faculty, staff, and students will illuminate our current mission and those things about which we are passionate. Follow-up surveys will also be administered. We will check in with partners and constituents outside of the College during this time.
Definition
A task force of faculty, staff, and students will convene during November to intake all of the information gathered through the discovery process. They will collapse all the data and determine the direction of the information as evidenced by the types of work that faculty are passionate about, as well as those areas that faculty are concentrating their efforts on at this time. These directions will be compared with the current mission statement to determine their alignment and whether there need to be any changes to the current statement. In addition, they will ask themselves if there are thematic implications that may suggest major action plans, goals, or objectives that appear to have broad support across our faculty. The report of this group will be available for comment.
Decision
The Dean, Dean’s staff, and department chairs will write a final draft of the core mission. The faculty will consider that core mission for approval at its January meeting.
Our Path Forward
The thematic implications and other issues raised during this process will be addressed in appropriate venues. The Core Mission itself will not just be a written statement but a way of working in the College after its adoption. It will guide everyday and long-term decision-making. It will keep us on the path of our own choosing into the future.
We are in a stronger position now than we have been in many years. A clear, direct alignment of all of us to our core mission gives us the confidence needed to take calculated risks, to grow smartly, and to distinguish ourselves among our colleagues throughout the nation. We are stronger for the work we have already done together, and this work will position us well for the future.
Determining Our Path Forward
A four-part process will take us from our current mission statement and other documents to our core mission:
Discovery
During October, focus groups of faculty, staff, and students will illuminate our current mission and those things about which we are passionate. Follow-up surveys will also be administered. We will check in with partners and constituents outside of the College during this time.
Definition
A task force of faculty, staff, and students will convene during November to intake all of the information gathered through the discovery process. They will collapse all the data and determine the direction of the information as evidenced by the types of work that faculty are passionate about, as well as those areas that faculty are concentrating their efforts on at this time. These directions will be compared with the current mission statement to determine their alignment and whether there need to be any changes to the current statement. In addition, they will ask themselves if there are thematic implications that may suggest major action plans, goals, or objectives that appear to have broad support across our faculty. The report of this group will be available for comment.
Decision
The Dean, Dean’s staff, and department chairs will write a final draft of the core mission. The faculty will consider that core mission for approval at its January meeting.
Our Path Forward
The thematic implications and other issues raised during this process will be addressed in appropriate venues. The Core Mission itself will not just be a written statement but a way of working in the College after its adoption. It will guide everyday and long-term decision-making. It will keep us on the path of our own choosing into the future.
We are in a stronger position now than we have been in many years. A clear, direct alignment of all of us to our core mission gives us the confidence needed to take calculated risks, to grow smartly, and to distinguish ourselves among our colleagues throughout the nation. We are stronger for the work we have already done together, and this work will position us well for the future.
Core Mission Task Force Charge
The charge of the College of Education's Core Mission Task Force is to take the information gathered during the Discovery phase and discern the broad directions implied by these ideas and comments. If the Task Force determines it is warranted, it will draft a new COE Mission document that reflects the new directions, and make recommendations for seeking the college's input on the Mission and for its adoption. Finally, it will share information synthesized from the Discovery phase with the appropriate persons and groups who will act on this information.
The Core Mission Task Force will conduct its work according to the following principles:
Inclusiveness - the results of the task force's work are to apply as broadly as possible to as many members of the College as possible.
Relevance - the results of the task force's work are to be actionable and applicable to the work of the members of the College.
Transparency - This is an open process and meant to be shared broadly.
Ownership and Engagement - The goal of the Core Mission Process is to engage as many members of the College as deeply as possible so that, in the end, our mission is something we each identify with and own in ways that shape our daily work.
Core Mission Task Force Charge
The charge of the College of Education's Core Mission Task Force is to take the information gathered during the Discovery phase and discern the broad directions implied by these ideas and comments. If the Task Force determines it is warranted, it will draft a new COE Mission document that reflects the new directions, and make recommendations for seeking the college's input on the Mission and for its adoption. Finally, it will share information synthesized from the Discovery phase with the appropriate persons and groups who will act on this information.
The Core Mission Task Force will conduct its work according to the following principles:
Inclusiveness - the results of the task force's work are to apply as broadly as possible to as many members of the College as possible.
Relevance - the results of the task force's work are to be actionable and applicable to the work of the members of the College.
Transparency - This is an open process and meant to be shared broadly.
Ownership and Engagement - The goal of the Core Mission Process is to engage as many members of the College as deeply as possible so that, in the end, our mission is something we each identify with and own in ways that shape our daily work.
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