Presidential Updates

Missouri State student workers come together for a day of team building exercises at Springfield Lake in the North Pavilion Area. Photos by Kevin White/Missouri State

Clif’s Notes Sept. 6, 2016

The final version of the new long-range plan, Implementing the Vision, is now available online.

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Clif's Notes

This is the first year of our new long-range plan entitled Implementing the Vision. As we discussed throughout the process of developing the long-range plan, the university will implement it with university-wide and unit-level action plans that will be updated annually.

Over the summer, Administrative Council and Academic Leadership Council began to develop the university-wide action plan for the coming year. A draft action plan was presented to the Board of Governors at its summer meeting, and the board made several suggestions. Since then, we have met with various groups and solicited additional suggestions from a number of units within the university.

The action plan is now final and posted online.

Identifying two focal pointsFemale students in graduation gowns

As part of the annual planning process, it became clear that certain critical goals established by the long-range plan were so closely tied to the university’s mission that they merited particular attention. So the university established two areas of focus for the 2016-21 timeframe:

  1. Increasing the number of graduates while maintaining academic rigor and quality
  2. Enhancing campus diversity and inclusion

The university will devote significant time and resources in the coming years to move the university forward in these two areas.

You will note that the majority of the items in the Action Plan relate to these two areas.

Making the metrics count

Missouri State student workers come together for a day of team building exercises at Springfield Lake in the North Pavilion Area. Photos by Kevin White/Missouri State

The university must be held accountable in successfully implementing its long-range plan. We are in the process of finalizing measurable goals (i.e., metrics) to ensure that progress is made in the areas of focus, as well as the six key areas.

You may have read about the university’s focus areas and measurable goals in a recent front-page story of the Springfield News Leader. However, the measurable goals are not yet finalized. They will be finalized in October after we receive official census data on the student body entering the university this fall. They will include specific numerical targets on:

  • The number of degrees and certificates awarded annually
  • Overall undergraduate graduation rate
  • Overall freshman to sophomore retention rate
  • Undergraduate graduation rates for Pell-eligible, first generation and underrepresented students
  • Freshman to sophomore retention rates for Pell-eligible, first generation and underrepresented students
  • Percentage of faculty and staff that are international or members of historically underrepresented populations

The university will evaluate progress in meeting these goals each year when it reviews its annual action plan.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

About Clif Smart

Clifton "Clif" M. Smart III has served as the 11th president of Missouri State University since June 27, 2011. Smart is known throughout campus and the state of Missouri for his collaborative leadership and strong relationships with students, faculty and staff. During his tenure, the university has continually set new enrollment records, added degree programs and constructed or extensively renovated more than a dozen major campus facilities.

Before his presidency, Smart served as the Missouri State University’s general counsel.