The Board of Governors met earlier this month for their annual retreat.

The board reviewed the final version of the Springfield campus 2021-26 Long-Range Plan and established key performance indicators (KPIs) for the plan.

Goals had already been established for several of our KPIs. The SEM plan provided a goal of 5,800 degrees and certificates awarded. We achieved that goal last year, but continuing to reach that level will be challenging given demographic shifts.

The SEM plan also provided goals for enrollment, retention and student financial obligation.

Along with the SEM goals, the board set several other goals for the university to pursue under the new long-range plan. In addition to the goal already set for degrees and certificates awarded, the board set a goal of sustaining 5,000 degrees awarded each year.

The board set an enrollment target of 3,400 underrepresented students and set a goal of 60% overall graduation rate and a goal of 50% graduation rate for underrepresented groups.

The board indicated we should continue to work toward diversifying our faculty and staff and set a target of 17% of our faculty and staff being international or members of a historically underrepresented group. The board also set a goal of 90% of our recent graduates being employed, enlisted in the military or enrolled in further education after graduation.

The board also recognized additional KPIs that will not have goals or targets associated with them. These include:

• Number of terminal degree programs and degrees awarded.
• Number of global partnerships and countries with global partnerships.
• Tuition and fees.
• External funds received through gifts and grants.

Review the action items

To achieve these goals, we will all have to work together to put our long-range plan into action. As I said throughout the last year, we will do this with annual action plans at the university and division level.

Following their KPI discussion, the board reviewed the university’s 2021-22 Action Plan. The action plan includes some of the work we will do this year to put the university on a path toward establishing the goals set by the board.

This year’s action items include:

• A long list of initiatives designed to enhance our outreach, recruitment, retention and completion efforts.
• Reviewing the university’s scholarship program.
• Continuing to grow the university’s professional doctoral and MFA programs.
• Evaluating a subscription model to provide continuing education opportunities to alumni and others.
• Continuing to implement the international student recruitment plan and promoting interaction between international and domestic students.
• Expanding the university’s work to improve access, retention and graduation of underrepresented students.
• Expanding mentorship programs and improving our recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty and staff.
• Centralizing student internship development, marketing and promotion.
• Continuing to expand the university’s economic development activities in IDEA Commons.
• Prioritizing employee compensation in the university’s budgeting process.

Other board decisions

At the retreat and at their July Executive Committee meeting, the board also took action on several important matters. The board:

• Approved the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan for the West Plains campus and discussed the West Plains campus long-range plan and master plan development processes, which will occur this year.
• Awarded an $8.1 million contract to Carson-Mitchell, Inc. to renovate Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall and a $190,000 contract to Friga Construction Company, Inc. to renovate three rooms in Glass Hall.
• Approved the university’s contract with the City of Springfield for the Springfield Police Department to continue to provide law enforcement services on the Springfield campus.
• Received updates on the office of research administration year-end-report, the foundation’s year-end-report, and an update on the name, image and likeness rights of student athletes.

Your role in MSU’s success

I hope you will take a moment to review the KPIs and action plan and consider what you can do to contribute to the university’s success in the coming year. We accomplished a lot last year, but we’re not done yet.

Together we can continue to achieve great things for our university.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!