Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 29, 2020

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Next Thursday and Friday, fall break will mark the midpoint of the fall semester. To mitigate spread of the coronavirus, we will augment our ongoing efforts to clean and sanitize classrooms and certain other high touch spaces by performing additional detailed cleaning.

To make this possible, we need to reduce the number of personnel on campus as much as possible. Accordingly, campus will be closed on Oct. 8-9.

In accordance with the School Cancellation Policy, staff are not to report to work on these days unless they are notified or have been given prior instructions to report as part of essential services. Exempt and nonexempt staff will be paid for these days in accordance with university policy on campus closures.

Folks, I know we have all been working really hard since March with very few days off. While this is very short notice, I would like to advise that all Zoom/virtual meetings scheduled for Oct. 8-9 be rescheduled in order to give everyone the break they deserve.

Focus on enrollment

Last week we completed our census enrollment report for the fall 2020 semester.

Before the pandemic, we anticipated an enrollment decline of 834 continuing undergraduate students. This was due to many factors, including graduating two very large senior classes in 2019 and 2020 as well as national and regional demographic shifts.

To address these shifts, last fall we began to analyze long-term enrollment strategies through a strategic enrollment management planning process.

We also implemented a series of access initiatives:

The pandemic presented a new set of challenges. However, our faculty and staff banded together to continue to recruit new students and support our existing students.

Overcoming a challenging environment

This year’s enrollment report is a testament to that work. Enrollment on the Springfield campus grew by 37 students to 24,163. System enrollment grew by 15 students to 26,016.

We also grew in strategic areas where we have invested significant time, effort and resources.

  • We achieved a first to second year retention rate of 79.2%. This is the highest rate ever since we began tracking our retention rate.
  • Our graduate enrollment grew by 4.5% to 3,985.
  • Students from underrepresented groups grew by 7.3% to 3,300.
  • New transfer undergraduate enrollment grew by 2.3% to 1,468.
  • Dual credit enrollment grew by 14.8% to 3,967.

I hope you are as proud as I am of our university’s enrollment success this year. This success would not have been possible without your work to increase access and offer an array of seated, blended and online classes this fall.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 15, 2020

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Last week the Board of Governors reviewed and finalized our Action Plan for 2020-21.

This year we will focus on diversity, equity and inclusion with action items such as:

  • Enhance intervention strategies for the university’s Bias Response Team.
  • Design and develop a facility expansion of the Multicultural Resource Center.
  • Curricular modifications to address cultural consciousness and competence.
  • Expand the Facing Racism Institute and create a Student Diversity Leadership Institute.
  • Review and modify university policies and procedures to ensure equal opportunity.

We will also focus on academic and career initiatives with action items such as:

  • Create a task force to evaluate new academic areas and programs.
  • Enroll students in new professional doctoral and terminal degree programs and develop plans for additional programs.
  • Pursue consortia arrangements and partnerships with national and international employers, higher education institutions and other organizations.
  • Increase career education opportunities through LinkedIn Learning and other resources.
  • Coordinate marketing strategies for academic programs.

We will also focus on managing the pandemic, completing our strategic enrollment management plan, and developing the university’s next long range plan and visioning guide.

Guiding our actions

This year the university will also pursue a wide range of action items in other areas:

  • Support student mental health and other needs through the Counseling Center, Student Success Infoline, the Bear CLAW, and other offices and resources.
  • Implement early intervention strategies to retain students.
  • Begin construction on JVIC building 4 and continue the development and expansion of IDEA Commons.
  • Take possession of the new residence hall.
  • Continue to raise private funds through the Onward Upward campaign.

Please take some time to review the 2020-21 Action Plan. We will follow this plan as we move the university forward this academic year.

State of the University

The Springfield State of the University address is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Sept. 23. The West Plains State of the University address is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 24. I will discuss the university’s COVID-19 response, this year’s action plan and our strategic planning processes.

The West Plains address will be held in the West Plains Civic Center theater. The Springfield address will be virtual. The format will be similar to the virtual employee town hall meetings we held throughout the spring and summer.

You can find additional information about how to participate in this year’s State of the University address online.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 8, 2020

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We track delivery modalities for classes in three categories: seated, online and blended.

In fall 2019, our classes were distributed as follows:

Fall 2019 classes: 75% seated, 19% online and 6% blended.

In response to the pandemic, we modified our classes significantly before starting this semester. At the beginning of the fall 2020 semester, our classes were distributed as follows:

Fall 2020 classes: 36% online, 32% seated and 32% blended.

As the number of COVID-19 cases on campus has risen, we continue to adjust the way our classes are delivered. Since the beginning of the semester, we changed more than 30 additional classes to online or blended delivery for the remainder of the semester. We also moved more than 80 classes online or to Zoom temporarily to work through specific COVID-related issues impacting the class. Simultaneous Zoom delivery has also been implemented in numerous classes to allow students to keep up with their course work while in quarantine or isolation.

We continue to meet with the Springfield Greene County Health Department and other health authorities, monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our campus community and adjust our classes and operations as necessary.

Title IX changes

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects students, faculty and staff from discrimination on the basis of sex. This law forms the backbone of higher education policy on sexual harassment and sexual assault.

In November 2018, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) released new proposed Title IX regulations. We submitted a written comment articulating our concerns as part of the formal rule-making process. DOE received more than 124,000 comments on the proposed regulations.

In May 2020, DOE issued its final regulations along with more than 2,000 pages explaining the new requirements. Examples of significant changes to the law include:

  • Changes the circumstances under which a university has “actual knowledge” of sexual harassment.
  • Requires only that universities respond to sexual harassment in a way that is not “deliberately indifferent.”
  • Changes the definition of sexual harassment.
  • Curtails jurisdictional requirements, making Title IX apply in fewer situations. Situations not falling within the new Title IX jurisdictional requirements may be dealt with by other university processes.
  • Requires that parties in Title IX hearings be entitled to an adviser of their choosing.
  • Requires that direct and cross examination of parties and witnesses be conducted by the advisers.
  • Requires specific written notice throughout Title IX proceedings that includes language about the presumption of innocence.
  • Requires universities to establish an electronic database that contains all evidence in an investigation and provide both parties with full access to the database.
  • Prohibits universities from limiting evidence from the database based on relevance.
  • Prohibits Title IX investigators from making responsibility determinations.
  • Requires that responsibility be determined through a live hearing with an opportunity to appeal.
  • Requires that faculty and staff Title IX proceedings be conducted the same way that student proceedings are conducted.

Revised policies, regulations

Some of these changes are controversial, and we recognize the concerns expressed by many of our students, faculty and staff. Many members of the board and our leadership team share these concerns.

However, we must comply with the new law. To do this, the university has revised three policies to implement the new regulations:

Relevant handbooks and the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities have also been revised.

Taken together, these revisions ensure that the university will continue to investigate all sexual harassment complaints that it receives — regardless as to whether the complaint meets the new, more restrictive Title IX criteria, or is instead subject to Title VII or another university policy.

Seek help

Sexual harassment and assault are strictly prohibited at Missouri State. If you or someone you know has been sexually harassed or assaulted, please reach out to the Title IX office and make a complaint. We have resources in place to get you help and protection.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 1, 2020

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Last week we completed our second week of the semester. As the number of COVID cases on campus increased, we adjusted our plans. We temporarily modified the delivery method for dozens of classes and made individual adjustments for many students.

Our COVID-19 Response Team continues to contact trace, provide information to affected individuals and manage the COVID-19 situation on campus. Last week we created an online COVID-19 reporting form.

Students, faculty and staff should complete the form if they:

  • Test positive for COVID-19.
  • Have been told they are presumed positive by a health care provider.
  • Have been instructed to quarantine.
  • Have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.

Completed forms are immediately sent to the COVID-19 Response Team, and a team member will reach out to provide instructions and trace contacts. This form will streamline communications and operations for our COVID-19 Response Team.

We also updated and expanded our COVID-19 dashboard. The new dashboard contains additional details and information about coronavirus cases affecting our students, faculty, and staff.

Professional development opportunities

The board and our leadership team understand the importance of professional development and continuing education for faculty and staff. Finding appropriate training is always difficult, but it is especially difficult during the pandemic.

To close this gap, we have partnered with LinkedIn to provide professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff through their LinkedIn Learning platform. The training is available for all employees and can be accessed at any time from any location with a computer, tablet or through the LinkedIn Learning iPhone or Android app.

What is LinkedIn Learning?

LinkedIn Learning provides high-value learning opportunities through a library of over 16,000 courses in 7 languages. The content is constantly updated based on in-demand skills data.

The online courses include technical training on software (such as Microsoft Office 365), leadership, diversity, supervision and much more. If you are interested in a subject or have specific professional development goals, you can search those interests, browse through the available courses and take the training as it fits your own schedule.

How do I get started using LinkedIn Learning?

All employees now have access to LinkedIn Learning from the my.missouristate.edu portal.

Screenshot of My Learning Connection

The link can be found in the Profile section under Professional Development. Click on the link and you will be able to use an existing LinkedIn account or create a new account to begin taking the online courses.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 25, 2020

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Last week we began the fall semester with more classes in online or blended format than ever before in the history of the university.

We know the pandemic will require contingency plans to be implemented throughout the fall semester. This could require even more classes to be temporarily moved to online or blended formats as the semester progresses.

When implementing contingency plans, the university’s goal is to not move all classes online or remote delivery or close the entire campus like we did in the spring. Instead, we will temporarily suspend or modify individual courses, activities, programs, facilities and operations as necessary.

This strategy will result in some operations being impacted while others will continue as planned.

Guiding principles

Throughout the summer, the leadership team worked with the board to develop guiding principles and factors that will be evaluated when making decisions about contingency plans.

The following guiding principles will provide a frame of reference for our decisions on contingency plans:

  • Impact on the health and physical well-being of students, faculty and staff.
  • Impact on the university’s mission. Mission considerations include:
    • Academic quality and accreditation.
    • Enrollment.
    • Student success.
    • Student experience.
    • Inclusive excellence.
    • Affordability.
    • Public profile.
  • Impact on the mental health and morale of students, faculty, and staff.
  • Impact on university risk and compliance.
  • Impact on the university’s ability to generate revenue.
  • Impact on our state, the local community and other external stakeholders.

Implementing contingency plans

We will evaluate the following data and factors when deciding whether and when to implement contingency plans:

  • Isolation and quarantine space available for our on-campus students.
  • Faculty, staff and student availability and absenteeism (including Greenwood and the Child Development Center).
  • Campus case data, including, but not limited to:
    • Number and rate of change of active cases.
    • Number and rate of change of quarantine cases.
    • Number and rate of classes that have been moved to modified delivery.
  • Access to COVID testing and other resources such as masks, other PPE and cleaning supplies.
  • Directives and guidance from health officials and federal, state and local governments.
  • Information from relevant community dashboards, including, but not limited to:
    • Change in daily cases.
    • Hospital capability score.
    • Public health capability score.
  • Trends among peer institutions of higher education.

There is not a particular threshold that will trigger a specific contingency plan. Rather, decisions will be based on an evaluation of each of the factors listed above and other relevant data and factors. The person or group responsible for making the final decision about a contingency plan will depend on the level and impact of the particular contingency plan at issue.

First week update

Finally, as you know, we completed our first week of classes for fall 2020. As expected, we had a spike in our confirmed cases totaling 141 for the week of Aug. 16.

We prepared for this in a variety of ways:

  • We moved all of our testing to a vendor who is able to provide results in 24-48 hours. This enables us to quickly transition students to quarantine or isolation, depending on the situation.
  • Our COVID Response Team (CRT) came online last Monday, allowing us to manage cases and situations in real time, thereby reducing exposure to others.
  • We expanded our capacity of housing available for residential students who need to quarantine and isolate.  Starting Sept. 1, we’ll have the entire Q (formerly Holiday Inn Express) available for residential students who have confirmed cases.
  • Faculty are working with students who aren’t able to attend class to ensure they maintain their studies.

We understand there are those who continue to be concerned that we have reopened. So far, the positive response has far outweighed the negative. We continue to think this is the correct course of action for our students. We are closely monitoring the situation and are adjusting accordingly.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!