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Clif’s Notes for Sept. 19, 2017

September 19, 2017 by Clif Smart

Students walk to class

Dr. Frank Einhellig and I will give the State of the University Address at 12:15 p.m. Sept. 25 in the PSU Theater. This year’s address will:

  • Highlight the university’s accomplishments from the past year
  • Provide an update on the university’s progress on critical benchmarks
  • Discuss our plans for the coming year, including our plans to develop a sustainable financial model in an era of declining appropriations from the state

I hope you will plan to attend the address. If you cannot attend, please consider participating remotely with YouTube livestream. You can also hear the presentation at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 on KSMU or you can see the presentation at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 on Ozarks Public Television. Additional information can be found on the State of the University Address webpage.

Developing a plan

Earlier this year, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education announced its intention to develop a new performance funding model. The Missouri Department of Higher Education established a task force to advise the coordinating board on the new model. I was appointed to this task force.

Over the past several months I have worked with the governor’s office, legislative staff and MDHE to develop task force recommendations.

The coordinating board will approve the new performance funding model at its December meeting. Several items in the new model have yet to be finalized, but other items have been settled.

As with the prior model, the new model will impact the state’s apportionment of new appropriations for public universities. We anticipate that policymakers will also use the new model to make other funding and policy decisions in the coming months and years.

The new model

The new model will include six metrics organized under three headings.

The first heading is “Student Success and Progress.” Two metrics will fall under this heading. Those metrics have been settled upon and I do not anticipate further revisions. They are:

  • Degree, certificate and other credential completions per full-time equivalent student.
  • Percent of students meeting or exceeding an established threshold for general education assessment; major field assessment; or professional/occupational licensure exams.

The second heading is “Efficiency and Affordability.” Two efficiency metrics and one affordability metric will fall under this heading. One efficiency metric and the affordability metric are still under discussion. However, the other efficiency metric will be a continuation of our existing efficiency metric — core expenditures as a percentage of total expenditures.

The final heading is “Graduate Outcomes” and one metric will fall under that heading. That metric will be successful graduate outcomes within six months of graduation as determined by the NACE Final Destination Survey. Specific parameters and thresholds for this metric remain under discussion.

All measures will be used by all institutions, and we will no longer be allowed to select our metrics. Some measures will be weighted to increase institutions’ focus on STEM programs, health care programs and Pell-eligible students.

Significant change

One significant change under the new model will be to replace the six-year graduation rate metric with degree, certificate or other credential completions per full-time equivalent student. This new measure accounts for all students (including transfers, part-time students, etc.), not just first time, full-time freshmen.

It also includes all completions, not just traditional undergraduate and graduate degrees. This underscores the importance of our action items this year to unbundle academic programs, develop micro-credentials, and create boot camps and non-degree training programs.

It will be more challenging to meet the metrics under the new model than it was under the old model. However, I believe the new model offers Missouri State an opportunity to further establish itself as a leader in higher education in the state.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: CBHE, State of the University Address

2017 State of the University address

September 6, 2017 by Clif Smart

Provost Einhellig addressing the theater

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig will present the State of the University address at 12:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in the Plaster Student Union theater. The speech will be live streamed.

Asking questions

During the speech, President Smart and Provost Einhellig will accept questions in person and online:

  • Tweet with hashtag #MSUChat
  • Chat on the YouTube live stream

Supplemental resources

  • Slides from the speech*
  • Full text from the speech
  • Long-Range Plan
  • Action Plan for 2017-18

Broadcast information

For those who cannot attend in person, the speech will air at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 on KSMU and 7 p.m. Oct. 2 on Ozarks Public Television.

* You need Adobe Reader to access this file.

Filed Under: 2017, Presentations, Smart Tagged With: Einhellig, Smart, State of the University Address

2016 State of the University address

September 19, 2016 by Clif Smart

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig will present the State of the University address at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in the Plaster Student Union theater. You can also watch the live stream below.

Asking questions

During the speech, President Smart and Provost Einhellig will accept questions online:

  • Post questions on the YouTube live stream
  • Tweet with hashtag #MSUChat

Supplemental information

  • Download the slides that accompanied the speech*
  • Long-Range Plan
  • Action Plan for 2016-17
  • Full speech text

Broadcast information

For those who cannot attend in person, the speech will be recorded for replay at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 on KSMU 91.1, 88.7 in Mountain Grove, 90.3 in West Plains, 98.9 in Joplin, 103.7 in Neosho, and KSMS 90.5 in Branson.

The speech will be televised on Ozarks Public Television at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.


* You need Adobe Reader to access this file.

Filed Under: 2016, Presentations, Smart Tagged With: compensation, Einhellig, enrollment, HLC, long-range plan, MOOC, Smart, State of the University Address, vision

2015 State of the University Address ‘Our Passion for Excellence’

October 1, 2015 by Clif Smart

President Smart and Provost Einhellig

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig presented the State of the University Address at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.

Supplemental information

  • Watch the Livestream video
  • Download the slides that accompanied the speech*
  • Read the speech
  • Missouri State Vision
  • Developing the Long-Range Plan
  • Higher Learning Commission Accreditation

Broadcast information

For those who could not attend in person, the speech was recorded for replay at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 on KSMU 91.1, 88.7 in Mountain Grove, 90.3 in West Plains, 98.9 in Joplin, 103.7 in Neosho, and KSMS 90.5 in Branson.

The speech will be televised on Ozarks Public Television at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 4.


* You need Adobe Reader to access this file.

Filed Under: 2015, Presentations, Smart Tagged With: compensation, Einhellig, enrollment, HLC, long-range plan, MOOC, Smart, State of the University Address, vision

Clif’s Notes Vol. 4, No. 4

October 3, 2014 by Clif Smart

Shoe sorting

Clif's Notes

In this issue of Clif’s Notes, I recap the State of the University address, provide an update on the visioning project, inform the campus community about Missouri State’s recent selection by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine for the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, discuss the Stomp Out Hunger public affairs initiative, invite the campus community to participate in the United Way and Missouri State Way campaigns and provide details on campus security authority training.

Clif SmartState of the University address

On Monday, Sept. 29, Dr. Einhellig and I gave the State of the University address on the Springfield campus. The theme was “raising the profile of the University.” I addressed five of the specific policies and priorities set by the board for this year: value, student retention rates, facilities improvement, improving diversity of faculty and staff and strategic planning. My specific remarks included:

  • Public higher education must remain affordable for working and middle class families. We must also continue to pursue opportunities to improve our rigorous, high-quality programs.
  • Improving student retention is critical to the economic success of our state. We will focus on retooling student orientation, family programs and living-learning communities to help students make better connections. We will also focus on advising, connecting students to departments and improving the GEP 101 experience.
  • Our facilities have a dramatic impact on our profile. This year we are building a Welcome Center (funded by private support) and a new health building. We are also renovating Pummill Hall, the fifth floor of the Morris Center, Sunvilla and Meyer Library (phase I). Next year we plan to expand laboratory spaces and renovate older academic buildings if the state issues revenue bonds and appropriates the proceeds.
  • We have done very well in increasing the ethnic diversity of our students, but we have made only marginal progress in improving the diversity of our faculty and staff. Our students are entitled to interact with faculty and staff with diverse backgrounds, life experiences and ideas. In all hiring searches, we need to pay attention to diversity — which means more than just race or ethnicity — as a goal.
  • We are beginning a visioning project named The Missouri State Vision: Our Passion for Excellence. The goal of this project is to gain consensus on the assumptions and philosophical foundation from which the next two long-range plans will be developed.

Student safety is a priority

After Dr. Einhellig spoke, I closed with a discussion about safety. Campus safety, particularly sexual assault on campus, is an important topic due to increased media scrutiny and recent legislation. The data here at Missouri State indicates that we have done extremely well at protecting our students from sexual assaults and investigating when these offenses are alleged to have occurred. We have never covered up a sexual assault, and we never will. But with public attention on the issue, we decided to look at what we do and see if there are things we can improve upon. The changes we implemented include:

  • The Board of Governors approved a new policy titled Title IX Policy on Sexual Assault, Stalking and Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct.
  • We created a list of campus security authorities (CSAs). CSAs are required by law to report all allegations or evidence of sexual misconduct and certain other criminal behavior to University employees who can investigate the situation and take appropriate actions. We are in the process of training all of our CSAs.
  • We have started an online training module called Haven for our students. All of our new students are now required to participate in this training, which focuses on preventing and responding to sexual assault.

Safety of our students must always be a priority for all of us. Our students and their families trust us to create a safe environment for them to study and learn. It is important that we not let them down. When we believe a student has been or may be in a dangerous situation, we all need to be ready to respond by intervening if it is safe to do so and by notifying our supervisors, the office of equity and compliance and the office of safety and transportation.

Visit the State of the University address website to view a video of the address and see Dr. Einhellig’s and my slides and speech notes.

JRS_0123-VisioningVisioning project update

I informed you in a prior issue of Clif’s Notes that we were starting a visioning project. I want to give you a brief update on the project. As I mentioned above, we have named it The Missouri State Vision: Our Passion for Excellence. I will be chairing the steering committee for this project. The other members of the steering committee are:

  • Roberta Aram
  • James Baker
  • Drew Bennett
  • Christina Bowles
  • Stephanie Bryant
  • Russell Carney
  • Ryan DeBoef
  • Brittany Donnellan
  • Frank Einhellig
  • Tammy Jahnke
  • Tim Knapp
  • Michael F. Murray
  • Tom Peters
  • Sharmistha Self
  • Suzanne Shaw
  • Dee Siscoe
  • Christine Sudbrock

The steering committee will have its first two meetings on Oct. 2 and 15. The goal of these meetings is to create a list of four to six topical areas for discussion and investigation during the visioning project, create a task force for each topical area and develop instructions explaining to each task force the parameters of their topical area. I will continue to update you on our progress with the visioning project throughout the year.

Insight Into Diversity: Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award 2014Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

We have made great progress on diversity initiatives over the past several years. Recently, this progress was noticed on a national level. INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity magazine in higher education, has selected Missouri State as one of only 83 recipients of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for 2014.

The HEED Award recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. We are in great company with other recipients such as California State University, Florida State University, Georgia Tech University, Louisiana State University, Penn State University, Rice University, the SUNY System, University of Georgia, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin.

All faculty, staff and students are to be commended and congratulated for events, programs and initiatives that display the best of diversity at Missouri State. I want to especially thank Dr. Ken Coopwood and his team for their important work on Missouri State’s diversity initiatives as well as their time and effort to apply for and receive this award.

Shoe sortingStomp Out Hunger

Missouri State has partnered with Drury, Evangel, OTC and SBU for a service project called Stomp Out Hunger: All-Collegiate Shoe Drive. From Oct. 1 through 24, there will be marked boxes in most buildings on campus. (Access the complete list of collection sites.) All wearable shoes put in these boxes will be donated to Sole Food, a program of Friends Against Hunger, a Springfield non-profit that packages and distributes nutritious, vitamin-fortified meals to hungry people in the US and around the world. Sole Food, in conjunction with Shoeman Water Projects in St. Louis, exports the donated shoes to distributors in developing countries. By donating used shoes, students, faculty and staff will provide not only shoes, but also food and clean water to those in need around the world!

Missouri State Way and United WayUnited Way and Missouri State Way campaigns

We kicked off our annual United Way and Missouri State Way campaigns with a leadership breakfast on Wednesday. The United Way serves the neediest of our neighbors in Springfield and the Ozarks. The Missouri State Way campaign is an opportunity for all members of the campus community to support the areas of the University that are most important to them. You may designate your Missouri State Way gift for student scholarships, a special program or even your own department or college.

I want to personally invite participants of either campaign to the celebration luncheon that will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10 in the ballroom at Plaster Student Union. This was formerly a breakfast. I hope changing the time allows more people to attend. I look forward to seeing you there. Please RSVP by Nov. 5 to Monica Gray at 836-6763.

You will receive a packet further explaining these campaigns next week. You may participate in these campaigns by completing and returning the forms in the packet.

Students studyingCampus Security Authority training

In a prior issue of Clif’s Notes I indicated that the University has created a list of campus security authorities (CSAs). A CSA is required by law to report sexual misconduct and certain other crimes to the Office of Safety and Transportation for inclusion in the campus security report.

On Wednesday afternoon we sent an email to all CSAs telling them about online training that they must complete by Nov. 1. This training is very important to our Clery Act compliance and to the safety of our students and our campus community.

Conclusion

As we approach the mid-point of the semester, we should be proud of what we have accomplished thus far. I look forward to continuing to work with you to do great things. Thanks for all you do for our University.

Clif Smart

—Clif

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Telling the Missouri State story

Students and facultyTwenty-six University students and six faculty members recently participated in the inaugural Global Agriculture Initiative, a three-week educational exchange organized by Missouri State University and its Brazilian partner university, Centro Universitário Cesumar (UniCesumar).

First phase in Missouri

The first phase of the project began last May as 12 UniCesumar students and four faculty members traveled to Missouri for a 10-day study tour focused on soil management, grain production, livestock production and U.S. agricultural policy. The Brazilian group visited Missouri agribusinesses, interacted with farmers and participated in workshops presented by the William H. Darr School of Agriculture at Missouri State.

Part of the UniCesumar student experience in Missouri also included sightseeing, cultural activities and interaction with a group of Missouri State students.

Second phase in Brazil

Fourteen Missouri State students and two faculty traveled to the state of Paraná, Brazil, for the second phase of the Global Agriculture Initiative. While there, they studied soil management and the production, management and commercialization of grain. Like Missouri, Paraná produces corn, soybeans and wheat; however, the favorable climate of southern Brazil allows for three growing seasons per year so farmers there can grow all three crops on the same land each year.

The Missouri State group was able to visit the two largest agro-industrial cooperatives in Latin America, interact with UniCesumar students and faculty, experience Brazilian culture and visit the famous Iguacu Falls at the border of Brazil and Argentina.

The initiative was a huge success and a great example of the kinds of meaningful partnerships taking place all across our campus.

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Financial Outlook, Smart Tagged With: agriculture, Community Engagement Project, diversity, public affairs, safety, State of the University Address, Stomp Out Hunger, vision

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