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UIS STRATEGIC PLAN

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STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE 2013-2016

The University of Illinois at Springfield is a young

university only 43 years old. Its relatively brief
history is marked by two defining moments its
institutional founding, which was grounded in a
commitment to innovation in education and
engagement with public affairs, and its transition
in 1995 to being one of three distinctive
campuses of the world-class University of Illinois.
The University of Illinois is among the preeminent
public universities in the nation and strives
View the Strategic Planning Update (PDF 1.4MB)
constantly to sustain and enhance its quality in
teaching, research, public service, and economic
development. The guiding values of the University of Illinois are, in all that we do, to aim high;
to strive to control our destiny; to be accountable for our actions and exercise responsible
stewardship; to be inclusive, treat each other with dignity and respect, and promote citizenship;
to value excellence, quality, and service; and to foster innovation and creativity. The mission and
vision of the University of Illinois at Springfield are in accord with these values. As a campus of
the University of Illinois, UIS aspires to be a premier public university; we are committed to
achieving that vision by building on our foundation of innovation and engagement and by
pursuing excellence in all that we do.
STRONG FOUNDATIONS: THE 2006 STRATEGIC PLAN
In 2006, UIS formally completed its first comprehensive strategic plan as the Springfield campus
of the University of Illinois. The strategic planning process built upon earlier foundational work,
including the 2000 Campus Master Plan and the 2003 National Commission on the Future of UIS
report, and further engaged the campus in an intensive, rigorous, and data-driven competitive
analysis and bold visioning process. Faculty, staff, and students on the Steering Committee
conducted a careful, competitive analysis of our distinctive institutional strengths and
weaknesses, as well as an assessment of significant environmental threats and opportunities.
The process generated clear mission and vision statements and outlined action steps that would
enable UIS to make significant progress in six strategic areas: achieving academic excellence,
enriching individual lives, making a difference in the world, strengthening campus culture,
improving enrollment and retention, and increasing resources and enhancing infrastructure.
PROGRESS IN A CONTEXT OF CHANGE AND CHALLENGE

UIS has made considerable strategic progress over the last six years, although not without
significant effort. Few could have anticipated in 2006 the full measure of challenges that would
soon converge on American higher education, though the winds of change were already making
themselves known in steadily rising educational costs, troubling economic forecasts, and
precipitous declines in state support for public higher education. Contributing factors include a
major national recession and associated state-level impacts; shifting population demographic,
migration, and educational attainment trends; increasing unmet needs for a highly skilled
workforce in the science, technology, and manufacturing sectors; mounting regulatory burdens
that slow research and consume shrinking administrative resources; growing pressure to increase
access and affordability through the use of technology and streamlined curricula; increasing
competition from for-profit universities for students; and rising federal and state demands for
accountability in terms of retention and graduation rates, applied learning outcomes, and postgraduation employment. These and other factors will most certainly continue to impact higher
education sectors for the foreseeable future.
Despite economic and competitive challenges over the last six years, UIS has maintained focus
and taken significant steps to actualize the vision shaped through the 2006 strategic planning
process. Our accomplishments over the last seven years are a testament to the integrity and
strength of the 2006 strategic plan and to the dedication of our faculty and staff who remain
committed to the mission, vision, and goals that emerged. After approval of the UIS Strategic
Plan in 2006, divisions, colleges, and other major units of the campus developed unit plans in
keeping with the UIS Strategic Plan. Unit-level processes contributed to the richness of the
campus dialogue about the Strategic Plan. The following is a brief summary of significant actions
and impacts that illustrate UIS progress to date within the six overarching goals of the UIS
Strategic Plan.
Goal One: Achieving Academic Excellence
Actions Weve Taken
Expanded student recruitment
Designed and implemented general education curriculum
Established Office of Faculty Development to create, organize, and sustain faculty
development programming for best practices in teaching, scholarship, and service
Implemented the ECCE Speakers Series, Lincoln Legacy Lectures, Wepner Symposium,
and Annual Day of Dialogue to enrich intellectual culture on campus
Established Undergraduate Research Support Program
Integrated assessment of learning outcomes into formal program review cycle
Developed the Center for Online Learning, Research, & Service
Expanded international opportunities for collaborative teaching, research, and service
projects
Implemented research fellowships in the Center for Online Learning, Research, & Service
and in the Center for State Policy & Leadership
Designed and implemented an Academic Leadership Institute for faculty and staff
Implemented intramural grant programs to support high-visibility research projects and
strategic academic initiatives
Incorporated category of strategic initiatives into annual budget planning process
Developed First-Year programming and academic support initiatives to strengthen
retention

Impacts
Enrolled a larger and more diverse student body
Increased faculty participation in professional development
Advanced the assessment of learning outcomes
Increased faculty scholarship
Increased external grant support for high priority research initiatives
Increased faculty contributions to national dialogues on excellence in teaching and learning
Increased faculty-student collaborations on research and creative work
Supported the identification and development of future academic leaders on campus
Enhanced intellectual life of campus

Goal Two: Enriching Individual Lives

Actions Weve Taken
Opened the ECCE Speakers Series, Lincoln Legacy Lectures, Wepner Symposium, and
Annual Day of Dialogue to external community to encourage participation in campus life
Expanded first-year recruitment and programming
Increased infrastructure and resources for the visual and performing arts programs
Established a Diversity Center for students
Expanded academic, student life, and professional development programming to support
diversity
Enhanced search guidelines and support services to strengthen faculty and staff diversity
Strengthened academic support programming for student athletes
Enhanced visibility of academic and cultural programming and athletics
Redesigned UIS web sites to ensure access for those with disabilities

Impacts
Increased participation by students, faculty, staff, and external community in intellectual and
creative arts events on campus
Increased student diversity and provided support for student retention
Increased private support for visual and performing arts
Increased faculty participation in student athlete support programming
Increased community engagement with and support of UIS athletics

Goal Three: Make a Positive Difference in the World

Actions Weve Taken

Developed and implemented innovative general education and online undergraduate

degree programs to strengthen educational access
Increased study abroad opportunities for students
Increased efforts to recruit international students
Increased faculty engagement in public affairs research and service projects
Strengthened institutional linkages with local and regional constituencies through select
partnerships in areas of shared interest
Expanded public affairs programming to promote informed action on public policy and
civic engagement
Designed and implemented service learning and student volunteer services programming
Increased support for faculty travel to present research at national and international
conferences
Developed academic and research affiliations with select international universities
Implemented environmental sustainability programming

Impacts
Increased student enrollment in on-campus and online degree programs
Enrolled more diverse student population
Increased student and faculty participation in opportunities for international education and
research opportunities
Increased student and faculty engagement in public service and applied research endeavors
Named to the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for five consecutive
years
Enriched educational quality and strengthened preparation of students for life in a global
society
Increased visibility of high quality education and research at UIS
Increased awareness of and participation in environmental preservation and sustainability
efforts

Goal Four: Strengthen Campus Culture

Actions Weve Taken

Implemented branding, communication, and competitive marketing strategies to enhance

visibility of UIS
Expanded recruitment
Implemented the ECCE Speakers Series, Lincoln Legacy Lectures, Wepner Symposium,
and Annual Day of Dialogue to enrich campus culture and engage external community in
campus life
Developed and implemented an annual campus-wide Student Arts & Research
Symposium, which is open to the public
Implemented annual CARE award program (Chancellors Award to Recognize Excellence)
to recognize outstanding performance by civil service staff members
Expanded student life programming
Implemented Campus Welcome Committee and orientation programming for new
employees
Became member of NCAA Division II
Improved campus signage
Enhanced student-gathering spaces

Impacts
Garnered increased national recognition for high quality online education and undergraduate
education
Strengthened UIS identity and reputation at local, regional, and state levels
Enrolled a larger and more diverse student body
Increasing student retention and satisfaction
Increased collaborations between UIS and external constituencies
Increased community attendance at UIS events
Received positive feedback from internal and external constituencies
Enhanced awareness of UIS as an important steward of place

Goal Five: Increase Enrollment and Retention

Actions Weve Taken
Strengthened student recruitment and retention efforts
Implemented innovative online transfer programs
Implemented competitive marketing strategies to enhance institutional visibility
Increased competitiveness of our merit- and need-based financial aid
Increased private sources of funds for financial aid
Implemented a general education curriculum and increased online degree programs to
expand educational access
Increased institutional partnership agreements to encourage transfer to on campus and
online degree programs at UIS
Raised additional money for scholarships and increased awareness of their availability

Impacts

Enrolled a larger and more diverse student body

Expanded educational access
Early indicators of improving retention
Enriched educational and cultural environment for the campus
Enhanced recognition and awareness of quality at UIS

Goal Six: Increase Resources and Enhance Infrastructure

Actions Weve Taken
Reviewed and reduced administrative costs
Enrolled more students
Increased tuition
Implemented use of instructional resource metrics
Reduced internal budgets as needed to offset sequential cuts to state appropriations
Aligned funding allocations and investment priorities with strategic planning goals
Successfully completed Brilliant Futures Capital Campaign raising $28 million
Added The Recreation and Athletic Center in 2007
Received funding for a new Public Safety Building
Made the renovation of Brookens Library a major capital priority
Secured funding for and developed the Therkildsen Field Station at the Emiquon Nature
Preserve
Renovated oldest student housing
Enhanced campus grounds to support student recreational activities, including baseball,
Frisbee golf, and cricket pitch

Impacts
Budget reductions, reallocation of resources, and marginal revenues from enrollment and
tuition increases used to offset state appropriation cuts and to fund strategic investments

CONTINUING ON THE PATH OF PROGRESS

The campuses of the University of Illinois must be prepared to face continuing fiscal and
paradigmatic challenges in the years to come. It will be necessary to contain costs, to allocate
resources effectively to maintain quality, and to invest wisely in transformational initiatives that
will advance each campus. Toward that goal, in January of 2013, President Easter and the Board
of Trustees asked that each campus prepare a plan to guide academic investments and resource
allocation decisions over the next three years.
The UIS plan for continuing progress under the 2006 Strategic Plan has emerged out of dialogues
and discussions that have transpired since Chancellor Koch arrived at UIS in 2011. Chancellor
Koch spent considerable time in the first eighteen months of her appointment talking with UIS
faculty, staff, students, alumni, and constituencies in the external community about UIS
strengths, challenges, goals, and opportunities. In addition, special meetings were held with
faculty and staff to exchange ideas on priority areas. What emerged was a sense of confidence in
the ongoing validity and importance of the foundations and directions presented in the 2006
Strategic Plan, and priorities were refined in light of progress made and needs for further growth.

All strategic planning documents are best regarded as living documents. Even as defining
foundations and aspirations are affirmed, specific action items must necessarily evolve in concert
with environmental realities. The remainder of this planning document affirms core components
of the 2006 UIS Strategic Plan and identifies the strategic priorities that will guide actions and
enable continuing progress over the next three years.
AFFIRMING OUR FOUNDATIONS: MISSION, VISION, & GOALS
The impact of actions taken in accord with the 2006 Strategic Plan have advanced the
University of Illinois at Springfield significantly and demonstrate its continuing cogency and
relevance as a guiding document. Thus, as prelude to outlining priorities and action steps for
the next three years, we begin by reiterating core components of the Strategic Plan:
The Mission of the University of Illinois at Springfield is to provide an intellectually rich,
collaborative, and intimate learning environment for students, faculty, and staff, while
serving local, regional, state, national, and international communities.
Our aspirational Vision for the University of Illinois at Springfield continues to be a premier
public university offering innovative, high-quality liberal arts education, public affairs
activities, and professional programs dedicated to academic excellence, to enriching
individual lives, and to making a difference in the world.
Our Vision is grounded in a distinctive combination of four core attributes: we offer a
teaching-focused academic experience; an abundance of opportunities for faculty, staff, and
students to collaborate in the service of educational goals; a right-sized supportive
community; and a special emphasis on public affairs and global citizenship.
We have established an institutional reputation that is consistent with these strengths as
well as our strategic goals we are known for Leadership Lived, a reputation that honors past
and present by acknowledging the spirit of innovation in education and public affairs that
has characterized UIS since its inception. It is also a very fitting reputation for a university
located in the capital of Illinois and the home of Abraham Lincoln.
Within the landscape of higher education in the United States, UIS identity is also reflected
in its active memberships in the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) and the
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). COPLAC is an organization of
27 public colleges and universities that works to support and promote the value of highquality, liberal arts education; AASCU is an association of nearly 420 regional public
universities that are student-centered, oriented toward access and opportunity, and
productively engaged with their communities and the regions they serve. As we move
forward in our vision to be a premier regional university, we bring to this endeavor a deep
commitment to liberal learning, with the goal of preparing all students to be critical
thinkers, lifelong learners, and engaged citizens. We also bring distinctive strengths in
delivering exceptional public affairs opportunities and outstanding professional and graduate
programs. We are and will continue to be a student-centered campus, offering both access
and opportunity for educational achievement and community engagement that makes a
difference in the world.
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES FOR CONTINUING ADVANCEMENT
We have made significant progress toward the actualization of our Vision by allocating
resources toward actions that best serve six Goals (2006 UIS Strategic Plan): to achieve
academic excellence, enrich individual lives, make a positive difference in the world,
strengthen campus culture, increase enrollment and retention, and increase resources and

enhance infrastructure. Additional progress toward strategic goals will require renewed
focus, clear priorities for action and resource allocation, and decision-making that continues
to be grounded in our mission and aspirational vision.
Public universities in the Midwest region, generally, and in Illinois, in particular, are
operating in an increasingly competitive environment. As funding for public higher education
continues to shrink at state and federal levels, competition for students and for resources
will escalate as universities look for ways to become more self-sustaining. Thus, clear and
present competitive challenges for the foreseeable future will come not only from for-profit
and private providers of education but from other public universities in Illinois and
contiguous states as well. UIS will continue to face increasing competition for well-prepared
students, for top faculty and staff talent, and for the resources needed to build and maintain
the high quality facilities that enable and support excellence in teaching, learning, research,
and student development. Thus, in order to make continuing strategic progress over the next
three years, UIS Priorities will be Growth, Talent Acquisition, and Facilities. We must grow
our enrollment. We must recruit and retain a highly qualified, talented, and diverse faculty,
staff, and leadership team. And we must provide the facilities needed to support a student
experience that is commensurate with University of Illinois standards for excellence.
As we look toward the near future, our time, energy, and funding must be reserved for efforts
and initiatives that best serve our priorities for growth, talent acquisition and retention, and
facilities. Thus, the following eight Strategies will inform our decision-making with regard
to action steps and budgetary considerations for the next three years.
Strategically, the University of Illinois at Springfield must be increasingly:
Excellent in all that we do
Relevant to our regional community
Visible to prospective students and their parents as well as other constituents
Affordable for qualified prospective students
Accessible to an increasing number of students, both on campus and online
Inclusive of an increasingly diverse community
Engaged with our students, our employees, our community, and with the world
Responsible in the management of our resources
ACTION STEPS AND TARGET OUTCOMES
I. GROWTH
Action Steps:
I.1 Maintain institutional excellence in accord with mission and vision
I.2 Recruit well-qualified and diverse students at undergraduate and graduate levels through
local, regional, state, national, and international recruitment efforts that highlight
competitive advantages
I.3 Promote the visibility of nationally competitive graduate programs
I.4 Deploy financial aid strategically
I.5 Develop and implement new undergraduate academic programs in mission- and visionconsonant high-demand fields
I.6 Strengthen student retention by implementing best practices, such as sophomore
experience programming and learning communities within residence life
I.7 Increase financial support for UIS from alumni and friends
Target Outcomes:

Increased enrollment of new well-qualified students at undergraduate and graduate

levels
Increased student retention and completion rates
External recognition for educational quality
Increased institutional visibility in local, regional, state, national, and international
sectors
Increased fundraising success

II. TALENT ACQUISITION AND RETENTION

Action Steps:
II.1 Enhance salary competitiveness
II.2 Continue to recruit high quality faculty
II.3 Cultivate faculty and staff diversity
II.4 Maintain support for faculty scholarship and research
II.5 Continue professional development and performance recognition programs
II.6 Streamline administrative and governance processes
II.7 Encourage innovation
II.8 Foster supportive campus culture
Target Outcomes:
Strong and diverse applicant pools for open positions
Increased visibility for high quality graduate and undergraduate programs
Greater faculty and staff diversity
Strong retention rates for well-qualified, high-performing faculty and staff
Increased job satisfaction
External recognition for educational quality and engaged leadership
Increased institutional visibility

III. FACILITIES
Action Steps:
III.1 Build a student union to enhance student/campus life
III.2 Complete Brookens Library renovations when state capital funding is approved
III.3 Assess adequacy of science education and research facilities
III.4 Complete planning for next academic building
Target Outcomes:
Increased student enrollment
Increased student engagement and satisfaction with campus life
Increased institutional visibility

SUMMARY
We recognize the many significant challenges facing public universities today but we are
committed to continuing advancement at UIS despite those challenges. We have defined a
future for the University of Illinois at Springfield that is commensurate with University of Illinois

standards of excellence. It is a future that reflects the core values of the University as well as
the innovation mandate that energized the founders and first faculty of our campus. Building on
progress made and exercising careful stewardship of our resources, we intend to make additional
substantive progress over the next three years toward our Vision of the University of Illinois at
Springfield as a premier public university. We move forward collaboratively and strategically,
with momentum focused on the priorities of growth, talent acquisition and retention, and
facilities.

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