Executive Summary of Goals

Core Academic Commitments

• Initiative 1: Teaching
• Initiative 2: Research
• Initiative 3: Service and Extension

University-wide Commitments

• Initiative 4: Culture, Connection, Community
• Initiative 5: Diversity
• Initiative 6: Facilities and Information Technology

Administrative Commitments

• Initiative 7: Human and Financial Resources
• Initiative 8: Accountability

Core Academic Commitments

Initiative 1: Teaching

Undergraduate and graduate education is the cornerstone of University life. Students seek a high-quality education and today’s graduates must have advanced skills and a global perspective to be successful in life and work. A commitment to mission-driven excellence in setting the standard for teaching among public research universities requires a renewed emphasis on providing a distinctive educational experience. New investments in academic programs will emphasize experiential learning, civic responsibility, information literacy, communication and teaming skills that reflect CSU values as a 21st century land-grant university.

Three other factors are of special concern:

• The boundaries defining students are blurring. The growth of student involvement in research programs has blurred the lines between undergraduate and graduate education. The growth of Advanced Placement makes it increasingly difficult to differentiate high school seniors from lower-division university students.
• The demand for graduate education will grow rapidly in the future and CSU is essential to meeting the state’s need for highly trained scientists and professionals.
• An area of special concern is the erosion of Colorado State’s faculty. Since 1990, a total of 80 tenured and tenure-track positions have been lost due to state budget reductions while enrollment has grown more than 20 percent. Achieving faculty/student ratios that ensure quality teaching and access to faculty and graduate mentors is a key quality indicator.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Excellence in Academic Programs	1. Substantially grow the faculty and GTA base to restore faculty/student ratios to 1990 levels, setting the standard among land-grant universities by 2015.
	2. Adopt enrollment management plan that matches institutional goals with student demand and faculty/infrastructure resources.
	3. Provide faculty and students with state-of-the-art learning environments.
	4. Expand services to faculty that support teaching excellence, including traditional and nontraditional pedagogy, and the sharing of “best practices.”
	5. Improve retention and graduation rates such that CSU is among the leading land-grant universities.
Distinctive Undergraduate Experiences	1. Maintain and create high-quality programs that attract prepared, motivated, well-rounded students of character.
	2. Capitalize on CSU’s research culture by providing all undergraduates with opportunities for experiential learning by 2015.
	3. Maintain CSU’s position as the preferred institution for Colorado students while increasing non-resident student recruiting nationally and internationally.
	4. Provide a campus culture that attracts and supports a diverse group of undergraduate students.
Quality of Graduate Education	1. Set the land-grant standard for graduate students per faculty member.
	2. Achieve a sustainable financial model for pricing graduate education.
	3. Develop organizational infrastructure that supports excellence in operations and leadership in linking research and graduate education.
	4. Create a community within CSU that supports recruitment, retention and graduation of a diverse student population.
Quality of Scholarly Communication	1. Establish CSU Library Services as the national standard for land-grant universities in the way knowledge is discovered, shared and preserved.
	2. Provide faculty and students in all disciplines with the collections (i.e., electronic/paper) and services to support CSU’s mission.
	3. Leverage Library resources through partnerships that enhance collections.
	4. Provide facilities that offer appropriate space and IT infrastructure that set the standard among public University Research Libraries (URLs).

Initiative 2: Research

For more than 100 years, America’s research universities have served as the engines of research and knowledge creation that have allowed people address the greatest challenges facing society. In the beginning, the mission was to help the country survive – providing knowledge and technology to support the agricultural, mining and engineering needs of a struggling population. During the mid-century, the mission focused on productivity – educating a broader population than had ever been served before and dramatically increasing agricultural and industrial output. More recently, the nation’s research universities have focused on increasingly more complex invention and innovation – transferring new knowledge into the formation and growth of new high tech industries that support job and wealth creation. It is almost impossible in today’s world to overstate the importance of the research enterprise to economic prosperity and quality of life for Colorado, the U.S. and the world. With more than $220 M in research activity annually (34% of our annual budget), CSU values excellence in research and promotes freedom of expression as it sets the standard as a 21st century land-grant university and an internationally recognized leader in research, artistry and knowledge creation.

Two other factors to be considered:

• The applications of CSU research are universal to humanity. The most obstinate problems we face – poverty, hunger, restricted access to health care, infectious disease, environmental sustainability, access to and management of information, biosecurity, etc. – are global challenges that can only be addressed in an intellectual environment that promotes and values freedom of expression. New investments will encourage and reward excellence and innovation that enhances the impact of our research on society.
• The traditional boundaries separating academic disciplines have blurred along with the world’s political boundaries. The great questions we seek to answer rely on multidisciplinary approaches that link basic research in new ways. For example, the vaccine CSU faculty discover in their laboratories will ultimately require the expertise of economists, political scientists and public policy specialists, social scientists, linguists, ethicists, and manufacturing/distribution professionals if the research is ever to reach those who need it.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Faculty Talent	1. Fund five (5) endowed chairs annually to support research initiatives.
	2. Substantially grow the research faculty and GRA base to levels that set the standard for land-grant universities.
	3. Construct and equip $240 M in new research facilities by 2015.
	4. Develop specific plans to improve CSU research/scholarship performance relative to American Association of Universities (AAU) metrics.
Excellence in Research, Innovation and Artistry	1. Provide support for all faculty research and creative scholarly work that seeks to identify questions, pursue answers and deliver benefits to society through publication, presentation, performance, exhibition, invention and commercialization.
	2. Increase CSU’s research funding from $200 M to $400 M by 2015.
	3. Create the organizational structure, policies and procedures to support knowledge transfer for Colorado, U.S. and global economic development.
Multidisciplinary Research Superclusters	1. Develop organizations and operating plans to support superclusters that focus CSU’s research capacity on great global challenges.
	2. Expand partnerships between CSU’s Biomedicine/Infectious Disease supercluster, national and international funding agencies, international medical schools and health initiatives for the purpose of translating CSU’s basic research expertise into solutions for global health.
	3. Establish new multidisciplinary superclusters in the areas of: Environmental Sustainability Food, Nutrition, Health and Well-being Information Science and Technology
	4. Continue to identify future superclusters where global challenge exists and where CSU has the potential to become a world leader.

Initiative 3: Service and Extension

True to our land-grant heritage and our values of civic responsibility, customer focus and access, CSU is committed to setting the standard among public research universities as a 21st century land-grant university in applying intellectual and academic resources to social, economic and community development in Colorado, the U.S. and the world. More and more, achieving mission-driven excellence in service and extension requires new approaches that rely on strategic partnerships and active engagement with the customers we serve. Each sector of society – public, private and not-for-profit – has its own culture, mindset, values and vocabulary. Bridging the differences requires organizational structures, programs, policies and a focus on customers that make it easy for people to work with the university and that lead to collaborations defined by integrity and mutual respect for what each partner brings to the table.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Service to CSU Alumni	1. Evolve the Alumni Association as a fee-based membership organization with clearly defined and exclusive benefits, tangible and intangible.
	2. Increase revenue support from affinity marketing relationships.
	3. Engage CSU Alumni in meaningful ways that provide true value to the University, its students, faculty and graduates.
	4. Enhance the perceived value of the CSU degree.
	5. Launch and complete a capital campaign to provide CSU and its alumni with a new signature building on campus, the CSU Alumni Center.
Service to Colorado’s K-14 Schools and Students	1. Set the standard for excellence in teacher training and professional development.
	2. Develop effective strategies for communicating and ensuring curriculum articulation.
	3. Develop and deliver a coordinated set of programs and services for middle schools, high schools and community colleges that support CSU’s commitment to student learning at pre-university levels.
	4. Establish the administrative infrastructure necessary to coordinate, track and assess programs and services delivered to K-14 schools.
	5. Implement an admissions/recruiting plan that advances state goals for access and academic preparedness of Colorado youth.
Service to Lifelong Learners	1. Support economic development by providing undergraduate/graduate degree completion programs, graduate specialty certificate programs, onsite and distance programs to Colorado, U.S. and global customers.
	2. Create and maintain a lifelong educational connection between CSU, its alumni and friends.
	3. Develop and deliver programs that encourage and prepare Colorado youth and non-traditional students for success at CSU.
	4. Establish and operate the Division of Continuing Education as a flexible, accessible and profitable resource and point of entry to Colorado State.
Role of the CSU Agencies	1. Support a modern, competitive commercial agriculture industry in Colorado and provide programs relevant to the evolution of the industry in the 21st century.
	2. Enhance community health in Colorado through research and education.
	3. Conduct research and outreach that addresses the optimal use, conservation and preservation of Colorado’s natural resources, including air, land, forest, water and wildlife resources.
	4. Reposition Cooperative Extension county and area offices into educational service centers in keeping with the mission of a 21st century land-grant university and representing the entire campus, actively seeking partnerships between CSU and counties, municipalities, schools, small businesses, and non-governmental organizations.
	5. Develop a sustainable financial model for programs and services delivered to Colorado citizens by the CSU Agencies.
Impact on Economic Development and Quality of Life	1. Establish a model Office of Economic Development to coordinate University activities that build economic prosperity and improve quality of life in Colorado, the region and beyond.
	2. Technology Transfer: Set the land-grant standard for patents/licenses of CSU intellectual property, dollar volume of sponsored research by private sector, and number of CSU-based start-up companies.
	3. Market Expansion and Job Creation: Support statewide business recruiting efforts; attract new angel and venture investments; facilitate research consortia, business summits and global partnerships; expand University-based technology assistance programs, etc. through strategic partnerships (e.g., Team CSU).
	4. Workforce Development: Serve as Colorado’s choice for highly skilled Colorado citizens with bachelor’s and highly paid master’s and doctoral degrees.
	5. Public Policy: Serve as Colorado’s choice on public education and discourse on major public policy issues with impact and accessibility of CSU’s data mining and analysis capabilities and timeliness of faculty-produced white papers.
	6. Educational Products: Align CSU’s academic strengths with state and regional needs.
Preservation of Colorado’s Water Resources	1. Leverage CSU’s historic strength in research on water issues to set the standard in support of state goals and address the larger issue of long-term water policy in the West.
Contributions to Public Health	1. Establish a multi-institutional degree program in public health, the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), in collaboration with UNC, the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center and the Colorado Dept. of Health.
Service to Tribal Communities	1. Establish CSU as the school of choice for Native American students among land-grant universities.
Addressing Global Challenges	1. Restructure the Office of International Programs (OIP) to serve as a highly visible strategic driver that supports integrated approaches to delivering CSU research, teaching and outreach to a global market.
	2. Increase the number of international students at CSU to a level consistent with the best land-grant universities and support the changing needs of international students, scholars and faculty through a comprehensive program of services.
	3. Provide 25 percent of our students with opportunities to participate in an international learning experience, with a focus on key strategic areas of the world such as Latin America, China and India by 2015.
	4. Make CSU a global portal for the community via activities and events of international character.
	5. Collaborate with CSU faculty to develop high-profile joint research and outreach projects with international partners as well as joint degree programs that leverage the strengths of all partners to ensure the greatest benefits.

University-wide Commitments

Initiative 4: Culture, Connection, Community

Earning a university degree is a distinctive achievement, and much of what students gain from the experience comes from the culture of the institution and the distinctive values that characterize it. Colorado State is committed to building and maintaining a culture that sets the standard among public land-grant universities for instilling values and building pride in the CSU experience. Among those core values that we commit to are the following: accountability, civic responsibility, a customer focus, freedom of expression, inclusiveness and diversity, innovation, integrity and mutual respect, and opportunity and access. Because we are committed to educating the whole person, the knowledge provided through the classroom experience is extended and enhanced through day-to-day living and learning that encourages accountability, mutual respect, inclusiveness and civic responsibility in ways that help prepare students for leadership in a democratic society. Student government and other special interest organizations, athletics and the arts all play a vital role in creating a dynamic intellectual and social campus community.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Instilling Values	1. Maintain our distinction as a campus of character by communicating and actively promoting CSU’s core values throughout campus life.
Integration of Academic and  Co-curricular Experiences	1. Increase the number of residentially-based living/learning communities that integrate academic and co-curricular activities, enhance the university experience and improve retention and graduation rates.
	2. Increase student participation in a broad array of leadership development and civic engagement opportunities.
RAM Pride	1. Expand orientation programs to include institutional history, traditions and points of pride.
	2. Engage parents and families in University life.
	3. Increase alumni involvement with students, faculty and staff.
	4. Celebrate academic, athletic and co-curricular achievements and successes.
	5. Work collaboratively with the city and business community to foster community pride and involvement in University life.
Health and Well-being	1. Establish Colorado State as the national standard in addressing issues related to student health and well-being.
	2. Establish Colorado State as the national standard in providing comprehensive programming that addresses alcohol use, abuse, prevention and intervention strategies on college campuses.
Leadership in Intercollegiate Athletics	1. Build a visible, winning athletic program that promotes the values of Colorado State and is an integral part of campus life.
	2. Grow athletics budget sufficient to fund 100% of grant and aid costs and sport operating costs.
	3. Lead the Mountain West Conference in student-athlete graduation rates that also exceed the graduation rate of the general CSU student body.
Role of the Arts in University Life	1. Build academic programs in the visual and performing arts that create a campus/community culture of outreach, appreciation, exposure and participation in the arts, setting the standard among public land-grant universities.
	2. Re-establish a Fine Arts Series that brings world class artists and master works to CSU to enhance the prestige and visibility of the University locally, nationally and internationally.

Initiative 5: Diversity

The challenges facing public higher education include serving an increasingly diverse population. Opportunity, access, inclusiveness and diversity are core values of Colorado State. Setting the public research standard as a 21st century land-grant with respect to these values requires the whole-hearted commitment of CSU’s Board of Governors, administration, faculty and staff, students, alumni, donors and friends. Educational opportunity that is truly equal provides access to the university experience without regard to race, ethnicity, age, occupation or economic background. It is a noble cause requiring a collaborative and sustained effort.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Access	1. Develop and support an organizational structure that recommends policy and direction to the Board of Governors for diversity planning, evaluation and information distribution, in part, through its interpretation of performance research.
Maintaining an Inclusive Intellectual Community	1. Set the standard for developing and implementing survey and assessment tools that can measure improvement in three areas: Quality of teaching, learning and work environment for diverse populations. Impact of outreach and service activities to diverse communities. Cultural competency of CSU faculty, staff and students.
	2. Encourage and support research, scholarship and artistry that illuminate major issues relating to a diverse global society.
	3. Create and support events and activities that engage the University community in dialogue and action around diversity of thought, expression, ideology and culture.
	4. Ensure that accessibility guidelines, regulations and best practices are in place and monitored.
	5. Ensure that job descriptions and performance evaluations for all leadership roles contain specific measurements for activities that support diversity efforts.
Diversity in Student Body	1. Require that all units develop recruiting and retention plans for students from underrepresented groups.
	2. Demonstrate continuous improvement toward the goal of placing CSU in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group by 2010.
	3. Position CSU among land-grant universities as the research university of choice for Native American students.
Diversity in Faculty and Staff	1. Develop applicant pools for all faculty positions such that new hires reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups in the discipline by 2010.
	2. Develop applicant pools for all administrative professional positions such that new hires reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups with appropriate minimum qualifications by 2010.
	3. Develop applicant pools for all classified staff positions such that new hires reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups with appropriate minimum qualifications by 2010.

Initiative 6: Facilities and Information Technology

Well-designed, state-of-the-art facilities are critical to CSU’s core value of excellence teaching and research in today’s technologically sophisticated environment. In addition, the digital revolution continues to drive change in the way faculty teach, students learn, and new knowledge is discovered, analyzed, disseminated and preserved. CSU will continue to invest in its technology infrastructure. These investments will support improvements in financial and human resource management, student enrollment and academic record management, research data management, and internal and external communication with all customers, enabling CSU to realize its vision and set the standard for public research universities.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
State-of-the-Art Teaching and Research Facilities	1. Revise the master plan for CSU campuses consistent with mission-driven excellence.
	2. Establish design criteria and a Design Review Committee for the purpose of constructing facilities that set the standard for combining aesthetics, functionality and environmental quality.
	3. Provide living/learning facilities appropriate to a premier research and teaching institution that is the standard for land-grant universities.
	4. Construct $240 M in new research facilities by 2015.
Information Technology	1. Create an IT environment that sets the standard for student-focused learning, faculty research, service and extension in the 21st century.
	2. Develop a web-accessible administrative environment that is user-friendly, flexible in output, and relevant to managing the University in ways that provide a foundation for strategic decision-making.

Administrative Commitments

Initiative 7: Human and Financial Resources

Faculty and staff are the critical human capital of Colorado State University. Their knowledge, skills and passion are essential to creating and maintaining the University’s commitment to mission-driven excellence as a 21st century land-grant and in setting the standard for public research universities. To recruit and retain the most talented people requires facilitative leadership, resources and an outstanding professional culture that values people. Strategic investments will be directed to ensuring that Colorado State sets the standard in providing a human environment of the highest quality.

The funding model that supports public higher education has been changed – perhaps forever – and not just in Colorado but throughout the United States, as evidenced by:

• Decline in percentage of state budget devoted to colleges and universities.
• Increase in dependence on student tuition and fees.
• Increase in dependence on sponsored research and cash-funded programs.
• Degree to which public universities actively seek private support.

While the financing model for public higher education is changing, the need for higher education is greater than ever before. Increasingly, public universities must leverage all revenue streams. Strategic investments will be directed to programs and activities that offer sufficient return on investment to support long-term financial stability.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Human Resources	1. Achieve nationally competitive compensation and benefit packages for faculty, administrative professionals and classified staff as evidenced by recruiting and retention data in support of mission.
	2. Provide professional development programs and reward structures that acknowledge performance as evidenced by superior faculty/staff satisfaction surveys.
Financial Stability	1. Engage in integrated financial management (IRM) planning on an annual basis that leverages all revenue sources in support of the mission.
	2. Achieve pricing flexibility for undergraduate education that incrementally increases tuition/fees to levels that reflect the quality of Colorado State and provides sufficient revenue in conjunction with stipends to set the standard for undergraduate education among land-grant universities.
	3. Achieve value- and market-based pricing for graduate education.
	4. Build and sustain a fund-raising organization capable of generating annual giving of $100 M.
	5. Double Indirect Cost Recovery from grant and contract activity by 2015.
	6. Achieve value- and market-based pricing for Continuing Education products sufficient to produce a minimum 15% annual growth in gross revenues consistent with a 2% to 4% margin.
	7. Assure stable funding from the state.

Initiative 8: Accountability

As a public university, Colorado State has made accountability a core value as it recognizes the importance of planning, performance and assessment to public accountability. Our future success in achieving mission-driven excellence as a public research university will depend on our ability to make good decisions about institutional priorities and to manage costs, grow revenues and invest resources effectively.

Government, organizations and individuals invest in public higher education because they believe in its public mission. Thus, accountability at Colorado State includes the responsibility to provide regular reports that allow customers to see the impact of their investments on the quality and performance of the University. Accountability also includes protecting and managing CSU’s image and reputation. To set the standard for public research universities, Colorado State must be positioned as an innovative educational leader in the minds of all customers. The university’s image and reputation are powerful marketing tools that support faculty and student recruiting, influence grant and contract activity in both public and private sectors, and facilitate fundraising. Strategic marketing investments in the future will build state, national and international awareness of the CSU brand, its values and distinguishing characteristics.

Set the Standard for...	Key Goals
Integrated Planning	1. Achieve recognition as a national leader among land-grant universities for integrated academic, business and physical/environmental planning and resource management.
	2. Assemble and maintain a comprehensive, accessible benchmarking database that reflects key metrics appropriate to mission-driven excellence.
Stewardship	1. Achieve all performance criteria as stipulated by the CCHE Performance Contract.
	2. Develop systematic assessment of fiscal accountability for the purpose of making continuous improvements in administrative and operational efficiencies.
	3. Speak with one voice – develop and publish regular administrative and financial reports that are user-friendly and meet the needs of all customers.
	4. Develop and implement plans for an integrated, web-based assessment and evaluation system to support multiple reporting requirements (e.g., accreditation, program reviews, CCHE and Board reporting requirements, annual reports, etc.)
Brand Management	1. Become a national leader among public universities for comprehensive marketing that measurably supports the strategic goals of the University by enhancing its reputation and image.
	2. Create awareness, understanding and passion for Colorado State such that individuals understand its value and advocate on behalf of the University  with all sectors.