Investing in UWM's Future: Feb 17, 2000 Report of the Chancellor's Budget Advisory Committee

Investing in UWM's Future
February 17, 2000
Report of the Chancellor's Budget Advisory Committee

Preamble:

Great cities need great universities. In 1986 a community based report, UWM and the Future of Metropolitan Milwaukee, stated, "The people of the Greater Milwaukee Region are determined to take charge of their future. They see a major doctoral research university as a powerful and necessary resource to help them achieve that future." Since that time, UWM has taken large strides to advance its goal to achieve recognition as a major urban institution of higher learning and at the same time has established a myriad of linkages with the community. Considering that Milwaukee is the ethnic/international, cultural and artistic, manufacturing, financial, and population center of the state, it is imperative that UWM continue to grow in stature and to enhance and renew its symbiotic relationship with metropolitan Milwaukee.

UWM is at its core a community of faculty, staff and students engaged in learning, discovery, and creative expression. For the sake of generations of students to come, for our immediate neighbors in metropolitan Milwaukee, for the state of Wisconsin, and for our world as it ventures into the twenty-first century, UWM aspires to become a premier doctoral research university. Our capacity to serve our constituents is grounded in our identification as a research university, engaged in scholarship across the campus. This foundation provides UWM with the capability to meet students at the frontiers of knowledge and to engage the surrounding communities (city, state, world) with a robust base of scholarly expertise that is symbolized by the emerging Milwaukee Idea.

UWM has developed numerous academic programs and undertaken literally hundreds of cooperative activities within metropolitan Milwaukee that span the breadth of the issues and concerns of the city and its surroundings. The time is right to focus, amplify, and coordinate these diverse efforts through new programmatic initiatives in research, student learning, and outreach based on broad community partnerships. The means to do this centers on the implementation of the Milwaukee Idea and its "First Ideas." Collectively, they recognize that both UWM and Milwaukee now operate in a knowledge-based global context that is dependent on intellectual and creative capital. UWM faculty, staff, and students are in a unique position to offer the city a strong partner for future development.

Our long range investment plan foresees major new investment by UWM and its partners, the State of Wisconsin, the Federal government, and private sources. Such investment will create a stronger university that offers enhanced education for its students and increased integration with the community. It will increase UWM's portfolio in research, scholarship, and creative work while ensuring growth in the quality of teaching and learning. It will accelerate the formation of partnerships with metropolitan Milwaukee that mutually benefit the city and the university. It will support an enrollment growth balanced with traditional and nontraditional students utilizing innovative instructional programs that meet the unique needs of our community. It will support our commitment to student access and enable us to diversify our faculty, staff, and student body, a commitment that will fundamentally strengthen UWM as a premier urban university.

Process:

This planning document represents a unique, optimistic and aggressive approach to institutional planning. Through the campus strategic plan, Research Plan 2006, the Milwaukee Idea, the Milwaukee Commitment and other campus planning documents, we have identified our vision and aspirations for UWM. This document provides a single merged blueprint charting UWM's aspirations over the next five years and, most critically, makes sure that we have the pocketbook to achieve them. It goes beyond describing what we will do - it also provides strategies for building our resource base and investing these resources in those activities prioritized in this planning process. It is a plan based on willingness to take charge of our future, and willingness to assume some risk in the process.

Investing in UWM's Future began April, 1999, when about 50 campus leaders representing all campus constituencies identified, in a 2-day retreat, broad areas of campus investment and preliminary ideas regarding funds and activities for these investments. The chancellor charged the Chancellor's Budget Advisory Committee to develop, from these beginnings, the long-range investment plan. Over the next months, the CBAC reviewed action plans and proposed investments in the broad areas defined in the retreat: implementing the Milwaukee Idea; realizing the campus's goals in research, enrollment and student learning; implementing the Milwaukee Commitment; achieving competitive salaries; and implementing the OASIS project and other critical infrastructure investments. As discussion on strategies and investments continued within the CBAC and its constituent groups, the chancellor appointed a writing group to draft a report for the CBAC that represents input from the constituent groups, such as the faculty Academic Planning and Budget Committee, and synthesizes ideas and strategies for Investing in UWM's Future.

On January 18, 2000, the campus leadership group of 50 again met in retreat to review the writing group's draft, discuss the questions raised by the draft as well as suggest answers to these questions, and draft outcomes for the investment plan. The plan, as completed by the writing group, identifies proposed investments and the resources we hope to acquire to make these investments. It also describes funding sources and the assumptions underlying the availability of these resources.

The tasks remaining for the CBAC include a) seeking endorsements from faculty, staff, and student governance, and b) proposing an implementation plan which places responsibility and establishes accountability criteria.

I. Investments

A. Investments Aimed at Positioning UWM as a Premier Center of Learning and Research, Engaged with its Local and Global Communities

Increase the Number of Full-time Faculty and Staff; Foster Distinguished Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity from All Faculty and Research Academic Staff; and Enrich the Learning Experiences of a Growing Population of UWM Students

Investments in programs:

Bring numerous productive programs to critical mass with faculty who participate in the full range of activities (research/scholarship, teaching, outreach).

Elevate the quality and comprehensiveness of graduate and undergraduate programs; sustain and increase the number of doctoral programs.

Concentrate faculty/staff in select program areas that will increase or develop coherent strength and national scholarly reputation.

Support faculty and staff hiring to implement the First Ideas and other activities in consonance with the Milwaukee Idea.

Increase hiring initiatives for under-represented faculty and academic staff through enhanced research and teaching opportunities and strengthened mentoring programs.

Investments in scholarship:

Substantially increase the number of faculty and staff who attract significant extramural funding.
Substantially increase the number of faculty and staff who publish in top-ranked journals.
Restore, enhance, and create interactive groups of scholars working collaboratively within and across programs at UWM and with other regional and international universities.
Stimulate scholarship and research in partnership with UWM's communities.
Provide sufficient support for capital, S&E, and travel to enhance scholarly productivity across campus.

Investments in student access and recruitment:

Expand access to UWM for a broad range of student constituencies.
Increase effective recruitment strategies, including major scholarship funds, to attract high- achieving students.
Expand student diversity and access through enhanced recruitment of local, regional and national student scholars and the creation of a scholarship fund for multicultural undergraduate and graduate students.
Increase the number of non-resident tuition remissions for talented, high-achieving students.
Develop flexible tuition policies to support delivery of instruction to expanding markets.
Double the number of pre-college students served by UWM in partnership with the Milwaukee Public School System as well as other surrounding school districts.

Investments in instruction:

Provide funds to units to develop new instructional programs in concert with the Milwaukee Idea and to improve teaching and learning across all programs.
Support the development of modalities that enhance student learning and instructional efficiencies, including seed funds for innovative delivery of instruction to new student populations (markets).
Increase undergraduate opportunities to participate in scholarly activities, community internships, and service learning.
Enhance the recruitment of high-quality graduate teaching assistants by establishing a fellowship fund to make TA stipends competitive and by expanding tuition waivers for out-of-state graduate students.
Strengthen advising activities of both faculty and staff to ensure timely graduation and support in selection of majors, minors, and certificate programs.

B. Investments Aimed at Enabling a Supportive Environment for the Work and Accomplishments of the UWM Community:

Improve UWM's Infrastructure and Environment to Advance UWM and its Expanded Communities

Expand student service technologies that effectively and efficiently improve services to students, staff and faculty as enrollments increase.
Strengthen faculty, staff and student mentoring programs.
Provide educational and training courses for unclassified and classified staff.
Ensure a classified staff core sufficient to support increasing responsibilities and the student population.
Provide competitive salaries for faculty and academic staff and for the retention of outstanding faculty members who often are recruited away for higher salary positions.
Provide facilities that support research, teaching, and service goals.
Expand library technology, acquisitions, access and training.
Enhance marketing and invest in a comprehensive gift campaign.

II. Implementation

A. Milestones and Accountability Measures Ensuring That We Are Effectively Utilizing Investments

1. Quality of institution and programs

Within six years:

UWM will be one of the top 100 research universities in the nation measured by extramural funds generated, number of doctoral programs, and number of doctoral degrees granted.

An average $1M in extramural funds, at minimum, will be generated per PhD program.

The number of doctoral programs will increase.
The number and percentage of accredited programs (in areas in which accreditation is available and warranted) will increase.
Scholarship productivity will increase for all programs.
Programs will increase their ranking relative to their peers

UWM will be recognized locally and internationally as an institution which prepares students for meeting life-long learning goals.

Graduation rates will improve.
Attainment of program-specific learning outcomes will increase.
High licensure exam pass rates will be maintained where high and improved where low.
Placement rates for graduates will increase.
Student satisfaction assessments will improve.
Alumni involvement with UWM will increase.
Successful transition to graduate studies will increase for UWM graduates pursuing advanced degrees.

The diversity of UWM faculty, staff, and students will increase.

Student diversity will reflect the diversity of the Milwaukee metropolitan community.
Underrepresented faculty and staff will be hired as part of new investments and reinvestments of continuing budgets.

2. Community Engagement

Within six years:

UWM will be recognized as a national model for engaged universities in its contribution to sustainable cities and robust regional and state economies. Our recognition and success will be defined by the

quality of extent of collaborations within the university and with its partners, and the public/private investments in these collaborations, and
impact of campus/community partnerships, built through public consensus and grounded in scholarship, research and creative activity in:

Educational strength, access and success

Sample indicators:

Scholarly partnerships established with other Milwaukee area colleges and universities will build the intellectual capital of southeast Wisconsin.
The number of Milwaukee students engaged in UWM pre-college programs will increase to at least 10% of the MPS student population.
The number of articulations with educational partners in Milwaukee area and number of students participating in these articulations will double.
Community and state-wide sites in which UWM has an active presence will increase.
The number and percentage of teachers prepared for urban schools will increase.

Economic health

Sample indicators

Patents, licenses, new businesses and new jobs generated associated with institutional/community partnerships will increase ten fold.
The UWM student participation rate in internships/service learning will double.
Over the next six years, UWM will generate 20,000 graduates, at least 75% of whom will remain in the state of Wisconsin upon graduation and contribute directly to the state's economy.

Environmental and public health

Sample indicators

A reduced incidence of environmental health problems.
Substantial contribution to understanding of the scientific, social, economic and ethical issues of freshwater preservation.

3. Financial Objectives

Within six years:

UWM will acquire the financial resources to achieve its quality and engagement outcomes

Campus extramural funds will increase 5% in 1999-00, and 15% in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05; within the overall category of extramural funds, research funds grow at a minimum at these rates
Total institutional enrollments will grow at 3-4% per year for the next five years
A $100M gift campaign will be implemented
The state will contribute at least $24M in new base budget resources over the next two biennia.

B. Implementation Management Strategies

Optimize research investments through quality deployment of existing and new resources.
Ensure that faculty workload is consistent with successfully accomplishing the integrated roles of research, teaching, and service.
Review program quality through individual program reviews and the Program Array Review process.
Require regular curriculum review by units to ensure that programs are distinguished and that they seek to establish cross disciplinary cooperation as warranted.
Develop comprehensive evaluation tools to assess student learning and its relationship to quality teaching.
Improve the retention and timely graduation of both traditional and non-traditional students.
Ensure that quality of learning and student services increases, particularly during the anticipated increase in student enrollments.
Engage partners effectively in campus planning.
Measure and reward faculty and staff work in building effective community partnerships.
Institute school/college targets for extramural funding for research and instruction.
Establish enrollment plans for each school/college that reflects allocation of resources to instruction and the academic mission of the university. Specific attention will be given to how resources will be allocated to hire faculty and staff to achieve the overall mission of the university.
Annually establish, through negotiation between the Provost and Dean, tuition-revenue targets to insure the academic mission of the university. If an academic unit exceeds its tuition-revenue target, the Provost will return 80% of excess revenues to the unit.
Hold campus administration and Schools/Colleges/Divisions accountable for effective planning that is thoughtful and deliberate with regard to allocation of tuition and other resources; ensure reports on a regular basis to respective governance units regarding the impact of campus strategies.
New degree programs will be developed with clear enrollment expectations. Where appropriate, they will be outgrowths of existing programs where demand has been well documented. The institution, however, will not avoid the development of new programs where no predecessor exists when other evidence suggests that the need for and the interest in the program is strong.

III. Planned Investment Amounts and Anticipated Sources

An appended document entitled Appendix to Investing in UWM's Future: Financial Assumptions, Sources, and Uses is also available and details the financial strategies in "Investing in UWM's Future." The four tables included with this text provide an overview of the resources modeled to be available to invest over this and the next two biennia. The amounts available, following the assumptions described in the appendix, and issues requiring decisions for each biennia are as follows:

2000-2001:

Our model suggests that we will have $15.5M more than in 1998-99 to support the investments identified in this document. Of these:

$3.7M - extramural funds and gifts - are restricted to the specific activities for which they are given to the university;

$10.7M are resources designated for specific use. New designated state funds are allocated for BAGS, the Milwaukee Idea, and some other specific initiatives. Designated extramural resources and tuition revenues are allocated to deans to support research and enrollment needs at the school/college level. Designated reallocations support the Milwaukee Idea, the program array review, and marketing/gift campaign development.

$1.1M are resources over which the central campus administration has authority to allocate. These include some indirect costs from anticipated extramural funding and tuition revenues held centrally.

2002-2003:

Our model suggests that we will have $43M more than in 1998-99 to support the investments identified in this document. Of these:

$11.9M - extramural funds and gifts - are restricted to the specific activities for which they are given to the university;
$17.4M are resources designated for specific use. State funds from the previous biennium are allocated for BAGS, the Milwaukee Idea, and some other specific initiatives. Designated extramural resources and tuition revenues are allocated to deans to support research enrollment needs at the school/college level. Designated cumulative reallocations support the Milwaukee Idea, the program array review, and marketing/gift campaign development.
$13.6M are resources over which the central campus administration has authority to allocate. These include the new state funds anticipated in the 2001-2003 biennium, some indirect costs from anticipated extramural funding, and tuition revenues held centrally.

2004-2005:

Our model suggests that we will have $73.3M more than in 1998-99 to support the investments identified in this document. Of these:

$22.2M - extramural funds and gifts - are restricted to the specific activities for which they are given to the university;
$26.1M are resources designated for specific use. New designated state funds are allocated for BAGS, the Milwaukee Idea, and some other specific initiatives. Designated extramural resources and tuition revenues are allocated to deans to support research enrollment needs at the school/college level. Designated reallocations support the Milwaukee Idea, the program array review, and marketing/gift campaign development.
$25M are resources over which the central campus administration has authority to allocate. These include the new state funds acquired in the 2001-2003 and 2003-05 biennia, some indirect costs from anticipated extramural funding, and tuition revenues held centrally.