College of Education

Compact Planning Process

The Chairs’ Council and Dean Kennedy developed a framework to assist the College (COEDU) in participating in USF’s Compact Planning process.  Some faculty participated in USF’s strategic planning activities in the early stages of its development, but most are just becoming familiar with the USF Strategic Plan for 2007-2012.  We invite your active participation in the development of the College’s Compact Plan.

Since 2003, the COEDU has engaged in strategic planning based on the 9 strategic directions USF set for itself at that time.  The overall directions of USF’s new strategic plan for 2007-2012 is very consistent with the strategic plan the COEDU has been pursuing.  The good news is, we can build on the foundation we have built together during the past five years.

The Big Picture

President Genshaft and the Board of Trustees have issued a bold challenge encouraging us to strive to be among the most “…pre-eminent research universities in the country with state, national, and global impact, and positioned for membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU).”  Please listen to the President’s message and explore the strategic planning site to become familiar with USF’s mission, values, vision, planning process, method of gauging progress, and strategies for integrated planning that will be tied to budget allocations.

• Goals
  
  USF has set the following four goals:

1. Expanding world-class interdisciplinary research, creative, and scholarly endeavors.
2. Promoting globally competitive undergraduate, graduate and professional programs that support interdisciplinary inquiry, intellectual development, knowledge and skill acquisition, and student success through a diverse, fully- engaged, learner-centered campus environment.
3. Expanding local and global engagement initiatives to strengthen and sustain healthy communities and to improve the quality of life.
4. Enhancing all sources of revenue and maximizing effectiveness in business practices and financial management to establish a strong and sustainable economic base in support of USF's growth.
   
   
• Themes
  
  The following five themes are woven into the goals:
  
  
  1. Community Engagement
  2. Global Literacy and Impact
  3. Integrated, Interdisciplinary Inquiry
  4. Research and Innovation
  5. Student Success

The Dean, Chairs, and Associate & Assistant Deans agreed that it is important for the COEDU to assess our progress and to set our priorities in ways that are consistent with USF’s Strategic Plan.  We have the opportunity to determine how we can best contribute to USF’s mission and goals, within the unique context of what we do and value as educators:  developing lifelong learners who make positive contributions to the quality of human life and the betterment of society.

Our identification of the contributions we do and can make will be important for direction setting for the College; for how resources are allocated; to guide our development efforts; and to help us better communicate our goals, accomplishments, and needs to internal and external constituencies; and to assist us in our emphasis upon continual improvement.

Compact Planning Process & Timelines

The Compact Planning process is now underway.  All “…vice presidential sectors (academic affairs/colleges, health/colleges, budget and finance, research, student affairs, and advancement), and university campuses [will] complete a Compact Plan.  Compacts are short term (18-24 months), focused planning agreements negotiated between accountable officers (e.g. Deans) and their supervisors (e.g. Provost). They are intended to align broad University goals with the priorities, investments, and actions of campuses and colleges, as well as academic and service units” (see Compact Planning).

Chairs and Directors will work with their faculty to develop compact plans for their individual units.  Chairs and Directors will submit their plans to their respective Deans by November 21, 2008. College Deans will submit their plans to the Provost by February 1, 2009. The Senior Vice President and Provost, along with other Vice Presidents will submit their compact plans to the President by April 1, 2009.  As you can see, the compact planning process is on a very fast track.  However, this timeline will allow the Dean to prepare a COEDU compact plan with the participation of the faculty, Chairs & Directors, and the Faculty Council.  Chairs and Directors will take a leadership role in directing the compact planning process within their units.  The Deans and Associate Deans will develop a draft compact plan and solicit the input of the Chairs’ Council and the Faculty Council.  Chairs will also compile feedback from faculty in their respective units regarding the draft COEDU compact plan. The Dean's Office will then incorporate suggestions for improvement, as appropriate, into the COEDU’s compact plan and submit it to the Provost.

Please familiarize yourself with the Compact Planning process. A sample plan has been developed for the fictitious department of Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences. Please also view the sample "Initiatives" webpage.

It will be important for us to make good decisions regarding:

1. the selection of state and national peers;
2. initiatives to be undertaken and demonstrating how they relate to USF's strategic priorities and themes;
3. estimating costs associated with proposed initiatives; and
4. determining benchmarks for success. Benchmarks USF will use to gauge success include Research, Global Competition, Engagement, and Economic Base.

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Guiding Principles

The principles we used to develop the current COEDU strategic plan served us well.  They included:

• Build upon strategic planning work in which the unit has already engaged over the past few years.

• Not every unit needs to address or contribute to every one of the 4 goals or 5 strategic themes. In some units, addressing the goals might best be accompished at the department level; in other units it might be more feasible to address the directions at another level (e.g., programs). 

• In some of the goal/theme areas, contributions will be larger than others; in some strategic directions challenges will be greater than others. Together our achievements, efforts, challenge, and needs paint a picture of the whole of the COEDU's work. Think of a Thanksgiving feast with each of the guest's contributions adding to the enjoyment of the meal!

• Reflect on our Conceptual Framework (CARE) as you chart the future of your unit.

• Do an honest and honorable assessment of your unit's work related to the goals and themes. Do not be concerned that your unit's status in relation to any of the strategic directions will be perceived as "less than" or "not as good as" another unit's work.

• Also consider the COEDU's commitment to integrate technology in meaningful ways as you develop your initiatives aligned with the goals/themes.

• Keep in mind that the Compact Planning process is not meant to prevent a unit from pursuing initiatives that are not in USF's strategic plan.

• Ground rules for unit conversations:
  

• Think opportunities, not barriers

• Focus on values

• Create a safe environment for conversation

• Encourage people to say what they think

• Encourage people to allow ideas/perspectives to be fully stated without interruption

• Get as many ideas out on the floor as possible without censure

• Emphasize that the goal is broad values that address the department as a whole; it is recognized that individual programs may not place the same level of value on all things or may have unique aspects of individual programs

College Compact Plans/Purpose and Outcomes

Compact planning is an on-going process and it will be updated regularly to ensure an emphasis on continuous improvement and alignment with USF’s priorities.  The Compact Plan will guide the COEDU’s overall strategy and allocation of resources.  The process and timeline for developing the COEDU compact plan are shown below.

Process and Timeline

• Each Chair/Director will guide his/her faculty in completing the Compact Plan for the COEDU and submit a compact plan for his/her unit to the Dean by November 21, 2008.
• Dean Kennedy will meet with individual departments on October 16, 17, 20, and 21 to discuss the compact planning process. 
• The draft COEDU compact plan will be prepared by the Dean and Associate Deans between November 21 and December 5, 2008.
• The Unit Plans will be reviewed by the Dean’s Office and the draft COEDU Compact Plan will be shared with the Chairs on December 5, 2008.
• The draft COEDU Plan will be shared with the Faculty Council in early January.  Chairs and Directors will also share the draft COEDU Plan with their respective units, compile feedback, and submit it to the Dean’s office no later than January 15. 
• The Dean and Associate Deans will revise the draft Compact Plan considering the input received from the Faculty Council, Chairs and Directors, and the faculty in their respective units.
• The COEDU’s Plan will be submitted by the Dean by February 1 to Provost Wilcox.

End-of-Year Celebration

An end-of-year celebration will be held to summarize our contributions to USF's goals/themes, the priorities we are working toward, and the commitments we are making.

As Compact Planning gets underway in earnest, Chairs/Directors will be taking the leadership for developing the Compact Plans for their units.  The Dean is eager to support the efforts already made toward this important initiative and looks forward to meeting with you to discuss your plans. 

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