Standard
1:
The
institution’s mission clearly defines its purpose within the context of higher
education and indicates who the institution serves and what it intends to
accomplish. The institution’s stated goals, consistent with the aspirations and
expectations of higher education, clearly specify how the institution will
fulfill its mission. The mission and goals are developed and recognized by the
institution with the participation of its members and its governing body and
are utilized to develop and shape its programs and practices and to evaluate
its effectiveness.
An accredited
institution is expected to possess or demonstrate the following attributes or
activities:
1a. guide faculty, administration, staff and governing
bodies in making decisions related to planning, resource allocation, program
and curriculum development, and definition of program outcomes;
The institution’s
understanding of its mission of
instruction, research and service emanates from its long
historical development (full
historical sketch; a brief
history)
and its transformation into New Jersey’s sole public comprehensive university
with the enactment of the "Rutgers,
The State University Law" (NJSA 18A:65-1 et seq) in 1956. President McCormick in his remarks to the New Jersey State Senate at the
start of his third week in office in December 2002, reaffirmed that the
three-fold mission of the university is to teach students of every age and from
every walk of life, conduct research to discover and apply new knowledge, and
to provide service to the state’s citizens.
The manner in which the university pursues its tripartite mission is set out in the President’s statement on the Goals and Values of the Administration at Rutgers. The strategic goals of the university, established in 2004 jointly by the President and the Board of Governors, evolve from this interpretation of the university’s tripartite mission and broadly guide the university and its constituent components in their planning, resource allocation, and educational activities.
These university strategic goals
and concomitant areas of emphasis also provide the context for each campus and
unit to set and pursue their own individual goals and objectives. Reflecting the regional and decentralized
structure of the university, interpretations and additions to campus
goals and objectives are often explicitly defined at the provostial
level.
In addition to institutional and campus goals and objectives, many different academic and administrative units have implemented a strategic planning process to set goals and strategies that have come about through self-study and evaluation. These plans have helped their specific units or areas of operation achieve specified goals and aided their planning and resource allocation decisions. See the list of strategic plans under standard 2 element 2.
1b. include support of scholarly and creative activity,
at levels and of the kinds appropriate to the institution’s purposes and
character;
A fundamental university goal
is to enhance academic excellence through the improvement of “the
quality of
1c. are developed through collaborative participation by
those who facilitate or are otherwise responsible for institutional improvement
and developments;
Each year, specific areas of
emphasis are developed and associated with each university goal. These areas of emphasis are highlighted by
President McCormick in his annual address to the University Senate
and the larger university community at the beginning of each academic
year. The goals are developed in close
collaboration with the President’s Cabinet and
other key members of the university’s leadership.
1d. are periodically evaluated and formally approved;
The areas of emphasis under each university goal are designed to yield measurable outcomes and are reported by the President in annual progress reports: Report on Progress Toward 2006-2007 Strategic Goals; Report on Progress Toward 2005–06 Strategic Goals; Report on Progress Toward 2004–05 Strategic Goals to the Board of Governors and the university community. Each annual report reiterates the broad goals of the university and recounts the progress made in achieving them within the selected areas of emphasis and effort for the current year.
In addition, the President reports to the Board of Governors and the
Board of Trustees on various topics at each Board meeting, including progress
on university goals. Minutes
from Board meetings provide a snapshot of the topics and assessments
offered by the university President.
1e. are publicized and widely known by the institution’s
members;
The mission, goals and objectives of the university are regularly projected in many of President McCormick’s speeches and addresses, with his annual address to the university, serving as a vehicle for assessing the overall state of the university and the future plans for moving the university ahead in the coming year. The mission of the university is prominently displayed and accessible on the university’s web page.
1f. mission and goals that relate to external as well as
internal contexts and constituencies;
University goals focus
directly on both internal and external contexts and constituencies (see 1d
above). The strategic goals of improving
“. . . the quality of Rutgers’ academic
programs and enhancing “. . . the effectiveness of student services, the
livability of our residence halls, and the attractiveness and accessibility of
our campuses” directly address internal audiences and through institutional
improvement efforts indirectly address the concerns of external constituencies such
as prospective students, their parents, and the citizens of
1g. institutional goals that are consistent with mission;
and
As noted in 1a above, goals
necessarily follow from the university’s mission and both are inherently
consistent with each other.
1h. goals that focus on student learning, other outcomes,
and institutional improvement.
Fundamental
to the goal of “academic excellence” is the focus on improving student learning
and other general educational outcomes.
Perhaps the most tangible outcome of the pursuit of this goal has been
the Transforming Undergraduate Education Initiative that the