The MSU Promise
Focusing The Guiding Principles
Five Goals to Achieve by MSU's 150th Anniversary
in 2005
December 9, 1999
The MSU Promise and the Guiding Principles
As we approach the 21st century, The Promise urges the MSU
community to recall and renew its commitments with respect to Undergraduate
Education, Research and Graduate/Graduate Professional Education, Globalization,
Outreach, and Diversity and Community.
The Promise sets five goals to achieve by MSU's 150th anniversary
celebration in 2005.
- MSU will offer one of the best undergraduate educations available by
providing the advantages of intellectual inquiry at a major research university
and practical learning in the land grant tradition.
- MSU will extend its national and international prominence in research,
creative arts, and graduate and graduate/professional education, through selective
investment in programs of distinction and unusual promise.
- MSU will be a great global university serving Michigan and the World.
- MSU will be an exemplary "engaged university," transforming and strengthening
outreach partnerships to address key Michigan needs and developing broadly
applicable models.
- MSU will be a more diverse and connected community.
The Promise embodies five years of experience and learning from The
Guiding Principles. It does not replace The Principles; rather, The
Promise draws from them, and supplements them. The Promise focuses the Guiding
Principles into concrete statements about our current priorities.
Many of the action and implementation items under the Principles have been
accomplished. Progress has been made and will continue to be made on others. The
Promise takes several key items and issues from the Principles that
are worthy of additional consideration and amplification. It modifies and expands
on those items. It calls them to our attention and it calls us to action.
The Promise has benefited from consultation. An earlier version was discussed
with the Council of Deans and ECAC last fall. The President presented that version
to Academic Council at the beginning of the 1998-99 academic year. Thereafter,
The Promise was the subject at more than 50 meetings with representative
students, staff and administrators and over 300 faculty members from all colleges.
These conversations produced a range of useful responses and a number of repeated
themes. As a result of the consultations, the original draft was modified in many
ways. The current version of The Promise is still a working paper. Additional
comments and suggestions are welcome. Please visit the "Promise Webtalk" or send
your comments by email or campus mail to the President's or Provost's Offices
c/o greenles@msu.edu, hesse@msu.edu
or npogel@msu.edu
MSU will offer one of the best undergraduate educations available by providing the advantages of intellectual inquiry at a major research university and practical learning in the land grant tradition.
Implementation Points:
- Assess and improve undergraduate curriculum, instruction, and learning,
especially in integrative studies, math, and communication (written and oral).
Make assessments in light of broad learning objectives and core competencies,
including critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, written and oral communication,
quantitative skills, and computer literacy.
- Support additional experimentation with real-world learning strategies such
as problem-based learning, cooperative learning, case-based learning and service
learning.
- Increase and promote undergraduate research and other learning opportunities
available to undergraduates at a research-intensive university.
- Continue to strengthen the undergraduate experience by regularly reviewing
and improving living/learning programs, study abroad, freshman seminars, honors
college, Academic orientation, advising, etc.
- Extend the learning benefits of instructional technology by encouraging
students to use computers, by providing more timely, user-friendly technical
service and support, including faculty development, and by encouraging faculty
to use technology in the classroom.
- Encourage colleges and departments to establish learning objectives and
measure learning outcomes across the curriculum.
- Explore additional ways to connect student campus employment to preparation
for the world of work.
- Continue to improve the intellectual climate and provide more intellectually
challenging opportunities for serious students.
MSU will extend its national and international prominence in research, creative arts, and graduate and graduate/professional education, through selective investment in programs of distinction and unusual promise.
Implementation Points:
- Assure appropriateness and effectiveness of research investments by regularly
reviewing research initiatives, particularly centers and institutes, with
regard to quality, impact, and revenue generation.
- Promote outstanding research and graduate education in targeted initiative
areas and programs such as Life Sciences, Environment, Education, Public Policy,
and Food Safety.
- Continue to expect and value innovative scholarship by individual members
of the faculty as well as faculty research teams across the University.
- Convey the value of MSU faculty research to the public with imagination
and enthusiasm.
- Encourage research collaborations in selected areas across disciplines,
units and institutions. Develop exemplary policies and practices that speed
the creation of multi-disciplinary programs and teams and enhance their support.
- Increase external research support and related indirect cost recovery.
- Aggressively seek and distribute information about research opportunities
to colleges, departments and individual faculty.
- Review graduate education across the University and support doctoral programs
in areas with strong research reputations and where need for graduates is
high.
- Increase total number of University Distinguished Fellowships and other
endowed graduate awards.
- Strengthen preparation, evaluation, and recognition of teaching assistants.
- Promote sustained creativity and innovation.
MSU will be a great global university serving Michigan and the World
Implementation Points:
- Build on MSU's successful study abroad program to extend and integrate internationalization
across the missions of teaching, research, and outreach.
- Improve integration of study abroad programs in curriculum and in student
life to offer students better preparation and follow-up for international
experiences.
- Expand Internationalization of the curriculum.
- Continue to expand study abroad programs to meet MSU standards of accessibility,
high quality, and variety, so that 40% of graduating students have international
experience by 2006.
- Encourage faculty to develop and use increased understanding of international
contexts and perspectives to strengthen teaching, research and outreach.
- Broaden MSU's international development agenda.
- MSU will be the catalyst for a global Michigan.
- Encourage economic development by providing international training and
linkages for Michigan business and industry.
- Expose community leaders and citizens of Michigan to international experiences
through MSU study abroad and other international programs.
- Work with K-12 to move international perspectives into the curriculum.
- Facilitate conversations on global economy across the State through seminars,
conferences, etc.
MSU will be an exemplary "engaged university," transforming and strengthening
outreach partnerships to address key Michigan needs and developing broadly applicable
models
Implementation Points:
- Review and revitalize faculty-extension-community partnerships to encourage
more shared responsibility and create more effective programs in selected
areas.
- Match MSU strengths with Michigan problems including, but not limited to,
K-12 reform, land use, urban issues, economic development, agriculture, children,
youth and families, health, environment, public policy, and food safety .
- Develop better and more consistent ways to link MSU expertise with local
organizations that can address problems and implement change in Michigan communities.
- Make full use of extension and technology infrastructure to engage with
communities in solving problems.
- Expand virtual university to make knowledge more accessible; penetrate "revenue"
as well as "need" markets.
- Stimulate work-force development throughout the State.
- Increase public-private partnerships for project and outreach scholarship.
- Develop collaborative outreach proposals for the Great Lakes Region.
MSU will be a more diverse and connected community
Implementation Points:
- Leadership at all levels should encourage commitment to diversity within
community, work actively to advance recruitment and retention, and maintain
a supportive climate for all who work and study at MSU.
- The new Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity shall develop a coherent
plan for advancing diversity across the University .
- Establish a Diversity Council to systematically review outcomes of diversity
programs.
- Strengthen capacity to recruit and retain nationally competitive faculty
by improving faculty salaries.
- Establish Faculty Work Environment Committee and implement recommendations
to improve working situations for faculty.
- Facilitate transformative projects throughout the university using an integrated
systems, quality improvement approach to redesign work processes and to increase
the effectiveness of university work systems.
- Demonstrate that faculty and staff work is valued by recognizing achievements
in more ways more often.
- Support faculty development to advance specific university goals; evaluate
outcomes.
- Develop educational programs to encourage individual and community responsibility
for addressing health and safety problems on campus, especially alcohol abuse.
- Improve communication and collaboration across units and disciplines; among
students, faculty, and staff; between administration and faculty; between
administration and staff; between administration and students; and between
administration and "minority" groups.
- Develop strategies to reinforce shared values and expectations in the classroom
and in the campus community.
