The Gallaudet Strategic Planning Process

Gallaudet has maintained an evolving strategic plan since the mid-1990's. One of the many unique aspects of Gallaudet is its relationship with the federal government, described above, that has included an annual appropriation since the mid-1800's. As a result of the Government Performance and Results Act, Gallaudet has filed a strategic plan annually with the federal government since 1995 that includes quantitative goals and indicators to measure progress. During the late 1990's and into the first few years of the new century, the University increased the level of sophistication of the plan and the extent of community involvement in its planning process. This inclusive process resulted in 2004 in publication of a planning document entitled "New Directions for Academic Affairs," which laid the groundwork for subsequent planning, culminating in the spring of 2005 with the announcement of eight institutional strategic goals. Implementation of these goals was interrupted by a period of turmoil on the campus that began with the announcement of the appointment of the University Provost as the successor to the outgoing President in May 2006. Protests against this appointment led to a campus closure in October 2006, the termination of the appointment of the President-Designate by the Board of Trustees, and the appointment of Dr. Robert Davila as Interim President effective January 2, 2007.

As a result of issues raised during the protest and concerns about the adequacy of its accreditation reporting, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the University's regional accrediting agency, in November 2006 warned Gallaudet that it might be out of compliance with several of the Commission's accreditation standards. The Commission also requested a report from Gallaudet addressing six concerns: (1) the effectiveness of shared governance including presidential search process, (2) nurturance of a climate that fosters respect among students, faculty, staff, and administration for a range of backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives, (3) mission review and implementation of a comprehensive institutional strategic plan, (4) implementation of a comprehensive enrollment management plan that addresses student recruitment, retention, graduation, and placement, (5) evidence of the academic rigor of the degrees offered, and (6) procedures for ensuring that changes and issues affecting the institution are disclosed accurately and in a timely manner to the Commission. Gallaudet reported to the Commission on these issues in April 2007, and, as of this writing, issue (6) is completely resolved. With respect to the other issues, President Davila established six work groups to address aspects of them in March 2007, and, following the appointment of Dr. Stephen Weiner as permanent Provost, a coordinating council to guide the work on these issues and compliance with all 14 MSCHE standards generally. While one entire MSCHE standard (Standard 2: Strategic planning, resource allocation, and institutional renewal) addresses strategic planning processes, continuous improvement through planning and assessment permeates many of the other standards. Therefore, developing a meaningful strategic planning process became a core responsibility of the coordinating council.

As a first step in the preparation of this plan, and in addressing the full range of MSCHE concerns, the work group on mission developed a refocused mission statement. Drafts of the statement were presented to the entire University community for review and feedback, and a revised statement was presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration in June 2007. Subsequent to Board review and further review by the campus community, the following mission and vision statements emerged, and they are guided by a sense of rededication to Gallaudet's heritage as a bilingual, signing community of students, teachers, and scholars. Final Board approval of the mission and vision statements was granted in November 2007. These statements were followed by a brief discussion of the challenges and opportunities that confront Gallaudet at the beginning of a new century. After that discussion, we presented five strategic goals that responded to these challenges as we carry out the University's mission. These goals were distilled from the eight original goals described above and the issues of concern presented to the University by the MSCHE. An early planning decision of President Davila's was to reduce the number and complexity of the original eight goals so as to enhance the prospects for achieving them.

This plan has been presented to the campus community and reviewed by the faculty and by deans, directors, and budget unit heads; it has been revised in accordance with the President's initiatives on diversity, campus climate, pedagogy, and the use of the consortium. In the fall the MSCHE Coordinating Committee became the Academic Quality and Accreditation Committee of the Academic Affairs Management Team. The Assistant Dean for Accreditation and Certification of GSPP became its chair, and its membership now includes the Interim Deans of Enrollment Management and General Studies, the Graduate School and Professional Programs, the College of Professional Studies and Outreach, and the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Technologies; the chairs of the Council on Undergraduate Education and the Council on Graduate Education; Director of International Programs and Services; the Executive Director for Assessment and Innovative Programs; the Executive Director, Gallaudet University Press and External Affairs; and the Director of the Office of Institutional Research. The current draft which includes revised goals, draft objectives, and draft indicators is the product of that group. In the future, the plan will be expanded to include strategies, baseline data, and benchmarks.