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1. FOCUS DEVELOPMENT
Focus development by directing resources to programs which address the strategic themes and which make a distinctive contribution.
Advancement from a comprehensive university to a research university will require commitment to a few selected areas of excellence. We must focus our resources and future developments on the five academic strategic themes. International, Environmental, Urban, Health and Information are areas in which we can succeed and be recognized as a leader in teaching, research and the provision of solutions to critically important problems for the state and region.
A. We need to promote
broad, interdisciplinary faculty and administration discussion to provide
more detailed insights within each theme on:
3. What capabilities must be developed for competitive success; and
4. How to design and organize the University so that the various activities contribute to each other and provide a basis for expecting superior results.
C. We must initiate research centers and refocus the efforts of existing centers to obtain major international, federal, state and corporate support based on these University strategic themes.
D. We must formally collaborate with major federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Transportation.
E. We must assure that new resources, such as monies from the capital campaign, are targeted to the development of programs within these themes.
2. LACK OF SPACE
The shortage of classroom, laboratory and office space is the primary factor restricting enrollments and external research funding.
In 1994 it was estimated that by the year 2001, we will need 250,000 square feet of additional research laboratory space but will fall short by 168,000 square feet. We need to increase classroom space as well as faculty and staff office space in order to adequately serve our ever-increasing undergraduate and graduate student population. State PECO dollars are expected to be significantly reduced from now on.
A. Building construction funded by non-state funds must be aggressively sought.
B. Off-campus space for rent or lease should be explored and potential administrative functions identified which could operate efficiently in off-campus facilities.
C. Efforts should be made to acquire private contributions or federal funding for research buildings.
D. A computerized system must be developed for assigning and forecasting space needs as new buildings are constructed and new faculty and staff are added. This system should be designed not only for planning and forecasting space needs, but also for allocating and assigning space for the most efficient room utilization.
3. UNDERDEVELOPED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
Rapid technological growth and innovation places greater demands on the University to keep pace with its telecommunications infrastructure.
A. We need to bring in outside experts to look at the entire telecommunications infrastructure of the University and develop a long-term plan to get FIU onto the information superhighway and to keep it there.
B. More specifically, access to computer information resources is mandatory in administrative and faculty offices, laboratories, and classrooms. Linkage of campuses and administrative offices through the University computer network and teleconferences is critical to addressing the efficient management of multiple campuses.
C. Equipment and service are imperative to support interactive learning, multiple network systems, management and financial data base systems, interactive computer instruction, and telephone banks and other equipment used in surveys.
D. A computer system must be developed to manage the scheduling of courses and the assignment of classrooms based on student needs, availability and course requirements.
E. It is necessary to purchase or develop a set of rule-based, integrated administrative software systems to address student data bases, registration and financial aid accounting; personnel/payroll/ budget/and human resource computerized functions; and all financial transactions of the University. Such a system must complement the existing SAMAS and SUPERS systems, be easy to maintain and be compatible with the University requirements and plans for development.
F. Recruitment and retention of trained technical professionals is essential to implementing a technical re-engineering of University administrative systems, as is the training of faculty, staff and students.
4. ENROLLMENT ENHANCEMENT
Until 1992, the University was significantly overenrolled. Several years of below projected enrollments following Hurricane Andrew, reinforced the realization that students come to FIU primarily from Dade County. Recruitment and retention functions, such as support services, student scholarships, and community college articulation need to be further developed.
The projection for FIU's continued enrollment growth is based primarily on two factors: the BOR goal to provide access to a larger percent of Florida high school graduates, and the demographics of South Florida, which indicate the continued increase of college-age students. It is anticipated that by 2001 (fall semester of the year 2000) the University will reach 33,500 headcount enrollment and thereafter reach maturity at 40,000.
By 2001 it is anticipated that both the lower division and graduate students will increase in percentage, while the upper division will decrease in percentage. Overall, the University will be primarily an undergraduate institution with 70% of the students at the undergraduate level. Of the undergraduate degree-seeking students, 30% will be lower division, and 70% upper division.
Traditionally FIU has focused on Dade County as its primary service area. Seventy-eight percent of the first-time-in college (FTIC) FIU students are from Dade County, and a large proportion of our upper division transfer students come to us from Miami-Dade Community College. As we continue our enrollment growth in order to serve more of the students in our region, we must recognize that the rate of growth for Dade County is slower than that of the counties to our north. This means that we must adjust our recruitment and service orientation to the broader region to the north and to Monroe County to the south. Our articulation with Broward Community College and our partnerships with Broward County Schools will become even more important as the center of population growth moves north.
We must achieve the enrollment growth rate the BOR has targeted for FIU. In ten years, there will be many specialized proprietary-type institutions in South Florida and corporations which provide in-house educational programs. The University must understand this reality and the growing pressure for certification, regardless of the institution doing the training. Additionally, with the demand for minority students, universities throughout the nation recruit in Dade County. Given the competition for students we must be continually cognizant of the critical nature of the recruitment process. To recruit and retain the most highly talented students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, FIU must be able to offer comprehensive scholarship packages to top students throughout the United States and beyond. We need to maintain a multi-level effort to provide more diverse educational services to our students and community even while maintaining quality. In order to meet our enrollment targets and to expand appropriate access, we will need to:
A. Either recruit new kinds of Dade County students or recruit from outside the county;
B. Continue to expand beyond Dade County as our service area and demographic pool;
C. Continue to ensure that retention is a responsibility of all representatives of the institution, faculty and staff alike. All members of the University must express genuine concern and a helpful attitude toward students. Responsibility for student retention should be better focused and coordinated. A comprehensive analysis must result in a plan and activities targeted to retain students at all levels, especially community college transfers;
D. Foster the development of a bond between a student and an academic program. This requires careful attention to the entire experience involved in completing a degree program rather than just coursework. Promoting a student's integration into an academic program enhances the student's commitment to the program and his or her intention to continue;
E. Provide a high-quality learning experience for students that recognizes the integral relationship between the social and academic aspects of student life;
F. Increase resources devoted to academic advising and learning center support services;
G. Work toward greater coordination among support services, including Admissions, Registration, Financial Aid, Undergraduate Studies, Student Affairs and academic departments, to achieve higher retention (and graduation rates) of our students and to provide more satisfying experiences for students;
H. Provide appropriate course offerings at the times our students want them;
I. Identify a stable source of funding to guarantee on-going scholarship commitments and provide a reserve to meet expanded enrollment goals.
J. Recruit students through dual enrollment programs.
5. GROWTH OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND DEGREES
Despite over 200 academic degree programs, additional program development, including new professional schools, is required to meet the needs of this metropolitan community.
The awarding of degrees will increase each year, so that in the year 2001 FIU will annually award more than 7,700 bachelors degrees, 3,000 master's, and 100 doctoral degrees. By 2001, 28 additional degree programs are anticipated, 14 at the doctoral level.
The following tables list the new degree programs supported by the Board of Regents in the University's master plan for possible development. Degrees in the following table are those which the BOR will consider for development. Selected goals to address this issue are:
A. The departments, Deans and Provost need to pursue aggressively the initiation of these new degrees by following the BOR procedures of planning/feasibility and implementation.
B. Future opportunities for inclusion on the BOR priority list will be available in 1998. These will be broadly discussed prior to that time.
C. Priority will be placed on the development of new degrees which fit within one of the University's strategic themes and which can add to the amount of federal dollars obtained through science and engineering grants and contracts.
The next table lists those degrees suggested by
various colleges and schools, although not yet recognized by the BOR.
6. FACULTY RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Strains on support services and research facilities challenge the University's ability to compete with the leading research universities for the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty.
The faculty are the primary resource a university possesses. The continuing development, enrichment, and enhancement of faculty is essential for an excellent educational experience for students. Achievement of research university status for FIU is dependent upon increasing the number of faculty who excel as teachers and researchers. Emphasis will continue to be on the integration of teaching, research and service activities, particularly the involvement of students in research and community service activities. Tenured and tenure-earning faculty will be expected to provide their graduate and undergraduate students with knowledge and techniques which the faculty themselves have developed. Plans for differentiated faculty assignments will be developed to allow faculty to move from standardized, across-the-board, "one size fits all" assignments, to a system by which faculty are assigned to more of what they do best, to be evaluated on that assignment, and to be rewarded accordingly. The goal is an equitable system whereby faculty are judged on what they actually accomplish in relation to what they agreed to in advance.
In 1984 the full-time faculty totaled 555; in 1995-96, 932 (Filled ranked faculty as noted in chart below). By the year 2001 the number of faculty is expected to increase to 1,263. The number of filled positions averages 85% of the budgeted positions. In 1994 it was estimated that between 1994 and the year 2001, growth of student enrollments to 33,500 would support the hiring of 400 new instructional faculty. From retirement projections it was estimated that 25% of the faculty would be entitled to retire during this time period. Conservatively, if 15% of the faculty retired, at least 120 additional replacement faculty would be hired. With these retirements and new faculty positions the research potential of an additional 520 faculty would be added to the University from 1994 to the year 2001.
From retirement projections it is estimated that 25% of the current faculty will be entitled to retire during this time period. Conservatively, if 15% of the current faculty retire, at least 120 additional replacement faculty can be hired. The research potential of an additional 520 faculty may be added to the University.
FIU has the most ethnically
diverse ranked faculty of any doctoral-granting university in the country.
Females equal 34 percent of the faculty. Ethnic minorities and females
equal 56 percent of the faculty, a percentage that few other doctoral-granting
universities have achieved. It is a University goal that faculty diversity
should reflect that of the student body.
We need to recruit and retain the highest quality of faculty scholars. In order to recruit the best scholars, we will need to provide salaries well above the average rates. Our salary rates make us competitive with the average comprehensive universities and nearly comparable with the average doctoral-granting universities. Research skills and potential should be major criteria for hiring new faculty as we focus recruitment efforts on priority areas. An important basis for faculty retention is a system of incentives and rewards. Some of these include:
A. Mechanisms to reward faculty both financially and through public recognition need to be further developed.
B. The annual teaching, advising, research, and service awards should be maintained and expanded.
C. Faculty who continually bring in external funding should receive incentives and rewards to continue their productive efforts. Innovative mechanisms must be developed to provide additional salary dollars to principal investigators.
D. Additional seed monies for new research initiatives must be provided.
E. Interdepartmental research projects must be promoted.
F. Faculty should be provided with opportunities to retrain, or be trained in, current research and teaching methodologies.
G. Review and modification of a faculty member's assignments should be done, at least once a year. Faculty evaluations and rewards must be based on these assigned responsibilities. Persons with exceptional teaching skills and interests should be assigned a higher percentage of teaching, while persons with research skills and abilities should be given a higher research assignment. Likewise, faculty with legitimate and documentable service responsibilities to the University, the profession or community should be allowed a higher service assignment. Adjustment of assignments should accommodate changes in an individual's life course and departmental needs.
H. Advertisement and job offers must be made early in the academic year in order to attract the most qualified faculty.
I. Sufficient start-up monies must be available to attract outstanding researchers.
J. Department chairs and Deans must assure that physical accommodations, such as offices, keys, equipment and computers, are available for new faculty upon their arrival so start-up times and stresses are reduced.
K. The Academy for the Art of Teaching, and Instructional Media Services should continue to develop innovative and motivating methods to advance quality teaching at all levels. Additional monies should be sought for faculty development of innovative course curricula and teacher training programs.
L. Monies should be made available to faculty for travel to professional meetings and travel to other institutions in pursuit of the latest knowledge, research methodologies and pedagogical skills.
7. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Promote more intensive University research involvement in community issues and problems. The achievements of FIU are relatively unknown to the community. Enhance the public's recognition of the faculty and staff's service to the local community by better management of service, artistic and cultural activities.
With state support for research and service dwindling, the University has less capacity to address community problems. Presently, there are no discrete non-state funds to encourage scholarly engagement, despite a range of critical issues on the community agenda. The issues include the development of empowerment zones, the impact of crime, the deepening of urban poverty, the decline of social services, transportation stand-stills and the crises of primary and secondary education.
A. We need to find vehicles within our University's colleges and schools to provide released time and seed grant funding to address these issues.
B. We should encourage units to seek joint ventures and cooperative relations with businesses and organizations in the community. Many of these will have mutual benefits for the University and community organizations and enhance our profile and quality. There is also a curricular element to this issue. Most jobs in the next century will be in the service industry and will come through small- and medium-sized businesses.
C. The new FIU Roz and Cal Kovens Conference Center should focus on outreach programs and events that enhance our relationship with the community.
D. The best academic and student programs should be regularly communicated to the South Florida Community through the media and other means.
E. To become a premier cultural center in the region, the University should welcome the community by offering events which appeal to large numbers of people with a wide array of interests in the sciences, arts and culture.
8. LIBRARY
With the limited library holdings and staff, it has been difficult to provide the information resources needed for the increased number of faculty and students.
While the SUS Library Formula for library materials has been reformed, the allocation of new staff lines is still based on the New Washington Formula. Change is clearly needed to bring about the required addition of two or three new staff members each year. Without this supplement, it will be difficult for the Libraries to provide the kind of access to information resources, and instruction in their use, that the University community clearly deserves.
A. The library materials distribution formula, which determines each SUS institution's share of funds the Legislature appropriates, was reformed in the 1994 Legislative Session. With this reformulation of the funding formula, FIU should receive its fair share of state library funds. If current appropriation levels are maintained, it will be possible to provide credible support to academic programs and substantial support for research.
B. The challenge of providing adequate staffing has not yet been met. More staff are needed for timely processing of library resources and for the provision of instruction and assistance in the use of new information systems that equals the demand for this service. Finding ways of increasing library staffing requires high priority.
C. When the major addition to the current University Park Library is complete, both campuses will have modern library buildings that offer excellent venues for using both new information technologies and traditional resources. The structure serving University Park will be one of the largest academic library buildings in the Southeast. From 1996 to 1998, with the library renovation and addition of the upper floors, the challenge is to coordinate this activity in the central part of the campus, while maintaining access to library collections and resources.
D. Funding must be identified for provision of sufficient equipment for information access, for the processing of library materials, and for maintaining the telecommunications infrastructure that both require.
9. CAMPUS LIFE
Campus activities must be sufficient to foster out-of-classroom experiences which promote a sense of community and University commitment.
Promoting a spirit of community and commitment to the University, at a nontraditional urban campus, can be achieved through a blend of traditional and non-traditional programs and activities. Campus activities, programs, and environment must foster a sense of community and University commitment by providing for the intellectual, social, emotional, cultural, physical, moral and aesthetic development of students. The campus milieu should be one that provides students an opportunity for self understanding, leadership training, cultural diversity awareness, health and wellness enhancement, civic and community responsibility, and sensitivity to social issues and concerns. By emphasizing the interdependence between academic and out-of-classroom development, student affairs units should assist students in their personal growth, awareness of self, and respect for others in the FIU community and beyond.
Campus life on the Urban Campus of the future will Center around two major facilities, the Campus Center (Union) and the Recreation Center. Campus life will also be enhanced by increasing the number of students in residence halls. To promote learning, the challenges in these three areas will require an integration of programs and services provided by both Academic and Student Affairs. This is achieved through:
A. Providing campus wide programs which enhance student development and campus life, such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, homecoming, distinguished speakers, concerts, comedy shows, and leadership workshops.
B. Continuing to develop the Wolfe and Graham centers as focal points of student learning, activities and gathering.
C. Ensuring that a sufficient number of students living on-campus participate in campus activities and organizations. In the Fall of 1996 campus residence halls and apartments accommodated 1584 students. This will increase to 2100 students by the Fall semester of the year 2000, and 3000 students in the year 2005. Overall, this is a target of 10% of the student FTE. The residence facilities at North Campus will need to be substantially upgraded during this time.
D. Promoting the importance of co-curricular participation in the visual and performing arts, for students as artists, and students as audience.
E. Developing intercollegiate athletics, recreational and intramural sports programs which enhance the sense of community, spirit, pride and participation at the University.
F. Providing out-of-the classroom learning through shared governance and programming experiences for students who live off campus, as well as the increasing number living on campus.
G. Providing learning opportunities that will foster better intergroup relations and identify more appropriate ways for handling conflict management and resolution.
H. Accounting for the needs of non-traditional and international students on an urban campus by providing correspondingly adjusted delivery of programs and services.
I. Creating stronger faculty-student association through initiatives that allow students and faculty to interact on a curricular and co-curricular level.
J. Continuing the expansion of service learning through the promotion of volunteer and community service projects.
K. Promoting the importance of campus aesthetics, cleanliness, and respect for property.
10. INADEQUATE SALARIES AND SUPPORT FUNDS
Funds have been inadequate not only for competitive salaries and the reduction of salary compression, but also for professional development, travel, start-up monies, and capital equipment.
Salary compression should be addressed by the administration in concert with the UFF and BOR. This issue is compounded every year with the lack of adequate pay raises and the hiring of new faculty at higher national market rates. The legislature must be persuaded that this issue is a priority that must be addressed. We must become competitive not only with other doctoral granting universities, but also research universities. Adequate funds are essential not only for competitive salaries, but also for professional development, travel, affirmative action hires, and start-up monies.
The SUS salary structure pertains to hiring throughout the state. Given the high cost of living in South Florida, it is difficult to recruit and retain staff at the prescribed SUS salary levels. This is of special concern with skilled technical employees such as those in University Computer Services. To keep the best of our present A&P and USPS personnel and to attract the best in the future, the salary structure needs to be improved sharply.
11. INSUFFICIENT SUPPORT STAFF
The lack of state funding for the administrative and academic support units has resulted in an erosion in the number of staff positions that are critical to providing services to the academic units.
Presently SUS funding increases are based on FTE enrollments and the addition of new building square footage. The enrollment funding has resulted in increases to the Instruction and Research (I&R) units, and the positions authorized for new building square footage have been limited to the Physical Plant operation within Business and Finance. The lack of system-wide funding increases for the administrative support units has resulted in an erosion in the number of staff positions that are critical to providing administrative support services to the academic units. Given these reductions in the number of support staff relative to the number of faculty, our staff must devise ways to become more efficient while producing quality services.
A. The University must formulate a reasonable faculty/support staff funding ratio which can provide guidance to the annual allocation of positions and funding.
B. Staff enhancements are necessary in Purchasing, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Admissions, Physical Plant, the Controller, Telecommunications, Instructional Media Services, University Computer Services, and academic department clerical staff. With the implementation of administrative computing systems it will be necessary to review staffing requirements in all support areas.
C. Provide human resource development education and training which promotes faculty, staff and administrator utilization of the skills and talents of a diverse work force and student population. Implement an evaluation process to assess the effectiveness of the University's training programs.
D. Through staff education and training promote empowerment, teamwork, and the redesign of systems and processes with the use of computer technologies.
12. DEPENDENCE ON ENROLLMENT-DRIVEN STATE FUNDING
FIU is dependent on state funding to a greater extent than benchmarked universities. The State University System is funded primarily by sales taxes which fluctuate with the economy. The University's funding from the state is calculated on student enrollments, but as enrollments increased during the past five years, funding per student decreased.
Since its establishment FIU has depended primarily on the State of Florida for its income. These dollars are generated from the number of students enrolled at the various academic levels. Total revenue from the state increased from $80 million in 1987/88, to $165 million in 1996/97. General revenues, those derived from state taxes, decreased during this time; however, these were partially offset by increases in student tuition and state lottery monies. Since 1987-88, state general revenue appropriations per student for FIU's operating budget, adjusted for inflation, have declined steadily, falling by more than 43 percent, while enrollment has grown more than 65 percent over the same period. This recent history has shown that the University is highly vulnerable to the vagaries of state funding, especially when most of these monies are derived from student enrollment and tuition. FIU in 1983/84 obtained 77% of its income from the State of Florida; today the amount is less then 50%.
As compared to our benchmark role model universities a large percentage of the University's income derives from state funding, further indicating our dependence on state sources. This high percentage of state revenues means we are enrollment-driven. This is our major weakness. A national trend is for state universities to become less reliant upon state sources of revenue. To pursue our goal of becoming a research university, we must fully understand and evaluate this weakness. We must evaluate all forms of current and potential revenues and develop alternative strategies to become less dependent on state funding.
Special funding initiatives include:
A. The continuation of the special state allocation for the Comprehensive University Presence (CUP), which guarantees support for Broward and graduate programs.
B. A special local tax to support scholarships for Dade County students.
C. Already the capital campaign has significantly increased our endowment. In 1994/95 our endowment is the lowest of the nine operating SUS universities, and we are 10th in endowed chairs; in 1996 we are in the middle. Private dollars should continuously be sought for endowed chairs, specific programs and signature projects.
D. Pursuit of contracts and grants through sponsored research, the foundation of a research university. We must aggressively put into place the people and resources to accomplish this.
13. ENDOWMENT GROWTH
The University endowment must keep pace with the growth of the student body and academic program needs. Since the need to increase the University's small endowment was identified as a strategic challenge, the endowment has grown substantially.
Over the past generation, sharp distinctions between public and private universities have blurred considerably. Today, state tax dollars provide less than 50 percent of the operating budget of FIU and many other U.S. public universities. State funding alone provides the basis for no more than an "adequate" education for students attending FIU.
State funding for FIU has not kept pace with the University's rapid growth. The prospect of declining state resources, coupled with continued growth, make it imperative for FIU to substantially increase private support in order to maintain and enhance its academic excellence.
The Campaign for FIU, announced in February 1996, is an essential element of the University's long-range plan to become one of the nation's best urban public universities. It seeks to raise $65 million to provide FIU with the financial resources and flexibility to enhance the University's educational excellence and meet the challenges of the next century. With the completion of the capital campaign the endowment will have grown from $6 million to over $40 million.
The $65 million in campaign funds will be utilized to:
A. Increase the University's endowment by a factor of five, the single most important goal of the campaign. At least two-thirds of the campaign's $65 million goal will be directed for endowment purposes, which will be used to create eminent scholar chairs, endowed professorships and academic program endowments.
B. Enhance major campus facilities. Although FIU currently has more than $120 million in much-needed construction projects under way or in the final planning stages, the state budgetary allocation for each of has been scaled back from what was originally proposed and approved. Funds are sought to help equip several major facilities and to construct a free-standing facility for The Art Museum at FIU.
C. Ensure access through scholarships. To attract students of the highest caliber and keep the very best local students in South Florida, the University must increase scholarship availability. The University is now able to provide financial aid to only 55 percent of students who apply for assistance, and only a small percentage of that aid is in the form of scholarships.
D. Strengthen priority academic programs. Gifts are sought to expand and enhance a number of academic programs and centers of excellence, some of which are within individual Schools and Colleges and others which are interdisciplinary.
In planning for the Campaign, the President, Provosts and Deans identified key areas of need totaling more than $100 million. The success of The Campaign will be judged, not only by the amount received, but also by how these new resources support the University's strategic themes and programs which advance our long range goals. The $65 million in private support to be raised in The Campaign for FIU will be able to meet only the highest priority needs.
By September 1, 1996, the University secured $40 million in gifts and commitments, including eleven eminent scholar chairs and $5 million in scholarship endowments. This moved FIU from last among the ten SUS universities in the number of Eminent Scholars Chair commitments, to being tied for fourth place.
14. EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
The growth in the number of employees will challenge the communication and personal relationship skills of faculty and staff. Without specific attention and resources, multi-campus management and equity will become more of an issue.
As we enter the twenty-first century, the University must link modern human resource information system (HRIS) technology with time-honored concepts of job satisfaction and employee motivation. Employee Relations' focus on this combination will enhance performance and productivity, as well as support the consistent communication essential to effective performance in a multicampus environment. Our concerted efforts must support a broader University mission that centers on improvements in the capabilities, motivation, and continuing commitment of our most valuable human resources, the men and women whose skills and talents represent critical University assets.
Motivation and job satisfaction emerge from work itself, along with individual perceptions of achievement, responsibility, recognition, personal growth and compensation. People perform at higher levels when they become completely involved with the University's mission and feel empowered to improve their own capabilities and value to the organization.
Equity in compensation is critical to employee empowerment and will require greater systematization as well as resources. To remain competitive in our compensation system we must permit greater flexibility in a process that can be easily understood, reduces administrative costs, and provides more rational standards for both classifying positions and establishing pay ranges. In the establishment of this process we must maintain equitable relationships across and among positions, and duly reward employees for performance through the utilization of broad pay ranges now permissible due to SUS Rules reform.
In recent years the University has made progress in establishing performance competencies for staff as well as the formalization of staff training and development programs. Professional development and internal employee training will lead to a reduction in employee turnover and improvements in overall productivity. However, ongoing success will require taking the next step in employee development and link employee training and development efforts to performance and compensation.
Information and communication technologies have revolutionized the workplace of many institutions and industries. With implementation of new University telecommunication systems, operational functions will need to be modified and staffing requirements assessed. In situations where output is measurable and primarily performed on an individual basis, employees telecommuting from their homes may be a promising solution to difficult space and overhead problems. These changes in the workplace challenge us to address current state policies, University operating procedures, and management methods.
Specific employee relation goals include:
A. Proactive recruitment search practices that begin early in the academic year in order to attract the most qualified staff.
B. Establishment of a good employee relations environment must begin on the first day of employment. Direct greater focus on reducing new employee startup times and stresses by assuring smooth transition onto payroll and benefits enrollment, parking services and new employee orientation to the University, workplace, and technologies.
C. Allow individual employees the freedom of self-expression in a non-threatening environment congruent wit University policy and procedure.
D. Assure that all individuals are treated equally, fostering an environment of collegiality and minimizing class distinctions based on job status.
E. Expand supplemental insurance packages to allow for greater menu selection and customization to the needs of our employees.
F. Link employee training and development efforts to performance and compensation enhancements.
G. Evaluate and plan for workplace efficiencies evolving from computer technological developments.
H. Promote, expand and develop employee recognition programs, such as service awards, merit awards and other special events.
I. Develop innovative mechanisms to provide incentive salary dollars for consistently superior employee performance.
J. Foster fair and consistent employee relations and communications through the development, implementation and evaluation of training and development programs, general employment practices, and University rules, policies and procedures.
K. Advocate changes in SUS personnel policies and position structure when these are needed to achieve equity, improved morale, and effectiveness in the workplace.
15. DIVERSITY
The diversity of the University community is both a strength and a challenge. The range of backgrounds and perspectives reflected by the students, faculty and staff offers the challenge for FIU to develop programs and activities which assist community members in valuing differences, communicating across cultures and working together to support all persons.
As the leading public university in South Florida, Florida International University is reflective of the mosaic of the various cultures, races, and ethnic groups of the community we serve. The broad representation of minority group members within the University means that diversity within its student body is a reality, rather than a goal as it is at many other institutions of higher education. It is in the University's institutional interest, as well as in the individual interests of its student body, faculty and staff, to ensure that access, retention and graduation are equally available to all students, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, economic status, marital status, religion, creed, and the range of other differences that exist among people. This should occur within a framework of valuing, appreciating and promoting diversity, rather than in a setting which presumes that its participants to blend into a melting pot. Achieving this goal requires the University to build upon its programs and activities which assist community members in valuing differences, communicating across cultures, working together to support all persons, and weaving diversity/minority issues into all aspects of University life.
Diversity issues go beyond interpersonal dimensions. There is an immediate need to define the overall goal(s) of the University's diversity effort. At the same time, some general areas for inquiry can be identified. Some issues clearly reflect an area(s) of institutional strength, others need further attention, and some are difficult to classify because they reflect a mixture of institutional strengths and challenges:
A. Identify how the South Florida community-at-large perceives the University and how we relate to and serve the larger community.
B. Identify how we can most effectively spread the messages of commitment and accomplishment on diversity issues within the University and the larger communities.
C. Complete an institutional climate assessment to identify whether there are differences in perceptions about the campus based on race/national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, economic status, marital status, religion, creed, etc.
D. Valuing these differences and accepting them is not enough, we must go further to look at and correct inequalities based on these differences. How can that be accomplished?
E. Review current recruitment and retention efforts, and identify what can be done to increase the hiring, retention and promotion of minority and female faculty and staff.
F. Identify the payoff of "valuing diversity" for non-minorities (students and staff), thereby winning their commitment to the diversity effort.
G. Clarify the role of faculty in the diversity initiative. Ensure that faculty have the skills to infuse diversity issues in existing courses and curriculum; the pedagogical skills to teach learners with diverse learning styles effectively and to relate to students as learners; and provide assistance to strengthen these skill areas.
H. Clarify the question of how broadly diversity issues should impact the curriculum. Review the degree to which diversity issues are infused into the current course offerings, and look at the recent changes made to the core curriculum, especially as they relate to the diversity and language requirements.
I. Review current majors/programs/certificates/courses that we offer that address issues of diversity. Address gaps that are identified, as well as whether there is a need for more integrated course offerings.
J. Review current research and scholarly activities to identify those areas in which we have strength (i.e., LACC, Center on Aging, Women's Studies, Africa/New World, etc.), and identify whether there are gaps or areas that should be strengthened.
K. Review tenure and promotion criteria to identify what should/can be done to recognize and reward leadership in teaching and curriculum innovation.
L. Assess current academic retention activities and determine whether we provide adequate and appropriate retention support for all students.
M. Develop strategies to moderate the impact of the change of scale within the University and to assist faculty in developing and maintaining personalized relationships with students which help to bridge cultural differences.
N. Identify and provide appropriate solutions to conflicts within student life, including relationships among students within University Housing; membership patterns within and relationships across student clubs and organizations, including Greek organizations; involvement of students in Athletics and in support of Athletics; and diversity in cultural/social programming.
O. Proactively encourage extra-curricular activities which help to build cross- cultural experiences and expertise among the student body.
P. Enhance administrative and support staff competency in providing services to a diverse University community.
Q. Design ways to assess the success of these efforts and develop a schedule for implementation.
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