Skip to main content Skip to secondary content
title
UIowa logo
Home» Students» Parents» Faculty/Staff»

Division of Student Services Strategic Plan, 2005 - 2010

Purposeful Planning for a Student Centered Campus Environment

Click here to download a PDF version of this document.
Click here to get Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print the file.

I. Preamble Student Services planning integrates strategic thinking into the process for continuous quality enhancement. Strategic thinking involves projections that extend beyond any single-point forecast in the environment. Student Services strategic planning is based on an annual cyclical process of assessment, planning, budgeting, program review, and continuous quality enhancement.

Core Values – relevant highlights for Student Services

Excellence, Learning, Community, Diversity, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility “…so that learning and creative expression may flourish the university takes seriously its obligation to protect…free expression; maintain a safe, supportive, healthy and humane environment; and nourish a system of collaborative decision making based on mutual and shared governance…” “…dedicated to an inclusive community…of different, cultural, national, individual, and academic backgrounds encounter one another in a spirit of cooperation, openness, and shared appreciation…” “…recognizes…accountability…and the need to exercise responsible stewardship over…resources…including the need to direct these resources to programs and initiatives that are central to the University’s core mission…” “…honors excellence and high aspiration…and…the highest degree of honesty, fairness, and personal integrity.”

II. Focus The core values of learning, community, responsibility, integrity, and diversity and respect underlie the educational/administrative philosophy of Student Services. The Student Services mission, goals, and strategies are congruent with those established for The University of Iowa. The goals delineated in “The Iowa Promise” to which Student Services most directly responds are:

Goal #1: To create a University experience that enriches the lives of undergraduates and helps them to become well-informed individuals, life-long learners, engaged citizens, and productive employees and employers.

Goal #2: To promote excellence in education by increasing the diversity of the faculty, staff and students..

Goal#3: To strengthen the University’s intellectual and community vitality.

Goal #4: To broaden the University’s service mission to include stronger partnerships with public constituencies.

Through collaboration with other vice presidential units, colleges, and administrative departments, Student Services endeavors to contribute to accomplishing the full range of goals in the University Strategic Plan.

III. Aspiration To create and maintain experiential learning opportunities which promote the highest standards of quality in campus life and academic culture.

IV. Mission The Division of Student Services prepares students for their responsibilities as enlightened and engaged global citizens.

V. Major Environmental characteristics Affecting Purposeful Planning for Student Services Consensus assessment of Student Service Strengths

Excellent, knowledgeable, experienced and stable professional leadership among Student Service professional and support staff.

Zero deferred maintenance in residence hall system

Excellent Student Health services, facilities, pharmacy, and collaboration with psychological counseling and University Hospital and Clinics

Hancher Auditorium performing arts programs international reputation as a center of excellence and state outreach and for student attendance at the performing arts programs

Excellent Women’s Resource and Action Center community and regional collaborative programming in women’s advocacy and social change programs

Excellent residential hall dining facilities and an evolving transparent campus dining system

Highly professional and strong collaborative organizational culture throughout the division

Challenges facing Student Services

Student Services Infrastructure

Planning, construction and operational of a renovated Iowa Memorial

Union and campus recreation/wellness facilities

Replacing the physical structures of the cultural centers and Women’s

Resource and Action Center

high-risk consumption of alcohol and other substances among college students

student organizations to ensure a balanced educational environment to promote clear communications and expectations

campus/community relationships

VI. Goals and Strategies The strategies in this strategic plan represent the basic missions of Student Services departments. Qualitative and quantitative indicators of progress are addressed through the annual cyclical process of assessment, planning, budgeting, program review, and continuous quality enhancement for each Student Services department strategic plan.

Goal No. 1: Every student shall have equal access to a healthy and safe learning environment conducive to personal growth. Strategies:

1. Provide clean, safe, accessible, developmentally appropriate, and affordable campus housing facilities and programs targeted for lower division undergraduate students and a portion of students with families.

2. Maintain a high standard of culinary excellence by improving the quality and variety of nutritional foods; and integrate contract, retail, and catering operations that provide competitively priced meals to the University community.

3. In collaboration with University of Iowa Health Care maintain a financially sound, and an adequately staffed Student Health Service to serve as a primary care center for students; deliver high-quality physical and mental health care and state of the art health promotion services, including substance abuse prevention, sexual health, nutrition, fitness and stress, and assist in the facilitation of climate of intolerance to violent, abusive, and destructive behavior.

4. Increase and maintain a high level of accessibility and quality of psychological and related services for all students and reduce psychological barriers to effective student learning and that offer students opportunities for personal growth.

5. Facilitate the provision of academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities to achieve equal access to university programming and educational opportunities.

6. Foster the development and coordination of education programs and administer disciplinary judicial procedures emphasizing respect for the rights of others, and personal responsibility for one’s own actions while advocating

safety, personal security, and deterrence of violent behavior in the university community.

7. In collaboration with other UI departments, develop campus-wide strategies for creating supportive environments that improve and maintain the health and wellness of the UI community through educational programs, recreational activities, and health evaluation/promotion.

Goal No. 2: Provide diverse, welcoming environments and educational opportunities that increase the cultural competency of all students and prepare them to contribute positively to the global community.

Strategies: Creating a campus environment that cultivates integrity, civility, and respect by improving the cultural competence on campus, exploring multicultural issues, and keeping students well informed. . Having a workforce that equals or surpasses the student demographics. . Providing accommodations to enable people with different levels of ability to attend and participate in performing arts programs. . Coordinating yearly opening of school and on-going activities to connect diverse groups of students with each other as well as faculty and staff. . Providing learning opportunities for majority populations (including students, staff, and faculty) to enhance their knowledge base and interactions with diverse, underrepresented populations. . Providing practicum sites for graduate students that offer opportunities to work with a diverse clientele. . Collaborating and supporting structured programming that promotes difference. . Developing and offering educational programs that enhance students’ awareness and respect of individual and cultural differences. . Contributing to the creation of a sound, safe, and healthy learning environment by providing accessible psychological services responsive to the needs of diverse students.

Goal No. 3: Provide opportunities and experiences for students to develop the skills to become effective leaders and engaged citizens. Strategies: Providing opportunities to develop leadership and social change skills by encouraging: students to intentionally plan their co-curricular involvement, students to participate in civic engagement, students to learn about culture through arts, life-long learning and wellness, and faculty to incorporate co-curricular activities into the curriculum. . Encouraging staff and students to be involved in community engagement by: creating an open and supportive environment for involvement developing initiatives for involvement enhancing volunteerism opportunities and updating information, education, and marketing related to community engagement/volunteerism. . Providing opportunities for students to design and implement entertainment and leisure activities that offer sound alternatives to destructive social activities. . Providing learning opportunities through student employment. . Enhancing student learning through the provision of quality psychological consultation, counseling, and educational programming directed at increasing student self-efficacy and self-advocacy.

Goal No. 4: Each student shall have opportunities to be exposed to programs to enhance appreciation of the visual and performing arts and opportunities to participate in cultural, social, and recreational activities to promote life-long learning. Strategies:

  1. Maintain high standards for programming and financially stable operations with a diverse range of performing arts at affordable prices for students, faculty, staff, and general public to achieve global excellence in aesthetic development.
  2. Foster and advocate to update campus recreation programs and facilities for leisure time activities serving a wide range of able-bodied and disabled individuals.

Goal No. 5: Professional support shall be provided to the colleges and departments in developing and administering policies and procedures affecting students and judicial procedures associated with the Code of Student Life. Strategies: 1. Ensure full compliance with all provisions of the Student-Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act affecting university operations. 2. Provide consultation and clarification to administrative offices, and student affairs programs on issues related to Policies and Regulations Affecting Students.

Goal No. 6: The quality and relevance of Student Services programs shall be advanced through functional coordination, optimization of organizational structure, sound financial management, evaluation including regular reviews, program assessment and effective implementation of approved recommendations in the context of continuous quality enhancement.

Strategies:

  1. Utilize the University Criteria for Enhancement and Reduction in Programs as the basis for the Guidelines For Assessment, Planning, and Program Review of Student Service programs.
  2. Utilize periodic Program Coordination meetings and the Student Life Leadership Council to foster communication among student affairs and services programs and offices in colleges.
  3. In collaboration with FUS (Finance and University Services) conduct periodic reviews of the financial management of auxiliary programs (Hancher Auditorium, Residence Services, Iowa Memorial Union).

Goal No. 7: The vitality of Student Services staff shall be achieved by comprehensive recruitment, affirmative human relations, effective communications, training and developmental opportunities, thorough and timely performance management practices, and timely recognition of excellence performance. Strategies:

  1. In consultation with unit Human Resource representatives, utilize recruitment methods that attract a diverse candidate pool resulting in selection of a qualified candidate involving students and faculty in the search process when appropriate.
  2. Provide orientation and ongoing training for staff to ensure employees are equipped to successfully perform their positions.
  3. Establish practices and procedures for an organizational culture based on UI values that attract, retain and motivate quality employees
  4. Encourage and support participation in personal and professional developmental opportunities and allocate resources as available.
  5. Provide effective communication to ensure that vital information is disseminated resulting in well informed employees.
  6. Notify all employees of university, organizational, and departmental policies and procedures and encourage reciprocal exchange.
  7. Utilize effective performance management practices through ongoing review and completion of annual performance appraisals for all employees and timely attention to performance concerns or grievances.
  8. Promote the utilization of various recognition programs including the flexible pay plan.
  9. Promote wellness opportunities for the improvement of the employees’ overall well being.