Members absent: McKenzie, Motloch, Ober
Interim Provost Deborah Balogh convened the meeting at 8:05 a.m. She welcomed T.C. Collins to membership on the Task Force and Tom Morrison as a guest. She said that this would be her last meeting with the group and that she would be "passing the gavel" to Frank Sabatine.
Minutes: The minutes of November 18 and December 9, 2005, were approved as distributed.
Purpose of the Meeting: Dr. Sabatine said the objectives would be put on hold until a meeting in August or September. The purpose of today's meeting will be to discuss how Ball State University can carve out its niche in the state. The discussion will center on Indiana's Strategic Economic Development Plan, its key elements, and how they can be incorporated into our legislative request.
Discussion of Indiana's Strategic Economic Development Plan: Task Force members pointed out that Ball State is already doing a number of things that address the "Critical Success Factors" of the state's plan. For example, the Department of Technology's manufacturing technology students and faculty work with businesses in Delaware County. Our wellness initiatives include an emphasis on workplace wellness.
A suggestion was to show how the proposals for a new University Core Curriculum will support the workforce. Another was to connect the facilities on our campus with the needs of the community. In the past, a criticism of state initiatives was that they seemed to focus on Indianapolis. Are there opportunities to focus on sectors ignored by others, such as rural areas? In the 21st century telecommuting could be a possibility for many people.
One task force member called attention to pp. 5-6 of the state's plan on "Pro Innovation Initiatives." One of those is to "create a multimillion dollar fund to provide matching state money to be combined with foundation, business and university dollars aimed at capturing federal R&D grant opportunities available to Indiana's universities, research organizations and private firms." Ball State should target that money.
Ball State can also provide "value-added employees" to the economy by offering GED programs and programs for career upgrading to people with degrees. Reference was made to p. 16 of the plan: "Develop Compressed Community College Academic Programs." The comment was made that we need to understand that the semester program does not work for all students.
Members also showed interest in "The Hoosier Comeback" Program, p. 21. There was support for targeting students at age 18 with scholarships based on staying in Indiana after graduation and for advertising such a program widely.
Another part of the state's plan that drew interest was the "Indiana-to-Indiana" Internship Program on p. 23. Not only would such a program fit well with immersion experiences, but also we could use our technology to help match students with internships, co-op programs, and apprenticeships. We already have the technology as shown by Cardinal View Jobs. Thirty years ago the workplace was very different with well-paying factory jobs that carried strong pension programs. Now it is necessary to be pro-active in retaining employees in Indiana. A particular concern is drawing the Hispanic population into the state's economy. At the same time we need to work on the culture in the state by changing expectations and answering clearly the question: Why should people invest in more education?
Tom Taylor reported that for some of these reasons the Ball State View Book is being redesigned to convey our core messages. There will also be new television messages in the fall, focusing on students as doers, the faculty as challenging teachers, and academic excellence as we define it. There will be a new tag line that has been tested and chosen out of six proposed.
Discussion of the Legislative Request and Metrics: Tom Kinghorn then presented the following challenges related to the Legislative Request:
- Define the mission
- Differentiate ourselves from others
- Address state needs and objectives—our alignment with the state
- Chart strategic directions
- Establish metrics measuring progress
- Define initiatives and related costs
He then commented that the state's desire is to tie our funding to its mission. Our own mission cannot be just like that of other higher education institutions. Most offer associate degrees, the baccalaureate degree, master's and doctoral degrees, and workforce training. Mr. Kinghorn said that there is a movement to offer remedial education and associate's degrees at Ivy Tech sites only. Further, it will be difficult for Ball State to receive approval for doctorates already offered at Indiana University and Purdue University.
A task force member asked for a definition of "workforce training." Suggested definitions were the retraining of workers, training for blue-collar jobs, and training for first-line managerial positions. The baccalaureate degree should not be confused with training, but certificate programs could be of assistance in this area. Certificate programs can build on the technology we already have through the internet. Someone also suggested taking modules out of current courses for workforce training. A student could preview these and perhaps even combine modules for a three-hour course. Several task force members commented that there needs to be a different term for "workforce training" because the commonly perceived definition is probably too limited, or people see it as the role of Ivy Tech only. Others said that some people see us with a research role only and that we need to seriously confront this perception. Even our own graduates may think they have only a degree and a transcript when they graduate rather than viewing us as a resource.
Questions were raised: Whom do we serve? What do we do that other institutions can't do? Even when we answer the latter question, all other institutions may say that they can do "this," too. A better question may be: How do we do "this"? Then we need to convey the "how" and show it at work at Ball State.
One idea discussed at length was the portfolio. Every graduate of Ball State should have not just a transcript, but a portfolio with the evidence of his/her capabilities. Perhaps there should be a different kind of transcript that links a portfolio to it. Most task force members thought there should be a category on the transcript for experiential learning.
This might enable students to articulate and integrate better their experiences with their courses. Another idea was to take the mission statement as the framework for the portfolio.
There were several comments about curriculum changes. The statement was made that all courses have to have learning outcomes, an idea supported by the Higher Learning Commission. Dr. Balogh clarified that the Commission looks at outcomes on three levels: courses, programs, and the institution. (The institution must set learning outcomes for everyone.) This is the way that we add value to a Ball State education in a different way than others.
A discussion followed about the kind of student that will be successful at Ball State. The following comments were made:
- Many students will be successful because of the university's size—a size that sets us apart among higher education institutions in Indiana.
- Intelligence may not be the best indicator. Motivation may be better.
- We should ask students to prove that they are doers.
- Students who want hands-on learning with access to equipment will be successful.
- Students who want to do things earlier in their college career will be successful.
- Traditional indicators do not indicate the abilities to succeed in immersion experiences. Social and emotional intelligence (Daniel Goleman's research) may be more important.
- Students who can work as a team will be successful. This supposition aligns with state interests because economic development is group/team oriented. We need to advertise that this is the kind of student we want: bright and with a potential for teamwork.
The comment was made that we need empirical data. What percentage of our students have had hands-on learning experiences? Would we be willing to collect information at the outset? We need to know how many Indiana students are going to institutions out of state for experiences that we do not offer.
Easy metrics for measurement are the percentage of students with the Academic Honors diploma, the percentage of graduates with experiential learning, our graduation rate, retention rate, and SAT scores. Measuring the number of students with community service may also be important because students who establish roots in a community tend more often to stay in Indiana. It was pointed out that metrics will be needed in all colleges.
In closing, Mr. Kinghorn explained that the process for defining the Legislative Request begins in July and goes to the next March or April.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m.
RELATED LINK:
Agenda for May 11, 2006