Master Academic Plan

Table of Contents

I. INTRODUCTION - Building for the Future: Academic Affairs

Bemidji State University aspires to be the Midwest's premier student-centered university, integrating liberal arts with career development to prepare students for life-long learning and leadership in a global society. We have unique strengths that allow us to take advantage of opportunities, but we also face new and daunting challenges that require our critical evaluation and strategic response. This Master Academic Plan coordinates and further develops those portions of the University Plan that are uniquely academic, and is informed by the significant planning that has taken place at Bemidji State University. Its purpose is to further guide academic development at the University.

Strategic Planning at Bemidji State University

Discussion of strategic planning at the University may be enhanced by referring to categories of plans as Level I, Level II, and Level III (modeled from Georgia Southern University).

Level I Plans (University Plan)

The University Plan: Strategies for 2002-2007 In 2002, in part as an outcome of the university's Higher Learning Commission accreditation self-study, . Bemidji State developed a new five-year goal statement and strategic plan, the University Plan: 2002-2007 (Appendix D).

Five-year Goal Statement: Bemidji State University's goal is to be the Midwest's premier student-centered university integrating liberal arts with career development to prepare students for life-long learning and leadership in a global society.

The University Plan articulates four strategies to reach its goal:
1. Resource maintenance, expansion, and diversification
2. Programming and service excellence
3. Alignment of resources with priorities
4. Enhancement of institutional processes and decision-making

Level II Plans (University Master Plans)

Level II documentation includes academic, facilities, information technology, and student development . Master Plans. These Master Plans include explicit language on how different functions within the University support and advance the goals and objectives identified in the Level I University Plan.

Level III Plans (College and Department Plans)

Level III documents include college strategic plans, department plans, and program reviews.

Planning Assumptions

The Master Academic Plan is based initially on the University Plan and incorporates the following assumptions derived from analysis of the university's relative strengths and weaknesses vis-à-vis the university's external and internal environments. (See Appendix F for full analysis.)

• Changing demographics will affect demand for higher education at Bemidji State.
• Recruiting, retaining, educating, and graduating students must be institutional priorities.
• Efforts to connect existing academic programs with new student markets should increase enrollments.
• State resources for new programs will be limited.
• Bemidji State must carefully evaluate whether new academic programs could be used to build institutional enrollments.
• Bemidji State must continue to meet lifelong learning demands of working and older adults.
• Projected faculty turnover through retirements requires careful planning.

Desired Outcomes for the Master Academic Plan

As mentioned earlier, this Master Academic Plan coordinates and further develops those portions of the . University Plan that are uniquely academic. In particular, it develops Strategy B of the University Plan and begins to answer questions posed in Strategy A.

1. High quality programs
2. Excellent faculty
3. Secured future for Northern Minnesota
4. Diversity in students, faculty and programming
5. Excellent teaching and learning environment
6. Financial stability.

II. Master Academic Plan

Appendix