President Ruch Launches Campus Planning Effort

"As I promised during the opening convocation we are going to have a campus-wide discussion that will chart the course for the future of the university. We will accomplish this through a mixture of small group and campus-wide discussions. We will begin with an open discussion session scheduled from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at an on campus location yet to be identified. During the event, we will scan the campus environment by reviewing our mission statement, ABET and HLC accreditation requirements, the most recent Academic Advisory Board report, the results of the Marketing and Planning efforts recently compiled, the STUDENT Project, the South Dakota Opportunities report, and the Alumni Association Focus Group Report. Following the environmental scan, the participants will break into smaller groups to discuss priorities and strategies for addressing those priorities. It will be a long day for those who participate, but it will be the best way to get this process started.

After that event, a smaller group of faculty and staff will read and discuss all the comments compiled Oct. 29. An even smaller group will then distill the comments into a comprehensive report that will be sent to the entire campus community for additional discussion and comments. That cycle of campus-wide to small-group discussions may happen several times before a final product is written and finalized by the end of the academic year. I will be an integral part of the process, and invite the campus community to become engaged in this process to whatever level they are able. This important activity will set our course for the future and better prepare us to respond to opportunities that present themselves.

I have confidence in this process because we will accept any and all comments. I invite everyone on campus to participate in this effort in one of the following ways.

• Facilitators: Faculty and staff are invited to serve as facilitators for the Oct. 29 breakout group session discussions. A training session will be held in advance to prepare facilitators for this important role.
  
  
• Full Participants (Breakout Group Members): Participants who are able to commit to attend the entire session will take part in the breakout group sessions.
  
  
• Participant Observers: Participants who are unable to commit to the entire session, may observe portions of the session and forward their comments after the event.
  
  
• Other: Those unable to attend the Oct. 29 session can read the outcome of the event and forward their comments.
  

If you wish to participate as a Facilitator is important that you contact my office as soon as possible and no later than September 26 so that a training session can be scheduled to prepare you for this critical role.

If you would like to participate as either a Full Participant (Breakout Group Member) or a Participant Observer, please notify my office as soon as possible and no later than Wednesday, October 22 so that you have time to review the materials and other logistics can be addressed.

Materials will be available on the web so that all participants can better prepare for the session.

I believe this is a critical step for the university. I look forward to working with you to embark on this journey."

Chuck Ruch
President


Contact: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/PresidentCampusPlanningLaunch

Last Modified: 10/22/2003