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Proposed strategic plan aims to position University for responding to dramatic changes in higher ed

President Keith McFarland (seated left) and Navarro College President Richard Sanchez (seated right) sign a consortium agreement for the A&M-Commerce and Navarro College Partnership. The partnership is the kind of innovative step administrators are taking to broaden the University’s reach into the future. While A&M-Commerce has taught some courses at Navarro through the years, the University began an intensive effort to bring upper level undergraduate and graduate level courses to Navarro, a two-year community college, in the fall of 1999. Standing from left are Susan Johnson, director of Marketing at Navarro; Ken Martin, assistant to President Sanchez; Dr. Bud Smith, A&M-Commerce associate vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; Suzanne Woodley, interim assistant dean of Enrollment Management; and Dr. Vicki Davis, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at A&M-Commerce. Enrollment in the A&M-Commerce courses at Navarro has grown steadily since the fall of ’99. This semester, 177 students are enrolled in 21 undergraduate courses and five graduate courses, according to Dr. Jane Walker, director of Administrative Operations for the A&M-Commerce and Navarro College Partnership.

Forging new ground

Even as the latest census information confirms its related findings, the University’s Strategic Planning Committee is finalizing its potentially far-reaching recommendations for A&M-Commerce’s future.

The committee’s recommendations are to change the school’s culture, make a full commitment to the Metroplex, develop new ways to reach and teach undergraduates while emphasizing graduate programs, increase the use of quality distance learning and, finally, highlight programs of national and regional reputation.

One of the most arresting of the committee’s findings—and one to which the 2000 Census recently lent credence—is that the greatest prospect for student growth lies westward, rathe than eastward in the rural counties that the University has emphasized through the years.

“It’s important to stress that we very much still intend to service the ten counties in northeast Texas,” said Dr. Randy McBroom, who co-chaired the committee. “But toward Dallas lies a great growth potential, and we need to strengthen our presence in the Metroplex.”

Innovation in the kinds of programs the University offers—and in the way they are delivered—was another recurring theme in the findings. Rapid changes in education drive many of the committee’s recommendations, Dr. McBroom said. A&M-Commerce has to deal with competition from new fronts such as virtual universities like the University of London, just now coming to the Metroplex, and corporations that now offer their own training.

In addition, the latest census statistics point to mushrooming populations in counties just to the west of the University, especially Rockwall and Collin counties, while counties to the east are not growing substantially, particularly in the number of college-age residents.

Census data also indicates a big shift in the statewide population toward Hispanics, which Dr. McBroom said the University also will want to address.

The committee also apparently agreed with President Keith McFarland who said in a speech last spring that, “It is incumbent upon the University to develop at least one academic program of national repute and at least two programs that are recognized as among the very best in the Southwest.”

The committee did not propose what programs be targeted for highlighting but suggested that they be chosen based on their track record of excellence and uniqueness, their ability to secure financial support and eventually become self-supporting and their ability to attract students.

Also co-chairing the committee was Dr. John Parnell. “The Strategic Planning Committee has taken a creative and systematic look at the University’s future,” he said. “ A&M-Commerce has a strong faculty, quality students and a number of exciting opportunities. The committee looks forward to continuing to support President McFarland’s efforts to build a strong future for our University.”

Even as the University looks to engage more students on new fronts, it

please see “STRATEGIC” page 15

Among the findings of the Strategic Planning Committee are that the University should:

1. Modify the “culture” of the University to emphasize responsiveness, flexibility, and innovation;

2. Make a more substantial and long-term resource commitment to the Metroplex;

3. Develop and support innovative undergraduate initiatives, including partnerships with community colleges, flexible scheduling, continuous program assessment, and cultural changes to enhance student services and undergraduate student culture, as well as enhance undergraduate admission and retention efforts;

4. Emphasize the growth and development of graduate programs;

5. Fully integrate distance learning into academic programs as a means of reaching both the rural Northeast Texas and Metroplex markets; and

6. Provide additional resources to select programs in an effort to pursue regional and national recognition.

The committee’s conclusion:

“A&M-Commerce faces many challenges, yet with strong strategic leadership the future can be bright. Our University is strategically situated close to one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas of the world, yet still maintains a personal, small-town appeal. Our graduate programs, especially in education and business, are recognized as highest quality. Outstanding potential for new programs and distance education exists, yet careful planning needs to be done to chart the courses for these new areas. Plans now being developed by various state agencies will draw wide-scale attention to higher education in Texas, and we must anticipate state mandates to position our University to the best advantage. A&M-Commerce must plan for change, which is inevitable, and chart a course well into the 21st century.”