Mission and Goals

The mission of the Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies is to provide opportunities for our students to become excellent professionals in the fields of Education and Human Services.  To implement this mission, the Seidel School fosters outstanding teaching, scholarship/creative activity, and service and cultivates a learning-centered community which strives to meet national standards for excellence by offering high quality, innovative professional programs.  The Seidel School is committed to community involvement, professional collaboration, regional partnerships, and national and international outreach in an increasingly diverse and interdependent society.

The goals of the Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies are:

• To provide to our diverse, capable students the opportunities and experiences necessary to become ethical, resourceful professionals in education and human services by offering high quality, innovative professional programs which are characterized by active learning and which meet or exceed national standards for excellence.
• To provide qualified, diverse faculty who are student centered, reflective, intellectually vibrant, and are enthusiastic models for teaching, professional excellence, and commitment to community service;
• To pursue national eminence and to secure the resources necessary to achieve our mission.

Objectives

1. The Seidel School will provide  to our diverse, capable students the opportunities and experiences necessary to become ethical, resourceful professionals in education and human services by offering high quality, innovative professional programs which are characterized by active learning and which meet national standards for excellence.

    The following objectives support Goal 1:

1. Attract and support diverse, capable students;
2. Offer opportunities for students to become ethical, resourceful professionals;
3. Meet and maintain the highest standards for all programs;
4. Ensure innovative and effective curriculum; and
5. Ensure quality field experiences throughout the professional programs.

2. The Seidel School will provide qualified, diverse faculty who are student centered, reflective, intellectually vibrant, and who are enthusiastic models for teaching, professional excellence, and commitment to community service.

    The following objectives support Goal 2:

1. Recruit, hire, and retain a high quality, diverse faculty;
2. Reward activities that promote student-centeredness;
3. Ensure effective, innovative pedagogy;
4. Recognize excellence in teaching as the highest priority for faculty;
5. Promote, support, and reward faculty involvement in service; and
6. Support and reward professional development and scholarship/creative activities.

3. The Seidel School will pursue national eminence and secure the resources necessary to achieve our mission.

The following objectives support Goal 3:

1. Secure adequate resources from internal university sources;
2. Secure increased funding of the Seidel Endowments; and
3. Secure additional external sources of resources.

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Strategies

GOAL 1: The Seidel School will provide to our diverse, capable students the opportunities and experiences necessary to become ethical, resourceful professionals in education and human services by offering high quality, innovative professional programs which are characterized by active learning and which meet national standards for excellence.

OBJECTIVE A: Attract and support diverse, capable students:

1. Support admissions efforts by attendance at open houses; scholar days; and all other recruitment based activities;
2. Devise and implement departmental action plans for minority student recruitment and retention;
3. Refocus recruitment plans on the benefits of diverse environments and determine ways to make programs more attractive to all students;
4. Redefine role(s) of the advising coordinator;
5. Study and redefine professional "gates" in all programs;
6. Design and implement vehicle for celebrating and communicating accomplishments of our students and our alumni; and
7. Undertake periodic review of assessment and grading.

OBJECTIVE B: Prepare ethical resourceful professionals:

1. Infuse professional ethics in professional course work;
2. Expose students to national codes of ethics and develop a pre-professional student code of ethics for all professional programs;
3. Require one service learning experience for all students;
4. Develop progressive curriculum that facilitates student growth from pre-professionals to beginning level professionals;
5. Explore opportunities for urban / diverse experiences for students;
6. Extend opportunities for international experiences for all students;
7. Design program experiences to increase student resourcefulness.

OBJECTIVE C: Meet and maintain highest standards for all programs:

1. Value and utilize active learning as a teaching strategy throughout all program offerings;
2. Achieve NCATE accreditation for all teacher education and school personnel programs;
3. Ensure that the physical education exercise science program meets NASPE standards;
4. Maintain CSWE accreditation for the Social work program;
5. Maintain NATA accreditation for the athletic training program;
6. Eliminate all credit count programs through MSDE program approval or program discontinuation;
7. Develop and implement assessment plans in each department for each program/track;
8. Define clear expectations for student learning outcomes and develop an assessment plan to ensure student progress towards these outcomes;
9. Undertake yearly evaluations of program curriculum using surveys, accreditation processes, student outcome assessments and knowledge gained through professional activities and establish a five year cycle for program revisions;
10. Undertake periodic examination of the academic calendar and course scheduling, class size, and student-faculty ratios in the context of quality programs which serve student needs and focus on learning.

OBJECTIVE D: Ensure innovative and effective curriculum:

1. Meet or exceed accreditation standards for all programs where such standards are available;
2. Seek increased funding for faculty and department chairs' travel to professional conferences;
3. Seek and secure grant funding aimed at curriculum innovation;
4. Seek external evaluation of the curriculum for the professional based programs;
5. Undertake yearly evaluations of program curriculum using surveys, accreditation processes, student outcome assessments, and knowledge gained through professional activities and establish a five year cycle for program revisions;
6. Undertake new program initiatives after seeking input from varied internal and external sources;
7. Support faculty participation in workshops on curriculum through a University center for teaching excellence;
8. Participate in available workshops and professional meetings on integration of technology into curriculum;
9. Provide technology for integration into course content; and
10. Use available resources to provide lecture/extra curricular activities which enhance the academic portion of the programs.
     

OBJECTIVE E: Ensure quality field experiences throughout the professional programs;

1. Structure field experiences to provide progressive active learning experiences and increasing levels of independence for the student;
2. Meet or exceed all field experience standards as set by appropriate accreditation organizations and seek external input, review, and evaluation from advisory boards and other sources on ways to improve field experiences;
3. Provide early professional involvement for all students;
4. Schedule and undertake regular reviews of field experiences and placement processes; and
5. Ensure multicultural, diverse settings for field experiences.

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GOAL 2:  The Seidel School will provide qualified, diverse, faculty who are student centered, reflective, intellectually vibrant, and who are enthusiastic models for teaching, professional excellence, and commitment to community service.

OBJECTIVE A: Recruit, hire, and retain a high quality, diverse faculty:

1. Implement policies and practices that ensure diversity in gender, race, rank, experience, and academic specialization;
2. Develop and implement a long range plan for faculty recruitment based on current staffing and projected needs assessment for each track within each department;
3. Develop a Seidel School policy manual which includes policies and procedures for each administrative unit;
4. Develop and implement a plan to assess the use of full-time faculty, adjuncts and over-loads;
5. Revise the faculty evaluation process to encourage individual faculty members to identify desired outcomes, to develop a professional development plan through which identified outcomes may be met, and to reflect on the degree to which outcomes have been met; and
6. Identify and adopt standards for faculty "citizenship."

OBJECTIVE B: Reward activities that promote student-centeredness:

1. Recognize and reward faculty participation in activities such as:
• advising workshops
• New Student Orientation Program
• Parent Weekends
• Career Placement workshops for faculty advisors advisement of student organization and/or clubs;
2. Recognize and reward outstanding faculty efforts in areas such as:
   • advising students
   • advising student research and projects.

OBJECTIVE C: Ensure effective, innovative pedagogy:

1. Ensure faculty access to technology;
2. Provide access to technology training for faculty;
3. Participate in available workshops on teaching through a University center for teaching excellence;
4. Provide mentors for new faculty;
5. Provide mentors for faculty receiving less than good ratings on their teaching evaluations; and
6. Use departmental student assessment plan to evaluate teaching and program effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE D: Recognize excellence in teaching as the highest priority for the faculty:

1. Incorporate reflection on growth and development as a teacher into annual faculty assessments;
2. Reward faculty for acquiring and refining instructional strategies that more effectively promote learning;
3. Support development of a University Teaching and Learning Center;
4. Support and recognize faculty mentorship of colleagues, particularly those who are new to the institution; and
5. Encourage participation in support workshops, such as Writing Across the Curriculum.

OBJECTIVE E: Promote, support, and reward faculty involvement in service:

1. Reward faculty involvement in service to the department, school, and university; and
2. Reward faculty involvement in service to the larger community through professional leadership, consultation, collaboration, and partnerships;

OBJECTIVE F: Support and reward professional development and scholarly/creative activities:

1. Develop a school plan for the implementation of "scholarship revisited" model;
2. Reward outcome-based professional development and scholarly activities that meet and reflect professional and institutional needs; and
3. Promote and reward faculty involvement in acquiring and maintaining grants.

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GOAL 3: The Seidel School will pursue national eminence and secure the resources necessary to achieve our mission.

Objective A: Secure adequate funding from internal university sources:

1. Develop an assertive and pro-active plan to assure fair allocation and equitable distribution of University resources to the Seidel School;
2. Develop a School technology plan which includes anticipation of necessary resources and plans for securing these resources;
3. Acquire resources necessary to meet the demands of accreditation and program growth, including resources to recruit and hire full-time, tenure track faculty;
4. Promote increased financial support for graduate programs including resources for advertising and recruitment; and
5. Monitor graduate program outcomes and revise financial needs accordingly.

Objective B: Secure increased funding of the Seidel Endowments:

1. Coordinate efforts with the Office of University Advancement to seek external funding for faculty development, program support, and student scholarships; and
2. Support the capital campaign initiatives to attract and increase private support and an increase in endowments.

Objective C: Seek additional external sources of resources:

1. Encourage, support, promote and reward grant writing activities to increase external funding; and
2. Develop and maintain entrepreneurial programs which are appropriate to the mission and goals of the Seidel School.

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Strategic Priorities 2000

Common Priorities

To review, assess, and revise student experiential learning including field/clinical based experiences and undergraduate research opportunities;

1.A.6 Design and implement vehicle for celebrating and communicating accomplishments of our students and our alumni.
1.B.3 Require one service learning experience for all students.
1.B.6 Extend opportunities for international experiences for all students.
1.D.10 Use available resources to provide lecture/extra curricular activities which enhance the academic portion of the programs.
1.E.1 Structure field experiences to provide progressive active learning experiences and increasing levels of independence for the student.
1.E.2 Meet or exceed all field experience standards as set by appropriate accreditation organizations and seek external input, review, and evaluation from advisory boards and other sources on ways to improve field experiences.
1.E.4 Schedule and undertake regular reviews of field experiences and placement processes.
2.B.2 Recognize and reward outstanding faculty efforts in areas such as:
   advising students
   advising student research projects.
2.D.2 Reward faculty for acquiring and refining instructional strategies that more effectively promote learning.
2.F  Support and reward professional development and scholarly/creative activities.
2.F.1 Develop a school plan for the implementation of "scholarship revisited" model.
2.F.2 Reward outcome-based professional development and scholarly activities that meet and reflect professional and institutional needs.
2.F.3 Promote and reward faculty involvement in acquiring and maintaining grants.

To review, assess, and revise the faculty evaluation process and professional development planning;

1.B.4 Develop progressive curriculum that facilitates student growth from pre-professional to beginning level professional.
1.D.2 Seek increased funding for faculty and department chairs' travel to professional conferences.
2.A.4 Develop and implement a plan assess the use of full-time faculty, adjuncts and over-loads.
2.A.5 Revise the faculty evaluation process to encourage individual faculty members to identify desired outcomes, to develop a professional development plan through which identified outcomes may be met, and to reflect on the degree to which outcomes have been met.
2.A.6 Identify and adopt standards for faculty "citizenship".
2.D.1 Incorporate reflection on growth and development as a teacher into annual faculty assessments.
3.C.1 Encourage, support, promote and reward grant writing activities to increase external funding

To review, assess and revise all programs (graduate and undergraduate) offered within the unit.

1.A.7 Undertake periodic review of assessment and grading.
1.B.7 Design program experiences to increase student resourcefulness.
1.C.1 Value and utilize active learning as a teaching strategy throughout all program offerings.
1.C.7 Develop and implement assessment plans in each department for each program/track.
1.C.9 Undertake yearly evaluations of program curriculum using surveys, accreditation processes, student outcome assessments and knowledge gained through professional activities and establish a five year cycle for program revisions.
1.D.4 Seek external evaluation of the curriculum for the professional based programs.
1.D.6 Undertake new program initiatives after seeking input from varied internal and external sources.

Each priority will be informed by the following:

Technology integration;

1.D.3 Seek and secure grant funding aimed at curriculum innovation.
1.D.7 Support faculty participation in workshops on curriculum through University center for teaching excellence.
1.D.8 Participate in available workshops and professional meetings on integration of technology into curriculum.
1.D.9 Provide technology for integration into course content.
2.C.1 Ensure faculty access to technology
2.C.2 Provide access to technology training for faculty.
3.A.2 Develop a Seidel School technology plan which includes anticipation of necessary resources and plans for securing these resources.

Attention to diversity needs;

1.A.2 Devise and implement departmental action plans for minority student recruitment and retention.
1.A.3 Refocus recruitment plans on the benefit of diverse environments and determine ways to make programs more attractive to all students.
1.B.5 Explore opportunities for urban/diverse experiences for students.
1.E.5 Ensure multicultural, diverse settings for field experiences.
2.A.1 Implement policies and practices that ensure diversity in gender, race, rank, experience, and academic specialization.

Implementation of assessment activities.

1.C.8 Define clear expectations for student learning outcomes and develop an assessment plan to ensure student progress towards these outcomes.
2.C.5 Provide mentors for faculty receiving less than good ratings on their teaching evaluations.
2.C.6 Use departmental student assessment plan to evaluate teaching and program effectiveness.

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