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Over the course of the next six weeks there will be many opportunities for the campus community to give input into the Prioritization and Recovery (P&R) Initiative. The P & R Steering Committee has released a comprehensive schedule of events and important deadlines in an effort to keep the university abreast of its work and create opportunities for campus constituents to share insights on recommendations. In addition, the second phase of the Academic Program recommendations is now available to the university community. “We want the campus community to know that we are actively seeking their input,” says John Self, chair of the Steering Committee and the Academic Senate. “We have developed a means for people to give their feedback that will ensure everyone has a chance to express their opinion. We want to hear every voice, not just the loudest.” The P&R Initiative is a process that is evaluating each academic and support program on campus in order to develop a proposal for university President Michael Ortiz based on common criteria for potential increased support, decreased support, restructuring or discontinuing. University Consultation Process The Steering Committee of the Prioritization & Recovery Initiative has released a timeline that lists specific dates and outcomes, which will provide the body of feedback on each of the proposed recommendations. The process seeks comment in writing and through special recommendation-based forums. In addition, Associated Students, Inc. will host and facilitate forums exclusively for students. Students will also be invited to participate in the recommendation-based forums. Externally, the Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association will steward the conversation and feedback with alumni, donors and friends. Written Feedback Process – Faculty & Staff All university faculty and staff will have an opportunity to provide formal written feedback to any recommendation they choose. The feedback reports will be department-based, allowing for each department to collectively offer a consensus and minority opinion on only the recommendations they wish to address. Department leadership will be asked to host a special meeting between Oct. 29 and Nov. 9. At these meetings, groups will determine which recommendation(s) they wish to offer opinions of and to develop the content of their message. Each opinion will be limited to approximately 500 words (or 4,000 characters). The opinions will also show the total number of people endorsing each opinion and will require a formal signature from each department member before they are considered. This form will be made available on the P & R Web site in the coming days. All final forms will ultimately be made public on the prioritization Web site. The deadline to complete these reports is Nov. 16. Campus Forums – Faculty, Staff and Students In addition to the written feedback, the university community will have opportunities to take part in conversations that address specific recommendations. The initial forum is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 25, in the University Theater from noon until 1 p.m., is designed exclusively to answer questions about the consultation process and how feedback will be received. Questions or input on the individual recommendations will not be received during that time. On Thursday, Jan. 17, from noon until 2 p.m., the Steering Committee will host a special campus-wide event that will give the university community a preview of the drafted recommendations that are scheduled to move forward to the President, enabling all interested parties to offer a final set of comments. The forum will be held in the Bronco Student Center, Ursa Major suite. Comprehensive Calendar To facilitate the numerous events and deadlines, the Steering Committee has developed a comprehensive calendar on all related issues to the consultation process. All members of the university community are strongly encouraged to review the timeline and identify the dates that work for their calendars. Understanding the P&R Initiative The Prioritization and Recovery Initiative began in April 2005 when President Ortiz identified the need to explore areas of improvement and efficiency across campus. The process hopes to ultimately empower the campus community to shape a model university for the next generation of students. To evaluate university programs appropriately, academic programs and support programs were reviewed by separate committees. The academic programs process began immediately with the selection of committee members, appointed by a joint committee of the Academic Senate and President's Cabinet. The academic programs committee includes four faculty members, a faculty alternate, two academic administrators, one staff member, one student and one student alternate. The support programs committee was formed in fall 2006 and includes two senior members from each division, a member of the President's Office and the director of Academic Resources. Members of both committees served as trustees, representing the university, not their respective divisions. Both committees were charged with evaluating respective programs on campus and developing proposals based on common criteria. These include recommendations that may potentially affect funding for the programs, including:
The P&R steering committee, which includes the executive committee of the Academic Senate, the President's Cabinet, a staff representative and the ASI vice president, will conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of the recommendations, ensuring appropriate stakeholders have been consulted in the process. The steering committee will present initial recommendations to the President by the end of January 2008. |
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