Vision and Values Survey

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Vision and Values Survey

• Summary of Results

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Vision and Values Personnel

• Mike Woolsey, Campus Web Coordinator
• David Trechter, Director, Survey Research Center

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Vision and Values Personnel

• SRC Associate Directors  Denise Parks and
  Michelle Hadley SRC Student Assistants 
• Adrienne Adolphson, Bethany Barnett, Rachel
  Ehlert, Corrie Ford, Ashley Frye, Kayla
  Koopmeiners, Kristine Sirinek, Lindsey Thompson,
  Danielle Rogers, and Nathan Wilber.

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Vision and Values Respondents

• 585 responses
• 55 from students
• 20 from faculty
• 9 from academic staff
• 9 from alumni or community members

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Vision and Values Survey Facts

• 9,879 discrete comments

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Vision and Values SurveyThe bottom line

• Respondents love this place
• Instructors get high marks
• Students want inspiration and a good job
• Traditional strengths important
• Profile needs to be more visible and distinct
• Students want personal connections with the
  Chancellor

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Q1. When you think about UW-River Falls, what 5
words immediately spring to mind?
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Key Words

• Mostly positive (friendly) or neutral (small)
  words
• Friendly/personable campus
• Negative comments focused on lacks (parking,
  funding, appreciation, time, excitement)

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Key Words

• 53 of comments classified as positive (e.g.
  clean, quality)
• 38 of comments classified as neutral (e.g. home,
  horses)
• 9 of comments classified as negative (e.g.
  boring, no parking)

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Key Words

• Atmosphere
• Friendly, fun, home, comfortable, quiet, caring,
  welcoming, intimate, nice, peaceful, homey
• Learning Environment
• Inexpensive, quality education
• First generation students
• Student-centered

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Key Words

• Small
• Location
• Small town
• Rural
• Close
• Suitcase/commuter college

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Key Words

• Grounds
• Beautiful, pretty, scenic
• Green or natural
• Kinnickinnic

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Key Words Student Focus

• Activities and Involvement
• Athletics
• Parties
• Opportunities for involvement through student
  organizations

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Key Words

• Quality of Faculty/Staff
• Caring
• Good professors
• Knowledgeable

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Key Words

• boring
• parking issues!!! lack of it!!
• under funded
• undervalued
• overworked
• average

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Q2. What should be the core values that define
UW-River Falls as a 21st Century institution?
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Core Values

• Our 20th Century values should guide us in the
  21st
• Model integrity and honesty
• Prepare students for the future (citizenship and
  employment)
• Model openness and tolerance

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General Value Statements

• Integrity
• Respect
• Honesty
• Excellence

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Student Focused Values

• Well-rounded, intellectually challenging learning
  environment
• Preparing students for the future

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Faculty, Staff or Administration Focused Values

• Quality of Faculty and Staff
• Commitment, student-focused, teaching excellence
• Campus Culture
• Diversity

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Core Value Quotes

• Preparation for real life futures, not just an
  array of courses but programs that prepare people
  for careers and life.
• UWRF should be an ethical, knowledgeable,
  congenial, affordable educational institution
  that operates with the greatest integrity to meet
  the educational needs of its students.

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Core Value Quotes

• A place where profs know your name, teach the
  class, and are available to students outside of
  class.
• The staff and faculty at UWRF should make
  passionate and valuable teaching their goal for
  each class.

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Core Value Quotes

• A commitment to diversity and the search for
  truth.
• Providing a quality education to students from
  all walks of life.

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Q3. What is your vision for UW-River Falls?
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• Vision comments align with core value statements
• A more visible and distinct profile for UW-River
  Falls
• Maintain campus culture with overlay of 21st
  Century technology

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Vision Faculty, Staff or Administration Focused

• Programs/departments
• Teaching excellence
• Adapting to changes/needs in society
• Faculty and Staff quality
• Approachable and available faculty
• Overall quality of instruction

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Vision Student Focused Statements

• Preparing students for
• Careers good fit
• Future challenges
• Intellectually challenging learning environment
• Critical thinking
• Disciplinary knowledge
• Life long learning

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Vision Quotes

• A university that helps each student learn, not
  only content area information but also how to be
  an informed and community-minded individual.
• Where college students are eager to attend
  because of its reputation for academic excellence
  in multiple areas.

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Vision

• Reputation
• Recognized regionally nationally
• Future Growth
• Need for innovation
• Need to become re-energized

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Vision Campus Culture Statements

• Campus Atmosphere
• Home-like
• Personal touch valued
• Need more weekend activities
• Campus Diversity
• More diversity desired on campus
• Inclusive of different cultures/traditions

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Vision Quotes

• A coupling of small town nice with 21st century
  technology and sophistication.
• My vision is a campus that people can call home,
  and stay at over week-ends.
• Continue to provide that personal touch that
  this campus offers.
• To become more diverse and open its campus doors
  to people of all cultures.

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Q4. What are UW-River Falls most important
strengths that should serve as a foundation
for our development over the next five years?
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Strengths

• Traditional areas
• CAFES, CEPS
• Science and liberal arts
• Dedicated, caring, teaching-focused faculty/staff
• Strong faculty/staff-student interactions
• Private college attributes with public college
  price tag

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Strengths Faculty, Staff, Administrative
Statements

• Colleges and Departments
• Strengths in traditional areas
• Provide educational opportunities outside
  classroom
• Have wide array of majors
• Faculty and Staff Quality
• Caring and dedicated
• Positive student faculty interactions
• Continue to attract and retain quality

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Strengths Quotes

• Providing first-rate research opportunities for
  students.
• I have had 16 professors since Ive been
  enrolled as a student here. These instructors
  have all been exceptional in my opinion. Each
  one of them has been inspiring, helpful, and
  thought provoking. . . . If that is not what is
  most important in education, I dont know what
  else it could be.

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Strengths Strategic Interest Statements

• Location
• Size
• Personal connections

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Strengths Quotes

• Accessible faculty whose focus is primarily
  education-driven, not research-driven (I went to
  U of M previously, trust me!)
• Small classes. I love them. It is so
  comforting that your professors know your name, .
  . .

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Strengths Student Focused Statements

• Financial Considerations
• Affordable textbook library a plus
• Activities and Involvement Options
• Breadth of activities

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Strengths Quotes

• The textbook situation is wonderful, so much
  more affordable than it is at some other schools
  I have been to, . . .
• The biggest strength I see as a student at UWRF
  is the opportunity. There are countless
  opportunities for students to get involved in
  leadership positions, involvement and planning
  committees and the list goes on and on. The Twin
  Cities are only 25 miles away.

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Q5. Looking ahead 5 years, what should be the
defining characteristics that represent UWRF?
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Defining Characteristics

• Build on traditionally strong programs
• Quality staff dedicated to teaching
• High level/quality of student services
• Preparing students for the future
• Small place large menu
• Friendly, tolerant culture

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Defining Characteristics Faculty, Staff,
Administrative Statements

• Programs and Departments
• CAFES, CEPS
• Faculty and Staff Quality
• High quality and dedicated
• Good relationships with students

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Defining Characteristics Quotes

• To continue to remain a leading institution in
  education and agriculture, all the while
  strengthening its many other programs.
• Hiring and developing a first-rate teaching
  faculty and support staff.

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Defining Characteristics Student Focused
Statements

• Preparing for the future
• Job placement
• Affordable
• Being intellectually challenged
• Put students first
• Activities and involvement

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Defining Characteristics Strategic Interest
Statements

• Size
• Ideal
• Small college big goals

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Defining Characteristics Campus Environment
Statements

• Atmosphere
• Feeling of community
• Friendliness
• Hominess
• Fun
• Diversity
• Need for greater diversity
• Encouragement and commitment

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Defining Characteristics Quotes

• A great variety of opportunities for students
  (international travel, research, internships,
  professional development, etc.)
• Ideal size big enough for wide range of
  offerings small enough for good human
  relationships.

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Defining Characteristics Quotes

• FUN
• UWRF should have a diverse student body and
  diverse faculty.

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Q6. What changes does UW-River Falls need to
make to achieve the characteristics described
in Q5?
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Changes Needed

• More funding (faculty student comments)
• Expand, improve, update priority programs
• Invest in people
• Identify/Inculcate best teaching practices
• Raise expectations (students, faculty/staff,
  administration)

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Changes Needed Faculty, Staff, Administration
Statements

• Programs and Departments
• Quality of Faculty and Staff
• Hire and retain high quality individuals
• Emphasize service to students, advising and
  accountability

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Changes Needed Quotes

• Identify UWRFs place in the educational
  marketplace, identify areas where UWRF should NOT
  place resources because a sufficient quantity of
  institutions already offer those programs . . .
• Incorporate new courses/ways of learning across
  all majors.

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Changes Needed Quotes

• Increased cooperation between academic and
  administrative offices (were all on the same
  team here!).

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Changes Needed Faculty, Staff, Administration
Statements

• Administration
• Seek more funding
• Exercise fiscal responsibility
• Involve students
• Academic Standards
• Institute increased academic standards for
  students and faculty

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Changes Needed Student Focused Statements

• Activities
• More weekend activities
• Financial Issues
• Increase scholarships
• Increase resources for programs and departments
• Keep tuition and fees affordable

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Changes Needed Quotes

• More activities on the week-ends might encourage
  students to stay on campus and create a sense of
  community (rather than the mass exodus that
  occurs every Friday afternoon).

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Changes Needed Quotes

• Improve scholarship programs to attract and
  retain best students.
• At the system level, something needs to be done
  about faculty and staff pay. The lack of success
  in obtaining funds for pay raises is seriously
  demoralizing and undermines commitment.

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Changes Needed Quotes

• Strengthen professional development
  opportunities for faculty and continue attracting
  strong faculty who want to teach.

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Q7. How do you think Chancellor Betz can most
effectively serve UW-River Falls?
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Chancellor Priorities

• Address funding concerns
• Be omnipresent
• Speak often
• Listen even more
• Connect with students/faculty
• Facilitate/Implement long-range plan

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Chancellor Priorities Faculty, Staff,
Administration Statements

• Open, inclusive communication between Chancellor
  and stakeholders
• Listening is important
• Visibility
• Involvement with students
• Leadership
• Provide an institutional vision

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Chancellor Priority Quotes

• Go to Madison and fight for us.
• Find new partnerships to fund campus growth.
• Need to turn the tide with the legislature and
  public in terms of seeing the university as an
  investment in the future rather than just another
  expense to be cut when times are tight.

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Chancellor Priorities Student Focused Statements

• Putting students first
• Work collaboratively with students
• Financial issues
• Keep tuition affordable
• Maintain educational quality

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Chancellor Priorities Other Statements

• Chancellors personal involvement
• With all stakeholders
• Motivate and advocate for campus
• Future growth
• Embrace and lead change

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Chancellor Priority Quotes

• Be involved with the students!! We love to talk
  to you and see you at sporting events,
  art/theater events, etc.
• Listen and really contemplate faculty and
  student suggestions.
• Establish a strong collaborative leadership
  group on campus that faculty can work with, trust
  and respect.

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Chancellor Priority Quotes

• Embrace the region. One of the main themes
  throughout all his visits would be How can we
  help your organization, business, government
  agency, school, etc.?
• Creating a vision with action plan, charging the
  stakeholders to remain accountable for making
  this happen.

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Chancellor Priority Quotes

• Do something about the fact that the Polar Ice
  Caps are melting.
• Who?
• I'm not sure, the only thing I could do is wish
  him good luck!

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Next Steps

• Current searches
• Core values
• Mission statement
• Vision statement

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Next Steps

• Strategic plan
• Action steps to fulfill mission and realize
  vision in congruence with core values
• Planning with our Eyes on the Prize

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Vision and Values

• Questions?
• Comments?
• Observations?