LSU University Planning Document

Louisiana State University
Office of Academic Affairs

October 15, 2001

From: Daniel Fogel, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

To: Faculty and Staff

Subject: LSU Planning Document, Release 2.0

With special gratitude to the University Planning Council and to all of the members of the LSU community--alumni, students, staff, and faculty--who have offered suggestions for the improvement of LSU's strategic plan, we are pleased to present you with the new release of the University Planning
Document. As ever, we affirm that LSU is committed to following this plan with effective, timely action in order to realize its goals and objectives. The UPC continues to invite dialogue and encourages communication by email to upc@lsu.edu.

Preamble to the University Planning Document, Release 2.0

We believe that LSU can best accomplish its mission by providing the people of Louisiana with access to academic excellence. As Louisiana's flagship research institution, Louisiana State University and A&M College must be a leader in the intellectual, cultural, social, and economic advancement of the state. LSU must attract the brightest students from Louisiana and around the nation in order to develop talented, productive, responsible citizens. LSU must be a source of new knowledge, innovation, and cutting-edge technologies.

With appropriate support, LSU will continue to rise among the leading public research universities in the nation; LSU will model the highest aspirations of higher education as a learner centered, faculty and staff supportive, research intensive, diverse university, with a commitment to public service; and LSU will be a leader of education in Louisiana, with special emphasis on partnerships aimed at the improvement of K-12 education.

We affirm that:

LSU is a distinctive institution with special opportunities: we must make the most of these attributes--for example, the unique culture and history of our state, our strategic relation to the Caribbean and to Central and South America, and our resource-rich wetlands and coasts.
LSU is a public institution: we must provide access to
excellence and we must be accountable, always showing that LSU has used its resources wisely and efficiently.
LSU is committed in practice and by policy to equal rights for all, to providing a learning environment and a workplace free of intolerance, discrimination, and any form of harassment or violence, whether by virtue of religion, race, national origin, gender, or any other of the attributes that create the rich diversity of our LSU community.
Planning and assessment are continuous and essential processes: we must know where we are heading and how to gauge our progress.
Shared governance is a fundamental principle: we must work as a team, with full respect for dialogue and due process.

The University is not the momentary mix of its students, faculty, and staff, nor is it a particular place. Rather, it is a complex, fluid network of changing relations that extend far beyond our immediate community and the borders of our campus. To stay abreast of a rapidly changing world, LSU must be flexible, bold, and imaginative. At the same time, it is essential for the economic and social well-being of Louisiana that LSU hold steadfastly to a vision: to be a leading research university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development.

LSU and A&M Planning Document, Release 2.0 October 15, 2001

Vision: To be a leading research university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development.

Mission: The mission of Louisiana State University and A&M College is the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts.

Strategic Goals:
LSU must offer excellent curricula and must attract, retain, educate, and graduate highly qualified students.

LSU must attract, retain, develop, and support excellent faculty and staff.

LSU must facilitate and encourage teaching, research, and service that benefit society and advance knowledge.

LSU must contribute to the social, economic, and cultural well-being of the state, the nation, and the world.

Strategic Directions and Objectives:
Strategic Direction 1: To create a challenging learning environment that enriches students' intellectual lives, develops their professional and personal abilities, and fosters civic engagement and ethical conduct.

Objective 1.1: To enroll students who will succeed at LSU.
Objective 1.2: To provide opportunities for the development of interdisciplinary connections and approaches to learning.

Objective 1.3: To provide competitive financial aid and scholarship programs for undergraduates and competitive stipends for graduate and professional students.

Objective 1.4: To help students achieve personal and academic goals through outstanding academic and professional advising, counseling, and career services.

Objective 1.5: To provide faculty with professional development and support in order to improve teaching.

Objective 1.6: To develop a wide variety of experiences and support programs outside the classroom that enrich the emotional and intellectual development of students.

Objective 1.7: To provide extensive internship, service-learning, and community service opportunities.

Objective 1.8: To promote inside and outside the classroom an informed commitment to ethical conduct.

Objective 1.9: To support lifelong learning through credit and non-credit programs.

Objective 1.10: To assess and continuously improve curricula.

Strategic Direction 2: To foster multiculturalism.

Objective 2.1: To foster mutual respect and tolerance.
Objective 2.2: To recruit and retain students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented groups.

Objective 2.3: To promote the international and multicultural aspects of curricula.

Objective 2.4: To support the international exchange of faculty and students.

Objective 2.5: To foster relationships with foreign universities and institutions.

Strategic Direction 3: To invest resources wisely.

Objective 3.1: To evaluate the needs of the University, determine priorities, and reallocate accordingly, with emphasis on investment in departments and interdisciplinary areas that will enhance the quality of the entire institution.

Objective 3.2: To make administrative processes and functions as efficient and facilitative as possible.

Objective 3.3: To assign decision-making authority to the lowest appropriate level.

Objective 3.4: To cross-train personnel for increased responsibility and authority.

Objective 3.5: To use campus facilities efficiently.

Objective 3.6: To investigate all outsourcing opportunities.

Strategic Direction 4: To reward faculty and staff systematically for excellence.

Objective 4.1: To recruit and retain scholars of the highest distinction.

Objective 4.2: To provide mentoring and encourage professional development.

Objective 4.3: To implement participatory management techniques that involve all faculty and staff.

Objective 4.4: To administer a regular, predictable, equitable compensation program with competitive benefits and annual merit raises based upon clear criteria and rigorous, consequential performance evaluations for all faculty, staff, and administrators.

Objective 4.5: To support participation in professional and service organizations.

Objective 4.6: To provide promotional opportunities and multi-year contracts to outstanding faculty with non-tenurable appointments.

Objective 4.7: To encourage and support wellness programs for all members of the campus community.

Strategic Direction 5: To increase the quality and quantity of University scholarly and creative activity.

Objective 5.1: To invest in the technological and physical infrastructure required for a nationally competitive research university.

Objective 5.2: To invest more in research, including matching funds, start-up funds, and maintenance of equipment.

Objective 5.3: To develop a culture that encourages, supports, and rewards scholarly and creative activity, including the scholarship of teaching.

Objective 5.4: To support technology development and transfer, to foster partnerships with external entities, and to develop spin-off companies, with special emphasis on economic development for the state of Louisiana.

Objective 5.5: To establish a Research Foundation.

Strategic Direction 6: To be a national leader in the application of information technology and the development of library collections and services.

Objective 6.1: To develop under academic leadership and implement a Master Plan for technology and electronic information.

Objective 6.2: To provide state-of-the-art educational technology and training in its use.

Objective 6.3: To provide support for the Libraries at a level that is nationally competitive.

Objective 6.4: To achieve an appropriate balance of printed and electronic information resources.

Objective 6.5: To be a leader in developing and publishing learned journals in electronic formats.

Objective 6.6: To develop and deliver electronic learning programs in areas in which LSU has distinctive competencies, market advantages, and the ability to develop programs in very cost-effective ways.

Objective 6.7: To promote among students, faculty, and staff mastery of information technology and high skill levels in information retrieval, assessment, interpretation, and application.

Strategic Direction 7: To enhance the physical infrastructure of the University.

Objective 7.1: To pursue a campus facilities planning process driven by the University's strategic plan, by needs assessment, and by an architectural, aesthetic vision.

Objective 7.2: To invest regularly in the upkeep of University facilities in order to ensure preservation of the historic values of the campus and appreciation of LSU's physical assets.

Objective 7.3: To ensure that routine facilities services provide a campus that is well maintained, environmentally safe, and physically attractive.

Strategic Direction 8: To build and sustain informed support for LSU's role as Louisiana's flagship research university.

Objective 8.1: To coordinate public relations, governmental and corporate relations, and fund-raising.

Objective 8.2: To encourage, recognize, reward, and publicize individual achievement by faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Objective 8.3: To ensure effective communication with the internal and external stakeholders of the University.

Strategic Direction 9: To secure adequate private and public funds to support the mission of the University.

Objective 9.1: To enhance academic programs and faculty and student rewards and stipends through giving from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Objective 9.2: To secure state allocations commensurate with those of peer, flagship institutions.