David Adams | Echo
Strategic Directions 2026, the plan that will shape the next 10 years at Taylor, begins with a list of recommendations for the advancement of the university's mission-378 of them at last tally-that can be submitted by any member of the Taylor community.
The recommendations, which remain ideas at this point, are far-reaching. Building Taylor's reputation as a nationally-recognized university, networking with businesses to provide more internship opportunities, ensuring Taylor's affordability and appointing the university's first female president are just a few of the suggestions shared at the two campus forums that have been held so far.
Students, staff, alumni, the Board of Trustees and other interested groups can make suggestions to the Strategic Directions 2026 Steering Group through the end of the semester.
Math professor Matt DeLong and vice president for advancement Ben Sells chair the 15-member committee, which was appointed by Taylor President Gene Habecker. Representatives from the academic faculty and staff, student life faculty and administrative staff comprise the rest of the committee. Habecker will receive recommendations and provide input, and Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) students will provide research support for the committee.
The steering group will winnow the recommendations to 15-20 finalists by January 2014, according to the information sheet distributed by the steering group.
The committee will then present the shortlisted recommendations to the community in the spring of 2014 and accept feedback. Analysis of the feedback and preparation of the final report draft, which will include the five recommendations the committee selects, will be completed by the end of 2014.
In the spring of 2015, the committee will again accept feedback on its work before submitting the 20- to 25-page final report to Habecker. The Board of Trustees will review and approve the final report in May 2015, and the public version of Strategic Directions 2026 will be released in June.
Five criteria will guide the steering group in selecting the shortlisted 15 to 20 recommendations, according to DeLong. The group seeks recommendations that are consistent with Taylor's mission; that build on the university's strengths or address its weaknesses; that fulfill a particular need; that are aspirational in scope; and that are compelling to students, faculty, donors and parents of prospective students.
The committee will also consider the state of higher education as they evaluate and select the recommendations, context that MAHE students Seth Oldham, Jordan Bolte and Kirsten TenHaken addressed in an Oct. 23 campus forum.Higher education must meet students' financial needs, and schools must work to set themselves apart from others because students have so many options, Oldham said.
An increasingly digitized and globalized world also presents challenges to universities. Bolte mentioned massive online open courses (MOOCs) as an example of the way the Internet is changing higher education, in which students can take free online courses from schools like Harvard. International universities are also becoming more competitive with schools in the U.S.
Perhaps the most significant challenge is what TenHaken called a "crisis of purpose" in higher education. A utilitarian view might see higher education merely as a route to get a better job. Taylor's perspective, as evidenced by its mission statement, is to equip students to serve the kingdom of God.
"Higher education is the hope of the world," TenHaken concluded.
The three students' presentation ended with three issues for discussion. Taylor must consider how it can remain competitive while remaining true to its heritage, how it can develop benchmarks to measure international and technological integration in its programs and how it can creatively shape campus culture to meet the diverse needs of students, the students said.As the steering committee ponders these challenges and others in its work to settle on the recommendations that will shape Taylor's history, DeLong hopes students will understand the importance of the process.
"If we want to remain a Biblically-grounded, Christ-centered, liberal arts institution that's excellent and producing graduates who have meaningful experiences here, we have to think about what that's going to look like 10, 13 years from now," DeLong said.
Taylor's health and work in the world will matter to students even after they graduate, DeLong argued.
"We're part of one body and one kingdom," DeLong continued. "Whether or not (Strategic Directions 2026 is) going to affect me, it should be important to me if I have an opportunity to help someone make a decision that will do good for the kingdom and the world."
The final campus forum, open to the Taylor community, is Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. in Rupp 203 and 205.
