INPUT FOR THE COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY
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Click on a name to jump to that person's written statement.
Robert Simerly - Gil Lazier - Freddie Groomes - Frances Harley - Lyn Cooley - Felecia Jordan - Isaac Eberstein - Earle Klay - Bob Reardon - Paul Cottle - Roger Kaufman
Dean for University Outreach
Marie, I'm sending these thoughts to you for sharing with the Commission
on the Future of the University. This visioning process is very important
as Florida State prepares for the 21st century, and we congratulate the
commission for its hard work in holding extensive public hearings in order
to receive input from our many constituencies. In the interest of brevity,
I will confine my remarks to recommendations related to university outreach
efforts.
The College of Arts and Sciences last year developed
a symposium devoted to fiction writers who wrote about World War II. This
involved looking at some of the major World War II works of fiction and
considering them within an historical context. The program attracted several
hundred people and received extensive media coverage. Faculty used their
professional expertise to extend their teaching and research or other creative
activity and provide service through this type of outreach activity. Video
tapes were made of the major presentations so that in the future students
will have access to the thinking that emerged from this program.
The School of Theatre organized a trip to London
in which tour participants met with directors and actors. In addition,
participants attended a number of productions. A faculty member accompanied
the group and provided on-the-spot teaching for a wide variety of issues
related to understanding theatre. The educational nature of this program
helped to extend the teaching and research or other creative activity of
the school and is an excellent example of service through outreach activities.
A professor of biology was invited to participate
in six half-day visits to an elementary school classroom last year to work
with students and the teacher on how to access a wide variety of information
about biology on the www. Individual projects were developed in which students
used information found on the www. Students were also shown how to contact
several leading biologists around the world using email and the Internet.
Email pen pals and chat rooms were also established with elementary school
students in three other countries. The professor used her professional
expertise to extend her teaching and research or other creative activity
through this type of outreach service.
A professor of education serves on the editorial
board of a professional education journal. This enables the professor to
use her professional expertise to review manuscripts and suggest those
that should be accepted for publication and those that should be rejected.
This important peer review of articles meets the criteria of engaging in
service through outreach activities.
A professor of engineering serves as president
of one of his national professional engineering associations. This involves
using his professional expertise to provide leadership for an important
professional association. Thus, his background in teaching and research
or other creative activity is important in contributing to excellence in
this form of service through outreach.
Examples of Activities That Do Not Meet This
Clarified Definition of Service Through Outreach
Professor X serves on the promotion and tenure
committee of the college where she holds her faculty appointment. While
this is an important contribution to the college, it does not meet the
criteria of using her professional expertise to extend service beyond the
university through outreach activities.
Professor X is a member of a local civic club
devoted to community service. This type of community involvement is important
for responsible citizenship, but it does not meet the criteria of using
his professional expertise to extend professional service beyond the university
through outreach activities. This type of community service is of a general
nature that does not involve actively extending one's teaching and research
or other creative efforts through outreach activities.
Clarifying the Reward Structure for Helping
FSU Achieve Its Mission of Service Through Outreach Activities
If we say that the breadth of the mission of the university involves teaching,
research or other forms of creative activity, and service through outreach
activities, then the institutional reward structure involving tenure, promotion,
raises, and resource allocations should consider the breadth of these three
missions. Measuring excellence in each of these three areas needs to be
integrated into the reward process in ways that are visible and understandable
within the university community. This also implies that service through
outreach activities should establish the same level of evaluation of effectiveness
of efforts as is found in the evaluation of teaching and research or other
creative activities. In other words, we should measure the effectiveness
of teaching. We should measure the effectiveness of research or other creative
activity. Similarly, we should measure the effectiveness of service through
outreach activities.
Summary
Clarifying that service through outreach activities is one of the three
important missions of the university can help us sharpen our vision for
the 21st century. This type of clarification is just as important as defining
one of our missions as that of engaging in research or other forms of creative
activity. Simply stopping with the word service in considering our mission
does not clarify institutional expectations of what actually constitutes
service. We do not stop with saying that one of the institutional missions
is research since there are many other forms of creative activity. For example,
producing a theatre performance is a form of research as well as other creative
activity. Organizing an important museum exhibit is a form of research as
well as other creative activity. Similarly, the expanded definition of the
term service is important. I hope that the Commission on the Future of the
University will consider clarifying this issue in any report it issues.
Florida State University has a long and proud history of providing service
through a wide variety of outreach activities. It is now time to clarify
in our formal visioning process, and any reports that result from this exercise,
exactly what is meant by service in stating the university's tripartite
mission.
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Dean, School of Theatre
Thank you for the opportunity to offer this letter
describing my vision of Florida State's future. Here is the image- Our great
university is a beacon of culture, lofting high above the landscape, radiating
its enlightenment throughout the region. This light of art and culture stimulates
the blossoming of the hearts and minds of people of all ages. The light
source is the university itself, and the dazzling energy created generates
from faculty and students working side-by-side on and in performances for
the community. The concentric circles of light radiate out from the university
community to the City to the State to the Region, carrying to the citizenry
beauty, strength, conscience, a sense of human achievement and potential.
Audiences are attracted to Tallahassee to see performances of the highest
caliber--of amazing quality, depth and scope-- involving directly students
and faculty. FSU is not only a beacon, but also a magnet and emerges as
an arts and learning complex par excellence.
In order for the University to act as a cultural beacon to attract audiences
to Tallahassee, the Corner on the Arts project is absolutely essential.
This physical unification produces a beautiful and attractive complex, user
friendly, safe, a design symbol itself for culture. People of all ages desire
to spend time in this environment. It becomes a point of community congregation.
FSU becomes a national destination arts complex through regular festivals
such as Spoleto and Tanglewood.
As the University attracts audiences to campus, it also takes performances
to locations throughout the region. Touring productions of music, theatre
and dance, art and museum exhibits and film festival screenings are coordinated
by a central staff, integrated into the University curriculum, and into
community and school schedules. A literal circuit is established for regular
touring by troupes of FSU students, who receive an entire semester's credit
for this endeavor. A major obligation of these tours is to awaken our children
to the wonders of art and culture.
All performing arts activities on campus are centrally coordinated and supported
out of a single, central production unit, adequately staffed and structured
to retain the unique characteristics of the separate arts, but guaranteeing
efficient support. The entire operation contains room for innovation, learning
and creativity of the highest order, state-of-the-art equipment and process,
and absolute avoidance of burnout.
The Corner on the Arts beacon begins to generate light of such power and
clarity that it becomes a world center, emulated by higher learning institutions
globally. Through new technology linkages, our achievements at FSU are modeled
in other cultures. A worldwide consortium of performing arts training programs
is produced.
The ultimate focus and yield of this image for our University is its impact
on our students. Those in the arts become emissaries, carrying the light
and energy they absorbed while at FSU to other locuses upon graduation.
They begin to generate their own beacons wherever they settle. Those students
in other areas are so profoundly affected by their introduction to arts
and culture at FSU that they demand it wherever they settle, and support
it accordingly. The Roman philosopher, Horace, said that the purpose of
theatre, is to enlighten through entertaining. I have always believed that
this wonderful statement meant that we as artists and educators have the
obligation to convey the deepest understanding of the core of life through
the great beauty of our work. I would welcome such a future for our great
University. Let the combined torches of FSU form such a beacon!
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FUTURE VISIONS FOR FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Dianne H.
Montgomery
Dean, School of Social Work
In reply to your request for comments about a future I would welcome at
Florida State University, I will briefly address issues related to our educational
and community environments. I have specific comments in the traditional,
areas of instruction, research and service, and will also address FSU's
future in the areas of athletics, staff support, development and its physical
environment.
With respect to instruction, I believe FSU needs to redefine teaching excellence
from both our faculty members' and our students' perspectives. I would seek
a learning environment that includes more faculty/student interactions with
a greater use of the tutorial model of instruction. We also have an obligation
to give our students a high level of exposure to other cultures with a curriculum
that embraces the broadest concepts of liberal education and opportunities
for applied experiences designed to prepare them for a global job market.
Our educational environment must be more supportive of interdisciplinary
teaching efforts, and in order to accomplish that goal, we must move from
FTE and student credit hour funding formulas to budget allocations that
are based on indicators of excellence rather than on size alone. We need
to continue to expand FSU's unique and innovative degree offerings. The
newly created MSW/JD degree and proposals for a master's degree in dispute
resolution and a combined MSW/MFA degree, for example, will all serve to
attract outstanding students to Florida State University while providing
unique, state-of-the-art education and training.
Graduate education must continue to be a high priority at FSU. Competitive
stipends and waivers are basic to attracting the best and brightest students.
It is also in the best interests of our undergraduate students and faculty
to have graduate students well trained, properly supervised and experienced
in teaching at the university level. With competitive financial support
made available to them, our graduate students can support in the best way
the university's teaching and research missions as an integral part of pursuing
their own educational goals.
A medical school and a school of public health would significantly enhance
Florida State University's mission. The School of Social Work's role in
the healthcare industry is ever-increasing. We already have expertise in
the areas of gerontology, substance abuse and addictions, traumatology,
family violence, and health and human services which would make significant
contributions to these two initiatives.
To accomplish the type of instructional environment I envision, state-of-the-art
technology must be made available in a seamless manner throughout the university.
For programs like Social Work which deal with large numbers of part-time
and off-campus students, these technology requirements are especially important
and need to be addressed as a ongoing need with thoughtful planning and
adequate funding.
Florida State University's research mission is an exceedingly important
aspect of its educational environment. Our graduate programs and the faculty
assigned to both basic and applied research endeavors must be carefully
preserved and supported. I believe the university's role in its research
mission should be to ensure that research and contract and grant activities
are cultivated, facilitated and rewarded in every way. Concurrently, expectations
for faculty productivity in research and scholarship should be high and
sustained throughout each faculty member's career.
I have listened carefully to the arguments for establishing a "teaching
faculty" whose primary mission is instructional. I support that model
only for faculty with major administrative duties or who are in, non tenure-earning
positions. I believe that a Research I institution must fully integrate
the research and instructional activities of its faculty. It is only within
this well-rounded, mutually enriching model that innovative, state-of-the-art
research activities can form the basis for providing our students with the
very best education available. Within this context, undergraduate and graduate
students should have ample opportunities to participate in our faculty members'
research projects. Again, I believe this tutorial model of instruction is
one that will serve FSU and its students very well.
In the area of service, Florida State University must be a major player
and partner in the Tallahassee community and in the State of Florida. I
hope to see a future where every legislator, legislative staff member, state
agency head and federal agency thinks of Florida State University when they
are seeking expertise in service and research endeavors. Service activities
should be conceptualized as opportunities for teaching and research enhancement
as well as personal and community fulfillment. The School of Social Work
will continue to provide thousands of hours of service to the State of Florida
by its students and faculty, and will continue to have community-based learning
activities as part of its regular classroom instructional activities. Other
disciplines would also benefit from this model. We must provide our students
with a well-rounded educational experience that embraces the best in instructional
innovations, exposure to state-of-the-art research and numerous opportunities
for community service.
I look forward to the time when it isn't necessary to request resources
and equity for women athletes by citing Title IX legislation, but that equitable
resources, facilities and support are provided willingly and with enthusiasm,
because it's the right thing to do and because it's a universally accepted
part of our culture. I also look forward to a time when the same number
of fans show up to watch a women's soccer match as do to watch men's football
(and basketball, and baseball/softball, etc.). Florida State University
must be a leader in making this vision a reality.
The State University System should be a leader in providing its support
staff with salaries and working conditions that rank with the top private
industry models in the country. In order to effectively support Florida
State University's mission, its support staff needs more than adequate salaries
and benefits such as readily available child care and flex time. The demographics
clearly show a future explosion of growth in enrollments at universities
state-wide, which will force us to continue to explore and make use of alternative
class scheduling, This expansion will require staff support to extend beyond
the traditional 8:00 - 5:00 work schedule, and should be seen as an opportunity
to better serve both our employees and the public.
To realize our vision of the future, larger endowments and more creative
funding sources are essential. We need to design university systems that
truly facilitate interdisciplinary, collaborative fundraising efforts. We
must do a better, more professional job of marketing ourselves, nationally
and internationally.
Our physical environment at FSU must include well-maintained buildings and
grounds that are pedestrian-friendly, colorful and safe, Our university
community should enjoy a campus where parking is not the topic of every
other conversation.
The ideal future I envision includes students who are attracted to Florida
State University by the physical beauty of our campus and by the outstanding
instruction provided by world-renowned scholars. Our students will participate
in extracurricular activities as will some of our faculty members. They
will feel safe here and have fun, and many of them will live in a learning
dormitory, as, in the future, the opportunity for living/learning environments
will be available to every graduate and undergraduate student who desires.
They will leave us with the very best education, well prepared for a bright
future.
Return to Findings
COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE
Executive Assistant to the President
Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Pluralism
This memorandum is forwarded pursuant to a request for me to share my thoughts,
as part of the planning process, about where the University should be going
in the next decade. My focus is in the area of equal opportunity and pluralism.
I am also speaking as a member of the faculty of this institution.
As I see it, fostering and valuing the concept of pluralism should be inherently
a part of the university's mission, role, and scope as it, and its supporting
communities, move into the next millennium. For truly, differences will
always abound - whether cultural, racial, positional, and on other bases.
However, it is my firm belief that we can make and portray a difference
in the way difference is accepted, embraced and - just as importantly -respected,
while working together and experiencing life along various boundaries and
parameters: from communicating with one another in social gatherings of
various types to participating on university-wide communities, while engaged
in the processes of research, publication, administration, teaching and
learning to developing a culture of success for students, faculty and staff.
Along these lines, it would be important for the University to express its
commitment to equity and pluralism in terms and actions that encompass all
individuals. As a public institution of higher learning, it is relevant
to encourage the access and participation of persons representing diverse
ideals and backgrounds. Further, university-wide recognition should be given
in support of individual efforts to interject and demonstrate pluralism
and respect for the worth and dignity of all individuals at least annually.
Also, best practices should be recognized and encouraged from this standpoint.
In conclusion, it is my belief that true realization of the educational
mission can best be achieved through deliberate outcome-oriented processes.
Therefore, my immediate desire is for the character, processes, and resulting
disposition of the Commission on the Future to exude pluralism as its hallmark
which will help make pluralism a natural reality over a reasonable time
frame.
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BUILDING #17
Frances M. Harley
Director, Environmental Health and Safety
In the center of Florida State University is a
familiar structure with many names, distinguished by its culinary history.
Although it was accepted by the University in 1913, its birthday remains
unknown. Originally, it was called The Old Dining Hall where in 1910,
Governor Gilchrist took cooking instruction and proclaimed, "I am proud
of a college that teaches the students how to make good biscuits."
During the war years, Suwanee Dining Hall was the meeting place of
hope in an otherwise dark time of need. Students donated their ration stamps
for troops overseas and discovered that when grounds keepers trimmed ivy
from Dodd Hall, collards frequented the table.
After the war, the G.I.s took meals with co-eds in Seminole Dining Hall
and early in 1980 when an entrepeneur, William H. Johnston, bequeathed the
failing downtown Duval Hotel to FSU, he was honored by becoming the father
of the eatery with an identity crisis we now know as Johnston Building.
In many ways the building displays the multiple personality of a military
school, women's college, leader in football, Research One University known
as FSU. It is home to the Schools of Hospitality Administration and Dance.
In 1969, after the Westcott fire, Johnston hosted the Registrar, Cashier,
Undergraduate Admissions and Personnel offices that since have moved to
the new T.K. Wetherell Building adjoining Campbell Stadium.
Now Johnston continues its personality struggle by housing occupants from
campus buildings awaiting renovations while it suffers the maladies of time
- black lung in heating systems, asbestosis, parasites and exposure to the
elements. However, above the vintage 1960's drop ceiling and under the thick
coats of lead-based paint, is an array of artistic relief that brings back
the time of Tallahassee lassies when "Johnny came marching home"
and students knew how to make good biscuits.
Return to Findings
FSU Commission on the Future
Director, Operations Analysis
Office of the Inspector General
I have enjoyed hearing the speakers that have addressed
the Commission regarding their views of the future they would welcome for
Florida State University ( FSU) and I am also looking forward to hearing
others in the near future. I heard Vice President Spencer say that although
she was not a well known scholar, published or noted in a traditional manner
, still the Commission was interested in hearing what her views were. I
offer even less than her, but do feel compelled to offer my thoughts on
a future for FSU that I would be proud of.
My natural inclination is to go with what I know! To be a part of an institution
which offers everything traditional. I was born and raised (schooled) in
England where learning, discussion and debate were part of the fabric of
that society. Funding such a worthy cause was never a point of debate, it
just was. I still enjoy walking through old quadrants of schools and institutions
which are protected often by a great big wall as they offer such a sense
of peace and tranquility that allows freedom of thought and aids the learning
process. As my children are wont to remind me I am from another world, and
they are right.
However, I am also as excited about the future and see that there is no
going back but to try and mold the future into something that we would like
it to be. I believe that the driving force of our lives is information and
the associated speed with which it is delivered. To that end the luxuries
of being able to analyze, debate and discuss at leisure the "best"
course of action is disappearing. Communication in all directions is preferred
in short quick bursts which leaves even the most robust in a breathless
lather.
I ponder on global issues and how the world is changing, again rapidly.
I think that the Union of Europe which will no doubt happen sooner rather
than later and which will probably be driven by the influence of Germany.
A country which has a national anthem of "Deutschland Uber Alles",
again might offer some suggestion as to the future world order. China, the
unknown continent, still is just that unknown. America, and her reputation
of being a "Super Power" will have her hands full to compete in
this global society. This century win have seen the exodus of people from
their small farming communities to the industrial cities and then into the
global information arena of the entire world.
How do we as a leading institution in higher education prepare both the
young, the old and everyone in between to represent America at the global
seat and work interactively with every "people" in the world?
We have spoken about identity and the need for one; perhaps an opportunity
lies before us. What do we want to be known for in the year 2010? What will
be the expectations of those we will be serving?
I am a proponent for a strong liberal arts base, I expect because I have
benefited from one myself albeit that I received it in high school. Critical
thinking, I learned in my Latin classes and language classes where the difference
of one letter could often change the meaning of a phrase, quite remarkably.
I was amazed at just how often it did change, as was my Latin teacher. Foreign
languages obviously in and of themselves will provide a practical way of
communication but also one learns more about ones' own language when learning
another. I am fond of the saying that " if you don't know where you
have been; don't know where you are; then how do you know where you are
going?" A strong liberal arts education helps to begin to answer those
questions.
I also think that access to information is becoming as important as the
retention and committing of information to memory. Are children actually
processing information the same way? I offer that in part they are not.
Humans can process information must faster and in a multitude of ways at
the same time, but we have restricted ourselves by the intake mechanisms
that we have traditionally been using. When we read, we tend to sound out
the words in our mind; only read from left to right, when in actual fact
we are capable of looking at blocks of information and processing it at
much faster rates. Television screens offer fast paced, creatively packaged
information blocks. Our children are being trained early to absorb and respond
to this type of information processing.
How do we provide the traditional courses and blend all the "new"
information. I think the method of delivery of our courses becomes the key.
Students in Leon county high schools are already receiving classes through
interactive distance learning with Tallahassee Community College. So that
method of delivery is known to the generations who are arriving on our doorsteps
today. Is it practical for this delivery system not to be available for
them as they enter a four year institution? Could we provide classes in
this manner and support them with professors who have more of a role of
advisor, or mentor?
How can we delivery instruction to those mature students who need to retool
and respond to the work force changes as they happen. What types of degrees
do we provide? Can colleges and schools share, blend and mix the information
and the subsequent dissemination of it? If the distance learning, non traditional
methods of delivery are utilized how do we manage such issues as quality
assurance and accreditation. However, I offer that as we are going through
this type of thought process so are many other institutions ( albeit behind
us!) and so accreditation bodies may flex with the times. I do think that
those institutions which offer options early will clearly help dictate what
is acceptable and what is not.
This brings me to funding issues. Much of the discussion at the meetings
has evolved around funding issues and how that dictates what we can and
cannot do. It does present a dilemma. However, I have always preferred to
have had at least a say in controlling my fate. The legislature needs our
help. Ideas that bubble upwards from the universities which help them solve
the funding issues must be looked upon kindly. As one solution, student
fees I feel must increase to pay for the services they receive.
I also believe that we need to look closely at the costs of running our
institution. The break down of staff classifications indicates that there
are almost as many people supporting those who are actively involved in
providing the primary service of the institution, which is education. As
systems are deployed and processes are automated, the structure and skill
base of the staff will change. Fully coordinated staff development programs
should accompany these radical changes and future employment only guaranteed
to those who are involved in retooling both themselves and their processes
to respond to the needs of the community.
How we manage the deployment of our own technological systems becomes critical.
Keeping abreast of options and products which change so rapidly and which
FSU will rely on to carry out their function and to provide state of the
art education will need to be fundamental. Outsourcing more services might
offer some wonderful opportunities not only for the university but also
for placement of our students in future careers. The idea of having a sponsor
for the 8:00 a.m. English class does not appeal to me but I do think that
if managed carefully those services which are truly support services might
serve the university in its primary mission more effectively. The connection
with business might also serve as a guide for the delivery systems that
we are looking for.
Florida State University has a great reputation today. To protect that reputation
and to live up to the expectations that comes with such a responsibility
I would be proud of an institution which produces graduates well grounded
in the concept of educating the whole person morally, spiritually and physically,
as illustrated on the university's seal. I would be proud of an institution
which graduates strong, independent thinkers who have shared an active role
in their education, graduates who are passionate about who they are, what
they believe in and are confident to live, laugh, love and work in a New
World.
Return to Findings
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
The Academic and Professional Utopia Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
I am faced with the somewhat daunting task of putting
pen to paper regarding what I want Florida State University, or any university
for that matter, to look like and be like in the future. It is so easy to
rant and rave on about what needs to be done when we assume no one will
listen. But when given a forum to express those views sometimes we find
ourselves silent, pondering, pensive, and surprisingly hard-pressed to prioritize
our desires in such a precious short space. I tested my desires against
those of several others like me. Like me in age, or gender; like me in background
or discipline; or simply like me in wanting to service an academic institution
that is truly focused on taking the action needed to become, if not a Utopia,
at least an academic and professional oasis-- the envy of other universities,
and the place where students desire to study and faculty desire to work,
build careers and reputations, nurture curiosity until they and retire.
A model for centers of higher learning both nationally and internationally.
What I found was a group of concerned, selfless colleagues who had very
clear ideas of where we need to be, but skeptical about whether we would
(or could) get there.
It is my opinion that these views are neither new nor unattainable. They
are my dreams of a university of tomorrow but could well be (and should
be) part of the university of today. These suggestions are also NOT exhaustive.
They merely scratch the surface of the improvements we at FSU can achieve.
The institution would give faculty the benefit of the doubt when it comes to questions of time commitments; realizing that a truly dedicated scholar's work is NEVER done. That it (the work) cannot fit into a 9-5 schedule and therefore; if the faculty is not in the office, they are most likely not on the golf course but implementing some course of action related to scholarship.
Finally, the university should have a clear mission. This Commission on the Future is (or could be) a major means to that end. A vision that is distinct and realistic gives us something to aim for. We have to know where we are going so we'll know when we have arrived. This vision should also lay out what we can and cannot do. As one colleague stated, "... we need a university that lays out what we are willing to say `no' to, even if someone is willing to pay for it. Without this, we are just an institution for hire."
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A Statement from the Council on Research and Creativity
Professor and Chair of Sociology and Council on Research and Creativity
A future welcomed by CRC is one in which FSU builds on our current Research
I designation to become generally recognized in the short run as among the
top 25 public universities in the country, with an ultimate goal of reaching
the top 10. Our premises are: (1) The University's overall success is grounded
in the success of individual departments and programs, and (2) The success
of individual units hinges first on the research and creative activity of
their faculties and then on the links between research/creative activity
and undergraduate and graduate education. Considered in terms of national
rankings, the more top rank units at FSU, the higher the university's aggregate
recognition and evaluation. We suggest a few workable and realistic strategies
pertaining to departments/units, faculty, and students in order to move
more FSU departments and programs into the highest ranks.
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COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE
Professor, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
Yesterday was the second of your commission's meetings that I have been
able to observe and I've enjoyed both. I was particularly struck by what
Governor Askew said when he indicated that the best way for FSU to rid itself
of its sense of "secondness" was to get a sense of its place as
the premier institution of the fourth largest state that is located squarely
in the state's capital. Even though Reubin and I are on the same faculty,
we haven't spoken since before the holidays and I had no inkling of what
he was going to say. It is a potentially powerful idea.
Let me suggest a couple of ways that FSU might move to build on a sense
of that place. Through such things as service on the university promotion
and tenure committee, I've been struck by how many faculty from across the
campus do research and service that is related to policy making in Florida
-- in health, education, law, communications, humanities, business, natural
science, and so on. Many of the individual faculty do have that sense of
place but the university's policy related activities are so dispersed across
the campus that the institution as a whole does not gain the reputational
impact among Florida's citizens and elected officials that it should have.
I am not suggesting that everyone who does Florida related work be brought
under a single organizational arrangement (that would be ludicrous) but
the commission needs to consider things which will encourage faculty to
do more of such work and to give FSU better recognition for it. (Perhaps
future siting of policy related facilities within sight of the capitol?
... within walking distance as the Vice President suggested.)
FSU might also consider becoming the physical site and organizational locus
of broadly multidisciplinary studies related to Florida's people, culture,
and problems. A few years ago, I attended a meeting of the California Studies
Association, an organization housed at the California State - Sacramento
campus. That association was begun by people who felt that many of California's
problems existed because Californians had a weak sense of who they were
and did not function well together as a community. (Sounded like Florida
to me!) They try to bring together a broad set of interests - music, art,
social science, business and economic development, etc -- in their annual
meetings. Here at FSU we might become a conduit and focal point for Florida
studies. We might even shoot for something like a "Florida Studies
Center" within walking distance of the capitol that would attract some
of the many tourists (and lawmakers) who come to Tallahassee. It could house
some exhibits as well as classrooms and some of the University's related
research and service outreach activities.
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Professor and Director, The Career Center
In response to the letter from Marie Cowart of December 15, 1997, 1 offer
the following comments. I share these observations based on almost 32 years
of employment at FSU, 3 as a staff counselor in the Counseling Center and
29 as a faculty member with a line in the Division of Student Affairs and
rank in the College of Education. My present title is Program Director for
Instruction, Research, and Program Evaluation in the Career Center, and
Professor in the Department of Human Services and Studies.
My purpose here is to offer a simple but powerful idea that might serve
to link the various constituencies of FSU, e.g., faculty, students, parents,
public officials, employers, contributors, citizens, into a common purpose
that connects with the core teaching/learning mission of the undergraduate
program. This idea can be summarized as career preparation. I realize this
might sound like "vocationalizing" FSU, but I do not think it
is. Let me elaborate.
At the outset it is important to define two terms, career and work. Career
is defined as the "working out of a purposeful life pattern through
work undertaken by a person." This is not simply a matter of choosing
an occupation or finding a job; career is a much broader concept. A career
is unique to a person; it is a process of balancing life roles, e.g., student,
parent, spouse/partner, citizen, worker, which occur throughout one's lifetime.
Work is defined as "activity that produces something of value for one's
self or others." This includes unpaid, volunteer work, as well as paid
employment.
*Many FSU students would value having a strategic
career plan at the time of graduation which would strengthen their career
pursuits,
*FSU would benefit from producing the kinds of
workers needed in an emerging global workforce characterized by lean production
and new ways of working.
*Employers of FSU graduates would value assurance that our students are ready to make effective contributions in the contemporary workplace.
*Public officials and citizens in the State of
Florida would benefit from perceiving the practical, relevant use of public
funds in higher education.
A desirable university-based career preparation program would address these
conditions as experienced by students, the university, employers, and citizens.
Among other things, the reduction in these gaps would increase the economic
productivity and career satisfaction of Floridians, as well as the political
and economic support for higher education.
The notion of a career preparation program is
highly congruent with the mission of a liberal arts oriented university.
Indeed, some of the most impressive such programs have been developed at
small liberal arts colleges. The goals of a liberal arts education and
career preparation are not incompatible, and can actually serve to bridge
gaps between liberal arts and professional schools at FSU.
Generic workforce skills and learning outcomes
needed by college graduates have been identified by government agencies,
professional associations, and private consortia. There is emerging consensus
about the career skills needed by contemporary college graduates.
FSU has been engaged since 1970 in developing
innovative career services and programs that directly connect to the teaching/learning
mission of the university. For example, a variable credit course, SDS 3340
Introduction to Career Development, provides instruction directly related
to the workforce skills noted earlier. In addition, a comprehensive Career
Center has been established, one that is akin to a "teaching hospital"
in many ways.
The successful institutionalization of career interventions in universities is related to curriculum infusion and the development of learner centered activities. Career programs should ideally draw upon strengths from both academic affairs and student affairs. These administrative areas covering academic and career advising need to be synchronized. Course-based interventions provide a mechanism to recover costs for services, academic credibility for the quality of the intervention, and recognition of learning on the academic transcript.
Career services is a boundary spanning function
that links education and employment; it provides for connections between
education, work, and community organizations. In social systems terms,
employers provide a feedback mechanism to the university regarding the
effectiveness of its educational program, Employers have important contributions
to make in the identification of the learner outcomes regarding career
preparation.
Career preparation of students appears to be valuable
to virtually all constituents of the university. Public officials are willing
to appropriate funds for this; contributors, including parents and friends
of the university, are willing to give money to support it; recent alumni
are very interested in this area; and students appear to be willing to
pay extra for it. I believe that more faculty in traditional liberal arts
programs appear to be increasingly supportive of this idea.
A "career portfolio" is one possible
focal point of a career preparation program to enhance workforce skills
of FSU graduates. Portfolio development could be incorporated into the
SDS 3340 course, or possibly made available on-line. This portfolio program
could be initiated by lower division students or final term seniors, and
it might provide documentation to employers regarding specific learning
activities undertaken by the student to operationalize a strategic career
plan.
*Program initiated and managed by FSU students in consultation with career services professionals.
*Program available in both a course format and noncredit learning activities.
*Program has a strong academic content base though
liberal studies courses that examine career preparation and workforce development
issues in the emerging global economy.
*Course instruction eventually available in alternative
formats, e.g., self-paced modules, distance learning, weekend workshops.
*Courseware available in varied sites, e.g., FSU
Career Center, public library, Internet.
*Program competencies certified by a panel of
FSU employers, e.g., Placement Partners, FSU Alumni, Florida Chamber of
Commerce.
*Program would encompass most learning activities
presently available through the FSU Career Center.
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Professor of Physics
Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion on the future of our
university. The future of Florida State University has become a deeply personal
topic for me during my eleven years here. I have invested my time , energy
and a large share of my soul in many aspects of our institution. My wife
Tracey recently completed her law degree here. More importantly, my wife
and I are raising our three children here and we are betting their futures
on the opportunities that will be available to them. Our children, their
friends and acquaintances, and the many other children of our state are
depending on the judgement of our state's leaders - including the faculty
and administration of our state's universities - to provide the educational
tools they will need to reach their full potential.
In the broadest sense, our mission is to serve the citizens of our state,
and we have no greater calling than to provide educational opportunity.
But in the competitive world of the 21st century, an average education simply
will not do. Those who succeed in the new century will excel intellectually
and will be graduates of world-class educational institutions. In my view,
our overarching mission at Florida State University is simply this: to provide
world-class educational opportunities for Florida's citizens. Every action
we take and every decision we make should advance this cause.
As a research university, we possess the tools to offer our students the
most important opportunity available in postsecondary education - the opportunity
to participate in world-class scholarship. No experience teaches students
about the nature of intellectual excellence like this does. And intellectual
excellence is not just an elitist academic value. Instead, intellectual
excellence has been the driving force of economic and social progress during
this century and will continue to be during the next. Our university should
set itself the ambitious goal of having every undergraduate and graduate
student participate in world-class scholarship prior to graduation.
It is often said that many professors and others on university campuses
"do not know how to teach". But it has been my experience that
when these people are asked about the best environment for students, they
almost all agree that the best learning experiences are those where the
instructors have one-on-one interactions with students and students have
high quality interactions among themselves. All of the current research
on learning and all of our personal experiences agree with this conclusion.
So we do indeed know how to teach well. Where do we go wrong? Economic realities
keep us from achieving the utopian educational environments of five or ten
students per faculty member per semester, and we often lose track of our
ideals on the way to teach a 200-student lecture. Our university should
keep its sights set on the goals of increasing individual interactions between
students and faculty members and on building high quality conversations
among students.
In some cases, technology can facilitate these intellectually desirable
discussions, but in other cases it may be an obstacle. In all cases, the
ultimate focus should be on the quality of the interaction, not on the medium.
Our results will not always be perfect. Sometimes the best we can do will
be to provide electronic feedback to the lecturer in a large class. In other
instances, we will be able to dispose of the lecture method altogether and
build a classroom experience around small-group discussions and inquiry-based
exercises. However, we must be careful in our present drive to focus resources
on technology. Instead, I would prefer to see resources focused on the goal
of world-class instruction. Where technology plays a role in this, it should
be supported; but technology should not be supported for its own sake.
Our university has a special opportunity to reach beyond its physical and
virtual boundaries and touch the lives of nearly every citizen of our state.
At the SUS Deans' Conference last May, Chancellor Reed set as one of the
most important goals of the system to help K-12 education in any way possible.
It seems clear to me that the way we can make the greatest impact on K-
1 2 education - and on the entire state population regardless of age - is
to provide the highest quality teacher preparation programs possible. However,
this is not a special plug for the College of Education, although the faculty
of that college must play an important role in any teacher preparation program.
Instead, faculty in science, math, the arts, languages and other disciplines
represented in the K-12 schools must collaborate with education faculty
in developing world-class teacher training. All of our units should focus
resources - even a disproportionate share - on K- 1 2 teacher preparation.
If we invest the money and energy necessary to build the best teacher preparation
programs in the world, we will also be showing ourselves how to provide
deep learning experiences for all our students. Ultimately, the entire university
community and the entire state will benefit profoundly.
In closing, it is worth noting that some prominent members of our educational
establishment do not always appear to support excellence at FSU and elsewhere
in Florida. The leader of the Florida Pre-paid Tuition Plan was recently
quoted as saying that Floridians do not want "Cadillac" universities,
but instead want "Chevrolet" universities. My response to this
statement is simply this: I refuse to enroll my children in a program whose
leader does not want our state's universities to strive for excellence.
I also note a recent statement by the present Chairman of the Board of Regents
comparing our state's universities unfavorably with Yale University, my
alma mater. I can testify that I witnessed for myself the results of Yale's
arrogance with respect to the community in which it is located. The State
of Florida does not want Yale University. Our state wants an institution
that addresses the educational needs of its community and its state and
strives for excellence. During my time here, the faculty and administration
of FSU have done just this and in doing so have set an example of leadership
for the nation, I am proud to be a member of such an institution, and I
can only hope that someday Regent Uhlfelder is as proud as I am. I thank
you again for this opportunity, and I extend my best wishes for the hard
work in visioning that is being done.
Return to Findings
A MISSION OBJECTIVE FOR FSU TO "CREATE THE FUTURE"
Professor and Director, Office of Needs Assessment and Planning
Learning Systems Institute
Why I am making this suggestion to the committee (like you, I sure have
enough other things to do. . .). I have been working in the area of "futures"
and strategic planning for more than a few years. I have had the opportunity
to work with public and private agencies almost world-wide (never, however,
in the former Soviet Union or Central Africa) and have had the opportunity
to learn from these experiences. I find that unsuccessful expeditions into
"futuring" come from:
1. Denying the new realities of society and thus the implications of these
changes to one's organization ("all we have to do is just beef-up a
few things, but we basically are on target");
2. Focusing on means and resources and not on results and consequences ("we
could do much more if we were properly funded," or "let's get
computerized and use distance learning");
3. Focusing on the organization as the primary client and beneficiary and
not looking at one's organization as a means to societal ends.
As a result of my experiences, I have written a few books on the topic and
a number of articles (none of which I will burden you with). But I do care
about FSU's future and see the Commission as having a potentially vital
role in refocusing all of us. What follows is based on my humble experiences
in this area. I hope you find it useful.
There has been some good thinking on this topic at FSU . . . perhaps the
Commission could consider what has been developed. A good way, I suggest,
is to begin the Commission's work by considering the building of its product
upon the work done a couple of years ago by an FSU university-wide committee
created by the then FSU president to do strategic thinking and planning.
What this committee did was ratified by all of its successors. What was
derived was an agreed-upon set of statements concerning (1) an FSU Mission
Objective, (2) an objective for a learning organization for the delivery
of valid and useful learning opportunities, and (3) an Ideal Vision for
the kind of world we would like to help create for tomorrow's child. Let's
see.
An initial focus on ends and consequences. This committee, wisely I suggest,
decided not to focus on means and resources (budgets, time, facilities,
equipment, salary, tenure rules, teaching methods, etc.) before identifying
destinations. So, what follows does not ignore the all-important means and
resources, but rather identifies possible shared destinations that we all
can use to select resources and methods.
This group decided (and I agree) that it is not prudent to write a vision
or mission for any academic unit without first defining the societal vision
and a derived mission for FSU. They urged that whatever any unit at the
University decided to contribute would specifically align with the FSU mission
and societal value-added. They urged, further, that all see FSU and all
of its academic partners as potential contributors to Florida and its citizens
(including learners).
Based on this previous work, I have taken the product of this group (which
I chaired over a two-year period) and refined and edited it for possible
use by the Commission team in order to help define a vision/mission for
the Florida State University (based on societal contributions). This follows.
...or other comparable demonstrations of contributions
The learners will show no differences in graduation rates, job placements,
economic success, employer satisfaction, or dropouts on the basis of irrelevant
variables including: location, color, race, creed, sex, sexual orientation,
religion, or national origin.
Some considerations for using the above approach to defining and creating
our future. The following questions are to be answered, or attempted during
subsequent detailed planning by the faculty to meet our Ideal Vision, FSU
Mission, and academic and support unit objectives:
1. What are our existing learning programs, projects, and activities? What
are the current costs?
2. What client groups are we currently serving?
3. What results are we getting with these clients, especially in learning
results, degree progress, performance evaluations, and after graduation/completion/certification
performance, and employment?
4. What are our learning physical and technical resources?
5. What are your learning/performance system design and development resources?
6. What are our current commitments?
7. What are the learning programs and clients we intend to serve in the
next 5-10 years?
8. What are our current policies concerning the delivery of learning and
providing credit for successful completion?
9. What are our learning performance evaluation and continuous improvement
criteria?
10. What costs/results criteria do you use to determine return on investment
for the current and anticipated learning activities?
11. What are your cost/results (or costs-consequences analysis) estimates
for our anticipated learning effortscosts to successfully deliver the learning
as compared to the costs for not being successful with the learners?
12. How does each current and anticipated learning activity contribute to
the mission of the academic/support unit and to the FSU mission and Ideal
Vision)?
I hope that the Commission finds the above useful in its important work.
If I might be of additional assistance, please let me know.
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