NJCU :: Strategic Plan

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" said Alice respectfully.
"Where do you want to go?" asked the Cheshire Cat.
"I’m not quite sure," responded Alice.
"Then it doesn’t quite matter which way you take," replied the cat.

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Download/Read: VISION 2010: A Strategic Plan (August 2005) - Final Draft (.PDF file - 1.8MB) To open and read .PDF files, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is FREE. If needed, download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

A Town Hall Meeting, to discuss the plan, took place and was recorded on October 28, 2005 in the Margaret Williams Theatre. The video recording from this presentation may be accessed online by following the steps listed below:

Step 1: Test Your Computer
Before attending the webcast, please check that your computer is configured appropriately by clicking on the following link:
http://208.185.32.37/wizard/launcher.cgi?wc=rl

Step 2: Access the Archived Webcast
After successfully setting up your computer, use the following procedure to access the archived webcast:

Click the link to the archived webcast.*
Click the "Participant Login" button.
Enter your first and last name in the Name input box in the top half of the window and click the Enter button below this box. A new window will pop up.
Click the Archive tab in the top panel, just below the Horizon Wimba logo.
Click the " Town Hall Meeting - 10/28/2005" link from the list of archived presentations.
A playback Index window will pop up over the Webcast window. Do not close this window. Move it to the side. Use the Index window to control playback and navigate to various segments of the webcast.
The webcast will begin playback automatically, including presentation slides and all of the online chat.

* Use the following link to access the archived webcast:
http://njcu.horizonwimba.com

PREFACE

It is with great pride and pleasure that I present VISION 2010: A Strategic Plan to the University community. This seminal document is the result of intensive consultation, expert guidance, informed consensus, and unconditional commitment to the principles of excellence and equity. VISION 2010 will strengthen New Jersey City University’s already solid foundation of achievement and will lead the institution to its highest levels of teaching, learning, applied research, and service to the community. Informed by University and community constituencies and other stakeholders, it provides a current analysis of the institution’s strengths and weaknesses. It calls for bold action through its ten strategic decisions and accompanying framework for implementation.

Why this plan? Why now? Any institution of higher education that is standing still and not planning for the next five to ten years will miss the opportunity to address the challenges of the future. And by its inaction will greatly hinder its flexibility and ability to respond to rapidly changing realities. In fact, it ultimately runs the risk of failure. Envisioning the student and educational environment of 2010, making the decisions now that will shape NJCU through 2010 and beyond, and implementing a plan that brings about institutional change and improvements, will clearly require introspection across the entire institution.

You and I have had the wonderful experience of witnessing the University’s growth and successes. Today, as the tenth president of NJCU, I look back with pride on our accomplishments. I also look ahead without fear of the challenges and tough decisions before us. My faith in the current students, faculty and staff to further transform the University in its quest for excellence is unshakable. You, the very core of this institution, will help realize our full potential as the best urban university in the country. And just as my faith is unshakable, my excitement about leading us to the next levels of achievement is limitless.

It is fair to say that institutional planning is nothing new to us. Since 1991 we have been involved in participatory planning, with defined goals and objectives, as well as specific performance time lines for their completion. While these efforts were deemed successful, they are neither adequate nor appropriate to respond to the competitive and rapidly changing higher education environment; one that positions student learning outcomes at the center of the University. So, in April 2003, I invited twenty five NJCU representatives to serve on the University Strategic Planning Council (USPC) and charged them to conceptualize and articulate a strategic plan for the University; one consistent with its vision, mission, and core values. The firm of Eva Klein and Associates was engaged for the first phase of the planning process to help identify strategic decision issues. Group interviews were held with internal and external stakeholders, including the Vice Presidents and myself. Out of this collaborative effort and several Council meetings, the first draft of the strategic plan, entitled Vision 2008, was released in August 2004. I announced the ten strategic decision issues in September of that year, at both the University Senate Meeting and the All University Meeting.

Because the plan is an evolving document, it was opened to revisions and refinements based on the input and comments of the campus constituencies and external stakeholders. After four draft versions of the narrative of the plan, a final draft was reviewed and preliminarily approved by the Council, with minor modifications, on December 2004 and renamed VISION 2010. During spring 2005, the USPC held several meetings to discuss the dissemination process while the consultants worked on various pre-publication versions of the plan.

VISION 2010 is pro-active, focused on restructuring, and mission driven. Its "Introduction" highlights some of the significant milestones of the University. Beginning with its charter in 1927 as a Normal School for teachers at Jersey City with 330 students, 26 faculty and one building, it traces the growth to the achievement of University status in 1998 and a current student population of 10,000 who benefit from over 241 faculty, 61 academic programs, 43 acres of state-of-the-art facilities, 24 hour services, and the best technology available today.

More importantly, VISION 2010 is firmly rooted in the reaffirmation of NJCU’s educational mission and its commitment to access and excellence, to first-generation college students, to diversity, and to serving the surrounding communities. It critically examines all of the initiatives and activities undertaken to realize NJCU’s mission and recognizes that notable growth and steady progress were made in many areas. Well grounded in these accomplishments, the plan launches ten strategic decision issues out of which emerge six strategies that define vision and mission and four strategies that enable their complete realization.

The implementation of a strategic plan is a delicate process that requires effective leadership to insure maximum participation and "buy-in." After consultation with the University Strategic Planning Council, the Vice Presidents, and the two consultants, Dr. Eva Klein and Dr. Joe Carter, it was agreed to provide an opportunity for everyone at the University to play a role in this first phase of implementation.

To accomplish this, the USPC decided to identify six members of the University community to interpret the six mission-driven strategies at an all-day town meeting to be held in fall 2005. These presenters were chosen for their knowledge of the institution, profound identification with its mission, and leadership roles in both governance and academia. They will open the dialogue on each of the strategies with the aid of a facilitator and will respond to questions from the audience. Focus sessions with smaller groups, led by USPC members trained in the nominal group technique, will follow the morning presentations. It is expected that a framework for implementation of the plan will be created by the end of the meeting.

VISION 2010 calls for, and I personally request, your active involvement in the formulation of strategic goals and activities. Become conversant with the six strategies that define vision and mission and the four strategies that support the accomplishment of both. These ten strategies are the backbone of the plan. Reflect on the implications they will have on the way we teach and manage, conduct the business of the University, and shape the future of both the students we serve and the society in which we live. Transform an every day task into a challenging forward-looking enterprise.

It is my firm belief that we will have a candid and constructive discussion on VISION 2010: A Strategic Plan. We will agree on many issues and disagree on others. This is one of the building blocks of the foundation on which an institution of higher education is built; the freedom and responsibility to engage in open dialogue.

I wish to express my appreciation for the superb work done by the USPC members. They gave generously of their time and expertise to bring the plan to fruition. I am equally grateful to the presenters for their willingness to engage in the creative exercise of "interpreting" the strategies and initiating a productive dialogue on the future of the University. Finally, I thank you in advance for taking the time to read this very important document and for the contributions you will make to the realization of VISION 2010: A Strategic Plan.

Carlos Hernández, Ph.D.
President