Executive Summary

Chancellor's Quarterly Report to the Board of Trustees

October 17, 2001

The 2001-2002 work plan sets the immediate goals for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. A key to the success of the work plan is the quarterly reporting process. This report is the first of a series of quarterly reports designed to improve accountability.

As the first quarter closed, the outlook for addressing the outcomes specified in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities work plan for 2001-2002 looked good. The initial objectives were being addressed and the planning for objectives scheduled to begin in the second quarter or later were on track.

One of the key factors for the early success of the work plan has been a restructuring of the relationship between the Office of the Chancellor and the presidents. A Leadership Council has been established, co-chaired by the chancellor and a campus president, with committees, co-chaired by a president and a senior staff member, paralleling the Board of Trustees.

Up-to-date enrollment data is not available as a result of the recent labor action, due to an inability to enter registration information for some students. Consequently, 30th day enrollment figures for several institutions, and therefore the system, are inaccurate and are not current. Now that the strike is over, we will provide a full report by the end of October. It appears, however, that we are showing a significant enrollment increase, so we are fairly confident that our final numbers will be very positive.

Save for one area, progress in the first quarter has demonstrated that with continuing cooperation and dedication, significant goals will be addressed in a timely and thorough manner. The assessment of a regional operating system has been deferred to the third quarter. This delay permits the Citizens Advisory Commission to provide a vision for the future and the Leadership Council to complete an evaluation of the role and scope of the Office of the Chancellor. These results are needed to complete an adequate assessment of a regional operating system.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities work plan has three primary themes for the year: advocacy, defining the future, and improving effectiveness and efficiency. The information below addresses specific accomplishments in each area.

Advocacy

Among the accomplishments in advocacy during the first quarter were:

official visits to 119 members of the Minnesota Legislature;
official visits to 17 campuses and seven institutions, with Trustee participation on all visits;
12 campus forums with students, faculty and staff;
far-reaching meetings with Minnesota business and corporate leaders;
participation in the Governor's Workforce Development Council Executive Committee and with the "transition team" involved in the state economic and workforce development transition effort;
the "Making College Part of Your Future" initiative, a campaign to demonstrate to underrepresented students that they are welcomed and have college options available to them they may not have yet considered; and § the addition of advancement and technology committees to the Leadership Council.

Defining the Future

The accomplishments in developing a future orientation during the first quarter included:

creation of a Citizens Advisory Commission of 31 prominent Minnesotans from business and labor, state government, tribal communities, communities of color, rural Minnesota, students, faculty and trustees led by two prominent Minnesotans-Vance Opperman and Glen Taylor;
participation by Board of Trustees in the World Futures Society Conference;
funding and staffing for a labor supply program-demand analysis and selection of an approach for the analysis;
initial review of technical college general education courses by a discipline faculty team from community colleges and state universities;
development of an online orientation module for students;
addition of "The Scoop on Transferring," to Go Places, answering high school students questions about transfer and giving advice to make the process easier; and
a series of 16 community forums seeking input for the strategic planning process.

Effectiveness and Efficiency

The accomplishments in improving the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities efficiency and effectiveness during the first quarter included:

a plan and detailed timeline outlining precise Minnesota State Colleges and Universities accountability standards;
work with the state's workforce centers to provide their clients with information about the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' educational opportunities;
designating the Government Affairs unit with responsibility for federal relations;
visit with the Minnesota congressional delegation in Washington in September
promotion of a $4 million Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education grant within the education appropriations bill;
visit with Under Secretary Hickok of the U.S. Department of Education;
a successful system-wide liberal arts conference;
37 recommendations to address data integrity issues;
a network of student data integrity liaisons at each college and university;
amendments to the allocation framework for fiscal year 2003;
review of the role and scope of the Office of the Chancellor;
establishment of the continuous improvement effort within the Office of the Chancellor;
initiation of regular meetings between the chancellor and President Yudof of the University of Minnesota, the director of the Higher Education Services Office, and the Executive Director of the Private College Council;
meeting between the chancellor and the commissioner of the Department of Children, Families and Learning;
meeting with the leadership of Education Minnesota;
a Developmental Education Demonstration Project in collaboration with Bemidji State University and Itasca Community College;
assessment of the MnSCU brand and its recognition;
development of an integrated communications strategy which resulted in positive articles and editorials in the state's major newspapers;
a new brochure, Make College a Part of Your Future, completed as part of the marketing plan;
distribution of the You Have Options brochure to students denied admission to a state university encouraging them to consider a two-year institution-mailed to 2,200 prospective students;
compilation of a database of more than 500,000 alumni names;
training agreement reached with colleges on use of development database software;
development of a contract allowing college and university foundation investment with the CommonFund through the Northstar Foundation;
careful review by a high-level group of largely campus representatives, the E-Learning Task Force, of the strategic options for moving ahead with e-learning;
development of an e-Portfolio for beta testing; and
introduction of a smart "Frequently Asked Questions" page for the Internet System for Education and Employment Knowledge.