Texas State University-San Marcos

 

2004-2009 University Plan: "Embracing Change"

 

Texas State University-San Marcos implemented its new five year plan on September 1, 2004. The following entries highlight progress the University has made on its strategic plan in its first year of implementation. For additional, more detailed information on progress toward goals, please refer to college and division plan updates.

Goal 1: Promote academic quality by building a distinguished faculty, developing the university culture of research, and managing enrollment.

Intended Outcomes:

• Increase average full-time faculty salaries at all ranks.

Effective September 1, 2005 the University will fund a one percent performance increase and a two percent merit and equity increase pool for eligible regular faculty and staff. Market/Equity funds are also being set aside for both faculty and staff, and market/equity studies will be conducted during the coming year.

• Increase size of full-time faculty.

In Fall 2005 President Trauth allocated General Revenue dollars in the amount of $5,000,000 for new faculty and staff positions to deal with previous enrollment growth and fully fund new academic programs in accordance with the University Plan.

In Fall 2004, Texas State had 700 full-time faculty, up from 649 in Fall 2002.

• Establish a more rigorous enrollment management program.

Provost Moore established an Office of Enrollment Management in Academic Affairs and appointed a new Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management.

Academic departments across campus developed enrollment management plans to address individual departmental needs.

• Increase university infrastructure to support scholarly and creative activities.

The Division of Academic Affairs held a faculty authored book reception in recognition of faculty scholarly and creative activity. This reception will now become an annual event. The Division of Academic Affairs also made supplemental travel funds of $300,000 available for faculty to enhance research efforts.

The Alkek Library staff expanded the number and improved the breadth of digital full-text serial holdings.

Texas State was the first university to implement the SAP Grants Management module. This module will allow grant account managers to monitor their budgets in a timelier manner. Training was developed and offered to the academic/research community.

The Office of Sponsored Programs has added one additional staff, improved the electronic submission process for proposals, streamlined the Research Enhancement proposal process and prepared new PPS policies to provide additional incentives for faculty to engage in research. In recent events, the Office of Grants and Contracts Administration was moved to report directly to the Associate Vice President for Research and Federal Relations, together with the Office of Sponsored Programs. This move will better align support efforts for scholarly and creative activities.

In the McCoy College of Business Administration, mentoring of faculty, facilitating joint research projects, and providing internal research grants contributed to a 23 percent increase over last year in the number of published peer-reviewed journal articles and more academically qualified faculty. Also in the College, online faculty research pages were developed to highlight peer-reviewed journal articles by discipline.

In the College of Education, additional monies ($500 per faculty member) were allocated for travel to professional conferences. In addition, the College provides release time for grant writing and grant-related work when accepted.

The Graduate College increased funding to support graduate student travel to present papers at professional meetings.

The College of Fine Arts & Communication established a "Dean's Seminar" program; the two seminars feature one "creative" and one " print scholarship" effort annually. The Department of Mass Communication began a new program called " Lunch Bunch" dedicated to a review of faculty scholarship; while Communication Studies began a faculty research forum in which faculty share research results with students and peers.

The College of Liberal Arts instituted two awards given at the Fall Faculty Meeting for the faculty members with the most grants/contracts funded and the highest dollar amount of grants/contracts funded in the previous fiscal year. Political Science created a scholarly exchange program for faculty and hosted a visiting professor from Turkey who engaged in research with Texas State faculty. Psychology secured APA funding for a Student Scholars Program and developed a new seminar for all MA students, which includes research dialogues hosted by faculty.

The Faculty Advancement Center and the Office of Professional Development doubled the number of workshops addressing scholarly and creative activities, utilizing the services of the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office of Grants and Contracts Administration. Workshops to date included: An Overview of the Pre-Award Services of the Office of Sponsored Programs; Writing a Grant Proposal; An Overview of Grants and Contracts Administration; Introduction to Grants - Post Award Administration; Grants and Contracts Administration - Compliance Issues for the Advanced Grant Manager; and three additional satellite workshops through the Faculty Advancement Center.

• Introduce and maintain programs that are nationally and internationally competitive.

The Texas State American Advertising Federation (AAF) team took first place overall at the AAF 2005 National Student Advertising Competition. The AAF team is jointly supported by the College of Fine Arts and Communication and the McCoy College of Business Administration and has advanced to nationals ten out of the last 16 years and has placed in the top six at nationals all ten times.

The Texas State Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team placed in the top 20 teams in the United States for the ninth straight year at the 2005 SIFE USA National Exposition, this year ranking as first runner-up in the semi-final round. Four teams tied for fifth place overall in the competition, including Texas State, with more than 180 teams competing.

The Athletics program was recognized as the best overall athletic program in the Southland Conference by winning the Commissioner's Cup.

Numerous research and program initiatives were initiated at departmental levels throughout the University.  Specific information about these initiatives is included in departmental plans found on the Planning and Assessment website.

• Provide infrastructure to launch a capital campaign.

Texas State is currently in the planning phase of a university-wide capital campaign. In order to prepare for an official launch, the University Advancement Division has implemented a number of initiatives. A new executive director for the Development Foundation was appointed in an effort to provide more effective direction and clearer expectations. An on-line giving program was initiated and Wealth Management software purchased. The expectations of activities of development officers were clarified for more effective fund raising and an evaluation system for development officers was introduced.

• Maintain a physical setting that presents Texas State as a premier institution.

The new Campus Master Plan was designed to include many landscaping and infrastructure improvement projects that will enhance the overall campus appearance.

Feedback from Goal 1 updates

Goal 2: Expand access to public university education and contribute to the economic and cultural development of Texas, with special emphasis on development of the Round Rock Higher Education Center.

Intended Outcomes:

• Move forward on the Closing the Gaps goals of participation, success, excellence, and research.

The latest "Closing the Gaps" data indicate that Texas State graduates students at higher rates than any of our designated doctoral peers, even though Texas State receives fewer resources to accomplish the task.

At Texas State the percentage of first-time, full-time entering, degree-seeking students who have graduated from the same institution or another Texas public institution after four, five, and six years increased by 6.2%, 5.4%, and 5.5%, respectively from Fall 2000 to Fall 2004. In fact, graduation rates at Texas State are 40 percent or more above the doctoral peer average. Hispanic graduation and persistence rates are dramatically higher than our doctoral peer average and have consistently increased over time.

With regard to headcount enrollment, Texas State has seen a 19.4% increase in total enrollment from Fall 2000 (n=22,423) to Fall 2004 (n=26,783). Of these figures, the University has seen a 19% increase in the number of White students from Fall 2000 to Fall 2004; a 16.6% increase in African-Americans; a 21.2% increase in Hispanics; a 36.9% increase in Asians; and a 14.2% increase in Other students.

The number of degrees awarded by level and ethnicity increased consistently from Fall 2000 to Fall 2004. Of the total degrees awarded, the number awarded to Whites increased by 21%, African-Americans by 11.2%, Hispanics by 31.4%, Asians by 35.9%, and Others by 67.4%. The number of degrees awarded by level also increased consistently from Fall 2000 to Fall 2004: baccalaureate degrees increased by 22.3%; master's by 29.4%; and doctoral by 50%.

Texas State research expenditures are about double the average for the Coordinating Board doctoral peer group as a whole. In support of research efforts, the Division of Academic Affairs funded faculty start-up packages totaling more than $450,000. Also, supplemental travel funds of $300,000 were made available for faculty. Providing additional infrastructure and reorganization of offices overseeing research and grant development have also been implemented.

• Based on information gleaned from a study of extended learning models, expand Round Rock's academic programs and support services based on identified needs.

Texas State received final authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and the Bachelor of Business Administration major in Computer Information Systems to be offered at RRHEC. Other majors that have been recommended and/or are being offered at the RRHEC include: Psychology (04-05); a bachelors in Mass Communication (06); and a bachelors in Social Work (06). In addition, a proposal to plan a nursing program has been approved by the Coordinating Board.

Numerous departments expanded class offerings at the RRHEC. The Department of Criminal Justice recently committed a senior, tenured faculty member to undergraduate program development in RRHEC. The College of Education began offering an initial course in Educational Technology Master's Program via ITV in Round Rock. The Mass Communication minor is now being offered at RRHEC. In the College of Liberal Arts, both Psychology and Philosophy are planning/implementing degrees at RRHEC. The Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Computer Information Systems also began at the RRHEC campus with the first classes offered in spring. The College of Education's EDA program offers full master's and certification options in Round Rock and has achieved an enviable reputation there already. The College of Science is offering 1 to 2 courses at RRHEC each semester in support of the Master of Science in Technology and MBA with a Technology minor.

A full-time development officer has been assigned to the RRHEC, in an effort to expand support services. Also, the Financial Aid Office has developed a financial aid training module for new staff at RRHEC. Administrators at RRHEC are currently developing policies and procedures for students and student support staff.

• Enhance research efforts to address critical state needs.

As noted in the " Closing the Gaps" outcome, the Division of Academic Affairs funded faculty start-up packages totaling more than $450,000. In addition, supplemental travel funds of $300,000 were made available for faculty. Additional infrastructure and reorganization of offices overseeing research and grant development were also implemented.

Academic departments and colleges implemented numerous strategies to enhance research efforts.  The College of Education formed a College Faculty Research Special Interest Group to support works of the Center for Research and Evaluation & Enhancement of Teacher Education (CREATE). In the College of Health Professions, a Task Force for Research was named, and after meeting, the recommendation was made to include the task force charge as part of the standing committee on Faculty Development and Advancement. The Criminal Justice Department expanded capacity for doctoral-level research projects by adding the Center for Geographic Intelligence and Investigation. Psychology secured APA funding for a Student Scholars Program and developed a new seminar for all MA students, which includes research dialogues hosted by faculty. Political Science created a scholarly exchange program for faculty and hosted a visiting professor from Turkey who engaged in research with Texas State faculty. The Anthropology Department initiated an interdisciplinary faculty research symposium series that will host monthly presentations.

In the McCoy College of Business Administration, $795,663 of grant funding was proposed in FY 04, with two of them funded including $109,016 to the Department of Finance & Economics and $444,471 for the Small Business Development Center.

The College of Health Professions submitted 16 research proposals in FY 2004 requesting $2,466,583 and $1,969,928 were funded. In the College of Liberal Arts, 63 proposals were submitted in FY 04 for $8,593,793, while 24 were funded for $1,957,666.

The Department of Biology developed the Rio Grande Basin Initiative, prepared by Texas State in the name of Texas State University schools, and received funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the amount of $550,000, with the largest portion going to researchers in the Department of Biology.

In the College of Applied Arts, 31 grant proposals were submitted this past year and $7,775,778 was funded with $11,277,562 still pending.

The program " First-Generation College Student Bachelor's of Social Work Project: Transitioning from the Classroom to a Professional Child Welfare Career" was implemented.  This program provides financial, academic, and social support to first-generation college students who have an expressed commitment to work in the field of child welfare. Grants for this program were funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

• Complete construction of the first permanent building for the Round Rock Higher Education Center and provide services to the students, faculty and staff who will occupy the building.

The first permanent building at the Round Rock Higher Education Center, named in honor of the Avery family, the family who donated the land, will officially open Fall 2005.

Two committees, the Faculty Incentives Committee and the Committee to study Organizational Structure at the RRHEC, have made recommendations to the Provost, strengthening Texas State's ability to expand quality education in the Round Rock area.

• Enhance on-site library and technology support for the new Round Rock Higher Education Center.

RRHEC staff explored and tested technology that will allow the RRHEC to serve more students and faculty while minimizing the need for additional staff. Meetings between key departments (IT and Library) from both Texas State and Austin Community College continue to take place in order to determine how to meet the library needs for students from both institutions.

A new fiber circuit has been installed to the RRHEC facility. This circuit will provide expanded bandwidth capacity and will provide improved ITV signal quality and reliability; while also offering us the opportunity to expand our ITV course offerings.

• Implement quality student services and selected student programs at the Round Rock Higher Education Center.

Accounting staff implemented the acceptance of e-checks for the payment of tuition and fees by RRHEC students. Career Services provided training and support to staff members at the RRHEC. The Career Services office assisted RRHEC students through distance counseling and interactive web assessment programs, and the Financial Aid Office developed a financial aid training module for new staff at RRHEC.

Feedback from Goal 2 updates

Goal 3: Provide a premier student-centered, educational experience that fosters retention and success and is built on academic programs with clearly defined learning outcomes and a rigorous level of academic challenge.

Intended Outcomes:

• Increase student retention through:

• Expanded student retention programs with collaboration among the Graduate College, University College, academic departments, and Student Affairs.

• Departmental and campus-wide student engagement initiatives.

• Increased collaborative programs with appropriate academic and student affairs departments to educate and respond to students with financial, physical and mental health concerns.

The Division of Student Affairs led the effort in preparing and implementing new and enhanced programming focused toward retention goals. Several pilot programs were initiated to test out potential strategies that would impact retention. A retention initiative planned for fall 2005 will heighten the awareness on campus through a " Gear Up for Next Semester" week including the promotion of important registration dates, ways to manage holds, and career counseling opportunities.

The University College inaugurated the Common Experience (CE), a collaborative effort to increase student retention. All divisions of Texas State, as well as the community of San Marcos, are participating. The goals of CE are to cultivate a common intellectual conversation; to enhance student participation in campus life through discussion and critical thinking; to instill in students, staff and faculty the need to think clearly and honestly; and to engage in deliberative dialogue with others.

The Multicultural Student Affairs Office provided tutoring and educational programming related to study skills, time management, and stress management. The Student Support Services Office provided a reading comprehension program and a Habits of Highly Effective Students program. Residence Life has initiated, and plans to expand, Freshman Interest Groups (FIG). These groups can support new major academic programs by helping with academic advising, faculty and student interaction, and by building a community of scholars.

Collaborative programs focused toward increasing student retention were introduced on campus. The University College created a special section of US 1100 for first generation and non-traditional students; Saturday morning sections of Psychology; Business; Education; Math; Science; Chemistry; Music; Theatre, Sociology; and History were also implemented.

The Alcohol and Drug Resource Center's peer education programs supported academic programs through presentations on behavioral health issues. The Center also provides prevention education, assessment, intervention and counseling to students.

This past year, the Counseling Center experienced a 42% increase in the number of students who sought counseling. As a result, additional counseling groups were created including one for students with loved ones deployed in a war zone. Other programs conducted by the Counseling Center included a symposium on depression, a five session educational series on stress, approximately 14 suicide prevention education programs for the university community at large, and development of a brochure to assist parents to help their students make successful academic and social adjustments in college.

The College of Health Professions, through the efforts of Health Information Management and Health Administration, implemented a FIG Student Engagement Project for students interested in the health professions. English has also implemented a similar Freshman Engagement Project for first-year English majors.

The academic colleges at Texas State implemented new retention initiatives for student success. In the College of Applied Arts, the PASS (Partners in Academic Student Success) pilot program was introduced to monitor and evaluate success of students on academic probation. The McCoy College of Business Administration incorporated the newly revised Students' Responsibilities on Advising and Learning policy on professional behavior and expectations into all syllabi.

• Recognize and support intercollegiate athletics and the arts as vehicles to promote a well-rounded collegiate experience for all students.

The Athletics program was recognized as the best overall athletic program in the Southland Conference by winning the Commissioner's Cup. At various athletic events throughout the year, we have continued to recognize and celebrate academic achievement (Oak Farms Dairy). Athletics has sponsored events that engaged the deans and professors in the departments (i.e., student-athlete/professor mixers). The Athletic Department has made concerted efforts to foster and promote Bobcat Athletics to the different student groups on campus.

In the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the University has committed to build a performing arts center, as identified in the newly approved campus master plan. Theatre/Dance budgeted money for student travel to New York for senior acting showcase and for graduating seniors to travel to national auditions. The School of Music held its first New Student Retreat at Aquarena. This all day event included orientation sessions provided by faculty and is designed to establish community among new students and increase the potential for success in music. The College has also redesigned the Art Resource Team, whose focus is upon promoting the arts in San Marcos through collaboration of public schools, Texas State, and the City of San Marcos.

• Develop a strong commitment to university alumni.

The University Advancement Division initiated the planning groundwork for a new Alumni Center. The groundwork was also laid for new alumni chapters in Laredo and Del Rio, which will help with recruitment from those areas. Alumni Affairs completed the lifetime charter membership drive for the Alumni Association with four hundred fifty-one $1,000 memberships.

The university-wide Alumni Survey was conducted by Institutional Research to assess satisfaction of recent graduates with their college experience at Texas State and to identify areas where improvements can be made to degree programs, thus contributing to future student satisfaction and future retention. Real-time online results allow for internal benchmarking (i.e., comparison of departments and colleges) of the results. Meetings with faculty liaisons from the academic departments and a brief summary of results in the IR Newsletter were used to increase awareness of this information.

Feedback from Goal 3 updates

Goal 4: Expand educational opportunities, emphasizing doctoral program development, applied scientific and technical programs, and other programs that address critical state needs.

Intended Outcomes:

• In years 1 and 2 of the Plan, the provost will seek approval for implementing the following programs:

• The Ph.D. degree with a major in Mathematics Education
• The Ph.D. degree with a major in Computer Science
• The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree with a major in Communication Design
• The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Electrical Engineering
• The Master of Science degree (M.S.) with a major in Accounting and Information Technology  

Texas State received preliminary authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for doctoral programs in Mathematics Education, Computer Science, and Mathematics; masters program in Accounting and Information Technology; and baccalaureate program in Electrical Engineering.

Texas State received final authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a Bachelor of Science major in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Digital and Photographic Imaging. Preliminary program review for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree with a major in Communication Design will begin in Fall 2005.

• In years 1 and 2 of the Plan, prepare to submit proposals in years 3-5 of the Plan seeking approval for the following programs:

• The Ph.D. degree with a major in Criminal Justice
• The Master of Science (M.S.) degree with a major in Nutritional Biotechnology/Biomedicine (Interdisciplinary)
• The Master of Science (M.S.) degree with a major in Athletic Training
• The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Materials Science and Engineering

Texas State received preliminary authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a doctoral program in Criminal Justice; masters programs in Human Nutrition, Athletic Training, and Materials Science and Engineering; and baccalaureate program in Materials Science and Engineering.

• Expand access to distance education through reviewing distance-learning opportunities in the context of the viable fiscal plan.

Texas State received final authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Master of Social Work via electronic delivery. Instructional Technologies Support has continued to make progress in assisting faculty to prepare and deliver web course sequences and MBA course " leveling" sequences on-line. In HPER, there is 85 percent participation of faculty with Blackboard for web-based instruction.

The College of Liberal Arts created an accelerated PhD in Geographic Education, which permits students to study on campus in the summer and complete requirements via distance learning; while the English Department offered new online sections in Technical Writing. Psychology also began offering three online courses to support the program at RRHEC. Sociology created all online courses for its offerings in the Occupational Education program in San Antonio.

The Department of Accounting selected CPA Excel to deliver a CPA review course offered for the first time during the spring. In addition to a web-based component, the Department offered weekly face-to-face sessions with students.

The University College developed an honors-based, honors-driven Study Abroad in Paris for the 2005 mini term and in Oxford for summer 2005. The College also created an online senior US 1100 course for graduating seniors. This course meets special needs of students who postponed completion of the General Education Core Curriculum requirement.

In the College of Applied Arts, two additional distance courses were developed and offered in their Family and Child Studies Masters Program.

The College of Science implemented approximately 50 percent of the courses required for the masters degree in Middle School Mathematics Teaching to online courses.

In a related effort, the Health Information Management Program partnered with the professional organization, American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), to develop a virtual learning lab for HIM programs and students.

• Emphasize the Round Rock Higher Education Center in first two years of the Plan.

The University Advancement Division helped organize the Friends of the RRHEC, coordinated the groundbreaking of the first building and began planning for the August 24th open house and May dedication. In recent events, during the Legislature's Special Session, Tuition Revenue Bond funding for higher education construction projects is being considered. One project for Texas State, a second building for Round Rock, is in both the Senate and House versions of this bill.

• After the Round Rock Higher Education Center is fully developed, study feasibility for consideration of a San Antonio MITC.

As noted above, this outcome will be addressed when the RRHEC has been fully developed.

• In years 1 and 2 of the Plan, continue to study the feasibility of a nursing program, including prospects for necessary external start-up support.

Texas State received preliminary authority from Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a baccalaureate program in Nursing.

• Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree with a major in Physical Therapy will be treated as a special case proposal. At some time during the planning period, it is expected that the standard for entry into professional practice in physical therapy in Texas will move from master's level to doctoral level.

This program has not been developed or proposed to date, as there have been no changes in the standard for entry into professional practice.

Feedback from Goal 4 updates

Goal 5: Enrich our learning and working environment by attracting and supporting a more diverse faculty, staff, and student body.

Intended Outcomes:

• In year one of the plan, expand and sustain campus wide conversations on diversity leading to a comprehensive university diversity plan.

A comprehensive diversity plan was drafted and included as part of the University strategic plan. The diversity plan focuses on recruiting and retaining Hispanic and African American students, faculty and staff, creating a more multicultural curriculum, maintaining a welcoming environment for diversity, and developing a management system supporting progress toward goals.

• Build a more diverse faculty and staff.

In the past year, the Office of the Provost hired two minority deans, one Hispanic female and one Hispanic male. The Office also funded five Target of Opportunity hires for Fall 2004 and seven for Fall 2005.

Since September 2004, forty percent of all new tenure track faculty hires were of an ethnic minority, totaling 26 new hires. Forty-one percent were female (n=27); 21 percent were Hispanic (n=14); and 5 percent were African American (n=3).

Regarding staff diversity, since September 2004, 34.4 percent of all new full-time hires were of an ethnic minority. Sixty-three percent of all staff full-time new hires were female; 26.5 percent were Hispanic; 6 percent were African American.

New faculty recruitment initiatives include the Graduate College's redesign of the Texas Opportunity Graduate Fellowship program into a " Grow Your Own" faculty recruitment program.

The Office of the Provost provided funding for a Multicultural Curriculum Transformation workshop sponsored by the Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies. This two-week workshop involved a select number of Texas State faculty from the seven colleges. Guest scholars and Texas State faculty experts shared ideas and activities to stimulate curricula change. As a result, of the 507 newly developed courses added from September 2004 through September 2005, sixty-five (13%) contained multicultural elements to create a more diverse curriculum. Multicultural course content refers to international or United States diversity or a combination of both.

Admissions hosted a reception for the Coalition of Black Faculty and Staff and the Hispanic Policy Network members and made a presentation on undergraduate diversity recruitment data and initiatives. The Department created a new Assistant Director position to work with special projects aimed at increasing diversity. A staff development program was also developed by Admissions staff on the admissions process and undergraduate diversity recruitment initiatives at Texas State.

The Texas State Intensive English program (TSIE) had ongoing discussions with key graduate advisors, which has made them more aware of challenges, both cultural and linguistic, that international students must deal with, as well as campus resources that are available to students.

The School of Social Work initiated the Diversity Forum for the campus community to include the Multicultural Talent Show. In the University College, the Common Experience supported diverse initiatives from across campus and the community that encouraged discussion of diversity perspectives.

The Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies raised more than $40,000 for a variety of initiatives, including a summer curriculum transformation institute and a project entitled " Latino Presence at Texas State."

In the College of Liberal Arts, the Center for International Studies applied to the Canadian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Trade for a grant to sponsor a conference on Interamerican relations.

The Multicultural Student Affairs Office hosted Hispanic female support groups, conducted African American student focus groups, advised and counseled underrepresented students, provided cultural programming and changed the diversity presentation for PAWS Preview.

The Office of Professional Development submitted two proposals for Equity and Access funds and received funding for two diversity-related workshops. These workshops will be offered during FY 06 to the campus community.

Other curriculum modifications include the following: The McCoy College of Business Administration implemented diversity concepts into a core management course after working with the Office of Multicultural and Gender Studies; the College of Education is beginning to thread strategies addressing the English Language Learner throughout the Curriculum & Instruction curriculum; History took the lead in an effort to develop an Arabic, Islamic, and Muslim-American Studies program on campus. In the McCoy College of Business Administration, students in a new undergraduate marketing class participated in a program sponsored by the FBI to create interest in and awareness of its career opportunities among a diverse group of students, with an emphasis on women and Hispanics. The students conducted research and developed, implemented, and evaluated an integrated marketing campaign.

The University's federal legislative agenda included a $1.425 million funding request for a Center for Latin American Commerce (McCoy College of Business Administration) that includes a partnership with the South-West Texas Border International Trade Center at UTSA.

• Increase intensity and scope of recruitment programs that have a special focus on minority students, seeking the goal of Hispanic Serving Institution status.

Texas State currently ranks 3rd in both Hispanic and African American graduation rates when compared to the ten largest universities in Texas.

The Counseling Center revised the First Generation Student DVD to include Spanish subtitles. This video was distributed to counselors and high schools in Texas, in particular to those with significant populations of underrepresented groups and first generation students. The Office also created a web page for parents and has a Spanish translation for parents who are predominantly Spanish speaking.

The Mentoring Program implemented a new focus on at-risk students, first generation students, and minority students which placed these students with a peer mentor or a faculty/staff mentor. In the first reporting period, there was a 100% retention rate for these students.

The Admissions office involved the African American Alumni Chapter in recruiting of African American students. The department has also created a new Assistant Director position to work with special projects aimed at increasing diversity, as well as a new Admissions Counselor position and an office on the San Antonio College campus in their transfer center. Admissions staff recruited more intensely at selected high schools with significant Hispanic or African American student bodies. Data from various sources was used to identify target schools.

The Graduate College became an Associate Member of the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools as an initial step toward forming partnerships with HBCUs and HSIs.

The University Advancement Division produced and distributed a 30-second TV spot aimed at Hispanic recruitment. The office of Media Relations and Publications has also made a concentrated effort to see that minority students and faculty are well represented visually in publications. The University Advancement Division worked with area school districts to bring public school students to campus for a variety of events. Some 6,000 students and parents, mostly Hispanic and would-be first-generation, have participated in College for Texans (the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's initiative to attract these students) on campus since November 2002.

Institutional Research staff developed HSI (Hispanic-serving initiative) and BSI (Black-serving initiative) sections of the online University Fact Book to provide data specific about these student ethnic groups.

The Admissions office developed transfer planning guides with the following colleges: San Antonio College, Austin Community College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, Southwest Texas Junior College, St. Philip's College, Victoria College, Laredo Community College, and Blinn College.

Staffs from the Texas State Intensive English (TSIE) program and the Graduate College were part of the Lone Star Education Trade Mission and attended a two-day education fair in Monterrey, Mexico. The staff talked to hundreds of students and distributed Texas State promotional materials. Approximately one month after returning from Monterrey, TSIE staff sent a promotional e-mail in Spanish to the 325+ students who had expressed an interest in Texas State.

The International Office initiated the International Friendship Program to link interested international students with families in the community for friendship and to promote mutual understanding.

In academic colleges, many efforts to increase minority student recruitment have been implemented.

The College of Fine Arts and Communication worked with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to raise scholarship funds to support deserving San Marcos Hispanic students who wish to attend Texas State. Within that college, Mass Communication relied upon a $9,000 grant to help fund busloads of Hispanic students from Laredo during Mass Communication Week.  Also, the Mass Communication Tony Dieste scholarship ($5,000) is targeted for a bilingual, bicultural student in Advertising.

The McCoy College of Business Administration actively recruited graduate students at the National Society of Hispanic MBAs - Destination MBA Fairs and the Bank of America Career and Education Fair. To help promote diversity within the Department of Accounting, British Petroleum awarded five $1,000 scholarships to minority students.

In the University College, academic advisors participated in National Hispanic College Fairs and are developing improved communication with community colleges which attract Hispanic students. The "Scholars of Promise" program also sought to attract, recruit and retain diverse groups of students by distribution of newly created "Scholars of Promise Passport," and use of Terry & Mitte Scholars to distribute these materials in Texas high Schools.

In the College of Liberal Arts, the Center for Art and Symbolism of Ancient America worked with the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma to have Texas State designated a Muscogee Creek Nation, which would provide full financial support for students from the Nation.

• Seek historically underutilized business suppliers.

In an attempt to increase our HUB (Historically Underutilized Businesses) expenditures, staff in the Finance and Support Services Division held a HUB Vendor Fair and Spot Bid opening on campus. Ninety HUB vendors attended and 42 state agencies participated.  The grand total awards to HUB's by state agencies totaled $239,300. Texas Senator Royce West was featured as a guest speaker.

The Purchasing Office made numerous presentations in conjunction with the San Marcos Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to inform business owners how to become HUB certified and to assist them with that process.

Texas State participated in six off campus HUB Economic Opportunity Forums hosted by other state agencies and institutions of higher education.

Feedback from Goal 5 updates

Goal 6: Develop and manage human, financial, physical, and technological resources effectively, efficiently, and ethically to support the university's mission.

Intended Outcomes:

• Expand and support professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

The Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness proposed and had approved the Center for University Excellence, which will encompass all non-technology training and development for faculty and staff across campus. The Center will offer a training program for all new academic advisors and adjunct instructors, as well as a leadership program and workshops on various kinds of assessment, including student learning outcomes. In addition, it will offer improved and more varied programming for faculty and staff.

During FY 05, the Professional Development Advisory Council was created to enable discussions to occur between representatives from each of the divisions concerning the programming needs of the University. Each division is represented on that Council which has already resulted in several collaborative efforts on programming opportunities.

Faculty Advancement and Professional Development doubled the number of workshops addressing scholarly and creative activities utilizing the services of the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Grants and Contract Administration office.

• Adjust staff levels and salaries to accomplish university goals.

Effective September 1, 2005, the University will fund a one percent performance increase and a two percent merit increase pool for eligible regular faculty and staff. Market/Equity funds are also being set aside for both faculty and staff, and market/equity studies will be conducted during the coming year.

• Develop a new ten-year Campus Master Plan to ensure it meets the needs of the University, including the Academic Plan and the other divisional plans.

The 2006-2015 Campus Master Plan was developed and approved by the Board of Regents at the May 2005 meeting. This plan was developed with the assistance of the Texas State University community, the City of San Marcos, the community of San Marcos, and external consultants. Projects in the Master Plan will provide academic space for new programs and renovated academic space for new programs. Projects identified in the 10-year plan include an undergraduate academic center, a fine arts and communication center, new residence halls, athletic facilities, a new alumni center, several parking garages as well as landscape and infrastructure improvements.

• Reorganize ongoing functional and technical support organizations to maximize the benefits of long-term financial and human resources application investments.

The former Information Systems Services unit and FAS Project Team were merged into a new organization, Administrative Information Services department. This department has been structured upon a "competency center" model that has emerged as a "best practice" approach to providing ongoing support for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software such as SAP. This reorganization completes this objective. In support of this move, the Budget Office created a budget help desk, similar to the FAS Help Desk, to assist employees on campus with the SAP's budget development module.

        Following the full implementation of the Financial and Human Resource Systems, begin work on the FAS-Student Information System project.

The "go-live" dates for the financial system (September 1, 2004) and for the human resources system (January 1, 2005) were realized. This represents the completion of the first major MIS system upgrade in fifteen years. Over time, the new system will provide the campus with multiple capabilities to help improve core business processes and provide a much richer financial data-set to aid in campus resource review and planning.

Human Resources improved the "job application/hire" process with the implementation of the EASY system. Frustrations from the SAP system carried over to the EASY system even though they are separate systems. This system was originally modeled after the A&M system; however, it was determined that Texas State had different minimal requirements, which resulted in significant modifications to the system.

• Enhance and expand campus information technology security activities.

During FY 05, the Information Technology Division implemented "Proofpoint" spam control solution that has vastly reduced the amount of spam and other malware communications that are targeted at campus users. In addition, "Perfigo" software was acquired to enable systems staff to more effectively monitor campus network traffic, and enhance our ability to manage the traffic that is on the network. These solutions provide IT staff the capability to be more proactive in its efforts to protect the campuses' information assets.

An Information Security Coordinator was hired and began updating information security policies and prepared and implemented training programs developed for campus staff who are assigned responsibility to manage the departmental server. This staff person also works directly with departments that experience server or workstation compromises, documents each incident and develops recommendations designed to mitigate future incidents.

• Continue support for structured, standards-driven web course development and programs that enable faculty to appropriately integrate technology into the teaching-learning process.

Instructional Technologies Support continued to make progress in assisting faculty to prepare and deliver web course sequences and MBA course "leveling" sequences on-line. Alkek Library reference librarians launched a prototype "virtual reference librarian" service. This service enables students to access and communicate with reference librarians through e-mail or Internet chat sessions. Student feedback regarding this service has been uniformly favorable, and plans are being made to launch a permanent program in fall 2005.

• Reduce deferred maintenance in existing facilities

Facilities Work Control completed approximately 371 work requests totaling over $116,400 in contracted or internal workforce services. Projects consisted of roof evaluations, building waterproofing and guttering, electrical installations, room refurbishments, University signage, and environmental projects. We have increased our commitment for completing deferred maintenance by $460,000 through increased funding in the following HEAF accounts: ADA Compliance, Asbestos/Life Safety, Major R&R, Campus Lighting and EG Roof Repairs.

• Ensure compliance with State Fire Marshall regulations and complete renovation projects as outlined in the Fire Marshall's audit report.

A follow-up report was completed at the end of FY 2004 and the University was found to be in compliance. Over 99% of all discrepancies noted in the report were corrected. In addition, an ongoing fire protection inspection program has been implemented.

• Employ annual budget plan to address all strategic priorities.

The annual availability of resources to support new initiatives in the Plan is somewhat unpredictable due to the Legislature's biennial appropriations process.  Economic fluctuations and varying state tax collections, coupled with competing interests for limited resources, make it difficult to predict state appropriations.  Texas State uses the recently "deregulated" Designated Tuition, selected fee increases and internal budget reallocation to fill in the gaps created by inadequate state funding and provide the resources needed to achieve our strategic mission.

In September of each year, the Budget Office makes a preliminary estimate of revenues available for the next fiscal year.  A comparison to strategic plan funding needs for the next year will be made and a recommendation on Designated Tuition and/or fee increases is developed for presentation at the November meeting of the Board of Regents.

In January, the Budget Office refines the revenue estimate for the coming year including any increased tuition or fees as well as projected enrollment increases.  The President's Cabinet approves the revenue estimate and the non-faculty funding requests (NFFR) budgeting process begins in February.

Account managers then review their plans and prepare funding requests on forms prepared by the Budget Office.  The process of requesting funding is a "bottom-up" approach as managers route NFFR requests through the dean/director and vice president to the President's Cabinet.

Account managers also assess the need to reallocate resources internally to fund worthy initiatives.  If any state funding reductions are serious enough to warrant a university-wide budget reallocation process it is initiated in this same timeframe.

The President's Cabinet prioritizes requests in accordance with the University's Strategic Plan and incorporates those funded in the Annual Operating Budget submitted to the Board of Regents for approval in August. Below are the FY 2006 budget allocations.

New Funds Available
Increased Recurring Revenue		$ 15,742,483
Grand Total	$ 15,742,483
Uses of New Funds Available
Salaries and Benefits
	3% Pay Raise (1% Performance & 2% Merit)	$  3,614,652
	Faculty Market Adjustment	877,125
	Faculty Promotion	195,000
	Staff Market Adjustment	250,000
	State Longevity Pay Increases	447,020
	Librarian Career Ladder	35,085
	Increased Health Insurance Contributions for faculty and staff	250,000
	Subtotal	$  5,668,882
New Faculty Positions (Includes Benefits)
	23 New Faculty Positions	$  1,861,505
	Aquatic Resources Doctoral Assistants	180,000
	HPER Graduate Assistants	29,565
	Summer Faculty Salaries Reserve	600,000
	New Degree Program Faculty	2,950,000
	Prior Salary Commitments	344,538
	Subtotal	$  5,965,608
New Staff Positions (Includes Benefits)
	Office of AVP for Enrollment Management	$     310,533
	Academic Budget Specialists	234,788
	Sr. Lab Services Technicians	73,114
	Departmental Administrative Assistants	273,107
	Athletics Academic Advising	76,259
	RRHEC Operations	668,850
	Subtotal	$  1,636,651
Facilities
	Increased Utilities Costs	$  1,000,000
	RRHEC Operations	570,348
	Subtotal	$  1,570,348
Other
	Special Events	$     109,532
	Scholarships and Grants	155,000
	Allocation to VPs	636,462
	Subtotal	$     900,994
	Grand Total	$15,742,483

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