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

• Increase average full-time faculty salaries at all ranks.
• Increase size of full-time faculty.
• Attract and retain highly competent faculty by providing annual merit increases based on performance.
• Establish a more rigorous enrollment management program.
• Increase university infrastructure to support scholarly and creative activity.
• Introduce and maintain programs that are nationally and internationally competitive.
• Strengthen research efforts through achieving increases in grant expenditures.
• Provide reasonable start-up costs in order to attract highly competent faculty and to provide the essential equipment to conduct research and attract external grants.
• Maintain a physical setting that presents Texas State as a premier institution.
• Finalize the infrastructure and begin implementation of the capital campaign, involving alumni in strategic areas.
• Develop accurate messaging via a comprehensive university marketing plan to ensure consistent, accurate messaging to internal and external constituents.

Goal 2: Expand access to public university education and contribute to the economic and cultural development of Texas.

• Move forward on the Closing the Gaps goals of participation, success, excellence, and research.
• Enhance research efforts to address critical state needs.
• Develop new academic programs that are particularly needed for the economic and cultural development of Texas.
• Increase university and departmental scholarship opportunities in an effort to improve recruitment and retention of qualified students. 

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.
• Improve advising by increasing the number of advisors and the quality of their services.
• Develop an Honors College to better attract and engage high achieving students.
• Recognize and support intercollegiate athletics and the arts as vehicles to promote a well-rounded collegiate experience for all students.
• Refine student learning outcomes and appropriate assessment measures within each academic program to ensure program improvement and provide evidence of student success.
• Develop and implement administrative and educational support outcomes and appropriate assessment measures within identified departments to ensure improvement and provide evidence of success.
• Revise the academic and administrative program review processes to facilitate program improvement in support of the University mission.
• Increase alumni involvement through mentoring initiatives and career service and guest lecturer opportunities.
• Broaden efforts to facilitate successful transition of students to the workplace and graduate/professional education.
• Implement faculty and student information literacy initiatives that support achievement of student learning outcomes.

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

• Explore the feasibility of offering doctoral degrees in a number of programs and seek preliminary authority for those doctoral proposals that can: (1) establish demand for the program, (2) demonstrate capacity to offer a program with high quality, and (3) detail how the program can be cost effective.
• 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 (final stage)
  • The Ph.D. degree with a major in Computer Science (in development)
  • The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Electrical Engineering
• 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 Human Nutrition (Interdisciplinary)
• Expand access to distance education through reviewing distance-learning opportunities in the context of the viable fiscal plan.
•  Systematically enhance centrally managed server and data storage capabilities dedicated to instructional and research support.

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

• Build a more diverse faculty and staff.
• Seek to be a Hispanic Serving Institution by 2012.
• Increase intensity and scope of recruitment and retention programs that have a special focus on minority students.
• Expand efforts to promote diversity and inclusion among all faculty, staff, and students.
• Seek historically underutilized business suppliers.

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

• Attract and retain highly competent staff by providing annual merit increases based on performance.
• Adjust staff levels and salaries to accomplish university goals. (progress)
• Implement the 2006-2015 Campus Master Plan to ensure it meets the needs of the University.
• Expand and support professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.
• Continue SAP post-implementation activities for the Finance and Human Resource Systems.
• Complete the campus ERP migration through the procurement and implementation of a new vendor supported student information system.
• Enhance and expand campus information technology security activities.
• Continue support for structured, standards-driven web course development and programs that enable faculty to appropriately integrate technology into the teaching-learning process.
• Reduce deferred maintenance in existing facilities.
• Ensure compliance with State Fire Marshal regulations and complete renovation projects as outlined in the Fire Marshal’s audit report.
• Implement new processes outlined in SACS Principles of Accreditation to ensure compliance with standards, while continuously improving overall educational quality.
• Establish a coordinated assessment process that assists university stakeholders in multiple assessment activities, including strategic planning, student learning and success, and program excellence.
• Employ annual budget plan to address all strategic priorities.
• Effectively utilize alumni to influence and generate human and financial capital opportunities.
• Assess the needs and opportunities to refine Alkek Library utilization to improve support for the achievement of faculty and student instructional and research outcomes.
• Ensure regulatory compliance, environmentally responsible practices and the efficient use of energy and water resources.