ACANS News & Information Center
NMSU Initiatives
1. Living the Vision (LTV)
At the request of the Academic Deans’ Council, a committee referred to as the Living the Vision Committee was tasked to redraft the NMSU Strategic Plan to provide a better, simpler and more user-friendly plan for those who establish policy, goals and objectives for NMSU and those who manage the University to achieve these aspirations.
Living the Vision is considerably different from prior NMSU Strategic Directions and Targets. This Plan
establishes the vision that NMSU will be a premier University as defined relative to peer institutions. The
Plan has five goals each with six or fewer objectives. Each objective has at least one quantifiable measure to be
benchmarked against defined peers. Living the Vision leaves the strategies for achieving the objectives to the
managers at the College/Division/Department levels and integrates performance planning with the overall budget and
outcomes/evaluation processes.
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2. One University
Like many universities that experienced rapid enrollment growth during the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, New Mexico State University responded by adding programs and units without fully integrating them. Over time, walls and barriers around units have become more rigid. Now, as we seek to be more effective, responsive, relevant, and efficient, it’s essential that we move away from the Asilo’ model to a “One University” culture, because ultimately we have one mission – to best serve the state of New Mexico through our teaching, outreach, and service.
Being “One University” includes many things, but it starts with the realization that departments,
colleges, institutes, and centers are means to the university’s ends, not the ends themselves. Stated
differently, these units are intended as means to meet the demands and expectations of a shared university
mission(s). Their existence, the resources they command, and the funding they receive are justified to the extent
they contribute to excellent mission-oriented programs of education, research, and service (outreach and
extension).
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3. Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year
Foundations of Excellence is a comprehensive, guided self-study and improvement process for the first year that
enhances an institution's ability to realize its goals for student learning, success, and persistence. The
centerpiece of Foundations of Excellence is a model for first-year excellence comprised of a set of principles
that are termed Foundational Dimensions®. These Dimensions, developed collaboratively with over 300
institutions, guide measurement of institutional efforts and provide an aspirational model for the entirety of the
beginning college experience from initial contact with potential students through admissions, orientation, and all
first-year curricular and co-curricular experiences.
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4. New College - First Year Scholars Program
The First Year Scholars Program is a two-semester comprehensive learning experience designed for incoming students who are interested in full-time study leading to a baccalaureate degree.
Participants will be mentored by faculty and peer educators and take part in a wide array of activities designed to promote first year college success.
The First Year Scholars Program helps students effectively transition to college through services that include:
- Exciting opportunities to network with a community of scholars
- Unique individual and group tutoring programs
- Mentoring from faculty and experienced students
- Integrated classes taught by teaching teams that provide extra academic support
- Intensified academic advising throughout the first year
- Career exploration tailored to your skills, interests, and goals
- Learning communities in residential and community settings
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5. Unifying NMSU Online (UNO)
In June 2003 NMSU formed several ad hoc committees to evaluate NMSU's current information systems in comparison to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.
It is recommended that NMSU replace the current advancement, finance, human resources, financial aid and student information systems with the SCT Banner software suite. It is further recommended that this integrated system be augmented with specific third-party software systems as required to support responsive, web-based administrative processing and reporting for students, faculty, staff, administration and external stakeholders of the University.
NMSU reviewed existing administrative systems and compared them to the SCT Banner integrated system. The review included interviews and conversations with staff at other SCT Banner institutions and comparison of written system evaluations performed by other institutions. The consensus position is that replacing the existing systems with SCT Banner is preferred over modifying the existing systems to address current system inadequacies and projected limitations in meeting the NMSU strategic targets.
It is recognized that implementing new software does not address directly the existing issues with administrative process; therefore, the majority opinion is that an extensive business process analysis be conducted as part of implementing the new system. This will, in many cases, require extensive reworking of historic University practices, but it will result in a closer alignment of NMSU administrative services and procedures with other institutions on a national level. By implementing the integrated software suite without system modification, the following benefits are provided:
- Implementation and ongoing maintenance will remain within projected time and expense budgets.
- The University is positioned to take advantage of the “best practices” imbedded in the software, as well as the currently available widespread 3rd -party software components available when the system is implemented without modification.
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6. Branding Initiative
In 2004, NMSU began a branding initiative to strengthen and standardize the look and feel of all NMSU publications
and communications. While this initiative covers all media from print to video to billboards, perhaps the place
where the biggest impact will be felt is on the NMSU web presence. With many servers across campus and tens of
thousands of legacy documents, presenting a unified look and feel for the NMSU web presence is a huge job.
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7. NMSU Master Plan
The Master Plan will serve as a guide in future development of the university. The University Architect will be
responsible to the President of the University for its implementation. When approved by the Board of Regents, the
Plan will be considered the physical facility development guideline, and will be binding on architects and
engineers working on campus until revisions are made by the Board of Regents.
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8. Research Clusters
Following intensive self-study and exploration of the research enterprise at other major research universities, we have concluded that we need to invest in a few well-defined Research Clusters that represent our strengths and respond to state, regional, national and international needs. The Clusters we have identified include the following:
- Biosciences
- Information Sciences and Security Systems
- Natural Resources Sustainability and Renewal
- Twenty-first Century Aerospace
- U.S.-Mexico Border Development
These Clusters are intended to be interdisciplinary and faculty-driven. We anticipate that all colleges and
research units will participate in the Clusters through focused Subcluster programs. The Clusters are
designed as a strategic framework for enabling faculty to conduct research with support from technical staff
members who can assist with project management, finance, proposal development, marketing, and communications.
Faculty teams will come together to form Subclusters that represent their interests and capacities.
For example, under the Natural Resources Cluster we have three Subclusters forming to focus on water, energy, and
land resources that draw together faculty members from several different colleges and staff from existing research
centers and institutes.
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9. Doing what Counts
The New Mexico State University Foundation will launch its $150 million five-year “Doing What Counts” fundraising campaign in Aggie style tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 26) with a western dinner and concert celebration featuring a special performance by country musician Michael Martin Murphey.
This launch is the culmination of many months of self study, evaluation and planning, as NMSU prepared for the
public phase of a comprehensive campaign designed to move the institution forward. NMSU’s “Doing What
Counts” celebration dinner is being held under a Big Top on the Horseshoe and will include an announcement
that $40 million has already been raised towards the campaign goal.
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10. HLC/NCA Accreditation
While many academic agencies accredit particular programs of study (education, nursing, etc.), the Higher Learning
Commission (HLC) and other regional accrediting agencies are responsible for assuring that colleges and
universities meet certain standards in terms of their missions, operations, and activities in teaching and student
learning, discovery and promotion of knowledge, and service. Accreditation is an assurance to the public that an
institution is properly prepared to do its job. On a more practical level, the HLC and the other accrediting
agencies have been designated as the "gatekeepers" for federal funds in higher education. Unaccredited
schools are not eligible for many kinds of federal support.
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11. Creative Media Institute
New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute (CMI) offers the Bachelor of Individualized Studies degree focused in Creative Media (BIS). CMI is a dynamic cross-disciplinary program that prepares students for the 21st century in digital filmmaking, animation, and games development.
The CMI curriculum focuses on the art, craft, and business of storytelling. Our students choose one area of emphasis, but they study all aspects of digital filmmaking and digital arts, whether they are aspiring writers, directors, cinematographers, animators, or video gamers.
Theory and practice are integrated at every step. Students manipulate text, sound, images, and cinema using industry-standard technology.
CMI will house a state of the art digital projection system screening room, post-production lab, animation lab, and production space.
CMI is the place to learn your craft and find your voice-to master the artistic process and technical skills needed to realize your vision.
Mission Statement
New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute (CMI) prepares students to become digital storytellers using state of the art, industry-standard tools.
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12. University-Wide Extension
For decades, New Mexico State University has reached out to New Mexicans through its agents in agriculture, youth 4-H programs and home economics. Now, NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service is working to develop a pipeline that will offer research-based expertise from colleges across the campus to residents in every county.
"This is really about how the university can bring to bear all its intellectual capital and resources to better meet the needs of New Mexicans," said Paul Gutierrez, NMSU vice provost for outreach. "The challenge of university-wide Extension is to lead and to fully utilize the capacity of the entire university to respond to the needs of families and the diversity of communities in New Mexico while maintaining the integrity of Extension."
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13. American Council on Education’s (ACE) Internationalization Collaborative Initiative
The Office of VPROIP was asked to apply to become a member of the ACE International Collaborate, which is comprised of about 45 institutions, from community colleges to doctoral universities that share ideas and help each other further their international agendas. NMSU was accepted as a member during the fall of 2003.
ACE’s international agenda is to:
1. Serve as a resource on international education for member institutions and other stakeholders,
2. Help U.S. institutions enhance their international activities, dimensions, outlook,
3. Advocate for international education to policy makers and the public, and
4. Maintain active linkages with associations and organizations around the world and to promote international collaboration through meetings and projects with partner organizations.
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Additional Internationalization Links:
Michigan State University - Internationalization Self-Study: Background and Guiding Questions
http://accreditation2006.msu.edu/internationalization/backgroundIntselfstudy.htm
ACANS Newscenter is published by the Association of Computing and Networking Services at New Mexico State University. If you would like to subscribe to the ACANS Newscenter, request further information, or to submit articles of interest contact ICT Strategic Relations, 646-4857 email: ict_sr@nmsu.edu