Badgley Science Center

BLUEPRINT FOR EXCELLENCE

Eastern Oregon University

Introduction

Blueprint Guidelines         Word

Blueprint/Market Niche Proposals (Complete List)

• Cornerstone Center on Experiential Learning
  Oregon Rural Solutions Center
  Rob Davis (Word)
• Institute on Sustainability
  Rob Davis
  
• Increased Funding for the Disability Services Coordinator Position
  Anna Marie Dill (Word)
  
• Institute for Contemporary Arts
  Sandra Ellston (Word)
  
• Office of Multicultural Affairs
  Jackie Grant (Word)
  
• EOU Non-Traditional Student Center
  Sharon Tyrell (Word)
  
• Haven From Hunger: A Community Development Institute /
  Relationship to Blueprint Principles and other proposed initiatives
  Bill Grigsby, Linda Jerofke, Rosemary Powers (Word)
  
  
• Internationalization of the EOU Experience
  Elizabeth Boretz (Word)
  
• Development of EOU's Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
  Anna Cavinato (Word)
  
• Fifth-Year Multi-Disciplinary BFA Degree
  David Axelrod (Word)
  
• A VISION FOR A “REAL” EOU
  Kim Sorensen (Word)
  
• Diversity Assessment and Training
  Jessica Plattner / Bill Grigsby (Word)
  
• International Recruitment and Retention Plan
  Hailey Wolcott (Word)
  
• Recruitment of High School Students Through Content Area Weekend College and
  Conference Experiences for Students and Their Teachers
  Dan Mielke (Word)
  
• Center for Culture, Language and Literacy
  Carol Lauritzen (Word)
  
• Recruitment and Support for Bilingual and ESOL Students
  Dr. Kerri Wenger, Dr. LeeAnn McNerney, and Professor Miriam Munck (Word)

INTRODUCTION:

Over its rich history EOU has steadily developed a reputation for excellence in teaching and community involvement. Through its liberal arts and professional programs, as well as its distance education, it has played a key role in providing higher education opportunities beyond eastern Oregon and to the entire state and the nation. It is now time to build on this solid foundation and move to the next phase of development for our University. As a starting point for planning this new phase of EOU's development, I am proposing a series of visioning sessions with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the community-at-large. These workshops would be a complementary activity to the efforts currently underway to develop a mission statement for the Campus. The main purpose of these sessions would be to develop a "Blueprint for Excellence for Eastern." This Blueprint for Excellence would serve as a road map to assist EOU's move into the next phase of its development. It will have specific targets and milestones to guide the University during the next several years. I am hoping that at the end of these discussions we will have identified a small number - between five to ten - targets. For the sake of starting the discussion, I am proposing the following points for consideration.

DISCUSSION POINTS:

The goals for the Blueprint for Excellence should include:

1. TO ENHANCE EOU'S COMMITMENT TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, INCLUDING STUDENT-ORIENTED LEARNING:

This would be accomplished inter alia through:

• Greater use of technology for classroom instruction
• Increased support of faculty's access to the most current information in their respective fields (for example, conference participation, etc.)
• Increasing library resources including bound volumes, journals, and access to on-line journal services

2. TO CREATE A GLOBAL UNIVERSITY:

Possible activities include:

• Initiating new international exchange programs to include faculty, students, and programmatic exchanges
• Encouraging and supporting faculty and student participation in a variety of international activities
• Actively recruit students globally

3. TO ENHANCE AND DIVERSIFY THE UNIVERSITY'S RESOURCES:

To be successful and to reduce the risk of highly fluctuating budget cycles, the University must diversify its funding sources. This can be accomplished by:

• Seeking competitive government grants to assist with the University's community-based and professional programs
• Actively seeking federal and state appropriations for specific centers and institutes for outreach and research projects
• Seeking private (foundation and corporate) funds for designated activities

4. TO SUPPORT RESEARCH

Along with teaching and service, research is a core activity of any institution of higher education. Research support at EOU can be expanded by:

• Allocating funds for release time for faculty research, including those involving students.
• Designating funds for faculty and student travel to actively participate in international, national, and regional professional conferences.
• Sponsoring professional conferences, journals, and other publications.

5. TO EXPAND THE UNIVERSITY'S INVOLVEMENT IN REGIONAL, STATE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL SERVICE AND DEVELOPMENT:

EOU has a rich tradition of involvement in community development. This tradition can be expanded by:

• Creating (or expanding, if one exists) a regional economic and demographic database for Eastern Oregon
• Hosting an annual public policy conference on regional development for Eastern Oregon

6. TO IMPROVE DIVERSITY

Our students' education will only be incomplete if it does not explore national and global cultures and issues. Diversity is an important component of modern society. Introducing our students to national and global cultures and issues can be achieved by:

• Increasing the educational diversity of the student body, that is to enhance the education of all Eastern students by developing a more globalized mix of students
• Increasing efforts to create a more diverse student and employee population