Cal Poly Pomona P&R initiative

[Admin]

Friends,

One of the clear outcomes of the Prioritization & Recovery Initiative was the difficulty experienced by all stakeholders in defining our goals, mission and identity. We have come a long way from being a branch campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Cal Poly Pomona is a nationally-ranked university with a number of premier programs. But we don’t have a unified identity and a clear understanding of the role and responsibilities of a polytechnic university in a major urban region. I have stated repeatedly that we can no longer be all things to all people, not if we truly expect to be a great university. So how do we get there?

When the Academic Senate called for a suspension of P&R, it was clear we needed to review our process. But this university cannot stop moving forward. To that end, our faculty called on me to develop a different process, one that would allow me to be engaged in every step along the way. There was also a call for me to create a new strategic plan, but I believe there are some things that we need to address before we get there. I also want to make sure that the exceptional work of P&R is not lost.

Today, I am proud to introduce a new plan, one that from the beginning will involve input from all campus stakeholders. Ultimately, this is a process that will define Cal Poly Pomona for this and future generations. We will explore people’s views of the campus as it is and as it should be, so we can prepare for the future. Outcomes of this process will serve as the foundation of a new strategic plan, one that will launch in Fall 2008. This effort will also allow us to identify the funding needs that limit our ability to reach greatness and how we should focus our capital campaign efforts.

As I said, this discussion will involve each of you. Let me give you a breakdown of our timeline and our expected outcomes:

Now – Campus-Wide Online Survey I

The first step is to get your perceptions on the relative importance of specific issues impacting the university. I want you to share your attitudes and beliefs about Cal Poly Pomona with me. What are the things you value? Where do we need to improve? What aspects stand out here? This survey will be made available to every faculty, staff, student and alumnus. The outcomes will be posted on a dedicated BlackBoard site, which will be up and running in the coming days. This will be the first of two surveys. Please complete the first survey by Friday, February 15 at 5 p.m.

February and March – Focus Groups

For about six weeks, I will personally host and moderate 22 different focus groups of 10 people each. They will feature faculty, staff, day and evening students and alumni. They will feature a candid dialogue on their perceptions of the university and will better define our shared values and shared goals. The information gathered from these focus groups will be transcribed and placed on BlackBoard.

Late March – Campus-Wide Online Survey II

We will have new information based on the outcomes from the first survey and focus groups. I will want your thoughts on those outcomes. How should those outcomes inform the strategic plan and the capital campaign? Do we have general consensus on the most important issues and values? Are we all on the same page? Outcomes and data will once again be available to everyone on BlackBoard.

April – Division and College Meetings

It will then be time for you to have these discussions at the local level. Each college and division will have all of the feedback from the surveys and focus groups. What does this information mean to you? How should your unit respond? Do the campaign funding goals make sense? What should we do differently? It is my hope to sit in on as many of these meetings as possible. The discussions will be posted online and will inform the final outcomes.

May – All-Campus Meeting

We are going to come together as one community. I expect to hear any and all final feedback so our outcomes truly reflect the general consensus of the university. We will also have in place the goals that will serve as the foundation of the capital campaign. Through this, Cal Poly Pomona will have a clear identity and vision, one that will ease our transition into a full-scale strategic plan.

Late May – Strategic Plan Task Force

A team will be identified to begin the development and timeline for a new strategic plan, with a clear focus on the university’s direction. Its first charge will be to review the survey instruments used in the P & R Initiative and restructure the Program Criteria Document so we can acquire an updated analysis of all academic and support programs. The revised program analysis will continue through the summer months.

NEXT STEPS: Please take the time to complete the initial survey at http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227EPSJ6PLT. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to participate. Some of you will be receiving an invitation from my office to take part in a focus group. I hope to see you then.

Thank you for your willing participation in this important project. I have not identified any group to represent you because I am calling on each of you to represent yourselves. Your voice will help determine the future of Cal Poly Pomona.

Michael Ortiz
President

[PL28]

Honestly, I think Dr. Ortiz is really trying to transform this university and this is a good step. Previously, P&R was a good idea on paper but implementations too complex. Different department had their own focus and in a way and it didn't fully benefit the university as a whole.

With this new initiative and its surveys, it’s a good way to bring the community together once again for the greater good of the university.

[Admin]

Hopefully, the Academic Senate along with the entire staff and faculties will get a better picture from the results. The survey points out important qualities relevant to current students, prospective students, staffs and faculties. I look forward to see the progress of the P&R Initiative, and to see the university's vision and mission statement evolve for the better good.

FYI the zoomerang site will go under maintenance tomorrow:

To provide you with the highest quality service, Zoomerang will be performing routine maintenance on the evening of Thursday, February 7, 2008. During this interval, Zoomerang survey design (creation, deployments and reporting) and survey taking will be unavailable.

Maintenance Schedule
Pacific Time:
Thursday, February 7, 2008; 6:00pm - 4:00am PST (Friday, February 8, 2008)

[Admin]

Friends,

Earlier this year, I introduced the University Vision and Identity Planning Process to explore views and perceptions of the campus so we can determine a shared vision for the future.

In addition to our initial online survey, I also personally hosted a total of 21 focus groups with faculty, staff, students and alumni, resulting in candid dialogues on their perceptions of the university. All of these conversations and documents provided great information and are available on a special Alumni Affairs web site (http://e-advancement.csupomona.edu/alumni/vision.html).

As I promised, our next step would be a new survey, one with questions that reflect the outcomes of the focus groups and the initial survey. I invite each of you to take the time and complete this brief survey (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227QNBV97B9). It will close on Friday, May 2 at 5 p.m.

I am also calling on every dean and vice president to schedule all-college/division meetings sometime between May 7 and May 15. Each college and division will have all of the feedback from the surveys and focus groups to take the next step at a local level. The discussions will be posted online and will inform the final outcomes.

On May 20, we will come together as one community for an all-campus meeting in the Bronco Student Center. I expect to hear any and all final feedback so our outcomes truly reflect the general consensus of the university community. We will also finalize the goals developed through this initiative that will serve as the foundation of the comprehensive campaign. Through this, Cal Poly Pomona will have a clear identity and vision, one that will ease our transition and inform a full-scale strategic plan.

In June, a team will be identified to begin the development and timeline for a new strategic plan, with a clear focus on the university’s direction, which we will all kick off at Fall Conference. But let your voice be heard today and complete the new survey (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227QNBV97B9). Your participation is extremely important and will help inform the future of Cal Poly Pomona.

Thank you!

Michael Ortiz

President

[Admin]

Good afternoon,

I want to THANK YOU for your participation to date in the University Vision and Identity Planning Process. By the end of this week, all of the colleges and divisions will have completed their organizational meetings.

This has been an extraordinary learning experience for me - from hosting 21 focus groups to reviewing the feedback of survey participants to hearing to your individual comments. I learned a great deal from your experiences and insights of Cal Poly Pomona. It was the common threads that are helping to reveal our strong sense of identity. As President, I was asked to share my vision for Cal Poly Pomona. My vision is based on your vision—for who we are and who we can become.

On Tuesday, May 20 at 8:45 a.m. in the Bronco Student Center (Ursa Major), I will share that vision for Cal Poly Pomona, one reflecting where you want this university to go. That vision will be driven by a set core values that will help inform and articulate a new strategic plan that we will create together.

I hope you can join us next week. To help with the planning, please RSVP to:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227T9FQTXBH

In the meantime, the survey results, focus group transcripts and notes from the division and college meeting (as available) will be posted on Blackboard. If you are new to this organization:

Log in to Blackboard from http://blackboard.csupomona.edu
Click the Organizations tab, which is the third top tab below the "Bb @ Cal Poly Pomona" logo
Find the "University Identity and Vision Planning Process" and follow further instruction there
Once again, thank you for your efforts to date. The participation has been terrific and I look forward to sharing our collective vision with you next week.

Michael Ortiz
President