The University of Wyoming/Casper College Center

Academic Plan 2004-2009

1 December 2003

Executive Summary

Academic planning for the University of Wyoming/Casper College (UW/CC) Center is based in ongoing deliberation, iterative refinements, documented strategic planning conducted since 1996, and also Outreach School scenario planning, which began in the fall of 2001. Our strategic planning has identified eleven goals that characterize the directions in which the Center will move over the next five years. The goals are defined further through a deliberate process of assessment and action planning to determine specific and measurable objectives, tasks, assignments, product deliverables, timelines, target dates, status reports, and performance indicators. In addition to the seven major initiatives (objectives) cited in this Division Plan, there are many more day-to-day operational objectives in the strategic plan.

The university’s unique cooperative partnership with Casper College is a significant factor in proposing and planning the program and curriculum for the Center. The Center also assures that the university’s colleges and academic departments in Laramie maintain control of faculty appointments, courses and degree programs. The partnership UW/CC has with Casper College and the UW-Laramie academic community serves to develop opportunity for greater access to higher education and learning in Central Wyoming. The synergistic relationship emphasizes the development of programs focused on the needs and issues important to this region.

Progress Since Academic Plan 1999-2004

The University of Wyoming/Casper College Center has engaged a strategic planning process since 1996, which includes the work of various on-going committees and the influence of benchmark documentation. The process is characterized by sustained communication, articulation, and iterative refinement within the UW/CC learning community. A key document is the UW/CC Identity Statement (http://www.uwyo.edu/uwcc/about.htm).

During 2002-2003 the UW/CC Strategic Planning Committee continued to guide the Center’s development in view of UW academic planning and Outreach School (OS) scenario planning. From the scenario planning work, it was determined that the Center exists in a fairly volatile “bucking bronco” world, or an up and down/boom and bust environment, for now and the foreseeable future. There is relatively high demand for UW/CC programs with certain restrictions (UW academic planning and politics; high demand for bandwidth with uneven access and high cost; restrictions based on intellectual property rights; minimal population increase) and other uncertainties (declining K-12 enrollment in Wyoming; employment/unemployment trends; minerals industry revenue trends; government funding for higher education; cost of living; Wyoming cultural/societal traditions; community expectations).

The Strategic Planning Committee has defined the following eleven goals that characterize the intentions and directions in which the Center will move during the coming years. In addition, the Committee engages a continuous and rigorous process of documented assessment and action planning to define specific and measurable objectives, tasks, assignments, product deliverables, timelines, target dates, status reports, and performance indicators to assure disciplined achievement and accountability.

UW/CC Goals

Maintain a clear identity through strategic/scenario planning, advocacy, marketing presence and good neighbor behavior.

Nurture learners with effective classroom teaching, advising and administrative office support.

Nurture faculty and staff growth with available support, recognition, and an effective and efficient organization.

Diversify and increase revenue through tuition, grants, and a UW/CC development/fund raising program.

Develop and enhance external partnerships based on available and appropriate opportunities.

Enhance coordination and cooperation with Casper College, UW colleges and academic departments, and other Outreach School divisions.

Magnify community presence; follow through on the marketing and advertising outcomes developed during the August 15, 2001, retreat with personnel from UW/CC, OS and UW Public Relations.

Expand and strengthen course offerings and academic programs in full cooperation with UW/CC faculty, UW colleges and academic departments, the Outreach School, and Casper College.

Develop the UW/CC fund raising program in cooperation with the UW Foundation.

Define community needs and develop processes to enhance access to educational opportunity.

Define facilities needs and develop appropriate plans.

The achievement of these goals is enhanced because the Center enjoys effective collaborative partnerships with Casper College and other entities in the community, which provide for a strong higher education presence in Central Wyoming. UW/CC enrollments continue to increase.[1]

There is minimal competition from outside institutions, although the extent of electronic distance education delivery from institutions other than UW is not clearly understood. The greater competition is from OS Outreach Credit Programs, as courses and programs are offered statewide via distance education technologies, thus diminishing the opportunity to schedule unique UW/CC on-site, face-to-face, classroom-based offerings in Casper. This observation must be understood in the historical context of the UW/CC Center, which is unique in the sphere of UW outreach centers. The UW/CC Center is developed on the premise that courses and programs will be offered on site in Casper with instructors in the classroom whenever possible. The Center also embraces and encourages the latest UW distance education technologies, and as this occurs, courses are often taken statewide. The continuing challenge is to coordinate these course offerings to the enhanced benefit of students in central Wyoming and across the state.

Progress on Specific Action Items from Academic Plan 1999-2000

The UW Academic Plan 1999-2004, and the implementation of “A Vision for the Future of University of Wyoming Outreach, March 27, 1998”[2] has had a significant influence on the UW/CC Center. The Center adheres to the declaration from President Philip Dubois regarding the “Vision” document: “…we are ‘one university’ with ‘one student body.’ The students’ needs may vary, but our commitment must be to provide the distance students high quality programs and services appropriate to their circumstances.”[3] Several Academic Plan 1999-2004 action items are relevant to, or have had influence on, UW/CC as the Center continues to cooperate within the Outreach School and other University units to address them. Both the Academic Plan and the “Vision” report continue to serve as important resources to guide UW/CC development. The following major specific action items from either the Academic Plan 1999-2004 or the “Vision” report are cited as benchmark progress.

§ The Center is now a division of the Outreach School and committed to expanding access to educational opportunity for Wyoming citizens. (“Vision” Recommendation Al.3)

§ Leadership for developing new courses or degree programs in Casper may come from UW/CC, a college, or an academic department, but departments maintain control of the curriculum and course content. (“Vision” Recommendation A1.5)

§ The industrial technology education program, eliminated in Laramie as a result of Academic Plan 1999-2004 (Action Item 95), has been reinstated in Casper as a cooperative program between UW and Casper College. Other major partners include the Central Wyoming Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) and the Natrona County School District (NCSD).

§ Permanent faculty positions formerly budgeted with UW/CC programs are now assigned to an appropriate academic department (Action Item 160).

Curriculum

The cooperative partnership between UW/CC and Casper College is unique. All planning, resource decisions, and initiatives regarding UW courses and degree programs are done in full cooperation with Casper College, as well as appropriate UW colleges and academic departments and other community partners. Questions about where to focus resources are confronted with critical assessments. Any curriculum initiatives must be well grounded in community need and supported by adequate resources.

In cooperation with various local agencies (NCSD, BOCES, law enforcement agencies, etc.), as well as Casper College, the Center is also developing various professional development programs to meet community needs. Examples are the professional development courses for the school district and the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program for the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office, the school district and other agencies.

Assessment

The assessment of student learning at UW/CC should be no different than that conducted on the campus in Laramie, and the Center will cooperate with colleges and departments to help make the process systematic and well documented. In addition, teaching performance and effectiveness should be assessed on a regular basis, and in cooperation with UW colleges and departments, UW/CC administers teaching evaluations for all courses taught through the Center.

Because of its size and constituency, UW/CC provides personalized, connected educational opportunities and support within the learning community, which is similar to the learning communities being developed in Laramie. UW/CC operates a full service UW student support office, readily available on the campus of Casper College. The UW Outreach Building, located separate from UW/CC offices at Casper College, is also staffed and managed to assure that students and faculty can study and learn in a comfortable learning environment. UW/CC classes are small and faculty readily available for mentoring opportunities. Within the larger UW/CC learning community, discipline-focused learning groups thrive in elementary education, special education, counselor education, industrial technology education, biology, communication and criminal justice.

Students and faculty are further assisted with outstanding technology support from UW/CC, the Outreach School, UW Information Technology, and Casper College; cooperative library support from the UW Libraries and the Casper College Goodstein Library; and support from all other UW offices to which inquiries are directed. The UW/CC Center is very much like the “Academic Success Center” proposed in Moving Forward III ( MFIII, pp. 15, 35).

A UW/CC Student Satisfaction Survey was conducted during spring semester 2003, with very favorable results, and the survey will be repeated during 2003-2004. Other assessments are planned as part of the Center’s strategic planning process under the objective to “define community needs….”

Assessment of this plan is also essential. The Center engages a continuous and rigorous process of documented assessment and action planning to define specific and measurable objectives.

Areas of Distinction

Professions and Issues Critical to the Region. UW/CC has built a reputation for excellence and distinction with the elementary education program, and the Center intends to capitalize on developing other opportunities, including biology, business education, communication and journalism, criminal justice, industrial technology education, psychology, school library/media endorsement, secondary science education, and social work.

Environment and Natural Resources (ENR). The Center is also positioned to cooperate in the development of interdisciplinary programs, including courses, degrees, forums and public service programs, with a regional focus in the “Areas of Distinction” defined in MFIII (pages 6-10). An example of this is the series of public lectures on environmental issues associated with a course on the environment and natural resources. These have included “North Platte River” (fall 1999, fall 2000), “Wyoming Underground” (fall 2001), “Prairie Dogs and People” (fall 2002), and “Common Waters” (fall 2003). The program will be continued.

The UW/CC faculty and staff are distinguished by the number of Ellbogen teaching awards received (7) over the years, by extensive community service and leadership activities, by an unusually high level of participation in the programs of the UW Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning, and by significant scholarship in the MFIII “Areas of Distinction,” notably “Environment and Natural Resources (ENR)” (pp. 6-7), and “Life Sciences” (pp. 7-8).

Institutional and Outreach School Issues

The “Planning premises and principles” in MFIII (pp. 4-5) are woven throughout this UW/CC academic plan. Clearly assessed community needs provide a foundation for working with UW colleges and academic departments, and Casper College, to develop courses, degree programs, forums and public service programs that will focus on the “Areas of Distinction” cited in MFIII (pp. 6-10).

The goals in MFIII regarding diversity (pp. 18-19), and the tasks relevant to addressing them, belong to UW/CC as well as the University at large. The Center will work within its strategic planning process to identify specific objectives and tasks to help cultivate stronger connections in the community and to enrich the UW/CC curriculum.

The Center provides expanded access to higher education in Wyoming. It is an alternative for students who live and work in Central Wyoming and also want to earn a college degree from UW. Students currently enrolled through UW/CC represent a wide variety of ages, occupations, and personal circumstances. Most have families, homes, and jobs in the Casper area, but they enroll with exceptional energy and determination to learn. Their diverse backgrounds enhance the learning experience in each course they take.

The need for enhanced funding support for UW/CC is clearly defined in the Center’s strategic planning goals: “diversify and increase revenue” and “develop the UW/CC fund raising program.” A planned, deliberate and institutionally harmonious development program is well under way.

In addition to the Outreach School scenario planning process, the School has developed an important document, Facing the Future, that focuses on learning, access, partnerships and synergism, and accommodation of growth. The Center will continue to be a full and cooperative partner in furthering the vision of that document and the concepts and guidelines regarding “Outreach, Extension, and Community Service” in MFIII (pp. 29-32).

University of Wyoming Casper College Center

Action Items for Academic Plan 2004-2009

(These action items are not in priority order)

The UW/CC strategic planning process includes the eleven goals cited in this plan. These goals are further defined by measurable objectives. In addition to the five major initiatives (objectives) cited below, there are many more day-to-day operational objectives in the strategic plan.

Short Term Action Items: One to two years

UW/CC 1.1 In cooperation with the College of Education Department of Secondary Education, UW/CC will secure Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB) approval for the industrial technology secondary education program.

UW/CC 1.2 In cooperation with the College of Education Department of Secondary Education, UW/CC will initiate and develop a UW/CC secondary science education program.

UW/CC 1.3 In cooperation with the College of Education Department of Adult Learning and Technology, UW/CC will initiate and develop a school library/media endorsement program.

UW/CC 1.4 In cooperation with the UW Foundation, UW/CC will develop funding to support the UW/CC Environmental & Natural Resources (ENR) public programs.

UW/CC 1.5 In cooperation with the UW Foundation, UW/CC will develop funding to support “student leadership” scholarships.

Mid Term Action Items: Two to three years

UW/CC 2.1 UW/CC will work with Casper College to determine the feasibility of joint facilities development and consolidation to support the common missions of Casper College and the UW/CC Center. Increasing enrollment and lack of space make this a high priority for the Outreach School.

UW/CC 2.2 In cooperation with the College of Education Department of Secondary Education, UW/CC will consider the feasibility of offering a business education program. The timeline would have these considerations begin not earlier than fall 2006.

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[1] UW/CC Spring Semester Enrollments 2001-2003

		Spring 2001	Spring 2002	Spring 2003	% Change (Spr. '01-Spr. '03)
UW/CC
	Credit Hours	2202	2180.5	2357	7.04%
	Unduplicated Headcount	344	336	342	-0.58%
Professional Dev. - Casper
	Credit Hours	480	697	1072	123.33%
	Unduplicated Headcount	266	329	495	86.09%
Total
	Credit Hours	2682	2877.5	3429	27.85%
	Unduplicated Headcount	610	660	835	36.89%

[2] Academic Plan 1999-2004, pages 25-28.

[3] Memorandum of November 6, 1998, to Executive Council, Deans’ Council, Outreach Council, Outreach Task Forces on “Final Decisions on Outreach Recommendations.”