Spring 2005 Strategic Planning Survey (SWOT)iea.fau.edu/inst/swot2.doc · Web view“The shift of local expertise from FAU to Scripps, and the ‘brain-drain’ of good support

SPRING 2005 STRATEGIC PLANNING SURVEY (SWOT)

Summary of Responses from Alumni, Parents, Faculty, Staff, and Community Advisory Focus Groups

1. What are the top 3 things that FAU does well?

Response from Alumni

Provides a quality education (64) Employs excellent, high caliber faculty (48) Enriches and serves as a strong resource for the community by providing lifelong learning,

educational accessibility to working adults and community service (47) Maintains multiple campuses to accommodate a large geographic area (24) Offers a large variety of programs/majors/courses (21) Makes higher education available at a reasonable cost (19)

“A great choice of academic programs in various disciplines.”

“Operates as a continuous learning organization.”

“Provides lifelong learning for older adults.”

“Excellent education at an affordable price.”

Response from Parents

Communication and information sharing from the Director of Retention to parents (21) Excellent Freshman Orientation Program (8) Offers wide variety of majors and courses (8) Dedicated professors (5)

“Keeps parents well informed about student progress.” ** specifically referring Dr. Jennifer Bebergal, Director, Office of Retention

Response from Faculty

Offers expanding upper and lower division quality education (36) Provides a wide geographic distribution of programs thru distributed campuses (28) Outreach to local communities through service programs and partnering to leverage resources

with organizations, businesses and community colleges (26) Hires caring and dedicated faculty and researchers (24) Embraces diversity in student population, faculty and degree programs (21) Offers life long learning programs and makes education accessible to working adults and non-

traditional students (16)

“Diversity of student population.”

“Provides a second chance for non-traditional students.”

NOTE: It was disappointing to find 8 faculty respondents provide sarcastic, cynical answers to the question, “What are the top 3 things that FAU does well?” Examples:

cut money from needed programs screw over adjuncts following Republican agenda dictated from Tallahassee procrastinate, irritate and frustrate make sure administrators salaries are near the top give kickbacks to Board of Trustees members give parking tickets generate profits for food franchise holders

Response from Staff

Offers a large variety of programs/majors/courses (27) Provides a quality education to traditional and non-traditional students (26) Promotes excellent community outreach by providing cultural activities, life long learning, and

partnering with the community on services, programs and research (26) Promotes and accommodates diversity of students, faculty, and staff in age, gender and ethnicity

(26) Multi campus locations service a broad geographic area (21) Attracts and retains high quality, dedicated staff and faculty (19) Offers affordable education at a reasonable cost (12) Provides excellent employment benefits (9)

“Can offer diversity of experience and expression of ideas.”

“Offers a great variety of educational programs.”

“FAU provides great benefits for employees.”

Response from Community Advisory Focus Groups

Provides accessible, high quality, low-cost education Shows commitment to and concern for the community by offering lifelong learning and continuing

education programs Meets needs of community by offering varied and preeminent degrees and programs (i.e., Ocean

Engineering, Motion Picture Industry) Offers class schedules well-suited to commuter and employed students. 2+2 partnerships with Palm Beach Community College, Broward Community College and Indian

River Community College Partnerships well with community, industry, research centers (i.e., Scripps) Maintains excellent leadership personnel

Response from Student Focus Groups

Diversity of student body, enriches FAU experience Location Accessibility due to partner campus structure Class size Level of interaction with faculty Quality of interaction with staff, close-knit communities on partner campuses Articulation agreements with community colleges, partner campus proximity to

community colleges to share resources

2. What should FAU preserve at all costs?


Excellent Professors, Educational Quality (39) Nature/Owl Habitat, Campus Grounds, Green Areas, Tropical Landscape, Nature Preserve (13) Affordability/Value, High-Quality, Low Cost (12) Athletics, Football, Baseball, Club Sports, Head Football Coach (12) Academic Programs, MBA Program, Specific Programs (12) MBA program in Fort Lauderdale (especially Sports Management), Medical School Partnership,

Nursing, Engineering-Marine/Ocean, Biomedical Sciences-Take advantage of presence of Scripps. Academic Standards (11) Class size, faculty accessibility, reasonable size (10) Campus structure, partner campuses (8) Owl Mascot (5)


Communication with Parents, Student and Parent access to upper administration (4) Academic standards, high standards for achievement (2) Affordable education, keep tuition affordable (2) Small size (2) Diverse student body. Intermingling of cultures (2) Diverse courses, diverse course offerings (2)

“Small size.” “Keep class size small whenever possible, with student teacher ratio as low as fiscally viable”


Quality of Instruction, Academic Integrity, Standards (14) Diversity, Diverse student body (6) “Student first” orientation, making students the primary focus, caring atmosphere for students,

respect for students, meeting the needs of students (6) Nature habitats, green areas on campus, owl and turtle sanctuaries (5) Small class size (5) Honors College, and small class size and student-faculty ratio at Honors College (4) Liberal Arts Core, status of liberal arts in education. (4)

“broad range of programs, inc. fine arts, social sciences, liberal arts – don’t drain these programs in favor of medicine, nursing, engineering, business, etc.”

Response from Staff

Partner campus structure, accessibility, opportunity for all, including non-traditional students (16) Academic integrity, academic quality (13) Owl burrows, tortoise habitat, nature preserves on campus (9) Small class sizes, small school feel, personal touch, quality service, first year experience, retention

initiatives, student focus, strong student affairs division to support focus. (9)

Owl Mascot (6) Academic Programs, Humanities Departments, Ocean Engineering at Seatech. Programs in College

of Education, High Caliber Nursing and Business Programs, degree programs meeting societal demand (5)

Community Outreach, Ties to surrounding communities (4)


Academic excellence Lifelong learning Educational accessibility for northern Palm Beach County residents

3. Who are FAU’s Chief Competitors?


Florida International University (144) Nova Southeastern University (84) University of Florida (71) University of Miami (70) University of Central Florida (68) Florida State University (56) University of South Florida (36) Lynn University (28) Community colleges – BCC, PBCC (23) Barry University (22) On-line universities, i.e., University of Phoenix (20)

“The question should be – who is our competition nationwide, not just in the Southeastern part of Florida. We must think bigger. … If we see FIU, Nova, BCC PBCC, etc. as our main competition, then we will perform at that level. We must assume UF, FSU, UM, etc. are the schools we are up against in Florida – and if we want to move forward and become a top-tier program – we need to compete with the best in the nation.”


Florida International University (9) Florida State University (9) University of Florida (9) University of Central Florida (8) University of South Florida (6)

“Residential campus focused universities like Florida State or University of Florida verses commuter campus. They are better attractor to most high school seniors. There is a strong desire from this group to emerge themselves in a residential campus environment or “college town.”


Florida International University (65) Nova Southeastern University (56) University of Central Florida (32) and University of Florida (31) University of Miami (23) and Florida State University (21) Barry University (16) All Florida local community colleges (13) University of South Florida (12) and Lynn University (12) On-line universities, i.e., University of Phoenix (11)

“For the poorly prepared, and/or geographically bound students we overwhelmingly attract, we face little if any competition.”

“There are no serious competitors, which is why FAU has grown so quickly and with so few demands for quality, effectiveness, thoughtfulness or common sense…”

“We lack the quality and reputation to be competitive outside of our region.”

Response from Staff

Florida International University (65) Nova Southeastern University (53) University of Central Florida (31) University of Florida (23) Florida State University (14) University of South Florida (14) University of Miami (14) Palm Beach Community College (13) All Florida local community colleges (12) On-line universities, i.e., University of Phoenix (12) Barry University (10)


The University of Phoenix and other distance education providers Florida International University Nova Southeastern University University of Central Florida University of South Florida Palm Beach Community College

(NOTE: Many expressed concern about other universities, mainly UCF, FIU and UF, encroaching on our service area and attracting students away from FAU. They felt FAU should offer programs that other universities do not.)


FIU, UCF, USF UF, FSU Other SUS institutions Other private institutions (Barry University, St. Thomas University) Community Colleges Distance learning providers/On-line programs For-profit schools (i.e., Kaplan)

4. What does FAU do better than its competitors?


Flexibility of course offerings, time and location, opportunities for non-traditional students (39) Affordability, cost of tuition, value (30) Location (19) Academic programs: Engineering, Business (Accounting), Biomed, Education, Ocean Engineering

(13) Small class size, small school feeling (11) Sports Programs – Improvement (8) Lifelong learning (4)


Campus setting, safe environment, ease of getting around (4) Personal, personable, friendly, helpful. (4) Location, accessibility throughout Broward County (3) Tuition, good economic value. Offers a wide variety of curriculum at a fair cost. (3) Dorms, dorm layout (2)

“My daughter feels totally at home on campus, she has never felt lost or alone or scared…….awesome!”,

“More appealing campus setting”, “Campus is ‘walkable’ and easy to learn.”

“Smaller size makes students feel an integral part of the school.”

“Offers a smaller school atmosphere with more individualized attention.”


Low cost, quality education (22) Partner campus access (11) Quality Professors, Instruction (10) Diverse offerings, specialized programs (8) Student access to faculty members, good interaction, faculty involvement in classroom teaching (7) Quality academic programs (6)

Response from Staff

Access, multiple campuses, location (22) Tuition/Cost (17) Small class size, personal service to students, student care, personal environment, good faculty-staff

relations (11) Access for non-traditional students, flexibility (4)


Colleges of Business and Education are better at FAU than other schools. Partnership with Scripps Unique programs (i.e., Harbor Branch, Motion Picture Industry)


FAU is convenient to work and go to school. FAU is attractive due to distributed campus structure. FAU does provide good financial aid FAU is more affordable than schools in other parts of the country.

5. What does the competition do better, that FAU should be doing?


Promotions, marketing/advertising, recognition, public relations (39) Traditional campus environment, campus activities, campus housing, dorms, fraternity

and sorority houses (26) Athletics, larger following, better school spirit, rivalries, more established programs,

recruiting, facilities (20) Attract and keep better faculty, better faculty pay, better staff pay (13) Cater to working adults, flexibility, weekend/evening classes (9) Prepare students for workforce, more practical curriculum (5)


Promote itself to high schools, school districts, prospective students, recruit students (7)

Traditional campus life, campus activities, student involvement, clubs, less commuter oriented. More choices for food on campus. (3)

Management of campus housing, assignment of housing (2)


Public relations, advertising, promotions, recruiting (18) Flexibility & variety of schedules and course delivery, meeting non-traditional student needs (13) Student services, more personal attention to students (advising, admissions, registration). (10) More competitive faculty & staff salaries (8) Higher academic/admissions standards, attract better students (8)

“Streamlined service at convenient times and locations”

Response from Staff

Public relations, advertising/marketing (14) Distance Education, On-line courses, use of technology, registration, etc. (14) Traditional campus atmosphere, campus environment, housing. (9) Customer service (5)


Marketing and PR (some felt competitors do better, some felt FAU does better). Some competitors (i.e., UCF) offer a younger mind-set student body and more dorms creating a

more traditional college atmosphere.


For lower division courses community colleges are more affordable. Offer need based aid. At FAU some students cannot afford to buy books. Private institutions are more prestigious. FAU is not a prestigious choice for graduate school, only an alternative if students are not admitted

to choice schools.

6. What 3 things should FAU address immediately?


Promote school identity/marketing (51) Scheduling – more class/time selections, course variety, on-line availability, instructors (33) Increase salaries (28) Raise admission standards (18) Advance athletic programs and facilities (18) Increase on-campus, off-campus and Greek housing (17) Raise/retain quality academic standards (15) Parking deficiencies (14) Traffic flow, access from major roads and internal/external congestion (13) Build football stadium (12) Hire/retain good faculty/staff (12)

“Image as a serious, achievement-oriented academic institution.”

“Market FAU outside of PBC and Florida.”


Better communication to develop better customer service (13) Quality/availability of food service (8) Improve campus life/increase activities (8) Increase security/safety (hurricane preparedness, lighting, etc.) (8) Expand/improve housing (4)

“User friendliness of registration and administration.”

“Get more info to high schools in Central and North Florida.”


Increase salaries and number of faculty (35) Increase physical facilities and improve cleanliness/maintenance (22) Raise academic standards (20) Improve internal and external communication (19) Improve fund raising (14) Raise admissions standards (13) Develop more effective advertising/marketing (12) Increase course offerings (11) More scheduling availability (7)

“Understand that retention is 75% about who you admit.”

“Make community colleges prove students learned.”

Response from Staff

Expand course offerings/programs/availability (25) Customer service (24) Traffic/parking/signage improvement (21) Communication (20) Increase salaries/benefits/opportunities (14) Campus/building cleanliness (14) Add new/increase size of old facilities (classrooms, stadium, library, etc.) (13) Raise admissions standards/recruitment/retention (13) Quality of academics (11)

“Design a mandatory course unique to FAU for freshmen.”

“Get people to buy-in to unified message and image.”


Change “Boca centered” focus and promote knowledge of Broward and Northern campuses.

Create strong Research I presence to attract more high tech companies. Increase job-shadowing and internship opportunities and interaction with area businesses. Begin recruitment/awareness earlier (elementary school) and host SAT prep courses Provide more employment opportunities for Honors College students (Jupiter) Allow Broward County campuses to serve a pilot program lifting the campus housing restriction

on a test basis.


Improve availability of courses on partner campuses, especially required courses. Student services on partner campuses (including health services, health insurance, intramural

opportunities on partner campuses). Food service. Quality of food service, flexibility on required meal plan purchase on Jupiter campus. Parking. Too much reliance on Boca Raton campus, partner campuses should have more

resources. Marketing/promoting programs and recruiting students. Availability and quality of advising, especially freshman advising and partner campus

advising. Availability and quality of distance learning. Too much emphasis on athletics.

7. What does FAU do poorly?


Self-promotion, marketing and advertising (42) Needs to improve standards and focus on academic image in order to attract higher quality students

(21) Career services, job placement and advising (17) Does not create a traditional on-campus life (17) Communication – with alumni, students, employees, faculty and the public (12) Physical plant: Many buildings, classrooms, faculty offices, restrooms, etc. are unclean and in ill-

repair. (9)

“Market night courses as fun, educational, social and networking opportunities, as well as for tools for advancing in corporate world.”

“Marketing. Get the word out about research and unique discoveries and assets at this university.”

“FAU creates a poor experience for commuter students.”


Customer service – calls not returned (Advising); emails not responded to (Advising); improper or inconsistent information given by FAU employees (Advising and Financial Aid); and rude or inefficient employees (7)

Food service – quality, repetitiveness of meals, and meal plans (4) Advising (3) Housing – availability, cost, maintenance, noise (3)

“The entire admissions process is very confusing. While trying to get some basic information about who to talk to, which office to go to, which form to submit, when to submit them, etc., my daughter and I were either misdirected, given improper instructions, or simply told ‘I don’t know’. …”


Faculty salaries/retention/recruitment (24 ) Internal and external communication/marketing/advertising (24) Promoting and retaining high academic standards (10) Spread resources too thin due to multiple campuses (9) Physical plant – cleanliness, maintenance, service (8)

“…I am dismayed at the lack of academic skills of some students, almost all of whom are transfers from community colleges. Some of these students are woefully unprepared for college, and they need more than a writing/tutoring center. They need extensive remedial work. We do a disservice to these students (and to their classmates and professors) by admitting them. I have spoken to other professors who experience the same problem. …On average, especially on the Davie campus, I can expect that 25% or more of my students can barely read and write. Many of these

students are trying their best, but it’s a tremendous challenge when their academic skills are so poor. As a result, I have to “dumb down” my teaching…”

Response from Staff

Customer service – Employees should take ownership of helping solve students’ problems, become informed of university procedures and basic departmental functions, process paperwork quickly, return phone calls, demonstrate friendly, caring attitudes, and take pride in one’s work (29)

Internal and external communication (27) Embracing change/innovation in technology, policies, procedures, and systems, and planning ahead

from a university-wide perspective (13) Salaries/benefits/training/promotion of employees (13) Physical plant – Buildings, classrooms, and restrooms - unclean and in disrepair (9)

“Many people pass the buck from department to department. They do not take ownership of helping solve the student’s problem. We are not pleasant to each other, no less the students. Some people have the terrible attitude that students are a bother and keeping them from their work.”

“Needs to make classes more available – times, days, campuses.”


Lack of internal communication Enhancing public awareness (i.e., campuses, individual colleges, programs) Promoting visual presence of technology impact on community No linkage with employers in order to “teach to jobs”, no feedback from employers on

performance of alumni

8. What directions should FAU avoid taking in the future?


Too much emphasis on athletics, spending resources on programs serving a few students, putting all energy into football, athletics above academics (29)

Growing too fast, becoming too large, more satellite campuses, remaining commuter oriented. (28)

Sacrificing quality for quantity, lowering standards, avoid being driven by FTE at expense of quality. Accepting anyone who applies (9)

Tuition hikes, becoming out of reach for most students. Avoid block tuition (6)


Getting too big, losing personal feel (3) Housing needs to be managed better (3) Reducing entrance requirements, compromising admissions standards (2)

‘getting “bigger” without the resources to become bigger’

“Continuing to contract out for housing – It should be part of the university. It is obvious that Housing personnel (except for Kelly in IRT) feel that students can be replaced easily. Placement of new students in dorms is random now (no consideration of hours, habits). Priorities are set for placement of new students for spring semester instead of correcting problem placements in the fall.

“Notifying incoming students if they are on a waiting list for housing prior to orientation. Notifying incoming students where they stand on the list and what the likelihood is that they will get housing. This was the biggest downfall we experienced during orientation. Especially for out of state students this is very anxiety producing that could be avoided ahead of time”

“Increasing the cost of living for students living on dorms without adequate notice. It is already too expensive to pay for the class credits. At all cost keep the poor students in school, do not add reasons for them to drop out.


Expansion to additional sites, spreading ourselves too thin. Use resources to strengthen existing programs (26)

Growth in FTE by lowering standards, competing with community colleges for students (10)

Emphasizing athletics over academics, using resources (especially fund raising resources) to develop football. (4)

Too much emphasis on research (4)

“We must be known as ‘the better choice’”

“Having research and grants take priority over non-research aspects of being a university professor.”

“Equating scholarship with the size of a grant.”

“We need to decide if we are going to be a ‘teaching’ or ‘research’ institution.”

Response from Staff

Further expansion, growing too fast, getting spread too thin (resources) (16) Emphasizing athletics over academics, building stadium (7) Trying to be too traditional or catering to traditional students (5) Lowering standards to allow growth in FTE (5) Raising tuition (3)


Lowering admissions standards

9. What do people outside of FAU see as its strengths?


Location (58) Strong academic programs (43) Offers affordable education (22) Multiple campuses (20) Strong athletic programs, particularly football (17) Strong leadership skills in Frank Brogan (10)

“Comprehensive university that is not difficult to get into, and has lots of sunshine. …”

“Its campus environment and the ease in which it is capable of getting a degree – both financially and academically.”


Good academic programs (6) Location (5) Variety of degrees/majors (3) Good athletic teams (3)

“It has a variety of degrees to choose from, and excellent locations.”


Multiple campuses (22) Strong, diverse academic programs (19) Location (17) Community service including Lifelong Learning (15) Affordable cost (14) Good faculty (10) Strong athletic program (5)

“My neighbors talk about a pretty campus, a good place for working people to attend, but clearly not a place for their children to attend.”

“Most non-FAU people I meet seem to think that FAU is both an excellent value for students and an important part of the local economy. Many – although I seem to run into them less as the years progress – also see FAU as a local anchor of culture.”

Response from Staff

Varied, high quality academic programs (21) Multiple campuses (20) Affordable cost (14) Location (12) Maturing athletic programs, especially football (12)

Community involvement including Lifelong Learning (12)

“Athletics (football team). Although this is Florida, and I am a fan, it seems that we have successfully put a positive image on this program. This kind of energy should go into other non-athletic programs.”

“Provider of services and educational opportunities they cannot get anywhere else due to geographic, financial, time or scholastic/intellectual restraints.”


The Honors College is identified with strong East Coast academic institutions

10. What do people outside FAU see as its weaknesses?


Lacks the respect and reputation of other schools (UF, FSU, UM). Lack of prestige, no name recognition (33)

Easy, low-admission standards, lacking high level academics, a safety school- not a choice of destination, a backup or alternative (24)

Commuter orientation, lack of campus life (22) Too many campuses, Inconsistent quality across campuses. Course availability (8) Lack of history/tradition. Young school (7) Graduates are not prepared to enter the workforce in their fields, they lack skills,

education is not practical (5) Parking and safety (3) Poor Customer Service, Admissions and Registration Issues (3)

“You go to FAU when no one else will take you”

“I feel that the public sees it as a school to go to if you can’t get into FSU or UFL”

“Not a serious choice for academic challenge”

“Not a first choice school for top students”

“Low to mid level academics”

“differences between the various campuses in quality of education”

“Many students on the partner campuses complain they have to go down to Boca Raton for some classes”

“perhaps too many campuses, thus diluting the central core of the College’s administration and student participation”

Some of the programs are only offered at a single campus far fro m work and home (not even offered at the main campus)”

“Limited resources at satellite sites make it difficult to accomplish various projects”

“Courses or content that don’t focus on applicability to the workplace”

“In my field, I hear that education majors are not ready for the classroom when they graduate”

“I still hear from many of the graduating students that a lot of classes they take are not helping them deal with the career when they start”

“Quality of students it releases into industry”

“Parking is a major problem for visitors”

“Parking problems on campuses”

“The lack of parking spaces, safety concerns”

“Ineffective and extremely poor customer service relationships regarding admissions and registration”

“Application and registration issues are seen as a major weakness”


Commuter student orientation, no activities to interest traditional college students, lack of campus housing (including greek housing). (8)

Low academic standards, easier admissions than at other schools (3) Difficulty getting around campus and parking (3) Too small. Small, local school. (2)


Lack of prestige, reputation, lower academic standards and quality, image (30) Commuter image, non-traditional, young school/lack of traditions/needs time to

develop traditions, no campus student life (14) Political scandals (fund-raising, selection of president) lead to reputation as being not

academically serious school, incompetent administration, politically appointed administration, legislative interference (7)

Response from Staff

Lack of prestige/reputation of other schools, lack of reputation. Lower standards than other schools (16)

Lack of community awareness of existence of school and location of school, lack of community awareness of academic/educational and cultural activities which are available (13)

No coordination among campuses, not same type of level of service available at all campuses, limited course offerings on partner campuses (10)

Customer service, lack of response to student needs, admissions, registration, etc. (8) Campus is not visitor friendly, difficult to find things and know where to park, traffic problems in

Boca Raton due to FAU. (8) Lack of flexibility in course scheduling and method of delivery (7) Focus on Athletics (5)

“Failure to completely address the new technological methods of learning i.e. internet classes and accelerated degree programs”

“Few options for taking courses, they need more online courses, or more alternatives than the traditional classroom way”

“Course offerings, times and to a lesser degree, places.

“Not enough online courses and program offered to the non-traditional student”

“Spending money (lots of money) on football. That doesn’t make the university better.”

“putting athletics first when there has been a lack of support financially from the community”


FAU continues to be seen as a commuter school, without campus life. Perception that FAU is less academically rigorous than other state universities Large number of part-time students do not complete program If you’re not connected to FAU, you know little about it. Needs more fact-based research to support strategic planning. Needs to be based in reality – not

wishful thinking.

11. What opportunities could FAU take advantage of in the next five years?


Develop strong relationships with the Scripps Institute and other technological/medical entities (34) Partner with state agencies, local businesses, medical facilities, etc. (33) Increase program offerings (27) Build multipurpose football stadium and strengthen athletic program (22) Offer more on-line courses (13) Opportunities presented by cultural diversity of South Florida (12) Location and climate advantages (12)

“FAU does not seem integrated well into its surrounding community. Relationships with business and government could make a great difference in the existing programs. … Local corporations could sponsor a host of components from scholarships to paid internships to transition students from the classroom to the boardroom.”

“FAU could take increasing advantage of high-speed internet by offering more content-rich and enhanced online or web-based course offerings. Online courses and degree programs are gaining wider acceptance in the business community – especially those programs offered by universities such as FAU that have solid academic reputations.”


Partnership with state agencies, local businesses, medical facilities, etc. (5) Partnership with Scripps Research Institute (4) Increase programs to take advantage of current opportunities (4) Promote school spirit (2) Expand recruitment (2)


Partnering with Scripps (25) Partnership with the community, local businesses, schools, medical facilities, etc. (18) Multi-cultural diversity (9) Support partner campus growth in Broward County and the Northern Campuses (8) Increase academic offerings (8) Develop quality on-line programming (7) Improve quality of academics (5) Increase enrollment (5)

“FAU should have a literacy/learning center for adults and children to receive expert advice from professors and where professors can research and learn from their clients.”

Response from Staff

Increase partnerships with community, government, corporations, other universities and private industry (28)

Partnership with Scripps (19) Improve and increase use of technology (12) Offer more on-line courses/programs (11) Increase program/course offerings (8) Promote existing and develop new unique programs (6) Improve quality of academics (6)

“We should be developing fundable proposals for Homeland Security and related programs. … We do not have any type of Middle Eastern or Arabic studies program. We do not have a strong Criminal Justice or other counter terrorist program. Why?”


Scripps and other research partnerships A thriving economy Ability to partner closely with communities, community leaders (i.e., Ken Jenne, Broward Sheriff’s

Office), local businesses, and not-for-profit organizations Need for more distance education and web based programs Possibility of providing services which appeal to non-traditional students (i.e., on- campus

childcare with availability in the evening)


Pre-professional work experiences for students (internships, service learning, faculty guided volunteer community service.

Fundraising, tap into community resources. Technology in classrooms Partnership with local businesses and corporations. Train and educate local workers

and provide outlets for students to get hands on professional experience while completing their degree.

Lifelong learning Scripps Expand Treasure Coast campus, take advantage of population growth in this area. More on-line degree programs. Work more with local institutions such as Smithsonian and Harbor Branch. Design and tailor programs in occupation need areas (e.g., Occupational Therapy)

.

12. What is changing in the environment which could adversely affect FAU?

Response of Alumni

Cost of education, budget cuts & limited state funding, rising tuition (36) On-line programs and schools, distance learning, increased competition (28) Schools encroaching on service area, Four year degrees from “Community Colleges”

(18) Growth rate in state, overcrowding, traffic patterns & accessibility (16) Cost of living, housing in Boca Raton (12)

“On-line delivery of degrees from accredited educational institutions”

“On-line programs from more recognized Universities”

“Internet educational opportunities, since they are not bound by location, could increase competition”

“Nearby schools in SFLA are substantially improving”

“local schools like NOVA and Kaplan”

“Population growth in the surrounding area could adversely affect traffic patterns and accessibility”

“The rapid population growth of south Florida and lack of infrastructure for access into the main campus will worsen.”

“Overcrowding (and stodgy area politicians) in Boca resulting in resistance to campus development.”

“The rate in which the population of South Florida is growing could impact the amount of funding towards the school budgets in the future.”

“Traffic and real estate prices. It may become too expensive for students to find reasonably priced accommodations. It would be nice to have inexpensive housing within walking distance of campus.”

“Property values are rising so many students will have to commute farther causing them to be late for classes due to traffic problems.”

“This area is too expensive to live in for both students and especially faculty and staff.”

“Housing prices could make funding education difficult for families.”

“Rising real estate prices will make faculty staffing extremely difficult unless the job is really seen as superior……if the university does not raise salaries, faculty with competitive records will leave

while the dead weight will stay. Thus the university will be left with non-competitive, mediocre faculty.”


Hurricanes. (2)

“The hurricanes certainly could be threatening to out-of-towners”

“Hurricane season! Parents must be made to feel that their child will be safe during the hurricane season if they are attending FAU.”


Economy (lack of funding, increased tuition, block tuition) (22) Increase competition from other schools, including on-line degree programs, other

schools in FAU service area, “commercial” university growth (20) Scripps, loss of talented faculty or staff, too much research emphasis in Biotechnology

and lack of diversity. Arrival of Scripps could make FAU fund raising tougher. (5) Cost of living, increased commuting expenses for students. (4) Changing economy, perceived change in benefit of college education, specifically

degrees from FAU.(4) Difficulty to recruit and retain talented faculty, loss of faculty to other schools (4)

“Online degree programs—students living in Boca can get degrees from “better” universities. (UF, Harvard, etc.)”

“Community colleges do more than ever, change offerings quickly, and can and will offer four year degrees in high needs areas. Service area lines for state universities have disappeared More and more institutions of higher education open in our service area every year.”

“Lots of ‘commercial’ university growth in our region, with more hype than substance.”

“Nova is getting so big that it might actually be able to put effort in quality and further erode FAU’s effectiveness in Broward County. We need to serve the western suburbs of Broward better. As Scripps take(s) off, we will need to serve North Palm Beach better.

“The ability for community colleges to grant 4 year degrees in Education – remember education provides considerable $$ to support other colleges.”

“The shift of local expertise from FAU to Scripps, and the ‘brain-drain’ of good support staff from FAU to Scripps.”

“The bio-tech wave may disappear long term. Diversify research.”

“impending large rise in gasoline prices – may need dormitory/apartment space on some satellite campuses.”

“Increasing fuel prices could mandate making it either easier for students to come to campus and/or to improve off campus delivery systems beyond the existing ones. This is where the TriRail direct FAU shuttle would be important. We could also use better east and west access.”

“Lack of jobs in S. Florida without established career counseling programs for students. If they believe their degree from FAU is useless they will not pursue it or stick with it.“

“The general public is beginning to realize that a college degree has lost a great deal of its value, both economic and educational. Frankly, if I had a child today who lacked any strong academic motivations, I would encourage him to find an alternative to university study.”

“Population apathy, the current trend towards a decrease in essential levels of population education, the absence of a ‘culture’ which values ideas”

“There will be many relocations among mid career faculty who have strong skills and CV’s. FAU needs to build good will with faculty or expect to lose the ones it needs most.”

Response from Staff

Increased competition from non-traditional programs and schools, distance education and on-line courses, and community colleges offering 4 year degrees. (19)

Economy, lack of state funding, cost of education, block tuition (17) Traffic congestion, overcrowding, population growth. (9) Cost of living and commuting for students and faculty/staff (8)

“Cost of living, particularly the sky rocketing housing market, is going to make it very difficult to recruit and hold faculty and staff.”

“Rising gas prices and road construction could severely restrict students from commuting to campuses.”

“The population is growing in northern S.E. Florida and so is the cost of housing. It will effect trying to hire entry level staff, admn, and faculty.”


Competition for funding Lack of affordable housing Deficiencies in mass transportation


Overcrowding and traffic Lower funding from state government Block tuition will alienate non-traditional FAU students Lack of organization and coordination among campuses Loss of best students to other schools Technology Prioritization of faculty research productivity over good teaching.

13. Important Issues Facing the Community (All responses are from the Community Advisory Focus Groups)

Most important issues in northern PBC in next 10 years:

Mass transportation Growth management Affordable housing/workforce housing The environment, land use and the Everglades (research and development) Palm Beach County is overly tied to wealth from retirees. What would results be if this changed?

Issues to which FAU is key contributor – what results?

FAU should be involved in public policy issues in a leadership role. Educating a highly skilled workforce and persuading them to remain in the region Diversity – FAU’s student diversity reflects that of the community.

Issues in which FAU should become a partner:

Mentoring program/school reform with local high schools, school board Opportunities for research in fields such as geriatrics CAUPA should partner with community leaders to address regional issues (affordable housing,

transportation, land development, etc.). Community based research/development with hospitals, Scripps, libraries, etc. Elevating the quality of employees produced by FAU education

Spring 2005 Strategic Planning Survey (SWOT)iea.fau.edu/inst/swot2.doc · Web view“The shift of local expertise from FAU to Scripps, and the ‘brain-drain’ of good support

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