Serving over 430,000 students, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system has a major presence in the education of Minnesotans and beyond. Currently across its 31 schools, MnSCU is threatened by changes in funding, changes in demographics, and increasing competition, all of which detract from the quality of education for its many students.
“Our students are changing, the state is changing, really the world is changing,” said SMSU President Dr. Connie Gores. “We, as a system, have to remain relevant and innovative. We have to lead the way.”
With input from students and faculty, recommendations were made to overcome these challenges including a redesign of financial and administrative models, an expansion in the use of technology, and an increase in the success of students, especially from diverse backgrounds. These recommendations are working to be implemented under the Charting the Future change effort.
Charting the Future aims to increase access, affordability, excellence, and service by having MnSCU schools work closer together.
“Charting the Future is about partnerships, collaboration, and innovation to benefit the public good,” said Gores.
Eight Implementation Teams from various campuses are working towards making these recommendations a reality. These teams are Student Success, Diversity, Comprehensive Workplace Solutions, System Incentives and Rewards, Academic Planning and Collaboration, Competency Certification and Credit for Prior Learning, Education Technology, and Information Technology Systems Design. The Student Success team is co-convened by Gores and was launched in the spring of 2014.
“[The Student Success team] is integral to the success of the entire effort,” said Gores. “I’m excited to be the convener of the Student Success team because that is what we’re all about—the success of our students. Students are the future of our state and our nation.”
Along with the eight Implementation Teams, an Organizational Capability Team works with members to prioritize issues, gather resources, and develop timelines, among other tasks. Organizational Capability Team Member Eric Runestad works directly with the Student Success team.
“This is a challenging and significant effort,” said Runestad. “I believe that business-as-usual within MnSCU is no longer feasible. We have placed too many inadvertent roadblocks in the path to success for our students, especially those from diverse backgrounds. By working more effectively together, we can improve student success through greater collaboration and educational and technological innovation.”
The Student Success team has met several times to discuss ways to better serve MnSCU students. As the team progresses, they believe transparency is important. In July, student success in MnSCU’s two-year colleges were examined and how it is reflected in current policies. The same process was done for MnSCU’s four-year universities in August. Along the way, the team talked to people on campuses to learn more about implications of success.
“We dedicated ourselves to keeping students first and foremost, obtaining student input at every level of the process and not making the assumption we “know” the answers without asking the students,” said Runestad.
September meetings concluded with focused initiatives pending further feedback in areas of policies, practices, and technology. Policies were reviewed, including a consideration of raising the amount of debt a student can have which normally is a barrier for class registration. Practices regarding advising and developmental education were discussed, as well as the utilization of new system-wide technology tools. This includes a Grad Planner, which will better help students stay on track for their degree.
A Gallery Walk will be hosted at SMSU to gather feedback from students and faculty about the work that has been done so far. Posters will be up focusing on the team’s progress on practices, policies, and technology. Input needed is regarding existing ideas and generating additional ones. This information will be used as Charting the Future moves forward. The Gallery Walk event will be held Oct. 30 from 1-4 p.m. in Bellows Commons.
“I have confidence that we can accomplish our goals as long as we work together and are solution-oriented,” said Gores.
Charting the Future is still in its early stages. It will be at least an 18-month to two year process for the eight teams. All this careful planning is vital to the outcomes of the project.
“This is hard work, and some may argue that this project cannot succeed,” said Runestad. “But the status quo is not an option. We owe it to our students, our communities and the citizens of Minnesota to work together to help reshape public higher education in Minnesota.”
