South Dakota State University
Department of Natural Resource Management
Strategic Planning Crosswalk to University Strategic Plan
- SDSU Strategic Goal 1: Achieve Excellence Through Transformative Education
- SDSU Strategic Goal 2: Cultivate and Strengthen Community Engagement
- SDSU Strategic Goal 3: Foster Innovation and Increase Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (RSCA)
- SDSU Strategic Goal 4: Be a Growing, High-Performing and Healthy University
SDSU Strategic Goal 1.1: Achieve Academic Excellence
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Increase and sustain the number of accredited and certified programs. | Validation of academic excellence | Maintain –Rangeland Ecology and Management (REM), Wildlife and Fisheries (WFS), and Ecology and Environmental Sciences (EES) certification eligibility. Investigate –Conservation and Park Management (CPPM) and Natural Resource Law Enforcement (NRLE). | NRM Dept. | Accreditation approved for new programs (NRLE and CPPM), renewed for REM through Society of Range Management, and maintain coursework for certificate eligibility for EES and WFS through their respective national societies. | Dept. Leadership | |
| Strategy 2 Develop and grow high-quality and distinct academic programs designed to meet the needs of diverse students and market demands. | People-centered and excellence. | Strategic enrollment plan in place for NRM dept. aligned with campus initiative. Continue to grow new major: Conservation Planning and Park Management. Enhance recruitment in REM. Maintain or slowly grow other majors within NRM. | NRM Dept. | Steady increase in enrollment in CPPM. Increase enrollment in REM. Maintain or slow growth in EES, NRLE and WFS. | Dept. leadership | |
| Strategy 3 Increase programs offered using flexible modalities. | People-centered and excellence. | Explore online courses for NRM majors. | NRM Dept. | Increase in number of online course offerings. | Dept. Head Asst. Head, instructors of record | |
| Strategy 4 Promote active and innovative teaching and learning practices. | People-centered, excellence, creativity and diversity. | Incorporate more active and experiential learning. Continue emphasis on experiential learning opportunities through internships, undergraduate research, major related job experience, and service learning which are hallmarks of NRM’s undergraduate training. | Utilize CETL to assist faculty. Provide faculty with teaching assistance to facilitate active/experiential learning. | Increase in number of faculty and instructors participating in CETL. | Dept. leadership | |
| Strategy 5 Promote active and innovative teaching and learning practices. | People-centered, excellence, creativity and diversity. | Implement NRM assessment academy protocol. | NRM Dept. | Improved assessment tracking aligned with Imagine 2023. Following protocol for NRM IPR from spring 2018 and implement further tracking as noted in NRM assessment academy protocol. | Dept. leadership and assessment committee |
SDSU Strategic Goal 1.2: Affirm student success as a foundational NRM priority.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Update the Student Success Model to more directly focus on high-impact practices through tailored identification of strategies related to different disciplines. | People-centered, excellence, creativity and diversity. | Recently hired NRLE instructor who started in Fall 2018. Currently searching for an natural resources instructor. Expand ways to access NRM living-learning community to assist with recruitment and retention. Incorporate leadership training and opportunities throughout NRM’s undergraduate curriculum. | Annually | NRM Dept. | NRLE program grows owing to new instructor leadership. Successfully recruit a natural resources instructor to complement NRLE instructor. More students choosing to enroll in LLC via housing portal and remaining in LLC for both years. Nomination of NRM undergraduates for leadership training opportunities. | Dept. leadership, faculty, and instructors. |
| Strategy 2 Identify and address gaps and unnecessary overlap in facilities, technology and personnel to advance student-success efforts and outcomes. | People- centered, excellence and integrity. | NRM will utilize its two instructors for a major portion of undergraduate advising to allow faculty time to enhance their scholarship. Curriculum committee will review whole NRM curriculum with the addition of our 5th major, CPPM. | NRM Dept. | Reduce number of gaps or redundancies within our curriculum to enhance efficiency and student training. Curriculum committee will assess how best to serve our undergraduate students within our program’s majors. | Dept. leadership and curriculum committee. | |
| Strategy 3 Ensure student success of underrepresented populations through the establishment and continuation of programming and initiatives focused on access. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Encourage staff and faculty hiring practices that are reflective of the student body. Promote open-mindedness among NRM community at all levels. Evaluate curriculum for inclusion of Native American cultural practice information, enhance scholarship offerings for underrepresented groups. Identify first generation college students and faculty that can identify with this group and help mentor current first generation students. Participate in diversity training. | NRM Dept., CAFES and Campus | Increased recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups to completion of their programs and successful graduation. Increase in diversity of NRM department overall. Review syllabi to include this goal for SDSU. All faculty and staff participate in diversity training and sensitivity training. | Dept. leadership, NRM faculty and instructors. Dept. curriculum committee. Campus wide initiative |
NRM Strategic Goal 1.3: Increase recruitment, retention, and graduation of professionally- prepared global citizens.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Achieve strategic enrollment targets by implementing the strategic enrollment management plan, which includes strategies for at-risk and diverse student success. | People-centered and excellence. | Aligned with campus wide strategic enrollment. Revise/review recruiting plans under strategic enrollment guidelines. Explore development of a “scholars section” in our classes or designation for high performing NRM students. | NRM Dept. | Enrollment increases in targeted areas. Scholars sections for labs developed in some key courses or NRM scholars designation for high performing students. | Dept. leadership and curriculum committee. | |
| Strategy 2 Develop and enhance key retention and persistence programs that facilitate the development of skills in intercultural engagement and global citizenry. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Train faculty and staff on Connect State program. Participate in Student Success Campaign. Train faculty who are advising to address “at risk” student needs. | NRM Dept. | Increase efficiency of faculty time and service to students. Increase undergraduate retention and timely graduation rates. Enhance preparedness for successful advising of “at risk” students | Dept. leadership |
NRM Strategic Goal 2.1: Enhance the academic and work environments of NRM by fostering a culture of service, servant leadership and inclusive excellence among faculty, staff, and students.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Increase diversity of faculty, staff, and students through inclusive recruitment and retention practices | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity | Advertise open positions widely and utilize diversity advocate for all searches. Heighten awareness of diverse populations at all levels within department. | NRM Dept. | Measurable increase in numbers of individuals representing diverse populations. All faculty and staff participate in diversity training and sensitivity training. | Dept. leadership, NRM faculty and instructors. | |
| Strategy 2 Strengthen onboarding and professional development programs for faculty and staff in accord with the University’s mission, vision, core values, and goals. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Share SOP best practices in context of cultural sensitivity awareness. Review mentor/mentee alignment owing to faculty turnover. | NRM Dept. | SOP in place, shared regularly, and leads to a “we can do” and positive environment. Successful promotion and tenure of faculty. | Dept. Head. | |
| Strategy 3 Affirm commitment to shared governance, transparency, timely communication and inclusive participation. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Develop NRM by-laws following college model. | Alignment of NRM dept. with other departments in CAFES. | Dept. Head | ||
| Strategy 4 Reward outstanding performance and advance quality of life in the workplace. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Nominate faculty, staff and students for relevant awards at all levels. Commit to identifying a nursing space in McFadden Biostress. Explore other value added amenities we can provide. | NRM Dept. | Measurable increase in number of nominations and awards. Nursing space identified in McFadden Biostress. | Dept. Head and dept. leadership. | |
| Strategy 5 Regularly evaluate the climate at SDSU as experienced by faculty, staff and students, communicate and respond with actionable strategies. | People-centered. | Encourage NRM participation at campus and dept. level. | Increase in numbers of faculty and staff participating in SDSU functions as an indication of improving dept. morale. | Dept. leadership and HR. |
NRM Strategic Goal 2.2: Grow NRM’s external engagement through collaboration, community outreach and public-private partnerships that enhance the quality of life in South Dakota and beyond.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Ensure that communities have a voice in defining our engagement activities. | People-centered, excellence, integrity and diversity. | Initiate NRM advisory board. Decide on nomination process. | NRM Dept. | NRM advisory board 1st meeting in spring 2019 | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 2 Align academic and outreach programming within NRM and across the college to optimize institutional efforts to support tribal communities and under-served populations. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Enhance efforts to increase visibility of existing efforts within dept. Engage with Wokini Director to identify collaborative efforts. | CAFES and NRM Dept. | Increase in number of underrepresented groups enrolled in our programs. Active engagement in Wokini initiatives. | Dept. Head Dept. leadership and NRM faculty. | |
| Strategy 3 Increase involvement in K-12 engagement initiatives at the local, state, and national levels. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Participate in natural resource based k-12 activities such as local science fairs, FFA, Little International. Conduct NR summer camp through participating in the SDSU Summer Scholars program based at Oak Lake Field Station. | NRM Dept. | Measurable increase in k-12 participants in NRM programs. | Dept. leadership and instructors. | |
| Strategy 4 Build reciprocal relationships with industry partners. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Explore teams of researchers to interact with and address industry problems. Explore additional internship opportunities. Explore new interdisciplinary Capstone projects. | NRM Dept. and CAFES. | New collaborative efforts formally announced and functioning. New internships identified and new capstone course offerings (ex., Precision Agric. / Precision Conservation pilot team Fall 2018). | Dept. Head Faculty, instructors and curriculum committee. | |
| Strategy 5 Celebrate, promote, and communicate the results and impact of engagement activities. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Identify success stories and develop promotional materials. | NRM Dept. and CAFES Marketing/ Communications team. | Visible publicity of stories in respective trade publications, etc. | Dept. leadership |
College/Department/Unit Strategic Goal 3.1: Strengthen the leadership and personnel infrastructure for innovation, RSCA and economic development to serve the state, region, nation and world.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Implement effective leadership structures, strategies, and expectations. | Excellence and People centered. | Formalize onboarding, training, mentoring. Provide faculty with leadership training opportunities. | NRM Dept. and CAFES. | Successful promotion and tenure of faculty. Increase in faculty participating in leadership training. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 2 Increase faculty and staff time allocation through flexible workload assignments and incentives, and support for large proposal and interdisciplinary proposal development. | Excellence and People centered. | NRM department standards was updated effective Jan. 2018, to acknowledge effort as well as awards. | Utilization of new NRM standards and expectations document for assessment that quantifies effort and quality, in addition to quantity. | Dept. Head | ||
| Strategy 3 Implement policies and practices of faculty and staff review to optimize unit-level performance across education, outreach and RSCA. | Excellence and People centered. | Department Head aligns faculty workload to best utilize faculty expertise and strengths while meeting the needs of the unit. | Realignment of workload resulting in greater faculty satisfaction. | Dept. Head | ||
| Strategy 4 Implement and maintain optimally efficient and high-performing staffing structures for pre-award, post-award and general RSCA support in units and centrally. | Excellence and People centered. | Encourage NRM faculty to utilize grant coordinator and science writers within college to increase number and quality of grant proposal submissions. | CAFES and Campus. | Increase in number of grant submissions and awards. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 5 Recruit and retain personnel aligned with college RSCA goals, including faculty, staff, doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. | People-centered | Provide competitive salaries and operational resources. Free up faculty time for scholarly activities. Work with HR to develop time efficient flexible hiring for short-term positions, hire based on potential for success. Advocate for child care on campus and other value added amenities. | CAFES, NRM Dept. SDSU Higher Administration, implementation will be at campus level. | Increase retention rates of faculty and staff increase. Increases in salaries commensurate with experience and performance. Implement teaching assistance in all highly enrolled courses to assist faculty and train our graduate students and postdocs in best teaching practices. On-site child care established at SDSU. | College and Dept. leadership Dept. Head Dept. Head SDSU Upper Administration | |
| Strategy 6 Implement faculty start-up and retention programs with a focus on RSCA goals. | Excellence and People centered. | Review cost-sharing policies for faculty start-up and explore creative options for creating flexibility in start-up packages. Advocate for funds to support projects that have a good chance for a second-time proposal submission with more preliminary data. | Dept. Head Dept. Head advocate to college with cost sharing. |
NRM Strategic Goal 3.2: Increase, optimize and align the physical resources and investments for innovation, RSCA and economic development.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Implement university wide research computing and data infrastructure that is optimally responsive to the needs and objectives of society and sponsors | Excellence and Creativity. | NRM is now advertising infrastructure upgrade on our department web site. | Campus | Hire new faculty that need high powered computing infrastructure. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 2 Implement policy and practice for utilizing focused, interdisciplinary or multi-institutional research centers for strategic positioning and synergy | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | NRM exploring virtual “Center” establishment to raise scholarly profile. | New research centers developed highlighting faculty within NRM and across campus as appropriate. | Dept. Head as an advocate and NRM faculty. | ||
| Strategy 3 Continuously improve and deploy facility space for fulfilling college RSCA goals | Excellence, Creativity and Integrity. | New wildlife research unit building to be in place in 2019. Relocate herbarium and all associated research and teaching space to McFadden Biostress from Berg Hall. | APHS needs resources to relocate faculty from Biostress to another area or building. NRM Dept. will support move of Herbarium. | Completion and occupancy of new wildlife research unit building. Relocation of Herbarium and associated space for research and teaching in McFadden Biostress. | Dept. Head and Herbarium Director | |
| Strategy 4 Increase the number of public-private activities located in the Research Park at SDSU. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Engage more with Pheasants Forever and similar types of organizations. | Increase in formal collaborations with these private organizations on projects and student support. | Dept. Head |
NRM Strategic Goal 3.3: Create an institutional culture of communicating and branding SDSU RSCA and its achievements, outcomes and impacts to the full scope of stakeholder and peer communities
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Increase partnering and sponsoring opportunities through advocacy and engagement with agencies, enterprises, nonprofits, economic development venues and other organizations. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Increase number of official MOUs, and bid submissions. | College level assistance and NRM Dept. | Increase in number of MOU’s and successful bids to advance our research, teaching, and service. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 2 Differentiate SDSU RSCA to build and maintain preferred status among sponsors and partners. | Excellence, Integrity, Creativity, and People centered. | Provide high quality data to develop conservation and management strategies for study systems. | More awards to NRM faculty owing to their high-quality data and timely accountability required by the sponsors/partners. | Dept. leadership | ||
| Strategy 3 Implement policy and practice for utilizing focused, interdisciplinary or multi-institutional research centers for strategic positioning and synergy. | Excellence, Integrity, Creativity, and People centered | Develop virtual Centers of Research Excellence to elevate presence of NRM researchers and their expertise within NRM and SDSU. Includes training (post docs, graduate students, undergraduate students etc.) | NRM Dept. | New funding awarded aligned with the Centers of excellence formal collaborations. | Dept. leadership | |
| Strategy 4 Continuously improve and deploy space for fulfilling department goals. | Excellence, Integrity, Creativity, and People centered | New wildlife research unit building to be in place in 2019. Relocate herbarium and all associated research and teaching space to McFadden Biostress | 1-2 years | NRM Dept. | Completion and occupancy of new wildlife research unit building. Relocation completed of Herbarium and associated space for research and teaching to McFadden Biostress. | Dept. leadership |
NRM Strategic Goal 4.1: Infuse core values throughout all levels of the college.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Align individual and organizational performance management systems to support the University’s core values. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Elevate importance of core values: people-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | NRM Dept. | Noted in annual reviews of all faculty, field specialists, and staff within dept. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 2 Embrace a culture of responsibility and accountability to OUR University. | Integrity and People centered. | Ongoing with accountant and all faculty and staff within NRM. | NRM Dept. | Fewer errors or questions on accountability practices. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 3 Implement new professional development opportunities for employees with high participation. | Excellence and People centered. | Ongoing exploration of training for staff and faculty. Ex., computer training, leadership training. | NRM Dept. and CAFES as needed. | Greater participation in professional training. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 4 Create a culture of personal, professional and organizational wellness throughout dept. | Excellence and People centered. | Ongoing. Assist with building a healthy NRM community. Plan a retreat and initiate advisory committee for dept. | NRM Dept. | NRM Retreat FY19. Advisory committee established in spring 2019 and meets at least annually. | Dept. Head and leadership | |
| Strategy 5 Develop new revenue streams. | Explore new avenues of revenue. Increase indirect rate income via national competition RFPs and in novel ways. | Increase in number of awards through new funding sources. | An increase in discretionary funding for the department, as well as greater funds generated for undergraduate scholarships. | Dept. Head |
NRM Strategic Goal 4.3: Structure the department’s resources to achieve strategic priorities.
| NRM Department Objectives | Relationship to University Goals and Strategies | Tactics/Actions | Timeline | Resource Allocation | Performance Metrics | Lead Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1 Create a culture that encourages and supports collaboration, creativity, and bold ideas. | People-centered, excellence, integrity, creativity and diversity. | Facilitate increase in collaboration between off- and on-campus faculty. | Via donors and NRM departmental resources. | Increased usage Oak Lake Field Station, Wildlife Research unit and WRAC facilities and resources. | Dept. Head | |
| Strategy 2 Implement data-informed systems that incorporate efficiencies and continuous improvement. | Excellence, creativity and people-centered. | Defer to campus wide infrastructure for this support. | Campus | Greater utilization and number of faculty and projects needing data infrastructure support. | Campus and NRM Dept. Head |