University Planning Advisory Council

UPAC Home

UPAC Charge

UPAC Members 06-07

Vision, Values, Mission, and Goals

Interim Progress Report - 2005

Progress Report Appendix - 2005

NCA Chapter 5

VVMG 2001-2006

Charge to the Council

Fall 2006

Purpose

The purpose of the new University Planning Advisory Council is to provide guidance to the university in the task of planning systematically for its future in three areas: institutional advancement, goal setting and revision, and scanning the future. UPAC continues to play an advisory role in providing information and recommendations to the Office of the Provost, the Chancellor, and the Board of Trustees. To do so, UPAC needs a new structure with a greater number of participants to address a broader agenda.

Organization

The new University Planning Advisory Council consists of an overall Coordinating Council and three integrated task forces. All members of the Coordinating Council also serve on one of the three task forces. The purpose of the Coordinating Council is to initiate and oversee the work of the task forces, to receive and review reports for the task forces, and to make recommendations to the provost, chancellor, and board of trustees based on the work of the task forces. The Coordinating Council consists of 24 members, including 8 trustees, 8 faculty, and 8 staff members.

The three task forces are named the Case Statement Planning Group, the Mission and Goals Planning Group, and the Environmental Scanning Planning Group. Each employs the expertise of the members of the Coordinating Council in various ways and is composed of additional members to add specific expertise, engage more people in the process, and to broadly represent the interests of the university�s key stakeholders and decision makers. The composition of the Coordinating Council and the three task forces is represented visually in the attached diagram.

Task Force Roles

Case Statement Task Force

To generate the case statement that will be used to guide the next capital campaign. The statement will contain an overview of the university�s achievements and aspirations, a specific list of capital development targets, and a strong rationale and justification for the campaign and its goals.

Mission and Goals Task Force

To review the existing statement of Vision, Values, Mission and Goals, to report on progress in reaching goals, and to suggest revisions in the statement including new goals if needed. The review will contain an assessment of the university�s progress in meeting its vision, mission, and goals and its faithfulness to its values and an evaluation of existing structures, expertise, and other resources available to move the University forward in these goal areas.

Environmental Scanning Task Force

To identify and review selected issues crucial to the university�s role in pioneering excellence. This group will produce �white papers� that address the 21^st century social and cultural context of the university, current trends and issues in higher education in the U.S. and abroad, and areas of potential innovation and distinctiveness for the university.

Previous Charge to the Council

January 11, 2001

The Office of the Provost, in close cooperation with Chancellor Ritchie and with endorsement by the Board of Trustees, is creating a University Planning Advisory Council (UPAC) that will advise the Provost, Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Business and Financial Affairs on University-wide planning. The overall purpose of UPAC is to develop planning as a dynamic, ongoing, coordinated part of the life of the university.

As noted by Chancellor Ritchie, at no point in the University of Denver�s 136 years has it been as poised for greatness as it is now. �DU has arrived at a critical inflection point in its long history�We have taken DU to new heights� The question now is not whether the University of Denver can be a very good university, it is whether it can be a great one?�

To attain greatness requires planning, not only planning at several levels and within the various units of the university, but at the highest level as reflected in the unifying framing elements of vision, values, mission, and long-range goals.

The charge to UPAC includes these eight responsibilities:

Phase One: Drafting Key Statements

1. Drafting, refining, and reviewing the university�s statements of vision, values, mission, and long-range goals and ensuring widespread discussion of these before presenting them to the Board of Trustees.

2. Forming the planning foundation, in the first cycle, the Council will utilize the work done for the North Central Association self-study and the Provost�s Planning Retreat.

Phase Two: Establishing Review Processes

3. Developing a strategy for initiating two-way communication that honors the expertise and authority of other internal planning bodies, while commenting on the coherence and congruence of their work with the university�s stated vision, values, mission, and long-range goals.

4. Providing leadership to guide a coordinated effort to relate the annual budget planning process to long-range and annual goals.

5. Facilitating discussion and providing advice to the Provost, the Chancellor, and the Vice Chancellor for Business and Financial Affairs as requested when major unforeseen opportunities or problems emerge in order to examine their congruence with university vision, values, mission, and long-range goals.

6. Reporting to the university community on the degree of progress being made toward realizing its vision and achieving its goals.

Phase Three: Reflecting on Effectiveness and Making Revisions

7. Reviewing the university�s planning efforts, including especially UPAC�s own role and work, to make recommendations about how to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, improve clarity, and achieve coherence in the overall planning processes of the university.

8. Collecting and integrating, on an ongoing basis for future planning cycles, the information and opinion relevant to planning, such as

� scanning and interpreting the macro environment and higher education trends.

� using assessment data and other information to review the current status of the university�s present achievements and activities as expressed in its functional units through the communities and constituencies they serve.

� identifying emerging opportunities and challenges.

� describing ways that the university can become a more effective leader of innovation in higher education nationally and globally.