Committee Structure
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee represented the working leadership behind the WT 125 effort, chaired by the University’s President, and consisted of eight total members, all of whom were internal to the University community.
This committee was assembled in June 2017 and worked through the summer to discuss the goals for the overall effort and prepared for the Kick-Off Meeting. Members of the Steering Committee led the Kick-Off Meeting and were charged with making decisions on issues raised during the meeting. These defining decisions gave the WT 125 project its form. During the life of the project, the Steering Committee continued in this role, dealing with issues that arose, reviewing recommendations, and monitoring the University’s progress in implementing and assessing the recommendations of WT 125.
Academic Advisory Council and President's Cabinet
The Academic Advisory Council consisted of representatives of major University components. It served two important roles. First, it provided essential insight into the strengths and distinctiveness of WT. The insight was made available to all WT 125 participants. Second, the Academic Advisory Council and the President’s Cabinet as partners served the most crucial role as the sounding board for recommendations generated throughout the process. This ensured that academic decision-making and organization effectiveness were paramount in the WT 125 process. Meetings were called and chaired by the Provost of WT at key intervals in the process.
Executive Advisory Committee
The Executive Advisory Committee members were representatives of organizations affiliated with WT and opinion leaders who have made outstanding contributions to leadership in education, commerce, and government. The purpose of the group was to give advice and counsel regarding the effort. Members of the Executive Advisory Committee were welcome to attend any and all WT 125 meetings, but of primary importance were the three initial key meetings. The first meeting was the Kick-Off Meeting. At the Kick-Off Meeting, a folio of initial work was distributed. The goal of the first meeting was to ensure that the Steering Committee presented key information for the University. The Executive Advisory Committee met at critical intervals throughout the WT 125 process.
Leadership Council
The Leadership Council consisted of approximately 50 individuals, chosen from both on- and off-campus. This group met with the Steering Committee immediately prior to the Kick-Off Meeting before joining the WT 125 Task Force. During this time, the combined group reviewed the goals of the project, the basic issues involved and the data gathered. The list of Theme Groups was also presented, discussed, and altered as necessary.
When the WT 125 Task Force joined the Kick-Off Meeting, five members of the Leadership Council (typically three from inside the University and two from outside) were assigned to lead each Theme Group. The Leadership Council members communicated to their Theme Group that group’s particular goals and issues and presented the data gathered and the analyses done up to the point of the Kick-Off Meeting. During the course of the project, each Leadership Council group was responsible for scheduling and setting the agenda for meetings of their Theme Group as well as producing interim and final reports to the Steering Committee.
Within the Leadership Council were the core of each Theme Group:
Co-Chairs: Two people, one from on-campus and one from off- campus, were identified as Co-Chairs. The work of these individuals guided the process of identifying key issues relevant to the discussions of each Theme Group.
Facilitator: Each Theme Group had a facilitator. This person’s role, in addition to contributing to the leadership and discussion of the Theme Group, was to make sure that all Theme Group members were kept apprised of the progress of the group, and that administrative aspects of the Theme Group were carried out. This included correspondence with the members of the group regarding meetings, progress reports and other information critical to the process. Each facilitator was from the campus of WT and had access to appropriate clerical support for the Theme Group activities. It was intended that a clerical support person from the facilitator’s home college/school or responsibility area attended meetings, took notes and assisted in the administration of the Theme Group.
Resource: Each Theme Group had a resource person from the campus of WT to serve as the touchstone for information important to Theme Groups discussion. Resource people were identified as those that had networks and information relevant to each theme area or access to people that did.
Off-Campus Liaison: A member of each Theme Group was responsible for working with people from off-campus who had interest in, or vision for, the work of the theme area. This person communicated to people off-campus the work of the group, the findings, and other insight and information regarding the WT 125 process.
These five people in each Theme Group represented the core and had responsibility to ensure that Theme Group’s findings became part of the final report of WT 125.
An additional member served on the Leadership Council of the Leadership Governance and Organization Theme Group:
TAMUS Governmental Relations Member: A governmental relations member of The Texas A&M University System served the interests of WT. The role of the governmental relations member was to communicate state relations information, seek input and provide awareness that better positioned WT to be responsive to the legislative environment in the future. Because of the unique nature and mixture of on- and off-campus participants, such discernment was especially valuable.
WT Foundation Board
The WT Foundation Board reviewed progress of the planning effort and provided insight regarding key issues. The Board had a strong commitment to the forward movement of the University and represented a geographic spread of interests from nearly all parts of the Panhandle, and, to some extent, the state and all academic areas.
Task Force
The WT 125 Task Force was the “brainpower” behind the project. It consisted of about 300 individuals with substantial representation from the campus and the extended community. The Task Force, with the Steering Committee, Academic Advisory Committee, President’s Cabinet, Executive Advisory Board, WT Foundation Board and Leadership Council, attended the Lunch Presentation segment of the Kick-Off Meeting before dividing into the identified Theme Groups of the project.
Each Theme Group was introduced to the issues and goals of its particular area, as well as the data gathered and analyses done. During the life of the project, the Task Force members were responsible for investigating theme areas in great detail: gathering data, performing analyses and making comparisons with other institutions. Information was also gained from “input sessions” with experts from inside and outside the University. The end product of all of this work was a concise set of recommendations of what WT should undertake in order to retain its distinctiveness and to be considered among the top ten doctoral public universities nationwide by 2035.
This was the essence of the University’s generational planning work.