The Texas A&M University System
Introduction: Long-range Plan
Maxims: Long-Range Plan
- Serve the Panhandle and Its Heart
- Embrace Our Community College Partnerships
- Build Undergraduate Academic Excellence
- Focus Graduate Academics on Regional Opportunities
- Learn and Live: Residential Education Experience
- Efficiently Utilize Resources
- Provide Access to Insight: Intellectual Resources
- Engage and Empower Excellence in Human Capital
- Foster Locally Responsive Research and Infrastructure
- Purposefully Lead, Govern and Organize
Introduction: Five-Year Plan
Goals: Five-Year Plan
- Enhance the Academic Experience of All Students
- Become a Regional Research University
- Increase University Enrollment Through Student Recruitment and Degree Attainment
- Enhance the Digital Experience
- Enhance the Campus Experience
- Strengthen Existing and Create New Strategic Relationships
- Meet the Employment Needs of the Texas Panhandle and Beyond
The WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World Long-Range Plan looks forward a few decades, rather than a few years. We are setting the target high: By 2035, when WT reaches its 125th anniversary, we will have attained doctoral status in the Carnegie classifications of universities with a powerfully distinctive mission.
Foundational Elements
“West Texas A&M University has been committed to understanding the aspirations of the young people of this region for more than a century. Their hopes and dreams have always been an important part of our role as a regional university, and we will continue to meet those needs through academic purpose and service for the next 100 years. WT 125 is essentially a plan to do just that—create a future for West Texas A&M University that is responsive to the needs of the students, faculty and staff, the Panhandle and the world.”
—Walter V. Wendler
Regional Responsibility
University Long-Range Plan: Maxims
Maxim One
Serve the Panhandle and Its Heart – The I-27 Corridor and Route 66
Aspiration
The University’s relationship to its community is critical. Schools, industries, businesses and cultural activities all play a pivotal role in building a quality place to live and study. This is a mutually reinforcing phenomenon.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 3: Strategy 3.1:
Develop and manage a meaningful method to project enrollment growth. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.3:
Develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan (recruitment and retention) for all student populations. - Goal 4: Strategy 4.3:
Provide a single point of convergence (phone, email, chat, social media, etc.) to improve responsiveness, quality service, and resolution to student and constituent needs. - Goal 6: Strategy 6.3:
Create regionally focused industry-university partnerships and/or centers. - Goal 7: Strategy 7.1:
Develop additional programs that address regional job opportunities and trends. - Goal 7: Strategy 7.2:
Stimulate and promote innovation to provide insight for job growth and sustainability.
Maxim Two
Embrace Our Community College Partnerships
Aspiration
The University must cultivate a modern version of itself and understand historical imperatives that affect its role in serving students in partnership with community colleges as a means to cost effectiveness and impact on various communities.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 3: Strategy 3.1:
Develop and manage a meaningful method to project enrollment growth. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.3:
Develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan (recruitment and retention) for all student populations. - Goal 6: Strategy 6.2:
Bolster partnerships with The Texas A&M University System, universities, community colleges, and schools.
Maxim Three
Build Undergraduate Academic Excellence
Aspiration
The quality of the student body, the quality of teaching and advising available to students and the quality of the faculty who work with undergraduates all contribute to the undergraduate academic experience. The strength of a Regional Research University is defined, in part, by the quality of the core humanities, arts and sciences programs offered. While our programs are sound, improvement and strength of identity are needed. Essential to success is recruiting high-achieving students. We need to engage the very best freshman scholars.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 1: Strategy 1.2:
Maintain and create high-quality academic resources and services. - Goal 1: Strategy 1.3:
Increase high impact academic experiences such as experiential learning, internships, student research, study abroad, and leadership programs. - Goal 1: Strategy 1.4:
Reduce student expenses by accelerating campus efforts toward low cost, no cost, and open educational resources. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.1:
Develop and manage a meaningful method to project enrollment growth. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.3:
Develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan (recruitment and retention) for all student populations. - Goal 4: Strategy 4.2:
Create a connected campus to enable next-generation teaching, learning, research, communications, and collaboration.
Maxim Four
Focus Graduate Academics on Regional Opportunities
Aspiration
Exceptional faculty attract exceptional graduate students. The best universities have the most accomplished graduate students and research programs. It is that simple. Our move to doctoral status is driven and sustained by carefully conceived graduate programs. These programs must be responsive to the needs of the Texas Panhandle and similar geographic regions.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 1: Strategy 1.5:
Attain the Carnegie Classification Doctoral/Professional University designation (conferring 20 or more doctoral degrees annually) by expanding the number of doctoral programs. - Goal 2: Strategy 2.2:
Deepen current and develop new regional research initiatives. - Goal 2: Strategy 2.3:
Increase external funding (sponsored research grants and endowments), which will increase measurable research expenditures. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.1:
Develop and manage a meaningful method to project enrollment growth. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.3:
Develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan (recruitment and retention) for all student populations. - Goal 4: Strategy 4.2:
Create a connected campus to enable next-generation teaching, learning, research, communications, and collaboration.
Maxim Five
Learn and Live: Residential Education Experience
Aspiration
Identification with and capabilities for providing a complete experience that includes leadership development and life skills should never fall below any other priority of the institution.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 5: Strategy 5.1:
Enrich student-centered campus support, services, and endeavors. - Goal 5: Strategy 5.2:
Adopt and embrace quality service standards for all campus departments. - Goal 5: Strategy 5.3:
Maintain a welcoming and aesthetically appealing campus.
Maxim Six
Efficiently Utilize Resources
Aspiration
The quality to which we aspire will be achieved with appropriate material support. Resources may not lead to quality, but quality always leads to resources. Quality first.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 2: Strategy 2.1:
Assess and enhance research resources, including faculty time (teaching loads), facilities, faculty lines, and scholarly research dissemination activities (including travel, access to repositories, and open access journals). - Goal 2: Strategy 2.3:
Increase external funding (sponsored research grants and endowments), which will increase measurable research expenditures. - Goal 4: Strategy 4.2:
Create a connected campus to enable next-generation teaching, learning, research, communications, and collaboration. - Goal 6: Strategy 6.3:
Create regionally focused industry-university partnerships and/or centers. - Goal 7: Strategy 7.1:
Develop additional programs that address regional job opportunities and trends.
Maxim Seven
Provide Access to Insight: Intellectual Resources
Aspiration
The core of the campus, at its heart, is the flow of intellectual resources, insight and wisdom. No aspiration of WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World will be achieved without substantial commitments in information technology, the Cornette Library, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and other resources that power creative thinking and provide insights to students, faculty and the Panhandle community.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 1: Strategy 1.2:
Maintain and create high-quality academic resources and services. - Goal 1: Strategy 1.3:
Increase high impact academic experiences such as experiential learning, internships, student research, study abroad, and leadership programs. - Goal 1: Strategy 1.4:
Reduce student expenses by accelerating campus efforts toward low cost, no cost, and open educational resources. - Goal 2: Strategy 2.1:
Assess and enhance research resources, including faculty time (teaching loads), facilities, faculty lines, and scholarly research dissemination activities (including travel, access to repositories, and open access journals). - Goal 4: Strategy 4.1:
Build an integrated digital platform. - Goal 4: Strategy 4.2:
Create a connected campus to enable next-generation teaching, learning, research, communications, and collaboration. - Goal 4: Strategy 4.3:
Provide a single point of convergence (phone, email, chat, social media, etc.) to improve responsiveness, quality service, and resolution to student and constituent needs. - Goal 6: Strategy 6.3:
Create regionally focused industry-university partnerships and/or centers.
Maxim Eight
Engage and Empower Excellence in Human Capital
Aspiration
Faculty and staff are the University. The University must recruit, reward and retain the very best. The sine qua non of all faculty and staff at every level must be teaching and the support thereof in its diverse manifestations.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 1: Strategy 1.1:
Deepen current and develop new opportunities to support innovation and success in teaching excellence - Goal 1: Strategy 1.3:
Increase high impact academic experiences such as experiential learning, internships, student research, study abroad, and leadership programs. - Goal 5: Strategy 5.2:
Adopt and embrace quality service standards for all campus departments. - Goal 7: Strategy 7.1:
Develop additional programs that address regional job opportunities and trends.
Maxim Nine
Foster Locally Responsive Research and Infrastructure
Aspiration
Sustain excellence in research, scholarship and creative activities that first address local needs and ideals. Excellence in research and scholarship will attract human and material resources. This is a critical goal.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 1: Strategy 1.1:
Deepen current and develop new opportunities to support innovation and success in teaching excellence - Goal 2: Strategy 2.1:
Assess and enhance research resources, including faculty time (teaching loads), facilities, faculty lines, and scholarly research dissemination activities (including travel, access to repositories, and open access journals). - Goal 2: Strategy 2.2:
Deepen current and develop new regional research initiatives. - Goal 2: Strategy 2.3:
Increase external funding (sponsored research grants and endowments), which will increase measurable research expenditures. - Goal 6: Strategy 6.3:
Create regionally focused industry-university partnerships and/or centers.
Maxim Ten
Purposefully Lead, Govern and Organize
Aspiration
Great universities exist where there is enlightened leadership. This is true at the state, system and university levels. It is true from within and from without. It comes from every rank of university life: staff, faculty and administration. No segment has the corner on the market of innovation and insight. Recognition of this will make WT better positioned to lead.
Aligned with Five-Year Plan Strategies:
- Goal 1: Strategy 1.3:
Increase high impact academic experiences such as experiential learning, internships, student research, study abroad, and leadership programs. - Goal 3: Strategy 3.2:
Develop and manage a comprehensive plan to align all university procedures, rules, and practices with increasing degree attainment rates. - Goal 5: Strategy 5.2:
Adopt and embrace quality service standards for all campus departments. - Goal 6: Strategy 6.1:
Create and engage boards that include business, local government leaders, donors, alumni, and other stakeholder groups to advise University leaders on regional needs.
The University Strategic Plan, The Pioneering Spirit: Pursuit of WT 125 , was informed and created from the governing guidance of the University Long-Range Plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World .
The Texas A&M University System Strategic Plan
- The Texas A&M University System Strategic Plan
- The Texas A&M University System, Board of Regents – Strategic Plan 2016 – 2021
- Board of Regents Strategic Plan Summary 2016 - 2021
- The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents August 2020 Community Report: Progress Update, Reflections and Updates to the Strategic Plan
University Strategic Plan: Goals and Strategies
Goal One
Enhance the Academic Experience of All Students
The University will support innovation and success in teaching excellence, while maintaining and creating high-quality academic resources and services. High-impact academic experiences will be increased, and student expenses will be reduced by accelerating campus efforts toward low-cost, no-cost and open educational resources. The University also will expand the number of its doctoral programs and attain the Carnegie Classification Doctoral/Professional University designation.
- Strategy 1.1: Deepen current and develop new opportunities to support innovation and success in teaching excellence
- Strategy 1.2: Maintain and create high-quality academic resources and services.
- Strategy 1.3: Increase high impact academic experiences such as experiential learning, internships, student research, study abroad, and leadership programs.
- Strategy 1.4: Reduce student expenses by accelerating campus efforts toward low cost, no cost, and open educational resources.
- Strategy 1.5: Attain the Carnegie Classification Doctoral/Professional University designation (conferring 20 or more doctoral degrees annually) by expanding the number of doctoral programs.
WT programs ranked as distinctive Best national programs include:
- University undergraduate programs are ranked #30 out of 381 programs reviewed (#2 in Texas, #16 for veterans)
- MBA is #65 out of 366 programs reviewed (#42 for veterans)
- Specialized Business is #38 out of 224 programs reviewed
- MS CISBA is #16 out of 100 programs reviewed (#1 in Texas)
- Criminal Justice – MPA is #30 out of 103 programs reviewed
- Education is #109 out of 329 programs reviewed
- Engineering is #41 out of 119 programs reviewed (#2 in Texas)
- Nursing is #55 out of 204 programs reviewed
Goal Two
Become a Regional Research University
The University will assess and enhance its research resources, as well as deepening current and developing new regional research initiatives. The University also will increase external funding, which will increase measurable research expenditures.
- Strategy 2.1: Assess and enhance research resources, including faculty time (teaching loads), facilities, faculty lines, and scholarly research dissemination activities (including travel, access to repositories, and open access journals).
- Strategy 2.2: Deepen current and develop new regional research initiatives.
- Strategy 2.3: Increase external funding (sponsored research grants and endowments), which will increase measurable research expenditures.
Goal Three
Increase Enrollment Through Student Recruitment and Degree Attainment
The University will develop and manage a meaningful method to project enrollment growth over the next five years, as well as a comprehensive plan to align all University procedures, rules and practices with increasing degree attainment rates. The University also will develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan for recruitment and retention of all student populations.
- Strategy 3.1: Develop and manage a meaningful method to project enrollment growth.
- Strategy 3.2: Develop and manage a comprehensive plan to align all university procedures, rules, and practices with increasing degree attainment rates.
- Strategy 3.3: Develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan (recruitment and retention) for all student populations.
Goal Four
Enhance the Digital Experience
The University will build an integrated digital platform, creating a connected campus to enable next-generation teaching, learning, research, communications and collaboration. The University will improve responsiveness and quality service by providing a single point of convergence.
- Strategy 4.1: Build an integrated digital platform.
- Strategy 4.2: Create a connected campus to enable next-generation teaching, learning, research, communications, and collaboration.
- Strategy 4.3: Provide a single point of convergence (phone, email, chat, social media, etc.) to improve responsiveness, quality service, and resolution to student and constituent needs.
Goal Five
Enhance the Campus Experience
The University will enrich its student-centered campus support, services and endeavors, while also adopting and embracing quality service standards for all campus departments. A welcoming and aesthetically appealing campus also will be maintained.
- Strategy 5.1: Enrich student-centered campus support, services, and endeavors.
- Strategy 5.2: Adopt and embrace quality service standards for all campus departments.
- Strategy 5.3: Maintain a welcoming and aesthetically appealing campus.
Goal Six
Strengthen Existing and Create New Strategic Relationships
The University will create and engage boards that include business, local government leaders, donors, alumni and other stakeholder groups to advise University leaders on regional needs. The University also will bolster partnerships with The Texas A&M University System, universities, community colleges and schools, and it will create regionally focused industry-university partnerships and/or centers.
- Strategy 6.1: Create and engage boards that include business, local government leaders, donors, alumni, and other stakeholder groups to advise University leaders on regional needs.
- Strategy 6.2: Bolster partnerships with The Texas A&M University System, universities, community colleges, and schools.
- Strategy 6.3: Create regionally focused industry-university partnerships and/or centers.
Goal Seven
Meet the Employment Needs of the Texas Panhandle and Beyond
The University will develop additional programs that address regional job opportunities and trends, while also stimulating and promoting innovation to provide insight for job growth and sustainability.
- Strategy 7.1: Develop additional programs that address regional job opportunities and trends.
- Strategy 7.2: : Stimulate and promote innovation to provide insight for job growth and sustainability.