Since Pacific University has grown structurally, academically, and in enrollment size, the effort of the Imagine 2020 campaign is charging ahead full-force.
Vice President of Enrollment Management for Graduate and Professional Admissions Jon-Erik Larsen views the goals of Imagine 2020 to be for each department and part of Pacific University as an opportunity to look in the mirror and see how the university can become even better.
Larsen believes that students will benefit because the departments will be improving areas that need strengthening, and solidifying aspects of the programs and offices that they are doing well.
Faculty and staff departments were to have completed filling out review templates before Thanksgiving break.
The reviews examine the quality of the program or office, economic sustainability, revenue and costs, obstacles and opportunities and a self evaluation before Thanksgiving break.
“This is our first time in a number of years where we get to look at the programs with a critical eye and ask ourselves, ‘What do we need to do to be better for our students and their experiences here?’” Larsen said.
Through the Imagine 2020 Project, the Health Professions campus plans to compare institutions to find where they can improve.
For example, comparing the business office at Pacific to other successful institutions to learn and grow.
“I think there will be minor adjustments, but I don’t think we are going to be wiping out entire departments or anything like that,” said Larsen. “We will just be helping the areas that need help to be more successful, and finding ways to make more of a benchmark for ourselves.”
Executive Dean and Vice Provost for the Health Professions Campus Ann Barr-Gillepsie and the Dean for the Arts and Sciences Lisa Carstens met earlier this year to put together a template of how to approach the Imagine 2020 project.
Once the administration examines the feedback they received through the review templates the university will be able to allot funds to the programs that are in the most need and better distribute funds in programs that are in the least need of improvement. These changes are tentatively scheduled for May 2015.
The administration at Pacific will be the ones to make decisions, but the individual departments have the opportunity to also learn and grow the information they gathered for the project.
Anticipating more information coming out in spring 2015, Larsen doesn’t believe that the outcome will be drastic.
“I think there will be minor adjustments, but I don’t think we are going to be wiping out entire departments or anything like that,” said Larsen. “We will just be helping the areas that need help to be more successful, and finding ways to make more of a benchmark for ourselves.”
Executive Dean and Vice Provost for the Health Professions Campus Ann Barr-Gillepsie and the Dean for the Arts and Sciences Lisa Carstens met earlier this year to put together a template of how to approach the Imagine 2020 project.
Once the administration examines the feedback they received through the review templates the university will be able to allot funds to the programs that are in the most need and better distribute funds in programs that are in the least need of improvement.
These changes are tentatively scheduled for May 2015.
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