Appendix D — Previous Work on Strategic Objectives

The below work represents ideas for both Lerner’s future strategy and how to operationally execute that strategy. It does not provide a strong basis for how to make trade-offs among objectives in light of limited resources.

D.1 Initial Ideas for The Lerner Strategic Plan: Our Lerner, Our Future

The college’s strategic plan has four priorities. 1) Purpose-Driven Education 2) Impactful Research 3) Fostering Belonging 4) Streamlining for Effectiveness

  1. Purpose Driven Education Create and implement a purpose-driven education framework that aligns with the evolving demands of the business world and student needs.
  • Innovative Curricula
    • Professional Development: Refocus enriching co-curricular activities to include comprehensive professional development, encompassing career-related skills, networking events, student organizations, and internships.
    • Global Perspective: Clearly define the global perspective in the curriculum to foster global citizenship, understanding different views, cultures, and market dynamics beyond local scenarios.
    • Technology Competency: Detail specific technology competencies by discipline, focusing on human-centered and AI-powered solutions, and engage with employers and alumni to ensure industry-relevant education.
    • Interdisciplinary Approach: Encourage interdisciplinary courses, exemplified by business analytics and fin-tech, to help students draw connections across different fields. Student-Centered Learning
    • Understanding Student Needs: Implement systems (like the “Lerner Student CRM”) to understand the student journey comprehensively and tailor experiences accordingly.
    • Engagement and Motivation: Address varying motivation levels among students, experimenting with different teaching methods and course structures to engage all students effectively. Alumni and Industry Engagement
    • Develop strategies for deeper alumni involvement in curriculum development and professional development initiatives, using tools like surveys and alumni boards for feedback and engagement. Facilities and Technological Advancements
    • Invest in and innovate facilities and classroom technologies to support experiential learning, including collaborative spaces and resources for organic discovery. Administrative and Faculty Support
    • Detail the roles of the Steering Committee, comprising Career Services, Lerner IT, Communications, Graduate Programs, and others, in implementing and sustaining these initiatives. Context and Challenges
    • Recognize the changing nature of student preferences and motivations and the need for student-centered and industry-driven education.
    • Discuss the financial and faculty support challenges in implementing new initiatives, underscoring the need for careful planning and faculty buy-in. Competitive Analysis and Market Positioning
    • Analyze what competitors are doing and define the best approach to maintain a leading position in business education.
    • Explore the concept of offering guarantees of student success and define what student-centered truly means in terms of course variety and choices.
  1. Impactful Research To foster impactful research, Lerner College will enhance its research profile through increased publications, faculty development, industry partnerships, grantsmanship and societal engagement.
  • Building a Robust Research Environment
    • Faculty and Research Profile: Continue building a strong faculty base focusing on enhanced research profiles. Encourage and support faculty in publishing top business and economics journals. Including but not limited to the UT Dallas top 24 journals.
    • Ph.D. and Master’s Programs: Explore the creation of Ph.D. programs and Master’s programs with a thesis component to foster a research-centric academic environment.
    • Research Incentivization: Establish mechanisms to incentivize faculty research, including funding for high-impact publications and providing necessary resources such as software, data, and computing resources. Strengthening Industry and Government Collaborations
    • Partnerships for Research: Grow industry-sponsored research by forming partnerships with businesses and government entities. Increase corporate and government research grants.
    • Student and Alumni Engagement in Research: Integrate opportunities for undergraduate independent studies and involve alumni in understanding and supporting research efforts. This includes having faculty present their research to alumni boards. Enhancing Research Visibility and Impact
    • Public Conversation and Policy Influence: Position Lerner Collage as a strong voice in societal discussions and policy formation. Host conferences and summits and promote researchers to influential audiences.
    • Media Outreach: Expand media outreach to highlight research achievements and impacts. Resource Allocation and Support
    • Endowed Chairs and Professorships: Raise funds to hire endowed chairs and professorships for research leadership, ensuring sustained excellence in research.
    • Baseline Research Resources: Ensure the availability of baseline research resources, including financial support for data needs and technology. Policy and Strategic Management
    • Policies for Recognition and Retention: Review and revise promotion and tenure policies to better reward faculty for obtaining grants and publishing impactful research.
    • Strategic Data Management: Address gaps in managing student, faculty, and alumni data to leverage research opportunities and track progress effectively. Addressing Challenges and Setting Goals
    • Time and Productivity Alignment: Better align faculty workload with research productivity, allowing more research time for those publishing effectively.
    • Sustainability of Research Grants: Address concerns regarding the sustainability and accessibility of research grants, ensuring a supportive environment for faculty research endeavors.
  1. Fostering Belonging To foster a sense of belonging among all members of the Lerner College community by addressing diverse needs, enhancing inclusion, and promoting active engagement in societal issues. We will commit to creating an environment of belonging and inclusion at Lerner College, emphasizing the importance of diversity, community engagement, and societal impact in shaping a cohesive and supportive educational experience.
  • Inclusivity and Support for Diverse Communities
    • Addressing Student Insecurities: Recognize and address the insecurities across undergraduate and graduate students, with special attention to international students, minority, and first-generation college students.
    • Peer Mentoring and Support: Implement a formal peer mentoring program, particularly for undergraduate students, and elevate graduate student organizations to provide enhanced support. Strengthening Lerner Identity and Community Engagement
    • Fostering Lerner Identity: Encourage a strong sense of identity within Lerner College, considering the diversity within the college and promoting a unified community.
    • Community and Alumni Integration: Partner with Delaware communities for better opportunities and integration more closely with the alumni community through various initiatives like case study competitions and mentoring programs. Academic and Societal Engagement
    • Incorporating Societal Issues in Curriculum: Include social impact in academic offerings and engage students in real-world problem-solving related to social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues.
    • Yearly Societal Problem Study: Implement a yearly deep dive study of a societal problem to encourage scholarship and practical application in crucial domains. Enhancing Diversity and Equity
    • Strategies for Increasing Diversity: Implement strategies to meaningfully increase diversity among faculty, staff, and students, ensuring equity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging.
    • Diverse Hiring Practices: Define diverse hiring and implement strategies for search committees to conduct diverse searches effectively. Partnerships and Collaboration
    • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Partner with other colleges to address intersectional needs, leveraging areas like fintech, data science, cybersecurity, and health.
    • Engaging with Local Organizations: Explore collaborations with the Small Business Development Center and local organizations to increase community involvement and societal impact. Addressing Practical Challenges
    • Support for Working Students: Address the needs of students who work and might not be able to participate in traditional clubs or activities. o Inclusive Student Organizations: Encourage the creation of clubs that are not functional but around inclusive and relevant themes, such as sustainability or humanitarianism in hospitality.
  1. Streamline the Effectiveness of the College Streamlining operations at Lerner College be more effective, cut costs and improve the culture and environment. This will be done by emphasizing the goal of creating a more efficient, effective, and collaboratively engaged academic environment.
  • Reorganization for Effectiveness
    • Thoughtful Reorganization: Explore the reorganization of college departments to align with areas where research and curriculum harmonize.
    • Optimal Department Size: Investigate the optimal size for departments to foster cohesion and effectiveness, with consideration of smaller (20 faculty per department), thematically aligned units. Enhancing Administrative Efficiency
    • Administrative Efficiency: Focus on starting administrative departments from a point of efficiency, ensuring that services provided are in line with college and department initiatives.
    • Transparency and Communication: Emphasize the need for clear communication and transparency in college initiatives, prioritizing resources effectively. Data Integration and Interpretation
    • Improving Data Usage: Enhance the ability to see, share, and interpret data across the organization to increase effectiveness, identifying areas for improvement. Collaborative Opportunities and Integration
    • Identifying Collaborative Opportunities: Identify opportunities for collaboration across departments and centers to improve efficiency and save costs.
    • Integrating Synergies: Foster integration and collaboration between Lerner Centers, departments, and faculty to find synergies and streamline operations. Staffing and Support Reimagining.
    • Reimagining Staffing: Reimagine staffing and support structures to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness. Challenges and Evidence-Based Approaches
    • Evidence for Change: Address the need for substantial evidence to support shifts from the status quo, focusing on innovation and efficiency.
    • Restructuring for Efficiency: Look for opportunities to restructure the college, integrating synergies at both the departmental and faculty levels.