Goal 3 : Action Steps
As you view the action steps, you will observe icons next to each step which indicate progress.
Goal 3: Create a sense of campus community and pride.
3.1. Strategy 1: Strengthen online and on ground student engagement.
3.1.1. Measure current student engagement in campus and community activities and with faculty/staff to establish a baseline and assess annually thereafter.
3.1.2. Utilizing the above data, develop and implement plan for community-building that begins with enrollment and endures past graduation to alumni status.
3.1.3. Continue to assess summer orientation to ensure we use best practices so that it helps students feel connected and builds meaningful connections among students/faculty within major and school.
3.1.4. Evaluate freshmen welcome week and establish strategies for integrating academics and social activities for students with or without declared majors.
3.1.5. Initiate welcome back week for entire community.
3.1.6. Develop plan for increasing attendance at university and community events (including expanding opportunities for using WestConnect cards in the community).
3.2. Strategy 2: Create a vibrant co-curricular environment with events and activities that are attractive to the varied disciplines and goals of our student population and surrounding community.
3.2.1. Develop a master calendar that is easily accessed by the WCSU community (including Ives Concert Park) and an event planning process so that events are spread out in time and location.
3.2.2. Increase the number of co-curricular events on weekends for residential students and commuters.
3.2.3. Create events that acknowledge the presence of and/or are specifically geared toward adult learners and graduate students at WCSU.
3.2.4. Improve communication with internal and external audiences in support of programming of events and activities.
3.2.5. Cultivate relationships with area providers of daycare for children and animals to be able to provide existing options for students, faculty, and staff.
3.3. Strategy 3: Improve opportunities for engagement among faculty and staff.
3.3.1. Measure and improve current faculty/staff engagement and sense of community by assessing annually.
3.3.2. Schedule more frequent all-faculty and faculty/staff meetings (e.g., once per semester) to facilitate communication and engagement.
3.3.3. Establish all-faculty development days once per semester.
3.3.4. Establish faculty/staff social gatherings (at least once per semester).
3.3.5. Provide a physical space for faculty interaction (e.g., a lounge or coffee bar for faculty).
3.3.6. Institute community/common experience like “One Book, One Community.”
3.4. Strategy 4: Strengthen sense of community via multi-platform communications.
3.4.1. Obtain/improve WCSU’s app/platforms for communication to students/faculty/staff that will: allow for message targeting to specific groups; allow recipients to select what messages to receive; be easy to use; constantly updatable.
3.4.2. Create or purchase scheduling software for faculty for scheduling student appointments and offer training.
3.4.3. Create overall online strategy (such as replacing traditional department web pages with Facebook pages, integrating Twitter/Instagram, etc.).
3.4.4. Evaluate purpose and effectiveness of WestConnduit and revamp/replace.
3.5. Strategy 5: Increase/strengthen pride.
3.5.1. Establish a “What is a Colonial? A Colonial is someone who…” campaign. Define Colonial in a way that exemplifies what is unique about WCSU. Connect with new first year initiative #ichosewcsu. Include participation in campus traditions as a way to be defined as a Colonial. Supplement with posters, banners, etc. around campus.
3.5.2. Add a feed to the WCSU home page that regularly rotates stories that highlight the accomplishments and activities of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
3.5.3. Establish one or more unifying themes/shared purpose and instantiate in a new motto.
3.5.4. Promote the school colors and mascot with highly visible flags and signage on campus.