New Flagship
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Shaping the New Flagship AUGUST 2009 Self Study for Re-accreditation Prepared for The Higher Learning Commission A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Shaping the New Flagship Self Study for Re-accreditation Prepared for The Higher Learning Commission A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools AUGUST 2009 Table of Contents Message from the Chancellor ....................................................................... iv Preface and Acknowledgments...................................................................... vi Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 2000 North Central Association Review: Progress Report ......................................................................... 41 Chapter 3 Flagship 2030: Serving Colorado, Engaged in the World ................................................................ 69 Chapter 4 Mission and Integrity (Criterion 1) ........................................ 85 Chapter 5 Preparing for the Future (Criterion 2) .................................... 119 Chapter 6 Student Learning and Effective Teaching (Criterion 3) ........................................................... 174 Chapter 7 Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge (Criterion 4) ................................. 244 Chapter 8 Engagement and Service (Criterion 5) ................................... 301 Chapter 9 Conclusion and Request for Continued Accreditation .......................................................... 331 Appendices Appendix A Boulder Campus Map ..................................................... 334 Appendix B University of Colorado System and CU-Boulder Organization Charts ................................... 336 Appendix C Federal Compliance Summary......................................... 340 Appendix D Specialized Accreditations ................................................ 348 Appendix E Resource Room Examples ............................................... 350 Appendix F Fall 2009 Enrollment Update .......................................... 353 Index .......................................................................................................... 354 Note: A gold underline in the text indicates a hyperlink. page iii Shaping the New Flagship University of Colorado at Boulder Message from the Chancellor I am delighted to share with you the Re-accreditation Self-Study Report of the University of Colorado at Boulder—the culmination of nearly three years of work in strategic planning, analysis, research, and writing. This report is intended to assist the re-accreditation team visiting our campus in early 2010, but the university itself has benefited substantially from the process. As an institution, we have learned much about ourselves: the ongoing impact of our history and traditions, the effects of current conditions under which we operate, and the potential for exciting new directions. Since 1913, the University of Colorado has been accredited by the North Cen- tral Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), the primary accrediting agency for educational institutions in the United States. Every 10 years, a team of lead- ing external educators visits the university campus to evaluate the institution as a whole and provide recommendations for continued improvement. We view this process as a unique opportunity for focused introspection about our own strengths and challenges—and a chance to gain thoughtful feedback from the consultant-evaluator team of higher education leaders assembled by the NCA Higher Learning Commission. During the process, we look forward to full and lively discussions aimed at helping the University of Colorado at Boulder reach new levels of excellence. The timing of the self-study process is especially fortuitous, allowing us to meld strategic planning, re-accreditation, and facilities master planning into a con- tinuum of focused effort. Indeed, much of this report is built upon the analysis that took place in the recent strategic planning process. In 2006, the university community engaged in an extensive planning effort that resulted in Flagship 2030, an ambitious blueprint for positioning CU-Boulder as a global leader in education, research, creative work, and service by the year 2030. The long planning horizon was chosen consciously—to liberate our thinking from current temporary issues and to encourage creative choices that would transform our university into a model for the “new flagship” of the 21st century. We are now in the third phase of Flagship 2030—establishing concrete plans and priorities for implementation—and we expect to draw upon the re-accreditation process to help us in those decisions. In fact, the self-study has helped us see ourselves in new ways. The process of self-examination has revealed a set of institutional qualities that will serve us well as we move forward under Flagship 2030. In this process, we have observed a strong commitment to environmental stewardship, a growing global reach in a diverse world, innovative approaches to teaching and learning, collaboration in discovery and creativity, and sus- tained vision and agility. These distinctive qualities—some of which exist now and some that are just emerging—will play a central role in transforming the university into the new flagship we envision. During the re-accreditation team’s visit, we hope to engage with the team on how best to maximize these qualities as we implement Flagship 2030. page iv Finally, I wish to acknowledge the hard work of the many committees, planning groups, reviewers, analysts, and others who contributed to the self-study report. In particular, let me recognize the invaluable contributions of the Flagship 2030 steering committee, subcommittees, and task forces, whose work formed the foundation of this report. In addition, I extend my warm appreciation to the members of the re-accreditation steering committee, whose thoughtful sugges- tions and input elevated the self-study report. My heartfelt thanks to them all. Now, we have the distinct pleasure of welcoming the NCA consultant-evaluator team to the Boulder campus in February 2010. I look forward to sharing infor- mation about the university, describing the challenges and opportunities that we face, and expressing our hopes and plans for the future. In essence, we plan to make the most of this opportunity to further accelerate our momentum in “shaping the new flagship.” Sincerely, Phil DiStefano Chancellor page v Shaping the New Flagship University of Colorado at Boulder Preface and Acknowledgments Table of Contents Preface The University of Colorado at Boulder: Shaping the New Flagship ......................................................................vii Transformative Qualities ......................................................................viii Self-Study Process ................................................................................viii The Self-Study Report ...........................................................................ix Acknowledgments .........................................................................................xi CU-Boulder Self-Study Planning Committee ........................................xi Subject Matter Experts ..........................................................................xi Members of the Chancellor’s Executive Committee ...............................xi Members of the Council of Deans ........................................................xii Associate and Assistant Vice Chancellors ..............................................xii Directors .............................................................................................xiii Flagship 2030 Implementation Task Force Chairs and Co-chairs .........xiii Students .............................................................................................. xiv Flagship 2030 Committees ................................................................... xiv page vi PrefaCe The University of Colorado at Boulder: Shaping the New Flagship In 2006, the University of Colorado at Boulder began a stra- tegic planning process called Flagship 2030: Serving Colorado, Engaged in the World that is profoundly changing the face and future of the university. Hundreds of constituents joined in the planning process, bringing to the table a broad range of ideas, perspectives, and recommendations. Flagship 2030’s long planning horizon—upwards of a quarter-century—was chosen deliberately to encourage creative thinking about the univer- sity’s potential, moving the conversation beyond the immediate concerns of today. The resulting initiatives are ambitious and challenging—and they have captured the imagination of the university community and its stakeholders. Flagship 2030 has begun to position the university as a model for the new flag- ship university of the 21st century. Despite a difficult eco- nomic climate in recent years, CU-Boulder continues to make progress toward that goal. As the university began preparations for the 2010 NCA re- accreditation process, it became clear that Flagship 2030 would necessarily frame the discussion about where the university is and where it is going. It also appears that this self-study process can have a reciprocal influence onFlagship 2030. In many ways, the strategic planning process formed the basis for the self-examination and contemplation of the university’s future that would shape the self-study report.