Minutes from March 22, 2023

1. Welcome and announcements

1. 1. Chris Fastnow announced that the agenda will be adjusted to accommodate conflicts in President Cruzado’s schedule and that Ian Godwin will present Goal 2.3.
   2. Alison Harmon announced RED Recognition Day May 2^nd. Save the Date and Nominate your Everyday Hero by March 31^st. Approval of minutes from February 22, 2023
   3. Craig Ogilvie announced the GradCat Spring Summit April 24^th
   4. Kristin Blacker announces the Sustainability Summit April 10^th -11^th
   5. Chris Fastnow announced the Bobcat Culture of Mentoring Symposium March 28^th
   6. Steven Davis announced the American Indian Council Powwow March 31^st – April 1^st
   7. Steve Swinford announced that the NWCCU Accreditation year 6 report has a draft circulating for comment. The report addresses Standard 2 and is due in early September
   8. Alison Harmon announced the Mental Health Resources for Research and Community Symposium April 27^th
   9.  Megan Lasso provided an update on HB13: State Employee Pay Plan and revising laws governing state employees. The bill passed the Senate and is headed to the Governor’s desk for signing. The bill includes the employee pay plan which is proposed to increase base salaries by the greater 4% or $1.50 for FY24 and FY25 and provide a one-time lump-sum payment based on FTE.

II. Approval of minutes from February 22, 2023 – approved

III. Discussion

A. Goal 2.3 – Ian Godwin

1. 1. 1. Ian Godwin walked the council through the Tableau visualizations for Goal 2.3 Updates, where we are able to track progress toward the metrics and actions aimed to strengthen the institutional reputation in scholarship.
      2. Discussion followed about the Scholarly Research Index (SRI) from Academic Analytics and its relationship to tenure or years in academia and how to better capture “positive impact” of MSU’s research, particularly regarding the Grand Challenge areas.
      3. Chris Fastnow announced that Academic Analytics will be visiting for the April IDEAL sessions.

B. Priorities for FY25

1. 1. 1. Chris Fastnow announced that President Cruzado is advising Planning Council to consider extending the current strategic plan to account for some slow down during the pandemic years.
      2. The council is tasked to select no more than three goals to prioritize for AY24-25. AY23-24 priorities are goals 1.1, 1.2, and 3.3.
      3. Fastnow tasked the council to talk to their colleagues about priorities and consider the metrics presented (and those on the Council’s website). Additionally, consider environmental context.
      4. Fastnow asked the Council to let her know what else they need to decide on priorities. Initial responses included President Cruzado’s input, information on the Strategic Investment Proposal process, and how current legislation will impact resources for upcoming years.
      5. A discussion ensued regarding how the Council influences investments, and which investments might have the most immediate and measurable impact (e.g. physical vs. human resources).

C. President Cruzado visit

1. 1. 1. President Cruzado emphasized that Planning Council helps set discipline and purpose for decisions and actions made at MSU.
      2. She reminded the council that the strategic plan is a commitment the university has made and believes that it’s fair to “backfill” the time lost to navigating the pandemic by extending the timeline for the plan.
      3. She discussed the emphasis on student persistence and noted the initiatives that Academic Affairs is currently taking to support that persistence.
      4. In response to questions, President Cruzado advised the Council:
         1. Goals with interim deadlines show priority and importance of those goals, so we should still be committed to making progress toward meeting the goals even if the deadline has passed.
         2. Recommended that we use our resources in University Communications to assist in coming up with strategy to reintroduce and reinvigorate the plan.
         3. Responded to discussion of the Faculty Senate resolution on Hate Speech and its importance in relationship to current MSU-related events involving threats of violence and hateful rhetoric. President Cruzado challenged the council to think about how we helping our students instill grit to overcome adversity and setbacks.
         4. Megan Lasso pointed the council to the Mission, Vision, and Values that are also an important part of the plan, specifically pointing out our value of inclusion and the text that accompanies it.

IV. Other business

 V. Public Comment