University of South Carolina Lancaster Strategic Plan

 

Report (2002-2003) and Revised Strategic Goals (2003-2008)

 

 

26 February, A.D. 2003

 

I. UNIT PROFILE

 

A. Executive Summary

 

Despite the challenges created by extraordinarily difficult budgetary times, USC Lancaster can report a number of successes and accomplishments for the past year as it builds on its forty-plus-year tradition of academic excellence, scholarship, and service to the people of Lancaster, Chester, Chesterfield, Kershaw, Fairfield, and York Counties.

 

In its annual evaluation by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, the campus earned a rating of “Exceeds Standards” for its 2001-2002, garnering a score of 87% (2.61 on a 3.0 scale).  Of 13 scored indicators, the campus “exceeded standards” on five, and “achieved standards” or “achieved compliance” on eight.

 

In regard to the CHE performance evaluation, a particular source of campus pride is the recognition of our students’ successes.  Indicator 7A establishes the graduation rate for first-time, full-time degree-seeking students graduating within 150% of normal program time.  For the regional campuses, the “success range” is defined as 15% - 31%.  USCL’s students graduated at a rate of 35.6%.  Indicator 7D pertains to scores of graduates on post-undergraduate professional graduate or employment-related examinations and certification tests, and establishes a success rate of 75% - 85% as the target range.  USCL graduates taking such examinations scored at a success rate of 96.4%.

 

USCL is equally proud of the diversity of its student body.  While the vast majority of USCL students come from the six-county service area, 21% of the student body in Fall 2002 were minority (up from 19% in Fall 2001).  In addition, 33.1% of students enrolled in Fall 2002 were “non-traditional” (age 25 or higher), up from 30.2% in Fall 2001.  Efforts by the USCL Admissions Office and campus-sponsored programs like OSP and Upward Bound have focused on increasing campus diversity in generational as well as racial terms.  Such diversity is critical to creating an atmosphere wherein all students may aspire to The Carolinian Creed, which requires them to pledge themselves to “discourage bigotry, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions.”

 

Through careful planning and use of campus resources and talents (particularly in the maintenance department), USCL has been able to enhance its academic programs in spite of large budget cuts.  During the summer of 2002, the classroom spaces and lab utilized by the nursing program were updated.  Student computer labs in Hubbard Hall (Rooms 206 & 222) were upgraded with state-of-the art equipment.  The older computers (Gateway Pentium III 750 Mhz) were distributed to faculty and staff (which resulted in an upgrade for them as well).  The internet research PC’s in the Medford Library were also upgraded to Gateway Pentium III 750 Mhz.  In addition, LCD projectors have been installed in Hubbard 206 & 222 (which serve as teaching labs), and the teacher workstations were upgraded.  Twenty-four (24) additional PC workstations have been installed in a computer lab in the newly-expanded Medford Library (Room 209).  This lab is utilized by the Academic Success Center as a tutoring center for students, as well as by library staff for bibliographic instruction.

 

As is evident, technological upgrades aimed at enhancing the academic program continue to be a campus priority.  In January 2003, USCL completed the move of its web page to a new server with a new address of www.usclancaster.sc.edu.  The website currently has 1,139 web pages (html files) and 13,091 links (of which 3,936 are external to the USCL site).  Most full-time faculty have active web pages which include course syllabi and links to related sites.  A number of adjunct faculty have also established active web pages for use by their students.  The Academic Success Center page has been revised and improved, and the webmaster added a Campus Closing/Delays Web page which allows students to access the web pages of local television and radio stations during inclement weather and other times when the campus might be closed.

 

USCL faculty continue to balance their heavy teaching loads with achievements in scholarship and service (professional, campus, and community).  Some of the conferences that USCL faculty have attended and at which they have made presentations include the USC Women's Studies Conference, the Convention of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, The Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association in the South, the International Organization on Science and Technology in Education, and the South Carolina Historical Association.  In terms of creative endeavors (another component of scholarship), the South Carolina Arts Commission selected a work by Assistant Professor of Art Fran Perry – Boneyard at Pritchard’s Island – to be published in its April/May/June issue of Artifacts, the commission’s quarterly magazine.  Professor Perry’s work has also been selected for feature in a number of juried art shows around the country.

 

USCL’s commitment to community service has remained a priority throughout the year.  In late fall, the campus was awarded an $80,000 First Steps grant to enhance and expand its program for economically disadvantaged children at the USCL Child Development Center.  The campus continues to work closely with area high schools through such programs as Honors Day (which marks its 25^th anniversary in 2003).  In October 2002, USCL also participated in Lancaster County Education Week, a celebration of learning sponsored by the Lancaster County School District, by sponsoring a series of on-campus “academic challenge” competitions for students from elementary, middle, and high schools in Lancaster County.  The John Morrison White Clinic (in the Gregory Health and Wellness Center) added to its wide array of community services offerings with the creation of a Physical Therapy program, which provides treatment in therapeutic exercise, gait and balance training, cardiovascular endurance training, and training in activities of daily living.

 

In terms of physical plant, the major accomplishment of the year was the expansion and renovation of the Medford Library.  Housing over 80,000 volumes, as well as faculty offices, classrooms, the Academic Success Center, and TRIO program offices, the original building contained only about 12,000 square feet of space.  In August 2001, USCL broke ground for the expansion and renovation.  Once completed, the structure will have doubled in size, allowing for future campus growth, and is designed to maximize use of technology to enhance library research.  In mid-November 2002, assisted by an energetic library staff, as well as volunteers from the USCL faculty, staff, student body, and colleagues from other USC campuses, the Medford Library moved its large collection into the newly-built addition.  Renovations are now being completed on the original part of the building, with final completion date scheduled for March 2003.  Other improvements to physical facilities include the replacement of old (and insufficient) outdoor lighting in parking lots and between buildings with newer, efficient, and “astronomer-friendly” security lighting.

 

Despite difficult economic times, the dedicated faculty, staff, and administration at USC Lancaster look back upon the past year with a definite sense of pride in their accomplishments, individually and collectively.  The initiatives and achievements of the past year have added to the campus’s well-established foundation of academic excellence, scholarship, and service to its citizens.  As it moves further into the 21^st century, USC Lancaster faces the future with confidence and resolute determination to continue to build on this foundation, to continue its role as both leader of and servant to our communities, in the best traditions of the University of South Carolina.

 

John Catalano, Dean

University of South Carolina Lancaster

 

 

B. Mission Statement of the Unit

 

As a regional campus of the University of South Carolina, USC Lancaster’s mission statement was approved by the University’s Board of Trustees in April 1998, but is due for revision and reconsideration during the next academic year (2003-2004).  This revision will be accomplished by a campus Planning Committee consisting of faculty members, administrators, and staff, and will be submitted to the University Board of Trustees for approval.

 

The University of South Carolina’s mission statement (approved by the Board of Trustees in April 1997) specifically mentions the Regional Campuses, noting that they “bring the resources of the entire University to citizens throughout the state.”  These campuses “primarily provide the first two years of undergraduate education, as well as selected associate degree programs mainly for their locale.  The regional campuses also provide for the completion of bachelor degrees by offering selected upper-division coursework in conjunction with Aiken, Columbia, and Spartanburg campuses…”

 

USC Lancaster’s mission statement reflects the campus’s commitment to the mission of the greater University of South Carolina.  Offering University programs and services to approximately 1,200 full- and part-time students from a six-county service area (Lancaster, Chester, Chesterfield, Kershaw, Fairfield, and York), USCL grants associate degrees in the arts and sciences, as well as in business, criminal justice, and technical nursing. USCL also offers limited upper-division course work creditable toward certain baccalaureate degrees.  “Through a broad commitment to equity, an extensive scholarship and financial aid program, and a variety of weekday and evening course offerings, USC Lancaster seeks to make education accessible, affordable, and convenient to the residents of this region.”

 

The University of South Carolina defines its mission of education to the state’s diverse citizens in terms of three areas – teaching, research & creative activity, and service.  USCL’s mission statement reaffirms the campus’s commitment to these areas, noting specifically that the faculty and administration are “dedicated to scholarship and teaching excellence…

 

USC Lancaster strives to create a supportive educational climate that respects cultural and intellectual diversification, encourages innovation and adaptation, and responds affirmatively to the needs of its students. Students at USC Lancaster are helped to achieve the fundamental skills, knowledge, and capacity for critical thought necessary to pursue further learning, to succeed in their chosen career fields, and to assume the responsibilities of informed and enlightened citizenship in their communities and in the wider society.

 

In addition to helping to fulfill the broader mission of the University, the goals established in the USCL mission statement also fit into the state’s overall mission for higher education, as established by the CHE in its 2002 Strategic Plan:

 

South Carolina’s system of public and private higher education will address the needs of the state by

·        Creating a well-educated citizenry,

·        Raising the standard of living of South Carolinians

·        Improving the quality of life,

·        Meeting changing work force needs,

·        Creating economic development opportunities,

·        Positioning the state to be competitive in a global economy, and

·        Fashioning a new generation of public sector and private sector leaders.

 

USCL’s mission statement further reflects the broader mission of the University through its commitment to public service.  “Through regular course offerings, continuing education programs, summer enrichment programs, and cultural events, USC Lancaster helps area residents obtain personal development, professional growth, and cultural enrichment.”  Other service components include health fitness and recreation programs which help area citizens “develop an appreciation of the interrelationship of physical health and overall personal wellness,” as well as a Child Development Center for economically disadvantaged preschool children.

 

USCL is proud of its long history of bringing to the citizens of the central South Carolina piedmont not only the resources of the state’s flagship University, but its vision as well.  “Through a broad commitment to equity, an extensive scholarship and financial aid program, and a variety of weekday and evening course offerings, USC Lancaster seeks to make education accessible, affordable, and convenient to the residents of this region.”

C. Statistical Profile for 2001-2002

 

FUNDING SOURCES

 

1. Unit Budget

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA LANCASTER

FY 2002 PROJECTED UNRESTRICTED CURRENT FUNDS SUMMARY

 

RESOURCES:	A Funds	C Funds	D Funds	E Funds	R Funds	S Funds	TOTAL
Revenue: Tuition & Fees State Appropriations Grants, Contracts & Gifts Sales & Service of Educational & Other Sources Sales & Service of Auxiliary Enterprise TOTAL	1,202,091 2,904,251 337,783 102,020   4,546,145	345,672 345,672	43,669     4,873   48,542	102,071   38,851 463,042   603,964	0	0	1,347,831 2,904,251 376,634 569,935 345,672 5,544,323
Transfers: Transfers-In Transfers-Out Net Transfers	10,000   10,000	(65,500) (65,500)	(11,050) (11,050)	25,000 (35,463) (10,463)	65,000 (35,000) 30,000	0	100,000 (147,013) (47,013)
USES:
Educational & General Expenditures: Instruction Research Public Service Academic Support Student Services Institutional Support Operation & Maintenance of Plant Scholarships & Fellowships TOTAL	2,322,874 6,736   476,591 423,234 575,971 576,096 15,920 4,397,422	0	23,206	189,183 23,404 384,040           596,627	17,924     17,924	0	2,512,057 30,140 384,040 476,591 446,440 593,895 576,096 15,920 5,035,179
Auxiliary Expenditures		304,923					304,923
TOTAL USES	4,397,422	304,923	23,206	596,627	17,924	0	5,340,102