Mission
Governors State University is committed to offering an exceptional and accessible education that prepares students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in a global society.
VISION
GSU will create an intellectually stimulating public square, serve as an economic catalyst for the region, and lead as a model of academic excellence, innovation, diversity and responsible citizenship.
Core Values
Invest in Student Success through a commitment to mentoring and a deliberate university focus on student achievement of academic, professional and personal goals.
Provide Opportunity and Access to a first-class public education to residents of our surrounding communities and all those traditionally underserved by higher education.
Serve as an Economic Catalyst for the citizens of the State of Illinois and our larger Midwest region, so that our communities grow and flourish.
Prepare Stewards of our Future to thrive in the global economy, to contribute to ongoing innovative research and to serve as stewards of the environment.
Demonstrate Inclusiveness and Diversity to encourage acceptance of wide-ranging perspectives among students, staff, faculty and members of the broader community.
Promote Quality of Life, which encompasses civic, personal, professional and cultural growth
Click here to download a PDF version of the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan
GOALS
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Provide distinctive academic programs that effectively prepare students to become leaders and productive citizens in the global community.
- Ensure that academic programs are up to date
and relevant, and aligned with professional and
discipline standards.
- Enhance academic programs through the
incorporation of diverse intellectual perspectives
and cross-cultural competence.
- Through the Academic Master Plan process,
develop and implement new academic programs
and revise current academic programs, which
respond to regional, state, national and
international needs and student demands.
- Provide a campus environment (physical and
virtual) that supports teaching, learning and
scholarly and creative activities through
appropriate academic facilities, libraries,
instructional and technology resources.
- Enhance external support as appropriate for
university academic programs and services through
increased relationships with external partners.
- Enhance academic programs through the
implementation of best practices in administrative,
faculty and staff development.
- Promote high quality learning opportunities
through curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular
activities, such as experiential learning,
internships, international learning experiences,
civic engagement and service learning.
-
Provide a seamless and supportive pathway from admission to graduation focused on personal and academic success to help ensure that students are career ready and positioned to be leaders and citizens in the community.
- Develop an exemplary first-year experience
program designed to both support student success
and attain first year to second year retention rates
that surpass the national average for peer
institutions.
- Develop a comprehensive Academic Advising
model to transition students from high-touch
general education advising to quality program
based advising.
- Provide and assess a broad range of tutoring and
academic support services for both general
education and upper-division course work, which
nurtures the highest levels of academic success.
- Expand, enhance and promote the Dual Degree
Program (DDP), including the Men of Color
Initiative, as a model pathway to the baccalaureate
degree for transfer students from our partner
community colleges.
- Develop, implement and assess comprehensive
and progressive mentoring systems, internships,
leadership programs and student engagement
initiatives at the undergraduate and graduate levels
focused on the development and enhancement of
transferable real-world skills associated with
exemplary leaders and citizens, and career ready
professionals.
- Create, promote and navigate students through a
Four-Year Career Development Plan and provide
expanded, strategic on-campus employment, which
focuses on increasing responsibility from freshman
to senior year with an emphasis on fully preparing
students to define their career goals and ensuring
they are career ready professionals by graduation.
- Establish and implement the Center for the
Junior Year to provide an exemplary physical and
virtual resource center for native and transfer
students to come together for information, support
and guidance as they transition to their chosen
major.
- Establish a model residential program defined by
a supportive, caring and inclusive living and
learning community with high levels of engagement
by resident students both on campus and in the
community.
-
High Quality Faculty and Staff
+
Provide students access to a highly qualified, motivated, and diverse faculty and staff.
Faculty
- Develop and implement plans and processes to
hire faculty of exceptional quality
- Develop and implement plans and processes to
retain high quality faculty and reward the
exceptional work of faculty.
- Advance faculty development to provide and
support
- Best pedagogic and professional practices
- Scholarly and career development
- Grant-related activities
- Rewards for professional public service
- Strategically employ and effectively support
non-tenure track faculty and adjuncts to address
program and student needs.
- Increase the number of faculty holding a
terminal degree.
Staff
- Develop and implement plans and processes
to hire, retain, and reward the exceptional work
of staff.
- Advance staff development to provide and
support
- Training that provides professional development
- Relevant training and certifications
- Scholarly and career development
- Rewards for professional public service
- Increase the number staff holding a Bachelor’s
degree and beyond.
-
Develop and implement strategic initiatives with
respect to recruitment, admissions, retention, and
graduation rates of undergraduate and graduate
students at Governors State University.
- Implement a comprehensive and collaborative
Strategic Enrollment Management plan that
focuses on student success and institutional
growth.
- Implement a comprehensive undergraduate
enrollment management strategy that focuses on
increasing the enrollment of a diverse freshmen,
transfer, and international student body.
- Implement a comprehensive graduate enrollment
strategy that focuses on increasing the enrollment
of a diverse and well-prepared graduate student
body.
- Increase global awareness among the GSU
community through strategic initiatives of
International Student Services and academic
programming.
-
Financial Growth and Resiliency
+
Diversify GSU’s revenue streams to ensure
resources that are necessary for institutional growth
and fiscal sustainability.
- Broaden GSU’s Foundation philanthropic
resources in order to raise more revenue to support
the strategic plan and scholarships for students.
- Enhance GSU’s relationships with Illinois State
Legislators in order to maintain and grow state
appropriated funding and capital development
resources, enhance GSU’s contribution to the
region and state, and cultivate supporters who will
advocate on behalf of the mission and vision of
GSU.
- Enhance relationships with GSU’s Federal
Legislators in order to maintain and grow federal
funding for GSU’s strategic plan and enrich the
educational experience of our students and region.
- Secure GSU’s financial stewardship in order to
finance capital needs, growth needs, and
alternative funding vehicles that consider debt
management and credit ratings.
-
Visibility, Outreach, and Economic Catalyst
+
Pursue initiatives that make GSU a preferred
destination in the region for cultural, social,
economic, and continuing education pursuits;
enhance collaboration between GSU and its
communities; position GSU as a leader and partner
in vibrant public dialogue; and increase the
university’s effectiveness as an economic catalyst
in the region.
- Build regional awareness of, and preference for,
GSU as a cultural destination and resource.
- Build GSU’s presence as an important venue for
dialogue and problem-solving related to the
region’s critical issues.
- Establish GSU as the regional center for
continuing education and life-long learning.
- Develop GSU’s identity as a center for excellence
in academic research and collaboration.
- Create an engaged and diverse audience (current
and potential students, community members,
external partners) through effective branding and
marketing initiatives.
- Continue to build GSU’s profile as an important
catalyst and partner for regional economic
development.
-
Social, Ethical, and Environmental Responsibility
+
Build an institution that is socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible.
- Create opportunities for civic engagement and
community service with particular emphasis on
citizens historically underserved by higher
education. Demonstrate through university
sponsored initiatives and academic programs a
commitment to ethics, inclusiveness and diversity.
- Affirm the university’s public responsibility to
play an essential role in building civic relevance
and vitality by serving as a stimulus to educational,
cultural, environmental, community and economic
development in the greater Chicagoland area and
beyond.
- Encourage and demonstrate the active pursuit of
sustainability and environmental stewardship
through university development, organizational
responsibility and governmental compliance.
- Integrate sustainability broadly into academic
programs, campus operations and student life.
-
Continuous Process Improvement
+
Develop and sustain a climate of continuous
improvement, which is defined by evidence-based
decision-making focused on enriching the student
experience.
- The university will establish a process whereby each unit identifies their contribution toward meeting the goals of the strategic plan.
- The university will annually review outcome data and make academic, fiscal and operational decisions based on progress toward meeting the goals of the strategic plan.
- The university will create an annual report of progress toward meeting university goals.