Strategic Intent

VISION, MISSION, GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTION ITEMS

The College of Business Administration of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln aspires to achieve national and international prominence and to be recognized by our multiple constituencies as a leader among colleges of business. The College will achieve this prominence through proven and innovative programs in teaching, research, and service. In order to achieve this prominence, strategic planning must be iterative and ongoing.

UNL Core Values

• Commit to an uncompromising pursuit of excellence
• Stimulate research and creative work that fosters discovery, pushes frontiers and advances society
• Establish research and creative work as the foundation for teaching and engagement
• Prepare students for life through learner-centered education
• Engage with academic, business and civic communities throughout the state and the world
• Encourage, support and challenge every member of the university community to make meaningful contributions to our core values
• Create a university culture that values diversity of ideas and people

CBA Priority Values

• A commitment to our students as our primary constituents
• A commitment to high standards of professional and ethical values
• A commitment to overall excellence and continuous improvement in teaching, research, outreach and the College environment

UNL Information Services Strategic Initiatives

• Communication and campus relationships
• Professional guidance and leadership
• Integration of IT resources and services across all of UNL
• Development of technology commons solutions
• Develop, identify, or promote campus-wide software applications
• Develop IT technical skills across all of UNL
• Implement enabling technology
• Facilitate business continuity and disaster recovery efforts

CBA ITS Strategic Focus

Leadership

Leadership will include assessing components that emerge as high potential to be built once and used across the campus, thereby creating more effective pathways towards achieving strategic goals and objectives of the College and University. We will develop information technology competencies, leadership competencies, and managerial competencies of information technology resources. We will develop managerial and team skills through a campus integrative capstone experience. We will provide a framework for keeping pace with the rapid advancements in technology. We will develop information policies and information technology standards where a university-wide approach is required for information integrity or availability.

Collaboration

Collaboration will include a functional working relationship with UNL IS and other Colleges and department IT groups. This reflects the recognition by the College that by working with others, and sharing services and expertise, we will be best able to widen participation in learning, as well as deliver a wider more diverse range of quality learning, research, and outreach opportunities.

Access

Access will include a combination of scenarios: individual equipment available in faculty and staff offices, shared equipment in labs and classrooms, and ubiquitous wireless network. Users will have access to basic software and customized instructional tools, central computing and local area network applications, and library and Internet resources.

Integration

Integration of technology into academic and administrative processes will be a primary focus for the College. We have begun to implement innovative methods for delivering instruction through the Internet and to examine pedagogy and develop programs through faculty initiatives and ad hoc groups. Web browsers and applications are becoming the integrative tool for accessing electronic information on campus and Web portals will become a technological focal point. The success of these efforts will depend on critical evaluation and willingness to adapt how we work, how we teach, and how we learn.

Usability

Usability is a continuing challenge in a rapidly evolving technology environment. New versions of software, more complex and integrated hardware systems, and new types of applications require users to update their skills frequently. The College faces two challenges: the first is to maintain technical currency among technical staff through regular professional development, certification, and training programs, and the second is to provide users with training and consultation services that are designed around the skills they need to do their jobs effectively.

Support

Support for technology will continue to be a significant factor in the College's technology environment. The increased complexity of today's technology, the large number of desktop systems, networks that are physically and logically diverse, and rapidly changing software have created an environment where the personnel and operating costs for technology are straining available resources. We must simultaneously expand short-term operating resources while seeking ways to reduce this investment in the long term. We must streamline procedures by "working smarter" and utilize technological strategies and processes to reduce costs.

Goal 1

The College will be the school of choice for Nebraska students at all levels, a leading choice for students in this region, and a strong choice nationally and internationally.

Objective A

The J.D. Edwards Honors Program will be nationally ranked in the top five information technology programs.

Actions

• Provide IT leadership, support, and service.

Goal 2

The College will have an effective infrastructure (facilities, staff, technology, and student services) to support the attainment of its goals.

Objective B

The College will be one of the leaders of our strategic peer group in technology and support for instruction and research.

Actions

• Identifying who we've chosen to serve, understanding what they want, and analyzing how we're doing at meeting their needs - design from the outside in.
• Know what drives customer value and align organization structure and roles accordingly to what best supports delivery of that value.
• Digging below our current customers' needs and expectations to latent and unmet needs.
• Encourage and support inclusion of an on-line component in all core undergraduate and core MBA courses.
• Support the number and quality of research databases and provide training for faculty.
• Maintain an aggressive approach to web development concerning site design, academic applications, information distribution, intranets, on-line forms, and e-business.
• Develop a support model for ubiquitous access to technology and information resources in support of instruction. Access must reduce barriers to on-campus and distance learning for students and faculty.
• Developing change champions and supporting their initiatives.
• Establish technology early adopters group comprised of students, staff, and faculty.
• Identify and empower one or more IT teammates to engage and challenge us in our daily work.
• Make sure everyone can easily answer this question: "I know clearly what is expected of me, in my role?"
• Nurturing experiments, pilots, and "clumsy tries" as we muddle and learn our way to new products, services, markets, and methods.
• Integrate technologies with internal partners and systems/processes, viewing technologies from a University-wide perspective focusing on results.
• Regularly reviewing, assessing, celebrating, and refocusing our improvement progress.
• Make strategies visible, i.e. NUtech Website, Strategy Maps, etc.

Objective C

The College will recruit and retain a sufficient number of quality administrative and support staff.

Actions

• Provide greater opportunities for staff training and development.
• Recognize and support staff contributions to the College.

Objective D

The College will provide effective facilities to support its mission, goals, and objectives.

Actions

• Provide adequate office space for faculty, visiting scholars, student organizations, and other activities.
• Study technology trends in order to determine future needs.
• Maintain the priority of classes scheduled in CBA facilities.
• Continue to work to increase access to technological tools in classrooms in order to facilitate the curricular transformation process. If efforts to integrate technology into pedagogy are to transform the curriculum and optimize the benefits of technology-enhanced instruction, the College must have appropriate facilities where faculty and students can use new methods without time-consuming set-up, worries about equipment availability, and extensive training to make the classroom "work".