MISSION REVIEW PROCESS

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Originated: January 29, 1996
Revised: Spring, 1998
Revised Fall, 2007

Mission Statement and Strategic Management Plan Review Process for the Nelson Rusche College of Business

This document summarizes the Mission Statement and Strategic Management Plan development processes for the Nelson Rusche College of Business. The Mission Statement and the Strategic Management Plan were both approved by faculty vote in October, 2007.

1. The Mission Statement review process and the Strategic Management Plan development process were initiated in the fall semester of 2005 by Dr. Violet Rogers, Dean of the Nelson Rusche College of Business. She appointed a Strategic Management Committee to be chaired Dr. Michael Stroup, the Associate Dean of the College. This committee consisted of faculty representatives from each of the five Departments within the College: Dr. Marsha Bayless, Department of General Business; Dr. Debbie DuFrene, Department of General Business; Dr. Jack Ethridge, Department of Accounting; Ms. Sharron Graves, Department of Accounting; Dr. Mike Pickard, Department of Computer Science; Dr. Elton Scifres, Department of Management, Marketing and International Business; Dr. Bert Stine, Department of Economics and Finance; and Dr. Tim Clipson, Department of General Business. It should be noted that Dr. Mark Scanlan, Department of Economics and Finance, replaced Dr. Stine in 2007 when Dr. Stine had significant health issues that prevented him from fulfilling his duties on the committee.
2. Dean Rogers instructed the committee to thoughtfully consider all of the various aspects of the process of educating our business students—including both curricular and extra-curricular student activities within the College—that might influence the overall quality of their business education. She asked that the committee consider perspectives from both the students and the faculty, and to include perspectives specific to their respective departments. She also asked the committee to identify those aspects of our learning environment that appeared to be effective as well as those that appeared to need improvement. Dr. Rogers then asked that the committee use the insights gleaned from this reflective activity to create a Strategic Management Plan that would reflect how the Rusche College of Business would successfully monitor and continuously improve upon these educational processes, broadly interpreted. She also asked the committee to revise the current Mission Statement of the College in a way that would encompass and reflect the core elements and key ideas of the new Strategic Management Plan and support the University’s Mission Statement.
3. The committee started meeting in February of 2006 and met a total of five times over that spring semester. The committee came to a consensus about recognizing the existing areas of exemplary curricular and extra-curricular learning opportunities and effective pedagogical processes that the College was currently providing in our learning environment. The committee also came to a consensus on recognizing various areas of our educational processes and learning environment that could be improved upon. The committee then identified specific activities that College could implement to enhance our business education programs.
4. By the last meeting of the spring semester of 2006 the committee came up with a proposal for the Strategic Management Plan to be presented to the Dean. After the summer break, Dr. DuFrene, Dr. Stroup and Dean Rogers met in August of 2006 to review the committee’s proposal. Dean Rogers asked that the Strategic Management Plan proposal be offered for general faculty review.
5. In early September of 2006, Dr. Stroup sent an e-mail to the entire faculty of the College that contained an attachment of the Strategic Management Plan proposal. In this e-mail the faculty were asked to review the document and bring suggestions to the Committee in one (or both) of two separate open forum discussion sessions that took place during the last week of September. After completion of these two sessions, the comments and suggestions that were made during the open forum were recorded and carefully considered by the committee members.
6. The committee met four times during the spring semester of 2007. During the first two meetings the committee considered the comments and suggestions from the general faculty and finalized their proposal for the Strategic Management Plan. The committee also made suggestions to the Chairman, Dr. Stroup, describing the particular elements that needed to be included in the supporting materials for the Strategic Management Plan.
7. During the remainder of the spring semester of 2007 the committee met and developed a revised Mission Statement for the College that reflected the core elements and key ideas of the Strategic Management Plan. After the last meeting of the committee, Dr. Stroup presented the proposal for a Mission Statement and Strategic Management Plan with supporting materials to Dean Rogers. She asked that the Mission Statement be offered for general faculty review at the beginning of fall semester of 2007.
8. In September of 2007, Dr. Stroup sent an e-mail to the entire faculty of the College that contained an attachment of the entire proposal. The faculty were asked in the e-mail to review the document and bring suggestions concerning the proposed Mission Statement to the Committee in one (or both) of two separate open forum discussion sessions that took place at the first week of October.
9. After completion of these two sessions, the comments and suggestions that were made were recorded and sent back to the committee members. The committee incorporated these comments and suggestions into a slightly revised Mission Statement. Dr. Stroup presented the final Mission Statement proposal to the Dean. Dean Rogers asked that the Mission Statement and Strategic Management Plan be voted on by the full-time faculty.
10. There were 57 full time faculty members eligible to vote in the fall semester of 2007. Of these full time faculty members, 39 total votes were received: 37 voted yes and 2 voted no. Of the 57 full time faculty members, 18 members did not vote. The Mission Statement and the Strategic Management Plan both passed.