Last week, Stevens President Nariman Farvardin released an update of progress on the goals found in the 10-year strategic plan. These updates, which are published online for the public annually, give tremendous and comprehensive insights into the affairs of Stevens, ranging from undergraduate life to internal operations.
The 10-year strategic plan was launched in 2012, shortly after Farvardin started his tenure at Stevens. The plan was created to correct “a number of pressing and urgent challenges—from financial instability to an alumni body that was largely disengaged, to a campus community without a clear sense of destination,” wrote Farvardin in 2017.
The strategic priorities are qualitative goals that define components of the plan: student centricity; excellence in all we do; through collaboration, impact; technology at our core; strengthened reputation, increased prestige. The goals themselves are “intentionally quantitative, where possible, in order to ensure progress, accountability, and focus,” according to the plan.
Since the plan’s release, updates on progress has been shared broadly. “Publishing this report brings with it a level of accountability and transparency,” said Beth McGrath, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, “and the entire university community has an interest and a stake in the results.”
In some areas of the plan, there has been ample progress; in others, not so much. Most attention was focused on very large and visible priorities, said McGrath. These initiatives include attracting new faculty and increasing diversity in academics, “strengthening and expanding the research and innovation enterprise,” securing donations for the Student Housing/University Center project, and ensuring the completion of construction projects.
Among what has been accomplished, McGrath noted that “the simultaneous growth in our student body, the growth in applications, and the increase in the academic profile of our students is nothing short of remarkable.”
This past year, total undergraduate enrollment increased from 3,431 in Fall 2018 to 3,659 in Fall 2019, an increase of 6.6%. Applications increased from 9,625 in Fall 2018 to 10,475 in Fall 2019, and selectivity improved from 41% in Fall 2018 to 40% in Fall 2019. The middle 50% SAT score improved, from 1330-1480 in Fall 2018 to 1340-1500 in Fall 2019.
In academics, 24 new faculty were hired including from research institutions such as Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, UCLA, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania. “A set of new initiatives to improve faculty and staff satisfaction was developed for each senior leader and incorporated into their annual objectives,” said the report. One-third of the 24 new faculty hired were women, resulting in the overall percentage of female full-time faculty increasing to 26%, a 1% increase over the previous year. This year, 3% of the full-time faculty are underrepresented minorities, an increase from 2.1% in AY 2018-19.
Progress in other areas of the report are viewable online and is monitored regularly by the President’s Office. “The president meets regularly with each vice president to review progress throughout the year,” said McGrath.
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