Innovating for our Academic Future
February 27, 2017
Dear Faculty,
During academic year 2015-16, each dean and school was involved in the development of new academic plans to enhance the student learning environment, anticipate market trends and evolving educational needs, and increase revenue through enrollment growth. To support this effort and Institutional Priority I of “Plan 2020: Building a More Just, Humane, and Sustainable World,” which is to leverage University resources to ensure student access and success, last fall we announced the new Academic Innovation Team and work is now underway.
We have already made headway with some outstanding new programs, including the successful launch of Loyola’s Weekend JD program, Quinlan's recently approved master's degree in business data analytics, and several other programs under development both lakeside and at the Health Sciences Campus.
To facilitate the implementation of these and future academic programs, the Academic Innovation Team will coordinate research efforts, resource allocation needs and options, and budgetary implications of launching new initiatives. The team will convene as needed to respond to requests from academic leaders, with the scope of the analytical work potentially including:
- Curricular development and alignment with current programs
- Strategic contribution of new programs to advancing Plan 2020 and academic diversity
- Market analysis and enrollment projections
- Tuition pricing analysis
- Resource requirements and options (faculty, staff, facilities, training and development, marketing)
- Budgetary implications (reprogramming/reallocation vs. new revenue and expense streams; start-up costs)
- Career and gainful employment outcomes (certificates, degrees)
- Assessment planning
- Development of realistic timetables for each phase of a project, including lead time, roll out, and subsequent evaluations of outcomes
- Review of requests for academic innovation start-up funds
The team is working on behalf of academic leaders prior to or on a parallel track with the academic program approval process (e.g. Board of Undergraduate Studies, Graduate Studies Coordinating Board). It will assist in preparing materials requested by the Office of the Provost or the Budget Review Team to support resource allocation decisions for new programs.
As Dr. Rooney noted in her e-mail last week, we must continue to invest smartly in our future and that includes diversification and enhancement of our revenues through innovative academic programming.
Additionally, Dr. Rooney is launching a Student Innovation Fund. Details on criteria, processes, and funding are being finalized, and we will share updates on this related initiative soon.
The Academic Innovation Team will be led by Joan Phillips, PhD, special assistant to the provost for academic innovation, professor of marketing, and associate dean in the Quinlan School of Business. She can be reached at jphillips@luc.edu or 312.915.7815.
Sincerely,
|
John P. Pelissero, PhD |
Margaret Faut Callahan, CRNA, PhD, FNAP, FAAN |