Strategic Plan 2021-2027

January 31, 2022

As a program within a multidiscipline department, Department of Geography, Planning, and Environment, the Planning program holds a unique opportunity to build on the various programs and specialties in the department and enhance the range of focus areas the Program can provide and to engage in multidisciplinary research. The faculty are encouraged to develop interdisciplinary research in new areas of planning, such as the impact of climate change on developing sustainable communities, regional economic transformation, and building resilient communities. To that end, the Program has developed dynamic and forward-looking goals and objectives that can help the Program to move forward.

PROGRAM MISSION

Department Unit Code, approved on June 5, 2018

The mission of the Planning Program is to provide opportunities for students to achieve excellence, envision their future, grow intellectually, and pursue a professional planning position or a graduate education. As a multidisciplinary field, planning strives to integrate knowledge derived from the social and physical sciences and related professions. It upholds the principle of promoting sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, and gender differences and actively works to encourage diversity in its Program.

GOAL 1. STUDENT ACCESS/SUCCESS 

The Planning program objectives align with the University, College, and Department objectives in terms of greater student access/success. The Planning program aims to educate future leaders to serve and inspire positive change for eastern North Carolina and beyond.

Objective 1 – Student diversity – The program seeks to attract and maintain diverse students in our major.

  • Action 1.1 – The program will attract students with diverse backgrounds to the major, which will contribute for students to form the equity, diversity, and inclusion values planners must seek to achieve in their careers.
    • Metric 1.1a – Student ratio showing racial and ethnic diversity
    • Metric 1.1b – Student ratio showing gender diversity
    • Metric 1.1c – Percent of students from eastern NC
    • Metric 1.1d – Percent of first-time/full-time students

Objective 2 – Greater student success – The Program seeks to continue to improve student success by enhancing student retention, graduation rates, and opportunities for academic and professional experiences

  • Action 2.1 – The program will increase the number of internships and diversify the internship outlets.
    • Metric 2.1a – The percentage of students graduating with internship experiences
    • Metric 2.1b – The diversity of internship placements
  • Action 2.2 – Advisors will work closely with their advisees by discussing their academic progress during and after academic advising meetings.
    • Metric 2.2 – Number of students graduating within 4-years
  •  Action 2.3 – The program will develop strategies to enhance and sustain student retention. Actions will include: 1. Faculty advisors will attend professional development sessions regarding student advising. 2. Faculty will encourage students to actively engage in the Student Planners’ Action Network (SPAN)
    • Metric 2.3 – The retention rate of the students
  • Action 2.4 – Faculty members will be encouraged to build on existing opportunities and develop new ones for students to participate in undergraduate research and community-based projects.
    • Metric 2.4a – The number of students working with faculty on research projects
    • Metric 2.4b – The number of student presentation submissions at the ECU’s Research and Creative Activities Week (RCAW) conference

GOAL 2. INSTRUCTIONAL MISSION  

Objective 3 – Greater diversity in instructional delivery methods – The Program has put efforts into diversifying instructional delivery methods, including involving client-based projects in classes, initiation of the Planner-in-Residence program, and initiating a faculty-led study abroad program. The program is also in the process of establishing an online Master’s in Planning and Development. With the new degree, the Program will fully establish distance education (DE) as an alternate mode of instruction, particularly to professionals in smaller communities in Eastern NC.

  • Action 3.1 – Planning faculty will apply to the ECU Service-Learning Committee for service-learning course designations
    • Metric 3.3 – The number of service-learning courses developed in the Program
  • Action 3.2 – The program will actively work with the College for supportive funding to sustain the Planner-in-Residence program to achieve a balanced education between theory and practice in the curriculum.
    • Metric 3.4 – The number of courses taught by planners-in-residence
  • Action 3.3 – The program will continue the program-specific faculty-led study abroad program in Seoul, South Korea.
    • Metric 3.3 – The number of students participating in the study abroad program
  • Action 3.4 – The program will continue to work to establish an online master’s degree program.
    • Metric 3.4 – The number of students in the master’s degree and the graduate certificate program.
  • Action 3.5 – The program will create DE courses to serve students’ needs.
    • Metric 3.5 – The number of DE courses and the student credit hours in the courses

Objective 4 – Building strength in the Program – The program will continue to build its strengths in community planning, rural/regional planning, and coastal/environmental planning to contribute to ECU’s mission to serve as a national model for student success, public service, and regional transformation.

  • Action 4.1 – The program will continue to engage in community-based projects in teaching, research, and services.
    • Metric 4.1 – The number of community-based actions that focus on the core areas of the Planning Program.
  • Action 4.2 – The program will seek to increase the number of faculty with specialties in relevant areas.
    • Metric 4.2 – The number of faculty positions and faculty specialty areas

GOAL 3. FACULTY SUCCESS

Objective 5 – Faculty diversity – The program will continue to maintain the diversity among faculty members in the program.

  • Action 5.1 – The program will increase its faculty size while fostering diversity among faculty.
    • Metric 5.1a – Faculty ratio showing racial and ethnic diversity
    • Metric 5.1b – Faculty ratio showing gender diversity
    • Metric 5.1c – Faculty ratio showing their specialty diversity

Objective 6 – Faculty scholarship – Faculty in the program have developed essential research programs, and we seek to build on them.

  • Action 6.1 – Planning faculty will further develop its research agenda and productivity
    • Metric 6.1a – The number of publications
    • Metric 6.1b – The number of grants submitted and funded
  • Action 6.2 – Planning faculty will continue to increase their scholarship collaborations
    • Metric 6.2 – The number of co-authored publications, conference presentations, and grant proposals to show the partnerships within and outside of ECU
  • Action 6.3 – Faculty members in the Planning program will seek opportunities to increase the opportunities for engaged scholarship.
    • Metric 6.3a – The number of community projects, publications, and grants
    • Metric 6.3b – The number of students involved in engaged scholarship

Objective 7 – Active involvement in national and regional professional organizations – The Program recognizes the benefits to both Program reputation and student success through involvement in professional organizations.

  • Action 7.1 – Faculty members will contribute to the Planning program by providing services and engaging with professional planning organizations.
    • Metric 7.1 – Number of substantive contributions to professional organizations, i.e., ACSP and APA
  • Action 7.2 – The program will support student involvement in relevant professional organizations.
    • Metric 7.2 – Percent of students receiving financial or other types of assistance to attend professional conferences or competitions

GOAL 4. PROGRAM GOVERNANCE

Objective 8 – Establishing open governance – The Program recognizes the benefits of open governance to promote progress and innovation, which results in greater success of the Program.

  • Action 8.1 – The Program will encourage active participation of students, faculty, and alumni in Program governance.
    • Metric 8.1a – Frequency of students (or SPAN representatives) attending planning faculty meetings and the ECU Planning Alumni Advisory Board meetings
    • Metric 8.1b – Frequency of faculty liaison attending SPAN meetings for effective communications.
    • Metric 8.1c – Student satisfaction with their involvement in important matters in the Program
    • Metric 8.1d – Number of student-led actions supported by the Planning program

GOAL 5. ASPIRATIONAL

Objective 9 – Establish a global network

  • Action 9.1 – The program will expose recent global planning efforts to students.
    • Metric 9.1a – The number of students participating in the study abroad program(s)
    • Metric 9.2b – The number of faculty collaborations with international scholars and researchers in other countries.
  • Action 9.2 – The program will establish global partnerships with a program/department internationally.
    • Metric 9.2a – Establishment of MOUs or exchange programs
    • Metric 9.2b – The number of international collaborative actions

Objective 10 – Continued Program growth – The Program seeks to grow substantially both in faculty and student numbers

  • Action 10.1 – Following success in Objectives 1 through 7, the Program will show sustained growth
    • Metric 10.1 – Number of faculty and students in majors