CALS Strategic Agenda
Strategic Initiatives
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) administers the degree programs of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). IFAS is a federal, state, and local government partnership dedicated to develop knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With 24 undergraduate majors, more than 50 areas of specialization and 22 graduate programs, CALS is an educational leader in the areas of food, agriculture, natural resources and life sciences.
Mission and Values
The mission of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is to provide undergraduate and graduate students with a high quality education that results in knowledge and abilities for gainful employment and additional education, productive citizenship, and lifelong learning in the areas of food, agriculture, natural resources, and life sciences as they relate to human resources, the environment, individual communities, and a global society. To achieve excellence, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences promotes these core values in fulfilling the IFAS mission.
- Respect, honesty, integrity, fairness and cooperation
- Academic excellence and scientific inquiry
- Diversity of people and ideas
- Programs that are responsive to the needs of students, Florida and the world
- Global awareness and understanding
- Opportunities for student growth, development, and career success
- Quality teaching and advising
- Education as a lifelong process
- Partnerships with faculty, students, staff and stakeholders
Goals and Strategic Initiatives
A. Improve learning and teaching effectiveness
1. Curriculum Review
- Establish college-wide coordinating committee (done October 2007)
- Departments to establish Committees to Envision Curriculum
- Enhancement charged to
- Justify the need for majors, specializations, minors
- Propose curriculum goals for majors, specializations and minors, including advising approaches
- Establish enrollment targets for majors and degree programs
- Indicate outcomes measures to be used for each
- Propose changes in program requirements and course offerings
- Report progress monthly to the Coordinating Committee
- Implement an outcomes assessment program
2. Teacher Development Programs (cooperative with Teaching Resource Center)
- Conduct needs assessment for faculty and graduate students
- Provide courses and workshops on teaching using a programmatic approach
- Provide leadership for campus efforts; sponsor campus-wide event
- Develop partnership with UGA, FAMU, ABAC for enhanced programming
- Initiate Teacher’s College program (done Fall 2007)
- Initiate a “preparing the professorate” program utilizing existing activities and Teacher’s College model; develop cohort program for Alumni Graduate Award recipients
- Secure funding for individual faculty participation in teaching/learning enhancement programs
- Review and strengthen peer observation of teaching program (in progress)
3. Academic Advising
- Develop advising model to define coordinator/faculty/staff roles, determine goals, outcomes, and measures
- Provide advising/mentoring development programs for faculty and graduate students
- Develop a policy and procedures handbook (target date July 1, 2008)
4. Student Support Programs
- Conduct a senior survey annually
- Develop tuition waiver criteria
- Develop new mechanisms to support student field trips
- Increase participation in research, development and design projects; secure funding to support student/faculty involvement
B. Attract and retain a diverse, high quality student population
1. Establish admissions, enrollment, and graduation goals in concert with UF admissions
2. Increase transfer enrollment
- Communicate with high school and community college counselors for awareness and support, provide materials to support the recruiting effort, advertise campus events such as Gator Encounter
- Improve community college and intra-university transfer materials and programs and provide workshops for community college counselors
- Review high school and associate degree course transfers
- Facilitate/review academic progress of high school/A.A. degree students
- Partner with Abraham Baldwin College
3. Increase pre-professional enrollment
- Create a summer pre-professional program of CALS courses
- Increase the number of needed courses during summer terms
4. Increase freshman applications and enrollment
- Utilize alumni
- Prepare poster and brochure for county extension offices
- Partner with UF Admissions Office
Increase undergrad enrollment in selected program areas
C. Provide relevant student development programs
1. Strengthen career resources program
- Conduct a needs assessment for students and CALS departments
- Maintain relationship with liaison to Career Resource Center through open communication about career development opportunities
- Develop and conduct career development workshops
- Communicate employment and career development opportunities to students through a wide variety of communication methods including e-mail, CALS Web site and club/organization announcements
- Develop selection process for Loop Legislative Internship Scholarship for students interning in Tallahassee or Washington, DC
- Expand scholarship opportunities for students completing internships
- Strengthen partnerships with CALS departments through the CALS Alumni and Career Resources Committee and communication with undergraduate coordinators
- Develop and promote volunteer opportunities that will engage alumni through career development and provide an additional career development resource for students (could include job shadowing, panel discussions, alumni guest speakers in professional development courses, formal mentoring program, etc.)
2. Provide student organization development programs
- Offer adviser workshops and workshops for club/organization leaders
3. Serve as administrative adviser for Student Council, MANRRS and AZ
4. Conduct Solutions Seminars
- Partner with/invite FAMU, UGA, ABAC, others
5. Create a Leadership Institute
- Seek funding from USDA CSREES HEP
- Include international component
6. Provide programming for graduate students
- Partner with IFAS Research to offer grant writing workshops
- Partner with Teaching Resource Center for TA development
- Provide assistance for leadership development (grad councils, Solutions Seminars, etc.)
D. Enhance the international dimension of the curricula and programs
1. Conduct a needs assessment of CALS students.
2. Create a working group of program directors and interested students to promote participation in study abroad and international internship programs.
3. Increase student participation by 50-100% from 2006-07 levels of 19.5% of CALS graduating seniors.
4. Secure funding to support student and faculty participation
- Identify scholarship funds for need-based scholarships for students studying abroad or completing international internships
- Pursue extramural grants, such as the Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowships and USDA International Science and Education Grants, to support student involvement.
- Develop a source of seed money in CALS to support new program development
5. Maintain a mix of international opportunities to meet diverse needs.
E. Expand opportunities for course and degree completion beyond the Gainesville campus
1. Establish enrollment targets for DE and statewide programs
- Pursue sustainable business model for DE programs/courses
- Increase enrollment of degree- and certificate-seeking students while keeping courses accessible to non-degree students
- Conduct interest surveys at each REC with teaching programs and restructure programs accordingly
2. Increase distance education programs
- Participate in National Agricultural Distance Education Alliance (AG*IDEA)
- Provide leadership for new technology in distance delivery
- Involve all CALS departments in DE programming
- Increase enrollment in DE courses and programs
- Pursue creative advertising and recruiting strategies
- Deliver faculty training programs via distance technology
- Develop industry partnerships and alumni connections
3. Coordinate grant efforts
- Submit USDA proposals
- Multi-cultural
- Hispanic-serving institutions
- Challenge grants
- Participate in mini-grant programs
- Support NSF and other grants by faculty
4. Coordinate efforts for distance delivery of courses and degree programs at all levels
- Foster cooperation and communication among faculty involved in statewide and DE programs
- Develop a multi-use library of digital media for use in DE, live instruction and outreach
F. Coordinate efforts of the CALS Alumni and Board
1. Create an unbroken link from student status to alumnus
- Engage students in existing CALSAF activities to expose them to the CALS alumni experience
- Provide opportunities for CALS alumni to interact with student organizations
- Investigate the opportunity for CALSAF to engage CALS students who are members of the UF Alumni Association
2. Network with alumni coordinators at other universities to develop new ideas or enhance existing ideas for alumni programming
3. Increase contact with CALS alumni
- Use Gator Nation Network as means of communication and networking for alumni and students
- Provide information about alumni living abroad to students and/or faculty participating in international educational projects to encourage contact
- Assess the feasibility of an international alumni communications plan
4. Assist IFAS with legislative involvement and IFAS Development
- Request specific representation for CALS Alumni and Friends on the Florida Agricultural Council and regional advisory councils to enable CALSAF to better complement the activities of UF/IFAS, IFAS Development and the IFAS Legislative Office
- Assess feasibility for a CALSAF grassroots legislative advocacy program that would work in collaboration with the IFAS Legislative Office and its priorities
- Work in collaboration with IFAS Development to use the information and contacts gained as “friend raisers” to assist in fundraising
