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• Preface
• Introduction
• Vision Statement
• Mission Statement
• Guiding Principles
• Environmental Assessments
• The External Environment
• The Internal Environment
• Strategic Issues
• Strategic Goals
• Operational Goals
• Programmatic Goals
• Mechanisms for Resource Allocation
• Factors influencing Allocations
• Guiding Principles for Resource Allocation
• Criteria for evaluation of programs and resource allocation
• Strategic Partnerships
• Rewards and Incentives
• Strategic Planning Steering Committee and Process Action Team (PAT) members

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Efforts for this strategic plan for the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences were initiated in early 1997. It has been developed with input from residents of the state, alumni, visiting committee members, faculty, staff, and students. The plan is envisioned to be a working plan, dynamic enough to address changes that may occur and specific enough to provide direction and be the basis for future decision making. The College plan will fit within and support the University's strategic plan. The structure of the College plan will permit the Divisions to develop supportive strategies.

David MacKenzie notes that "Strategic planning is strategic thinking. It does not deal with the nuts and bolts of how to get things done: it figures out how to using existing or accessible resources, comparative advantages, strengths, and opportunities to get things done."

This plan addresses the opportunities, constraints, and realities of conditions that may influence the College in coming years.

In order "to get things done" the faculty, staff, and administration of the College will be developing action plans for specific topics or issues that have been addressed in the strategic plan. These action plans, occurring over the next few years, will describe the nuts and bolts needed to move towards the goals of this strategic plan. Action planning will involve, as appropriate, students, staff, faculty, administrators, and stakeholders.

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Many changes have occurred in the past decade at West Virginia University and in the environment in which the College operates. Higher education overall is dramatically changing. Many reports in the last few years have analyzed the role land grant institutions should play in the twenty-first century. For example the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities reviewed critical issues facing land grant universities. These include: access to universities in the face of dramatic demographic changes and fiscal challenges; partnerships between universities and the society they serve; the societal need for lifelong learning; and reward and recognition of the creative work of faculty.

The College and the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station participate in the federal-state public agricultural research, education and extension partnership that also faces dramatic changes. Funding levels, how funding should be distributed, and what types of research and institutions federal funding should support continue to be points of discussion.

At West Virginia University, President Hardesty has emphasized that we are a student-centered institution and has also called upon us to provide broader service to the State. In January 1997, the university's Research Task Force concluded that all faculty should be involved in research or other creative scholarly activity. These recommendations place demands on our time and resources and we need to examine the activities of the College in light of them.

Today's context includes West Virginia Senate Bill 547 (SB 547) that requires the University to reallocate $32 million at the Morgantown campus by the year 2001 to allow salary increases for all WVU employees. Additional reallocation will be necessary to make funds available to invest in promising new projects and activities. Systems, programs and services that are outdated need to be identified and procedures to revise, alter or discontinue them must be developed.

The College has and will continue to change in response to this changing internal and external environment. The strategic plan presented here will help guide us into the next century.

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The vision of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences is to be a highly regarded institution that imparts knowledge, generates new information, anticipates societal needs, provides leadership in solving problems, maintains linkages with citizens, and improves the quality of life for all people of the State.

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The mission of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences is to provide high quality undergraduate and graduate education, conduct basic and applied research, engage in other creative and scholarly activities, and perform public outreach and service. The future presents tremendous scientific, economic and social challenges due to a globalization of the economy, increasing population and the growing importance of environmental and consumer issues. Society expects increased benefits from its public-supported institutions. College administrators, faculty, staff, and students are responsive to these expectations through interdisciplinary programs designed to impart knowledge, promote leadership, build problem-solving teams, address critical issues and enrich the lives of citizens of West Virginia, while protecting the environment in which we live. These programs range from local to international in scope and promote the wise use of natural, renewable, and human resources.

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The faculty and staff of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences adopt the following principles to guide their teaching, research, and outreach activities towards our Mission:

• We are a service-oriented branch of West Virginia University. We will respond as appropriate to the needs of West Virginia residents, U.S. citizens, and the worldwide community.
• We will promote the use of multidisciplinary approaches and will seek innovative solutions to current problems in agriculture, natural resources, and family and consumer affairs.
• The well-being of natural, community, and family resources is inseparably linked to our mission and goals.
• We will adhere to a strict code of ethical conduct, honesty, integrity, and fairness in our teaching, research and service and we will work to instill these values in our students.
• Creativity and resourcefulness are essential to us as we work to remain productive in a future environment that we believe will be characterized by increasing competition for students, staffing, support funds, and infrastructure development and maintenance.
• We will be open to individual and cultural differences and create a learning and working environment that is conducive to the expression of multi-cultural traditions and values.
• We are committed to excellence and productivity in scholarship and creative endeavors and will engage in teaching and research that is relevant and visionary.
• We will provide leadership on pertinent issues of state and regional significance.

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The administrative, political, and social milieu of the College influences, even determines, the opportunities and restraints for realizing our plans. The key external and internal factors of the College environment are identified.

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The External Environment

Several external factors affect the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and include the following:

• State support
• Senate Bill 547 has resulted in downsizing of College faculty and staff and has affected teaching and research.
• A very low ratio of state matching funds to federal funds in comparison to other states results in limited resources.
• The WV congressional delegation has been supportive of College programs in the past and should be sought out for opportunities to enhance support for College programs.
• Good opportunities exist for increased collaboration among the College and State agencies, such as the Department of Tourism, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Natural Resources, in the way of outreach. However, redundancies of programs in agriculture and natural resources between the College and State agencies create ineffective use of dollars and human resources.
• Strong high school agriculture programs in the State can provide a good base for recruiting students.
• Federal formula funding (Hatch and McIntire-Stennis), which has been the mainstay of the College research programs, has become more precarious.
• West Virginia's diverse geography and economy present more challenges for research and teaching than the College will be able to cover. West Virginia University has had a poor presence in the southern-most ten counties.
• Some industries relevant to the College are among those with the most rapid growth and development. These include: forest products, tourism, animal products (poultry, beef, aquaculture), and horticulture industries (greenhouses and nurseries).
• We are faced with a period of declining number of graduates from West Virginia high schools and thus increased competition for these students.

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The Internal Environment

Internal environment includes those factors within the University system, but external to the College. These include:

• More than thirty departments deliver required courses in the College's curricula. Linkages of College faculty with other faculty for inter- and multi-disciplinary research are many, involving nearly every other College of the University. Opportunities for cross-department and cross-college teaching can be enhanced.
• A climate of central control of decision making by University administration is evident; many decisions appear to be beyond the realm of influence and input by the College. Opportunity for budgetary input on initiatives important to the College is extremely limited. Some improvements in administrative support are noted but additional improvement would be beneficial.
• A perception exits that those outside the College poorly understand its land grant history and mission. Thus, the unique role of the College's farms and forests as field laboratories for many of our courses and for our research is not appreciated. This fosters a tense environment in which the College must operate.

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In view of the environmental factors that are, and will, affect the College, certain issues appear to be significant ones for strategic planning:

• Downsizing/fewer faculty (resulting from SB 547) creates challenges especially related to an expanding knowledge base and the balance of teaching and research.
• Student concerns/issues such as advising students, internships, summer jobs, permanent employment, and support of extracurricular activities (clubs, judging teams, etc.) are evident.
• Alternative funding sources must be sought in light of the continuing trend of decreasing federal support.
• New programs and focus areas relevant to evolving future needs of a changing clientele must be addressed in the face of resistance to change.
• The image of the College and its undergraduate and graduate programs, research and service activities, must continue to be enhanced.

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Strategic goals are the targets at which we aim our resources. The goals may not be entirely attainable, but they are of such importance that they must be addressed. Goals are accomplished, in whole or in part, by designing specific objectives for attention. Objectives will be the subject of the action plans that will be developed within each goal area.

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Operational Goals

Assessing the effectiveness of the College's efforts and finding ways to meet operational goals is a continuous process. To maximize our effectiveness, the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences will:

• Become proactive in helping to determine the future of agriculture, forestry and rural communities in West Virginia.
• Solicit stakeholder input on the priorities and goals of the College annually.
• Engage faculty and staff in decision making and accomplishing the operational goals of the College.
• Establish a culture of trust and community in the College.
• Emphasize fair and equitable treatment of all faculty and staff.
• Eliminate unnecessary competition among faculty, programs, and Divisions and remove other barriers to teamwork and cooperation.
• Enhance communication throughout the College.
• Enhance resource utilization.
• Explore synergies among programs and across Division boundaries.
• Manage physical resources efficiently. Generate new revenues.
• Invest in and maximize the College's human resources.
• Provide incentives and opportunities for additional training and professional development in order to take advantage of new programmatic opportunities.
• Establish a mentor program for junior faculty.
• Establish clear standards of performance for faculty, staff and students and provide prompt feedback that includes advice and guidance.
• Align faculty goals in teaching, research, and service with the goals and mission of the program, Division, and College.
• Recruit and retain the best academic students.
• Eliminate administrative barriers wherever possible to unleash capacity of College faculty and staff.
• Evaluate College personnel, purchasing, and other administrative practices with a view to improving efficiency, motivation, and productivity.
• Aggressively increase financial resources.
• Increase external funding from grants and contracts.
• Increase support by alumni, friends of the College, foundations, industries and other sources of private giving.
• Accomplish excellence in teaching.
• Encourage faculty participation in development activities related to teaching.
• Maintain high standards for student advising.
• Explore alternative methods for delivery of on- and off-campus instruction.
• Reward successful teaching innovation.
• Maximize operational effectiveness of the College.
• Seek support for consolidation of all on-campus College programs into one building.
• Reexamine the administrative structure of the College in view of changing conditions of staffing, funding and priorities among the teaching, research, and outreach programs.

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Programmatic Goals

The College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences will build strong, competitive programs supporting the following goals (Allocation of 1998 resources are shown for each goal):

• Agricultural and forest production systems that will compete successfully in the global economy.
  Current resource allocation: research = 46 projects, $5,475,000; teaching = 21.14 FTE, $1,780,000; total = $7,255,000.
• Develop productive and sustainable forest practices and forest stewardship programs that emphasize multiple usage of forested lands.
• Develop profitable and sustainable plant and animal agricultural enterprises in West Virginia.
• Pursue strategies that will decrease costs for producers and increase profits.
• Develop new value-added products and products that meet consumer needs.
• A safe, secure food and fiber system that ensures healthy, well-nourished children, youth and families.
  Current resource allocation: research = 5 projects, $128,000; teaching = 4.30 FTE, $329,000; total = $457,000.
• Develop information that will aid in the management of pests, diseases, and predators.
• Generate relevant, up-to-date food safety information for the producer and the consumer.
• Contribute to food and nutritional information that define the relationship between diet, lifestyle and health and enhances the public understanding of diet's role in lifelong health.
• Greater harmony between agricultural and forest practices and the environment.
  Current resource allocation: research = 20 projects, $1,639,000; teaching = 14.94 FTE, $1,088,000, total = $2,727,000.
• Promote sustainable agricultural and forest production and enhance environmental quality by developing cost-effective, environmentally friendly production practices.
• Improve water quality by developing improved management practices and through remediation.
• Promote sound environmental and natural resource management.
• Enhanced economic opportunity and quality of life for citizens and communities.
  Current resource allocation: research = 13 projects, $900,000; teaching = 23.37 FTE, $1,566,000; total = $2,466,000.
• Enhance the understanding of the economic importance of agriculture and forestry in West Virginia and the conditions that promote rural and regional development.
• Develop programs that promote new business and growth in existing business, including farms.
• Support quality of life issues for rural West Virginians and strong child, youth and family development.
• Education of society-ready graduates.
  Cuts across other programmatic goals; current resources reported as assigned to other programmatic goals.
• Ensure practical experience for our students through internships and other on-the-job experiences and prepare students to enter the workforce.
• Provide personal guidance to our students by continuing outstanding student advising.
• Enhance the use of information technology and distance learning in program delivery and develop avenues for "just-in-time" learning for the non-traditional student.

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Allocation of the College's human, physical, and fiscal resources is an on-going feature of College administration. New opportunities and constraints on resources may result in altered views of the optimal ways for the deployment of resources to meet goals.

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Factors influencing Allocations

• Assumptions on sources of current income
• Senate Bill 547 will have a definite impact on the University appropriation (54% of current income) through fiscal year 2001. Based on current projections, the College and Experiment Station will be short on their reversion assessment at the end of FY 2001. Funds for operating costs have remained constant over the last five years and will remain flat or decrease, losing purchasing power to inflation. The worst case scenario would require the College and Experiment Station to reduce its budget by 3% per year.
• Based on current information, formula funds (Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Animal Health; 19% of current income) could at best remain constant or face a cut of 3% (or greater) per year for the next five years with emphasis being shifted by USDA to competitive grants.
• Grants and contracts (Federal, State, Private; 16% of current income) have been increasing over the last five years and should continue to increase in the next five years with emphasis changing from formula funding to competitive grant funding although these are not expected to increase sufficiently to offset the potential losses from other sources unless intensified efforts are undertaken to enhance the faculty's capabilities in obtaining grants.
• Sales (Farms and Forest; 8% of current budget) have been decreasing over the last five years. They currently do not produce enough income to offset the cost of paying the non-personal service costs of the facilities. If the current operations of the farms and forests continue, additional funding will be needed from other sources to operate those activities at their current levels or ways to increase efficiency need to be pursued.
• Miscellaneous income (Overhead, Nursery School, Off-campus Education, Fees; 3% of current budget) should increase during the next five years with increased grant activities (overhead) and additional off-campus courses being offered.
• Potential areas to increase income
• Increase enrollment in undergraduate and graduate courses.
• Provide additional service courses for both College and non-college students.
• Increase offerings of summer and/or adult education classes.
• Increase grants and contracts.
• Increase direct appropriations from State or Federal legislatures in support of College programs.
• Increase support from private giving.
• Increase allied-industry support.
• Increase sale of and profit generated by items produced by the College/Experiment Station.
• Charge for traditionally free services (e.g., soil testing).
• Special fees for laboratories requiring higher-than-normal resources to teach.
• Potential changes in expenditure patterns
• Potential retirement of 25% of the faculty in the next five years will create a pool of resources that could be redirected to high priority areas.
• Expenditure budget allocations need to be reviewed to determine if reallocation can be made to redirect resources to high priority areas. All College and Experiment Station operations, including the farms and forests, need to be reviewed carefully to improve their efficiency while reducing costs.
• A research resources allocation strategy for formula funds needs to be developed to direct these resources to high priority areas, increase flexibility of these funds to respond to research opportunities and address new initiatives and support research-building efforts of new faculty.
• Best Case Scenario
  State and Federal appropriations remain constant with grants and new income absorbing some increased operating costs. Total budgeted personnel positions would remain at the current level. Changes could be made with the reallocation of resources and the redistribution of positions from retirements to high priority areas. However, reviewing all operations also is essential, including the farms and forests, to reduce inefficiencies and to accrue savings that would enhance achieving the College and Experiment Station missions.
• Worst Case Scenario
  State appropriations would be reduced by 3%, and Federal allocation would be reduced by 15%. Increases in grants and other income areas could not offset the State and Federal reductions because they could not be used for long-term commitments. Two examples of cost reduction measures that could be implemented: 1) Reduce off-campus farming operations, and 2) eliminate at least four faculty positions, along with support staff and related operating expenses. The College average cost per faculty is approximately $106,000 (FTE = 50% instruction and 50% research) which includes the cost of the faculty member, support staff, and operating expenses. Changes would have to be made by reducing programs and reallocating resources to high priority areas.

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Guiding Principles for Resource Allocation

• Allocations should support a minimum of one strategic goal.
• Allocations should support maintenance and/or development of a "core of expertise" or "critical mass" to meet student demand for academic programs, to conduct research, and to provide public service to address issues important to citizens of West Virginia.
• Allocation processes should be flexible to support development of new programs identified as priorities through the planning process.
• Allocations should be used to encourage greater participation in interdisciplinary programs.

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Criteria for evaluation of programs and resource allocation

Programs that meet most of the following criteria will be emphasized:

• Make a significant contribution to the College missions.
• Enjoy good student interest as measured by enrollment.
• Have significant internal and external availability of funding.
• Have a record of past success and established strengths.
• Support a Ph.D. program or programs.
• Provide job opportunities for graduates.
• Are relatively unique in the State and region.
• Focus on opportunities that are relatively unique to West Virginia.
• Are cost effective.

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Clearly, the College working alone cannot meet all of our programmatic goals. Thus, we will need to form strategic partnerships with a variety of organizations and institutions to get the job done. A successful partnership must be win-win, i.e., both parties must gain from the relationship. Strategic partners include groups to cooperate with, groups to collaborate with, and, potentially, a combination of the two.

The College develops partnerships for a variety of purposes. These include:

• To develop sources for additional financial resources
• To promote a means of increasing programmatic potential.
• To garner political support
• To increase job potential for graduates and to create internships and cooperative opportunities.
• To facilitate regionalization of efforts and allow resources to be mutually leveraged to better serve our clientele.

Some examples of possible strategic partners include:

• State and federal agencies.
• Other colleges and units at WVU, other colleges and universities within West Virginia, and other universities in the land grant system, particularly in the surrounding states and the Northeast.
• Industry, trade/commodity organizations and professional organizations.
• Foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

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Significant changes in College operations are likely to occur as a result of external pressures as well as efforts generated by the College as the strategic plan is implemented. People will achieve the goals and objectives, and people should have incentives for working on improvements and should be rewarded for contributions that are successful. To carry out this strategic plan, the College will strive to:

• Show appreciation through acknowledgment of individual contributions and positive reinforcement of actions and activities supportive of the strategic plan.
• Ensure the presence of an environment in which employees are empowered and that nurtures an atmosphere of trust and respect among all employees.
• Provide a user friendly physical work environment.
• Encourage and facilitate enhanced communication.
• Foster professional development of all employees.

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Strategic Planning Steering Committee:

Barton Baker, Gary Bissonnette, Jack Coster, Bob Dailey, Jerald Fletcher, Rosemary Haggett, Ron Hungate, Denise Hunnell, Jamie Kiszka, Joe McNeel, Kerry Odell, Peter Schaeffer, Tony Tomkowski, John Warren, Jan Yeager

External Consultant:

David MacKenzie

PAT Members:

Jim Armstrong, Rajeev Arora, Barton Baker, John Balasko, Devinder Bhumbla, Gary Bissonnette, Bill Bryan, Alan Collins, Dale Colyer, Jack Coster, Bob Dailey, Donna DeWitt, Mary Ann Fajvan, Jerald Fletcher, Wanda Franz, Stacy Gartin, Bill Grafton, Linda Gribko, Rosemary Haggett, Kelly Heldreth, Ray Hicks, John Hinz, Steve Hollenhorst, Ron Hungate, Denise Hunnell, Curt Hassler, Mary Head, Loretta Hoover, Keith Inskeep, Bill Jones, Brett Kenney, John Killefer, Jamie Kiszka, Hillar Klandorf, Layle Lawrence, Paul Lewis, Marian Liddell, Steve McBride, Nora MacDonald, Carol Markstrom, Will McClung, Louis McDonald, Joe McNeel, Leah Messer, Danny Montgomery, Kerry Odell, Dan Panaccione, Joy Patterson, Tim Phipps, Ed Prigge, Dottie Rauch, Rich Russell, Dave Samuel, Peter Schaeffer, Steve Selin, John Sencindiver, Tony Tomkowski, Theresa Wang, John Warren, Tammy Webster, David Welsh, Jan Yeager

We thank the citizens of West Virginia for their input given at community meetings and our colleagues in the West Virginia University Extension Service for helping to arrange those meetings.

PAT reports and other resource materials are available on file.

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