For Release July 11
Board of Regents Release "Access to Quality" Planning Documents for the State's Universities
PIERRE--This week the Board of Regents is distributing its Access to Quality planning document, which outlines important directions for South Dakota's public higher education system to make a successful move into the next century.
Board of Regents Executive Director Dr. Robert T. Tad Perry said of the planning document, "We are carefully moving into the future with a well thought-out plan. Access to Quality maps out strategic moves for our higher education system to continue its course of efficiency, innovation, and quality in delivering educational services to South Dakotans." Access to Quality recognizes the fast changing nature of the environment surrounding higher education and as Board of Regents President Karl Wegner said, "This plan is fluid and allows flexibility for institutional leadership to maximize effectiveness and efficiency."
Thirteen directions have been identified to guide university leadership:
Ensure the quality of undergraduate and graduate education in response to the probable level of funding.
Focus and selectively improve graduate and professional programs consistent with institutional missions and which address the needs of the state and region.
Create a quality teaching and learning environment that cultivates the intellect, character, and spirit through education and experience.
Develop appropriate areas of excellence which promote and encourage scholarly activity.
Embrace and encourage pluralism and an international perspective.
Provide institutional flexibility and expect responsible and accountable management of system resources.
Foster collaborative relationships within the Regental System and with groups and individuals external to the university system.
Increase the public's awareness of an appreciation for a quality public higher education system.
Seek adequate funding from a variety of sources to accomplish institutional missions.
Seek competitive compensation for Regent's employees.
Provide and maintain appropriate facilities and equipment.
Maximize the delivery of programs and services throughout the state through the use of advanced technology and other innovatie delivery systems.
Provide access to higher education opportunities.
Along with these directions, Access to Quality identifies appropriate benchmarks so that institutional leadership as well as state policymakers and citizenry can evaluate the directions taken by South Dakota's universities. Regent Wegner characterized the benchmarks as a "tool for guiding institutional leadership which provides an accountability measure." Some of the key indicators for on-going review of progress are: the proportion of entering students that exceed the minimum ACT scores for admission, the proportion of graduate demonstrating proficiency in their academic disciplines, the number of joint degree programs involving two or more regental institutions, the proportion of new faculty who have attained a terminal degree, and the number of courses offered and students in courses taught by technological delivery methods.
Executive Director Perry went on to say that, "Access to Quality outlines ambitious goals that have the potential for bringing the level of efficiency, accountability, and quality to higher education that we are striving for."
This edition, a revision from the first Access to Quality published in 1992, was approved by the Board in May 1996 and is the result of collaborative efforts by the Board and university leadership.