McNeese State University

Section 2:
Core Requirements
2.1	2.2	2.3
2.4	2.5	2.6
2.7.1	2.7.2	2.7.3
2.7.4	2.8	2.9
2.10	2.11	2.12
Section 3:
Comprehensive Standards
3.1.1	3.2.1
3.2.2.1	3.2.2.2	3.2.2.3
3.2.2.4	3.2.3	3.2.4
3.2.5	3.2.6	3.2.7
3.2.8	3.2.9	3.2.10
3.2.11	3.2.12	3.2.13
3.2.14	3.3.1	3.4.1
3.4.2	3.4.3	3.4.4
3.4.5	3.4.6	3.4.7
3.4.8	3.4.9	3.4.10
3.4.11	3.4.12	3.4.13
3.4.14	3.5.1	3.5.2
3.6.1	3.6.2	3.6.3
3.7.1	3.7.2	3.7.3
3.7.4	3.7.5	3.8.1
3.8.2	3.8.3	3.9.1
3.9.2	3.9.3	3.10.1
3.10.2	3.10.3	3.10.4
3.10.5	3.10.6	3.10.7
Section 4:
Federal Requirements
4.1	4.2	4.3
4.4	4.5	4.6
4.7	4.8

McNeese State University
Compliance Plan for Reaffirmation

Section 3.1.1: Institutional Mission

Judgment of Compliance

Compliance

Partial Compliance

Non-compliance

Requirement

The institution has a clear and comprehensive mission statement that guides it; is approved by the governing board; is periodically reviewed by the board; and is communicated to the institution's constituencies.

Narrative

McNeese State University is in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.1.1.

The University has a clear and comprehensive mission statement that guides all administrative, academic, and support activities. Approved by the University's governing board, the mission statement is reviewed periodically by the University community.

When revision or change is necessary, the University submits the mission statement to the Board for review and approval. Once the mission statement has been approved, it is disseminated widely to the institution's constituencies.

The current mission statement was revised in 2004-05 to reflect the University's continuing evolution as a learning community. In 2001, the Louisiana Board of Regents developed a long-range plan for Louisiana public universities. Colleges and universities statewide contributed to The Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education: 2001. The Master Plan outlines the responsibilities of the Louisiana Board of Regents:

Article VIII, Section V of Louisiana's Constitution requires the Board of Regents to 'formulate and make timely revision of a master plan for postsecondary education.' In addition, Acts 241 of 1987 and 1360 of 1997 require that the Board of Regents, in cooperation with each system management board, and with the chancellor and president of each public postsecondary institution, establish a mission for each public university system and for every institution within the system (4)

Redefining the scope of McNeese State University as a selective admissions university rather than an open-admissions institution, the Master Plan necessitated revision of the institution's mission: "McNeese is categorized as an SREB Four-Year 4 institution [. . . who shall] implement, at minimum, Selective III admissions criteria" (Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education: 2001, 45-46).

The existing mission statement below, while representing the University's mission, did not accurately reflect the scope and admissions criteria or integrate the University’s core values:

McNeese State University, a member of the University of Louisiana System, is an evolving comprehensive university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. As a public institution of higher learning, McNeese State University is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination.
The primary educational mission of McNeese State University is to provide a wide range of baccalaureate and carefully selected graduate curricula, distinguished by academic excellence. Fundamental to this primary function is the faculty commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and creative scholarly activity.
McNeese is oriented both to the liberal arts and to professional programs. Core requirements for all students and degree programs in the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, natural sciences, computer technology, and mathematics reflect the University's commitment as does emphasis on education, business, engineering, and nursing programs.
The University seeks to stimulate students to maximum intellectual growth and love of learning, to cultivate skills necessary for critical thinking and effective expression, to foster understanding of the multicultural word community, and to develop a sense of ethical responsibility. Central to the University's mission is providing students with the opportunities, resources, and expertise to achieve academic, personal, and career goals within an atmosphere conducive to their total development.
McNeese has an important responsibility for education, research, and service in Southwest Louisiana. The University is committed to providing learning opportunities; enhancing intellectual, civic, and cultural well-being; influencing economic and technological development; and improving quality of life (2005-06 McNeese State University Catalog, 16).

In September 2004, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost in an effort to capture the University's mission succinctly, to incorporate the University’s core values, and to reflect the scope of the University’s status as a Selective III admissions university initiated a process involving faculty, academic deans, alumni, students, community leaders, and executive personnel through which the institution's mission statement was reviewed and revised to communicate the newly mandated selective admission standards and the implications of these standards with regard to teaching, research, and service.

The revision was widely distributed to the University community in an effort to ensure that feedback from interested constituents was provided. Draft copies of the mission statement were disseminated electronically throughout the University community in February 2005 in order to obtain comment and feedback. During spring semester building meetings, the President and Vice President of Academic Affairs elicited feedback from faculty and staff. A

final draft of the proposed revision was presented to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors who approved it at their April 29, 2005, meeting.

The approved mission statement was distributed via campus ListServe on September 6, 2005, to the university community. The statement was then distributed to the McNeese Alumni Board of Directors on September 12, 2005, and to the McNeese Foundation Board of Directors on September 16, 2005. During building meetings held across the campus on December 13-14, 2005, the President and the Vice President of Academic Affairs disseminated copies of the mission statement to faculty and staff attending those meetings.

The comprehensive mission statement below which incorporates the University's four core values of (a) student success; (b) academic excellence; (c) fiscal responsibility; and (d) university-community linkages is currently published on the University homepage and in the 2006-07 University Catalog (16).

McNeese State University, a selective admissions institution, provides education, research, and service that support our core values of academic excellence, student success, fiscal responsibility, and university-community alliances. The University’s fundamental educational mission is to offer associate, baccalaureate, and specific graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence. The University engages in collaborative ventures to benefit industry and to enhance economic development and cultural growth in this region and beyond.
The foundation for student success begins with faculty commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and creative and scholarly activity. At McNeese State University, a member of the University of Louisiana System, students cultivate skills for critical thinking and effective expression and gain an understanding of the global community. The learning and social environment integrates discipline-specific knowledge with the values of lifelong learning, ethical responsibility, and civic engagement.

The University mission statement clearly shows the commitment the institution makes to academic excellence. Academic, administrative, and support units in their annual master plan/progress reports demonstrate the ways in which they support the University mission and the ways that the University mission statement drives their activities. The excerpt below from the 2005 Master Plan summarizes the connection between the various colleges, departments, and support units and the University’s mission:

Each unit of the University supports the institutional mission in a unique way and employs appropriate assessment methods for evaluation purposes. The Master Plan/Progress Report reflects the program or unit’s progress toward meeting established learning outcomes and objectives. The Report establishes that the program or unit one) has a clearly designed purpose which supports the University’s mission, 2) has formulated learning outcomes or objectives that support the institutional goals, 3) has developed and implemented procedures to assess programs and services and to evaluate performance, and 4) has used the results of the assessment to develop a plan for continuous improvement. Budget considerations that support achievement of outcomes or objectives are incorporated in the planning document. (2005 Master Plan, 1)

Excerpts from the 2005 Master Plan written by both academic and support units demonstrate how each unit is committed to the University’s global mission and reflects how the University mission statement guides the decisions of individual units and the University as a whole:

Office of Business Affairs

• Office of Academic Affairs Institutional Mission Reference: The University’s fundamental educational mission is to offer associate, baccalaureate, and specific graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence. The University engages in collaborative ventures to benefit industry and to enhance economic development and cultural growth in this region and beyond.

• Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs Institutional Mission Reference: The Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs provides a support system for educational research and service supporting the university’s core values of student success, academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and university-community alliances. The University’s fundamental educational mission of offering associate, baccalaureate, and specific graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence is enhanced by administration of external grant funding sources by the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs. These external funding sources may involve collaborative ventures benefiting public and private entities and enhances economic development and cultural growth in our region and beyond.

• Harold And Pearl Dripps Department Of Agricultural Sciences BS Wildlife Management Institutional Mission Reference: Through an intensive iterative and mentoring process throughout the wildlife management program, students cultivate their creative abilities to critically think on a global level to solve contemporary and futuristic problems for the sustainable development of wildlife resources.

• McNeese Police Department Institutional Mission Reference: The primary mission of the Police department is to help maintain an environment that is conducive to the success of our students and the University’s mission for that success. We also strive to assist the university in strengthening its university–community alliances. The University mission statement is the foundation on which administrative, academic, and support units rest.