JMC Rising

KU Learning Goals

• Creative Inquiry and Discovery
• Effective Communication
• Analytical Reasoning
• Social Awareness and Cultural Understanding
• Ethical and Professional Responsibility
• Leadership and Collaboration

KU Priorities

• Student Success
  • Increase enrollment
  • Assure retention and Completion through student engagement and Satisfaction Strategies
  • Support Student Long-term success by Improving Placement and Reducing Debt
  • Assure Quality of Academic Programs
• Healthy & Vibrant Communities
  • Strengthen Service to Local and Global Communities
  • Increase Workplace Satisfaction
  • Ensure Stewardship of the Institution
  • Improve Health and Wellness
• Research & Discovery
  • Grow KU research
  • Expand Impact of KU Research in Kansas and Beyond
  • Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Recruit, Retain and Recognize Top Researchers

JMC Priority: Student Success

• Increase Enrollment: Key Performance Indicators
  • By 2025, 850 full-time enrolled students. Goal of 750 undergraduates; 12 master’s (thesis track); 12 doctoral students; 76 online IMC
  • Create multiple points of entry for students transferring to school, including articulation agreements for JMC courses.
  • Use scholastic workshops as recruiting tool for all concentrations.
• Assure Retention and Completion through Student Engagement and Satisfaction Strategies: Key Performance Indicators
  • 85% school retention from first to second year: 90% retention at KU; four-year graduation rate of 75% and six-year rate of 85%; senior satisfaction at the “A” level.
  • Survey students leaving for other majors and non-returning students.
• Support Student Long-term Success by Improving Placement and Reducing Debt: Key Performance Indicators
  • Encourage and monitor internships with a goal of 1-2 internships for each student to grow the 85% of students who have internships.
  • Work with alumni and others for more paid or sponsored internships. Establish a baseline with a 5% growth annually.
  • Scholarships/awards to 30% of students.
  • Ensure wages for students are competitive with local employers, and scholarships and GAs with other universities’ offers.
  • Maintain active connections with SJMC alumni
    • Alumni presence on campus or virtually, as guest speakers in classes or at special events to help students understand career paths and network with professionals. Goal of two such school-wide visits each semester and continue working to increase student participation.
    • Alumni connected with faculty to share job and internship openings.
    • Data from alumni survey to assist faculty in making curriculum decisions.
• Assure Quality of Academic Programs: Key Performance Indicators   
  • Ongoing assessment of all courses, including the “closing the loop” component.
  • Annual assessment of SJMC Assessment Plan at the final faculty meeting of the year.
  • Retain accreditation. 

JMC Priority: Healthy and Vibrant Communities

• Strengthen Service to Local and Global Communities: Key Performance Indicators
  • Use capstone experiences to serve local, state, regional and national entities.
  • Work with advisory boards and professional organizations to offer “Professional Upskilling” courses and opportunities to professionals biannually.
  • Grow and reward community-based research projects that involve organizations serving underrepresented populations, as reported in faculty and staff annual evaluations.
  • Annual evaluation and report of the school’s Inclusion plan.
  • Remodel Resource Center by 2025 for full accessibility and to create/facilitate sharing spaces.
• Increase Workplace Satisfaction: Key Performance Indicators
  • Maintain equity in pay, environment as measured against national trends.
  • Encourage interdisciplinary and intercollegiate opportunities by hosting research and creative work-sharing sessions across campus.
  • Use KU Today, Monday Memo, social media, email and other means of communication to applaud achievements.
  • Create opportunities for student, staff and faculty feedback and suggestions.
  • Encourage and support staff development and monitor success in annual review.
• Ensure Stewardship of the Institution: Key Performance Indicators
  • Use all-funds budgeting to better track resources as determined by two annual meetings with the KU budget office and the dean’s report during faculty meetings.
  • Three-year budgeting, including technology.
  • Add 3-4 new scholarships, 1-2 new professorships, and internal research funding by 10% by 2025.
  • Grow Dean’s Club to 100 sustaining members and involve them as noted in this plan.
  • Exceed fundraising by 10% as set by new capital campaign.
• Improve Health and Wellness:  Key Performance Indicators
  • Work with HR to access programs for better awareness and knowledge of health information access and assessment.
  • Promote presence of mental health peer counseling by hosting CAPS in building every semester

JMC Priority: Research and Discovery

• Grow Research and Creative Work: Key Performance Indicators
  • Track and raise standards of research/creative work quality and quantity by reviewing promotion and tenure standards.
  • Bring research awareness into all courses through statement on syllabus, assignments and guest speakers.
  • Launch SJMC research colloquium series.
  • Develop a framework for documenting and encouraging creative works.
  • Increase SJMC research grants and opportunities and use internal grants as leverage for external grants.
  • Leverage The Agency and Media Crossroads to enhance SJMC presence and participation in research and creative works.
  • Develop course component for JMC 304 on how to report on research findings.
• Expand Impact of KU Research in Kansas and Beyond: Key Performance Indicators
  • Strengthen internal and external communications to enhance research visibility, facilitate collaboration and broaden impact, including more expansive social media presence.
  • Expand and support translational research activities by working with public and private partners.
  • Promote achievements in research and/or creative work at school events, online, in social media, and in school’s ticker and electronic bulletin boards.
• Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship:  Key Performance Indicators
  • Leverage research groups and centers to provide more experiential learning for campus and other communities.
  • Training session on intellectual property from law school faculty members.
  • Leverage innovation in teaching by applying for internal and external teaching awards.
  • Encourage, document and reward faculty learning in industry, media and other settings.
• Recruit, Retain and Recognize Top Researchers:  Key Performance Indicators
  • Use university HR search procedures, “Hiring for Excellence,” that facilitate hiring talented scholars for every search.
  • Leverage Faculty Insights and annual evaluations to nominate scholars for awards.
  • Increase research setup funds for new faculty and support their grant proposal preparations and research awards, especially use of KU’s New Faculty Research Development (NFRD) Award with goal of 100% participation.
  • Annual workshop on grant writing either in SJMC or through KU Research.
  • Increase doctoral student involvement in research projects and co-authored research papers.
  • Establish annual $2,500 SJMC award for research/creative work that recognizes innovative approaches in theories, methods or creative work.
  • Encourage faculty sabbatical applications.

Approved Dec. 6, 2022. JMC Rising will be reviewed and evaluated annually at the final faculty meeting of the academic year.