Strategic Plan Homepage
 

School of Health Sciences

I.   Unit Mission Statement

II.  Statement of Long-Range Goals

III. Statement of and Progress on Objectives for FY 2005/06

    A.  Nursing

    B.  Dental Hygiene

    C.  Health Care Management

    D.  PE

    E.  Smart Bodies

    F.  University Health Services

I.              Unit Mission Statement 

The mission of the School of Nursing (SHS) is to provide quality career relevant health professions education, health and wellness services, and public service to the residents of the community region, especially the Southern Crescent of metropolitan Atlanta. Furthermore, the SHS’s mission is to develop a sound funding basis to support program growth and development; develop a program of research and scholarship that supports the advancement of health related disciplines and the education of students; seek opportunities to support interdisciplinary collaboration, including educational and research/scholarly opportunities and grant development; and to strive for recognition as an emerging leader in health professions education.

Sub-unit mission statements:

Nursing:  The mission of the Nursing Department is to provide comprehensive nursing education and public service to the residents of community, region and the Southern Crescent of metropolitan Atlanta.  

Dental Hygiene:  The mission of the Department of Dental Hygiene is to provide career relevant education in the discipline of dental hygiene and to support the lifelong learning goals of individuals aspiring to careers in the dental field.

Health Care Management:  The mission of the Health Care Management Department at Clayton State University is to prepare students, especially non-traditional minority students, for entry and mid-level management positions in a variety of health service and health fitness organizations. This mission of the Department is consistent with the University’s mission of meeting the needs of the community.  The community is typically identified as the general area of South Atlanta and the contiguous localities. Located within this region are a great number and variety of health care delivery systems and health fitness entities that are growing and expanding as the population of this part of Georgia keeps increasing.  The need to educate and provide managers for these institutions also is increasing and thus serves as impetus for us to complete our mission. 

PE:  The mission of the Physical Education Area is to facilitate the intellectual, physical, mental and social development of students who choose to participate in physical education activities. We embrace the opportunity for students to discover, learn, and participate in elective physical education classes that facilitate the development of a healthy lifestyle that will contribute to enhanced quality of life and lasting independence.  

SmartBodies:  The SmartBodies Fitness & Wellness Center aspires to be a facility of recognized excellence, integrating educational and traditional fitness and wellness services for the Clayton State University (Clayton State University) students and employees, and members of the Southern Crescent of Metropolitan Atlanta.

University Health Services:  The University Health Services seeks to complement the academic mission of the University by addressing the health care needs of our student population, which in turn promote work effectiveness and academic success.  We accomplish this mission by providing accessible, cost-effective, quality treatment of minor illnesses/injuries, increasing students’ knowledge of wellness, promoting positive health behaviors and disease prevention.

II.Statement of Long-Range Goals (3-5 years)

The School of Nursing has developed identified several broad long-range goals that encompass the entire School and are reflected in unit-specific goals. The School’s long-term goals are presented followed by those of the distinct academic and service units.

1. Develop a faculty governance structure for the School of Nursing that appropriately supports the functioning of the overall unit.  The SHS is comprised of a variety of academic and service units that function appropriately in decision-making that is department-specific. The faculty governance channels within the School are more blurred when faculty deliberation is required on issues/topics/proposals that impact the total school (i.e. promotion and tenure, curriculum, Smith Award, etc.) Faculty will be engaged to develop a school governance structure that will delineate faculty governance issues that will place the school in concert with the Faculty Handbook.

2. Continue to develop interdisciplinary educational programs that expand institutional offerings and capitalize upon the existing strengths, interests and needs of the Clayton State University and professional community.  The first SHS interdisciplinary academic major (Health & Fitness Management) was recently approved by the Board of Regents. Another Interdisciplinary area for academic programming that has had some discussion is Gerontology. Further interdisciplinary collaboration in educational program development will enable Clayton State University to offer additional career focused professional programs, stimulate cross discipline enrollment, generate new and additional student populations and enhance its reputation as a leader in professional education. This type of activity capitalizes on the existing institutional strengths, interests and professional community needs.

3. Explore collaborative opportunities for interdisciplinary educational programs (credit and non-credit), research/scholarly activity, grantsmanship and professional service.  Clayton State University is a diverse university community that is rich in strengths, interests and aspirations. The disciplines rely on others to provide course work supportive of their major programming yet have not significantly sought opportunities for collaborative efforts in educational program development, research/scholarly, grant writing and professional service activities. Efforts to capitalize on existing resources would enhance the institution, while fostering the development of new and dynamic programs, research/scholarly initiatives, grants, professional service partnerships and community needs.

4. Continue to develop and refine a student recruitment and retention program that actively recruits students with the highest academic credentials and facilitates their successful matriculation through the program of study and culminates with the attainment of the appropriate discipline-specific licensure/certification where applicable. Career-focused professional programs have stringent academic requirements as well as accreditation, licensure and certification requirements. Students must be appropriately prepared and readied to be successful in their respective discipline licensure/certification efforts. Continued improvement in these efforts will enhance Clayton State University’s reputation as a leader in professional education and generate additional students seeking admission to the programs.

5. Develop mechanisms to facilitate/support faculty in their scholarly pursuits.  Faculty are making considerable efforts to make intellectual contributions to their respective disciplines while others require assistance in delineating/refining their particular scholarly interests. The needed areas for  support mechanisms are to identify and define areas of scholarly interest, develop scholarly projects/programs, generate individual proposals, prepare grant proposals and statistical consultation as well as in the critique and refinement of their efforts, etc. Support mechanisms that facilitate these efforts could generate more consistently successful and productive outcomes as well as enhance Clayton State University’s reputation as being a leader in professional health care education. 

6. Increase extramural funding/resources available for the support of overall program activities.  Professional schools rely upon restricted and unrestricted gifts, in-kind gifts, partnerships, etc. to emerge into leadership positions in health professional education. A successful development program will enhance Clayton State University, the SHS and its departments and service units’ reputation and these resources will increase the SHS and specific unit’s visibility, reputation in the professional arena, and provide some of the supports needed for students and programmatic activities that the state budget cannot. 

Sub-unit long-term goals:

Nursing

1.      Accreditation — Maintain full program accreditation from the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation.

2.     Resources — Increase financial resources for all programs through departmental or school grant opportunities as well as through increasing extramural resources.  Secure adequate numbers of faculty to meet ADA accreditation guidelines.

3.     Distance Learning — Expand distance-learning opportunities within the BSDH program.

4.     Experiential Learning — Expand experiential learning experiences in the community and the state.

5.     Graduate Education — Participate with other SHS units to provide graduate education for BSDH program graduates.

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Health Care Management

1.        Identify appropriate companies and institutions and then submit grant proposals to fund program expansion and development.

2.        Develop an endowment for health care management.

3.        Institute an annual health care management conference on the Clayton State campus that will serve to bring together practitioners and provide continuing education.

4.        Through outreach and publicity promote the existence of the Health Fitness Management major.

5.        Seek accreditation for the HFM major by the College of Sports Medicine.

6.        Recruit and hire a Ph.D. credentialed faculty member to join the existing HFM faculty to support program growth. 

7.        Develop additional majors within the Department to appeal to our underserved student population in the Southern Crescent.

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Physical Education

1.        Hire Part-Time Faculty — Hire part-time master’s prepared faculty to teach the elective physical education activity courses. Faculty who are currently teaching many of the activity classes now will have classes reassigned to the core courses within the HFM major. The strategic planning theme addressed is Quality of Instruction (#3). Collaboration with current contacts is expected. The time horizon is the semester of course offerings. The success will be evaluated through instructor evaluations, which will provide feedback concerning the quality of instruction.

2.        Facilities/Equipment — Consider increasing the “Wellness Fee” associated with the four Fitness & Wellness classes (I-IV), PHED 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040 and recoup this lab fee for the purpose of the cyclical replacement of equipment as finances allow. The strategic planning themes addressed are: Quality of Instruction (#3), Image/Marketing/Advertising (#5), and Technology Enhanced Programs & Services (#6). Collaboration with the Academic Affairs and Facilities Management will be needed. The time horizon is ongoing as funds are made available. The replacement of worn equipment is to begin summer 2005. The success will be determined if the equipment upgrades are acquired.

3.        Increase Enrollment in Elective Physical Education Classes — Continue to market and promote elective classes. The strategic planning theme addressed is Enrollment Management (#4). Collaboration will occur through the Clayton State Seminar course instructors, academic advisors, and the Office of Student Life. The time horizon is ongoing. The success will be measured by increased enrollment in courses.

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SmartBodies

1.        SmartBodies’ Membership — Focus on increasing membership retention and customer satisfaction. Explore new initiatives for recruiting Clayton State University employees such as, encouraging the University to pay for a portion of the membership fee, 90-minutes of release time for wellness activities and having the option of payroll deduction. Additionally, improve customer service and customer satisfaction to facilitate member retention. Lastly, send “We Miss You” mailers quarterly to dropped members. The strategic planning themes addressed are: Financial Stability (#2), Enrollment Management (#4), and Image/Marketing/ Advertising (#5), Outreach and Service to Community (#8)). The time horizon is on-going. Reaching or surpassing revenue projections, increasing facility membership enrollment, and attaining an enhanced image as validated through customer satisfaction surveys, will evaluate the success.

2.        Market and Promote Programs & Services — Continue to market and promote existing programs. Offer program consistency to insure the satisfaction of students and members. Create and implement new programming options. The strategic planning themes addressed are: Financial Stability (#2), Enrollment Management (#4), Image/Marketing/Advertising (#5), Student Life (#7), Outreach and Service to Community (#8). Collaboration will occur with Continuing Education and the Office of University Relations. The time horizon is on going. The success will be evaluated by collecting sufficient member funds to conduct programs, increasing enrollment in all programs to levels beyond previous years, realizing a profit margin with each program, and attaining an enhanced image as validated through member satisfaction surveys.

3.        SmartBodies Equipment Improvements – Replace 2-4 pieces of cardio equipment each year to keep the cardio fleet current. Also investigate the installation of a cardio-wall type system. The strategic planning theme addressed is: Image /Marketing/Advertising (#5). Work with Facilities Management on sending old equipment to surplus or relocating it in the student weight room if space allows. The time horizon is annually. The success will be measured in getting the task accomplished.

4.        SmartBodies Facility Improvements – It is estimated that within the next three years, it will be necessary to re-carpet SmartBodies. Pain touch-ups are needed in spots and will be accomplished without difficulty. Additionally, some decorations to add color and warmth are desired. Finally, appropriate signage will be posted. The strategic planning theme addressed is: Image/Marketing/ Advertising (#5). Work with plant operations on the project details. The time horizon for decorating and paint touch ups is within the next 12 months. The success will be measured in getting the task accomplished.

5.        Create and Implement New Programming Options — Create and implement new program options for the members of SmartBodies with minimal expense. The strategic planning themes addressed are: Quality of Instruction (#3), Enrollment Management (#4), and Image/ Marketing/Advertising (#5), Outreach and Service to Community (#8). Collaboration with existing contacts. The time horizon is within the next 24 months. The success of themes #3 and #5 will be validated through member satisfaction surveys; sufficient enrollment to conduct new programs will be the marker for success concerning enrollment management.

6.        Locker Room Renovation – Utilizing a portion of the money from the student activity fee and possibly the Athletics Department to assist in the renovation of the men’s and women’s student locker room to include: new lighting and ceiling fans (in lieu of expanding the HVAC system which would be ideal), new lockers, paint (including the ceiling), flooring, showerhead upgrade, cabinets, countertops, and mirrors. The strategic planning theme addressed is: Image /Marketing/Advertising (#5). Strategies include getting on the minor repair & renovation list or securing private funding. Work with Facilities Management on the project details. The time horizon is within the next 36 months.

University Health Services

1.        Renovation of physical facility -To plan, implement and direct efforts to support the NMC in renovating the available Student Center physical facilities in order to expand the University Health Services as funds become available. Continue providing quality healthcare services and increase services after expansion.

2.        Women’s and Immunization services-To deliver new women’s healthcare to Clayton State University students and immunization services at cost to incoming students in order to assist them in meeting the university’s enrollment requirements. Continue to provide quality primary healthcare services.

3.        Fiscal Resources – To evaluate the student health fee to ensure the NMC maintains adequate fiscal resources to provide cost-effective health care to Clayton State University students. Develop a level of fiscal resources to support the Clayton State University community’s need for healthcare services.

4.        Experiential Learning- To provide an academic learning site for Clayton State University Nursing Students. Continue to provide clinical practice site for student’s experiential learning experiences.

5.        Technology Services- To enhance the University Health Services services via the implementation and use of  medical computer software and fiscal register capabilities.

6.        Community Service- To provide community healthcare services such as the annual Clayton State University Health fair and Flu shot campaigns.

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