2022 - 2027 Strategic Plan | School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNT Dallas

STRATEGIC PLAN
2022–2027

If you wish to learn more about our strategic plan
or to find out how you can help to achieve our
goals, please contact us at LAS@untdallas.edu

MISSION
Our mission is to provide our diverse student
population with innovative instruction, studentcentered
learning, career guidance, and intellectual
growth through a broad curriculum that encourages
active participation in the local and global community.
VISION
The vision of the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
is to be a leader in impactful education practices.
Our knowledgeable and engaged faculty will
facilitate student success by equipping graduates
with professional skills and experiences.

The School of Liberal Arts & Sciences is pleased to launch our first
5-year Strategic Plan to guide our growth and development for
the upcoming years. This plan focuses on five key areas of strategic
engagement: Student Success, Faculty Development, Program
Development, Community Engagement and Organizational Structure.
The plan is intended to deepen and operationalize our commitment
to the fundamental values that drive our School and the University:
Diversity, Innovation, Leadership, and Community.
Our plan was developed through an inclusive and iterative process of
engagement with the faculty and staff of the School of Liberal Arts &
Sciences, including a Strategic Planning Committee consisting of 26
faculty and staff representing every program and department within
our School.
The process led to the development of specific goals and initiatives
for each area of strategic engagement.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
Dr. Saif Al-Sultan, IT
Dr. Matthew Babcock, History
Dr. Aaron Bartula, Criminal Justice & Sociology
Dr. Walt Borges, Political Science
Dr. Mario Casa de Calvo, Associate Dean
Dr. Richard Chandler, Mathematics
Dr. Aubrey Frantz, Assistant Dean
Dr. Sara Holmes, Communication & Digital Media
Dr. Priya Eimerbrink, Psychology
Dr. Corron Sanders, Public Health
Dr. Mark Stanley, BAAS/History
Dr. Robert Tinajero, English and Linguistics
Dr. Julie Siddique, MSCJ
Dr. Janiece Upshaw, MSPL
Dr. Mara Vaughn, Spanish
Dr. Muhammed Yousufuddin, Natural Sciences
Dr. James Agbodzakey, Public Leadership
Dr. Anthony Chaney, History
Dr. Lauren Coursey, Psychology
Dr. Roberto Gallardo, Criminal Justice & Sociology
Dr. Robert Harris, Languages, Linguistics & Rhetoric
Dr. Sean Hubbard, Political Science
Dr. Syeda Jesmin, Criminal Justice & Sociology
Dr. Irene Rodriguez, Natural Sciences
Dr. Sura Rath, Languages, Linguistics & Rhetoric
Dr. Jonathan Villarreal, Communication & Digital Media
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STUDENT SUCCESS
Student-centered education is at the core of everything we do at UNT Dallas and the School of Liberal Arts &
Sciences. Our Strategic Plan is therefore rooted fundamentally on the principle that student success should
drive our pedagogical work.
1. LAS will be a leader in high-impact practices at UNT Dallas.
i. All LAS students will graduate having participated in at least one high impact experiential learning opportunity
ii.
iii.
iv.
Seek to increase the amount of funds available to support undergraduate student research
Provide appropriate resources, contingent on program size, to support internship opportunities
Seek support to development at least two faculty-led study abroad programs
2. LAS will work with Student Affairs/ Learning Commons to develop a multi-pronged initiative to address
student baseline skill deficiencies.
i. Assign a Learning Commons Liaison to help coordinate the tutoring needs of LAS students
with Learning Commons services
ii.
iii.
Develop a mechanism to optimize course enrollment caps for those LAS courses that incorporate activities
into their course aimed at addressing core reading, writing, and/or math skills
Design and implement an in-house online training tool to facilitate and promote student access to basic
college-readiness skills
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FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Promoting a knowledgeable and engaged faculty is at the heart of our vision. Therefore, our strategic plan
seeks to increase the number of faculty, while developing mechanisms to effectively mentor and support
their teaching, research, and service obligations.
1. LAS will develop metrics and mechanisms to increase faculty lines, with an emphasis on
tenure-track faculty.
i. Develop systematic long-term data & criteria to identify faculty line needs
2. LAS will strengthen faculty mentorship program.
i. Increased funding for activities
ii.
Increase participation in mentorship program
iii. Development of expertise in mentorship
3. LAS will seek enhanced support for faculty & staff career development.
i. Establish career development trajectory for each LAS faculty and staff
4. LAS will promote pedagogical innovation
i. Advocate for Development of a Center for Teaching Excellence
ii.
iii.
iv.
Establish a LAS Faculty Development Day
Continue with Teaching and Learning Collaborative
Seek resources to support professional development in teaching/Conferences, etc.
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5. LAS will seek to enhance support for faculty research.
i. Develop Community of Practice Group focused on Research
ii.
iii.
iv.
Advocacy for enhanced library resources
Advocacy for on-campus IRB or improvement to current process
Increase research support for faculty via SERCH and use of graduate research assistants
v. Define process/criteria for research-based course release requests
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PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
At the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences we believe that innovative programs will drive our enrollment growth and
provide our students with the intellectual growth, career guidance and professional skills necessary to succeed in
an ever-changing world.
1. LAS will be a leader in academic program development at UNT-Dallas, focused on niche areas of high demand
and career-ready skills.
i. Establish benchmarks for the development of programs
ii.
Addition of new majors, minors, and certificates
BA in Applied Spanish (Fall 2022)
BA in Chemistry (Fall 2023)
BS in Chemistry (Fall 2023)
BA in History (2023–24)
BS in Psychology with Neuroscience
Concentration (2023–24)
3+2 BA in PSCI/MSPL (2023–24)
3+2 BS/MS Criminal Justice (2023–24)
MA in Community Sociology (2024)
MS in Biology (2026)
iii.
iv.
Explore/encourage creation of new certificate & credentialing opportunities
In conjunction with the development of the new STEM Building, promote collaboration between STEM programs and
other existing and newly developed programs
v. Promote interdisciplinary cooperation & program development
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2. LAS program development will meet the needs of the market.
i. Analyze job and graduate school market and adjust course offerings
ii. Increase funds available to support experiential learning activities and internships (tied to student success goal)
3. LAS will seek to work with Student Affairs and other university offices to increase student retention.
i. All faculty will have access to Navigate
ii.
iii.
LAS faculty will communicate with their students that are alerted in Navigate
LAS faculty will be encouraged to participate in First Year Experience (FYE)
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
At the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences we recognize our responsibility to provide leadership and guidance to
transform the lives of our students and to strengthen our local and global communities.
1. 1. LAS will seek to enhance curriculum engagement with external communities.
i. Promote integration of service-learning, experiential learning, volunteering, and internship
opportunities into course delivery
ii.
iii.
iv.
Develop and offer courses designated for community engagement
Enhance service-learning hours in core curriculum courses
Work with Office of Experiential Learning to develop best practices for service-learning courses
2. LAS will work with programs & departments to develop infrastructure to support and coordinate
community engagement among faculty.
i. Explore the establishment of a Center for Excellence in Community Engagement
ii.
iii.
iv.
Seek scholarships & other support for student participation in service-learning
Support faculty engagement in community-based research or community projects
Engage faculty across campus to seek interdisciplinary solutions to local community problems
v. Create a list of partner organizations
vi.
Provide support to faculty to secure external funding for community-based research projects
vii. Display faculty/student community engagement projects in the library for a regular, rotating exhibit
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3. LAS will support faculty/program engagement with partner organizations as a conduit
to promote community transformation.
i. Provide regular professional and organizational development training to key community stakeholders,
individuals and organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sectors
ii.
iii.
Increase opportunities for discourse with the community to inform community engagement agenda
Work with Advancement to build and sustain meaningful relationships with alumni
a. Develop an LAS Advisory Boards
iv.
Encourage departments to explore creation of Advisory Board
v. Increase event programming that enhances outreach to the community
vi.
Sustain the LAS Newsletter, plus encourage other publications such as the bilingual newspaper El Real
4. Explore the possibility of seeking Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Community Engagement Classification.
i. Collect data on community engagement and document the impact with pre and post evaluations
ii.
iii.
iv.
Community engagement is emphasized in the marketing materials, such as website, brochures, and newsletters
Increase fundraising activities directed to community engagement
Diversity and inclusion are emphasized in community engagement efforts
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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Developing an organizational structure that enhances cooperation, builds synergies across our programs, and
promotes the effective use of resources is an integral part of securing the growth and success of the School of
Liberal Arts & Sciences.
1. LAS will transition into the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
i. Compile data (quantitative & qualitative) to support the reclassification
ii.
Dean's Office will engage in conversations with Provost on the need to recognize the growth &
status of LAS as a College
2. Program Coordinator position will transition into Department Chairs.
i. Dean's Office will develop functional map comparing Coordinator and Chair duties/responsibilities
ii.
iii.
iv.
Dean's Office in consultation with the Provost will develop a compensation plan for Chairs
Dean's Office in consultation with the Provost will develop guidelines for the selection of Chairs
In accordance with University Policies, the Dean's Office will revise faculty evaluation processes to accommodate
role for Department Chairs
3. LAS will explore a Divisional organizational model to enhance interdisciplinary cooperation & leverage
resources effectively.
i. Dean's Office will develop different models for organizing College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
ii.
Dean's Office will sponsor a series of conversations/dialogue with stakeholders to explore various models
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University of North Texas at Dallas
7300 University Hills Blvd., Dallas, TX 75241
972.780.3600
untdallas.edu