UW-La Crosse Strategic Plan
Sustaining Excellence
The UWL Strategic plan is comprised of four pillars which focus on students, community and employees. Our original planning process took place from 2016 to 2020, and the directions we identified continue today. Learn more about our latest activities in each of the four pillars.
Increasing community engagement
UWL embraces community engagement as a key component to our teaching, scholarly, & service mission.
Increasing community engagement
Goals
- Initiate strategies that create and promote increased opportunities for students’ community engagement that are academically grounded.
- Measure, assess and create accountability structure for community engagement across UWL.
- Market mutually beneficial relationships between UWL and private/public organizations in the greater La Crosse community, state, region, and globally; in particular, focus on the importance of public/community engagement in advancing UWL’s mission centered on the value of a Liberal Arts education.
- Integrate community engagement into UWL policies and procedures.
- Secure funding to support continued community engagement.
Metrics:
Increase participation in internships/clinical/field experiences by UWL Students to 65% of graduating seniors.
57% of UWL Seniors reported participation in internships/clinical/field experiences on the 2020 NSSE survey. 62% of UWL Seniors reported participation in internships/clinical/field experiences on the 2017 NSSE survey.
Expand number of partnerships reported on the UW System Partnership Collection.
3,333 Partners were reported across all 6 areas of 2019-20 UW Partnerships Report.
- 2015-16, 3215
- 2016-17, 3243
- 2017-18, 3389
- 2018-19, 2682
- 2019-20, 3333
- -
Increase number of projects in progress or completed through the Project Opportunities Board.
19 of the 91 projects received FY 2016 through FY 2021 have been completed. 8 projects have been placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 17 have been assigned, with 1 project open for collaboration.
Increase number of student hours reported for volunteering in the community annually.
Hours of community service reported by University Centers and Athletics Department Annual Reports.
- 2017-18, 15905
- 2018-19, 18952
- -
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many volunteer opportunities were cancelled and hours underreported for the 2019-20 academic year. Prior to the pandemic, 9,475 community service hours were recorded for 2019-20.
Actions Completed 2020-2021
In January 2021, the Community Engagement Council, under the direction of Community Engagement Coordinator Lisa Klein, released the UWL Civic Action Plan. The goals and metrics outlined in the Civic Action Plan align with the goals and metrics outlined in the overall UWL strategic plan.
A process to identify and designate specific UWL courses as Community Engaged Learning (CEL) courses has been developed to meet one of the action steps outlined in the Civic Action Plan; this process is moving through shared governance in spring 2021.
In the spring and summer of 2020, the Community Engagement Office in collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning hosted two community-engaged workshops on campus and marketed five virtual Community Engaged Learning opportunities through Campus Compact in the CATL Weekly.
UWL Community webpages were redesigned to target specific audiences and drive those community members to the appropriate resources on campus to help increase access to the university and create connections for faculty and community.
Community-engaged partnerships have been developed with the university and/or individual faculty.
The Community Engagement Office, in collaboration with the Chancellor’s Office, reviewed and added new community organizations to the Chancellor’s Community Council (CCC). In a joint effort, the offices invited the CCC to three of the Alumni Association’s virtual What’s New Wednesdays events in July, September and October to remain connected during the pandemic.
In February 2021, Community Engagement Coordinator Lisa Klein successfully earned a micro-credential in Community Engagement Fundamentals through Campus Compact's Community Engagement Professional Credentialing Program.
Achieving excellence through equity & diversity
UWL is committed to being an equitable & welcoming community to maintain our status as a high quality & competitive university.
Achieving excellence through equity & diversity
Goals
- Achieve demographic equity in access and retention for students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Equity liaison initiative
- Provide fully inclusive educational experiences for all students.
- Ensure that all employees are engaged in creating a dynamic and welcoming campus community.
- Make UWL's Equity & Diversity efforts highly visible and coordinated across campus.
Metrics:
Reduce gaps in first-to-second year retention between not-first-generation and first-generation students. The current retention rate of not-first-generation students is 87%. The most recent retention rates of first-generation students:
- 2015, 85%
- 2016, 78%
- 2017, 83%
- 2018, 77%
- 2019, 82%
- 87%
Reduce gaps in first-to-second year retention between not Pell eligible students and Pell eligible students. The current retention rate of not Pell eligible students is 86%. The most recent retention rates of Pell eligible students:
- 2015, 84%
- 2016, 80%
- 2017, 84%
- 2018, 77%
- 2019, 83%
- 86%
Reduce gaps in first-to-second year retention between students in the majority race/ethnicity group and students of color. The current retention rate of the majority race/ethnic group is 86%. The most recent retention rates of students of color:
- 2015, 81%
- 2016, 77%
- 2017, 79%
- 2018, 81%
- 2019, 81%
- 86%
Increase UWL’s compositional diversity of faculty and academic staff. Monitor to ensure it meets or exceeds the median value of the UW Comprehensives (10.95% in 2019, excluding UWL) overall as well as across employment categories.
- 2015, 10.8%
- 2016, 9.7%
- 2017, 9.5%
- 2018, 10.1%
- 2019, 11.8%
- 10.95%
UWL has an overrepresentation of persons of color among our “unskilled” staff (per 2017 Affirmative Action report). The intent of this metric is to review compositional diversity not just overall, but across various job categories, similar to how we monitor achievement gaps of students.
Increase UWL’s compositional diversity of the student body, both undergraduate and graduate. Monitor to ensure it meets or exceeds the median value of the UW Comprehensives (11.85% in 2019, excluding UWL).
- 2015, 8.7%
- 2016, 9.3%
- 2017, 9%
- 2018, 9.5%
- 2019, 10.2%
- 11.85%
Actions Completed 2020-2021
The Division of Diversity and Inclusion expanded in 2020-2021 and now includes Title IX, Affirmative Action, and the Institute for Social Justice.
The Equity Liaison Steering Committee has worked to develop stronger ongoing communication with Equity Liaisons. This included more frequent meetings with Liaisons, direction and feedback on equity plans and providing resources to Liaisons. UWL now has a Liaison in every department and unit.
The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) has made great strides in developing instructional resources for faculty and instructional staff to improve inclusive teaching practices. A comprehensive Instructor's Guide to Inclusive Excellence is readily available to instructors via the Center’s website, and CATL will also provide workshops for individual departments. Additionally, CATL offers an Inclusive Teaching Institute. This is a one-week virtual immersive experience that allows participants to explore inclusive teaching practices and social justice pedagogies as they work independently on redesigning one course.
The University has integrated concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion into principal UWL communications. There has been more coordinated communication support for campus emails that relate to national tragedies and an effort to recognize weeks and months of cultural influence, including highlights on the UWL webpage.
The Policy on Race Committee was convened in the fall of 2020 with the express purpose of examining various policies at UWL that are related to racial barriers.
The Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Certificate program for employees and Restorative Justice workshops presented by the Dean of Students were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be revisited for the coming year.
In recent years, scholarship opportunities have expanded for students of color, low-income students, and transfer students. In 2020-21, nearly $385,000 in scholarships were available to Students of Color through the UWL Admissions Office, an increase of 45% compared to 2016-17.
Investing in our people
UWL recognizes that our status as a high quality and competitive university depends on our faculty and staff.
Investing in our people
Goals
- Prioritize employee compensation.
- Promote an environment of employee inclusion, ownership and engagement.
- Create clear and consistent assessment and accountability policies for all employees.
Metrics:
Work toward achieving 92% of external market parity compensation across all employee classifications. View the CUPA salary review.
Faculty
- 2016, 89%
- 2017, 89%
- 2018, 87%
- 2019, 88%
- 2020, 88%
- 92%
Instructional Academic Staff
- 2016, 97%
- 2017, 97%
- 2018, 94%
- 2019, 93%
- 2020, 97%
- 92%
Non-instructional Academic Staff
- 2016, 100%
- 2017, 99%
- 2018, 95%
- 2019, 95%
- 2020, 95%
- 92%
This is an aspirational goal for UWL. External market parity is CUPA for Faculty, IAS, and matched NIAS positions. Other sources, such as UW System match are used when CUPA data is unavailable. As part of UW La Crosse’s commitment to Sustaining Excellence and the focus on Investing in our People, the University has distributed lump sum payments to eligible staff. Unfortunately, this self-funded compensation plan had to be discontinued for the time being due to the pandemic. View Lump Sum Payment Allocations to University Staff.
Monitor expenditure of Educational Assistance benefit funds each year across employee classifications.
Educational Assistance Benefit paid out to UWL employees
The annual budget for Education Assistance is $85,000 (the program began in January 2018). Unspent funds carry over into the next year.
2019-20: $92,130
2018-19: $86,408
2017-18: $15,081
Sustain high levels of employee engagement as reported on Employee Engagement Survey. View the current levels of engagement report.
94%
Positive engagement
Spring 2018
(Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the survey was not administered Spring 2020)
Additional metric to be included based on outcome of Employee Engagement Survey working group.
Actions Completed 2020-2021
The University is using national data metrics to assess employee compensation, working toward achieving 92% of external market parity compensation across all employee classifications.
The University conducted an Employee Engagement Survey in spring 2018 with the intent to continue to assess employee engagement through a bi-annual survey. This spring 2020 survey was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The University plans to resume the survey in spring 2022.
The Caregiver Task Force survey captured data on employee experiences this past year and offered specific, evidence-based recommendations on how the University can continue to invest in its people, while also operationalizing its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many of the recommendations have already been acted upon at UWL, while others are opportunities to continue making improvements in supporting employees. A copy of the full report can be found here.
The Joint Multicultural Affairs Committee, Employee Engagement Action Team and the Steering Committee of the Equity Liaison Initiative partnered to pilot and implement an online course on workplace diversity and inclusion. The course was made available for all staff and faculty. While the plan to make the course a required part of the onboarding process was interrupted in 2020 due to changes at the federal level, in 2021, we plan to revisit this training opportunity.
Advancing transformational education
High-impact teaching & learning opportunities that are proven to aid student success across diverse backgrounds.
Advancing transformational education
Goals
- Increase the opportunities for students to engage in high-impact practices by graduation.
- Monitor persistence and retention rates with the goal of improvement.
- Expand international/global learning opportunities for all students.
- Enhance graduate education.
- Increase opportunities for cross-disciplinary teaching and learning.
- Evaluate and revise the General Education program.
Metrics:
Increase retention of first-year students to 90%.
- 2014, 85%
- 2015, 86%
- 2016, 83%
- 2017, 86%
- 2018, 84%
- 2019, 86%
- 90%
Increase retention of transfer students to 80%.
- 2014, 81%
- 2015, 77%
- 2016, 76%
- 2017, 77%
- 2018, 80%
- 80%
Expand participation in first-year seminar to 100% of new first-year students and selected transfer students.
- 2014, 18%
- 2015, 12%
- 2016, 17%
- 2017, 23%
- 2018, 31%
- 2019, 27%
- 100%
Beginning 2020-21, FYS 100 was required for all new first-year students and selected transfer students.
Increase the number of UWL students graduating with an education abroad experience to 23%.
- 2014, 23%
- 2017, 19%
- 2020, 19%
- 23%
Increase graduate enrollment to 1,000 students.
- 2015, 758
- 2016, 818
- 2017, 818
- 2018, 867
- 2019, 963
- 2020, 979
- 1000
Actions Completed 2020-2021
FYS 100 became a required class for all first-year UWL students in 2020-21. 86 sections of the course were offered during the year, providing an opportunity for students to explore a topic of shared interest to an instructor and the students in the class and to provide information and resources that will assist students in their transition to college. Over 100 instructors completed the training to teach the course.
The General Education revision continues in the 2020-21 school year. The General Education Working Group (GEWG) drafted a final proposal that was submitted to GEC in April 2020 after soliciting feedback from campus through online surveys, open forum sessions, attendance at Chairs meetings. Due to the pandemic, GEC accepted the proposal from the GEWG and is continuing the work of the GEWG, to use campus feedback to modify the proposal, and potentially implement in the future, no sooner than Fall 2023.
The General Education Assessment Committee (GEAC) is developing a pilot for the 2021-22 school year to transform the current general education course-embedded assessment using the AAC&U VALUE rubrics in Canvas.
UWL has moved to a comprehensive internationalization plan after completing participation in the ACE Internationalization Laboratory (2017-2019). The Office of International Education and Engagement provides the leadership for continued work with faculty, staff, and students to support UWL’s strategic goal of advancing global learning for all students. Small grants were provided to faculty to develop collaborative online international learning projects for courses taught during the 2021-22 academic year.
UWL hired a Dean of Graduate and Extended Learning in spring 2021 to advance the collective work of graduate education and the credit and non-credit programming supported by Extended Learning. Strategic planning for graduate studies continues with an emphasis on supporting students and faculty, improving the infrastructure, and graduate program development.
EAB’s Navigate platform is being used successfully for early alerts (PRO@UWL), advising, and messaging campaigns. The Navigate student app was launched in summer 2020. Student success initiatives across the university continue to be developed and implemented, many of which were developed as additional ways to reach students during COVID.
About
Mission
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse provides a challenging, dynamic, and diverse learning environment in which the entire university community is fully engaged in supporting student success. Grounded in the liberal arts, UWL fosters curiosity and life-long learning through collaboration, innovation, and the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting the contributions of all, UWL is a regional academic and cultural center that
prepares students to take their place in a constantly changing world community. The university offers undergraduate programs and degrees in the arts and humanities, health and sciences, education, and business administration. The university offers graduate programs related to areas of emphasis and strength within the institution, including business administration, education, health, the sciences, and the social sciences.
Vision
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse aims to foster within each student the curiosity, creativity, and tenacity necessary to solve the regional, national, and international challenges of the 21st century. The university's official motto mens corpusque ("mind and body") will continue to guide our direction as a student-centered university committed to a quality education for the whole person. As such, it will continue to provide opportunities both inside and outside the classroom for the development of sound mental, emotional, and ethical skills, as well as general well-being. Our students, faculty, and staff will experience the world through constantly evolving technologies and cultures. Thus, the skills of effective communication, critical thought, leadership, and an appreciation for diversity must be the hallmarks of a UWL education.
Values
Fassett Cotton, our institution's first leader, serving from 1909-1924, conceived the original University of Wisconsin-La Crosse educational philosophy of the total development of the individual. Later, history professor and Dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, William M. Laux (1922-1967), suggested the symbols of our official university seal along with the accompanying Latin phrase, mens corpusque ("mind and body"), to exemplify our collective commitment to a high quality education for the whole person.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse values:
- The mens corpusque educational philosophy that recognizes each student as a whole person and aspires to enhance both mind and body through the noble search for knowledge, truth, and meaning central to a wide range of high quality learning experiences and scholarly pursuits.
- Diversity, equity, and the inclusion and engagement of all people in a safe campus climate that embraces and respects the innumerable different perspectives found within an increasingly integrated and culturally diverse global community.
- A high quality of life and work balance, incorporating best practices for shared governance and the acquisition and efficient management of resources, equitable compensation, general wellness, and social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
- Civic engagement and a renewed commitment to the Wisconsin Idea, in which our socially responsible campus serves as a resource for our increasingly intertwined local, state, and global communities, collaborating and sharing resources and expertise to improve the human condition.