From: Richard J. Helldobler, PhD, President To: William Paterson University Community Date: December 5, 2018 Subject: Board Priorities for the University and Newly Adopted Key Performance Indicators Throughout the summer and fall months, I have engaged the Board of Trustees in a series of conversations about setting priorities for the University. These priorities would guide my actions as President and set the agenda for the Cabinet and all members of the University community. After considerable deliberation, and based on data-driven analytics regarding demographics trends in New Jersey and the northeastern United States, and particularly for public comprehensive institutions like us, the Board has adopted four priorities for the University, in rank order: (1) retention, (2) enrollment, (3) four-year graduation, and (4) job placement. Using these four priorities as a starting point, the Board has adopted seventeen Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the University's progress. These KPIs replace the Dashboard Indicators that had been adopted in 2014. Each KPI has a goal that will direct our collective endeavors each year. The goals have been carefully derived, reflecting reasonable growth targets that are consistent with our mission but reflective of the enrollment and retention activities currently being implemented and new initiatives in the development stage. Finance goals are linked to revenues derived from alternate sources in addition to tuition and fees, and fundraising goals are linked to our focus on scholarship support and the desire to grow the endowment for future sustainability. Each KPI also has a series of divisional/college/department sub-KPIs that support it. These sub-KPIs correspond to specific measures that impact our ability to meet the University KPIs. Sub-KPIs are assigned to a specific person or office, which bears the responsibility for fulfilling those goals. For managers, the attainment of these sub-KPIs will be part of an annual performance evaluation, and the University will provide the professional development resources needed to help them attain and exceed their goals. Merit increases for managers will be linked to goal attainment. These KPIs will provide a clear blueprint for the next three years, set measurable outcomes for every unit on campus, and guide our planning based on the best data analysis that exists within the academy. The KPIs will also be a means of ensuring transparency in decision-making and resource allocation. As we move toward the end of the ten-year Strategic Plan 2012-2022 and prepare for the upcoming Middle States Review in 2020-2021, the KPIs will provide clear and quantifiable evidence that the University has a sustainable plan in place to achieve our collective endeavors. All of our work must focus on the success of our students, and together, we can make real progress in changing the lives of our students, their families and our communities. Click here to view the Key Performance Indicators table, adopted November 2018 (log in to view).
