Transcript Purpose - American University in Cairo
Results of the 2014 2016 Environmental Scan of AUC
Seniors Administrators Group and Senate Members’ Responses
Office of Institutional Research February 25, 2013
Purpose
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OIR developed survey in coordination with AUC Assessment Committee and Integrated Planning Committee.
Designed to solicit input to identify AUC’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in 2014-2016 planning period Results used as input into strategic plan, academic plan, MSCHE Periodic Review
Methodology
• • • • • Online survey sent to Senate and SAG members, with duplications removed (n=120) Invitation sent out on Feb. 4, 2013. Reminders sent on Feb. 10, 14, 17 and 19. Survey closed on Feb. 21.
Response rate = 82%. Completion rate = 81%.
Content analysis performed on results.
Examine results in terms of: – Frequency – Impact – Probability – Criticality
Demographics
Undergraduate student 0,0% Staff member Parent of a current or past AUC student 11,2% Graduate student 4,1% 52,0% Faculty member 50,0% Alumna/us 31,6% 53,1% 63,3% Member of the University Senate Member of the Senior Administrators Group
AUC’s Core Strengths (Internal to AUC)
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Facilities/Campus/Resources
– New campus, state of the art classrooms and facilities, technology, labs, library, sports, research facilities; student life; financial resources; resources of US/Egypt; speakers; campus services; healthier atmosphere; safe and secure environment; “best campus in Egypt”
Reputation/History
– National, regional, international reputation for excellence; branded as leader in higher education in Egypt and region; specific programs
Liberal arts/System of education/Core values
– Grounding in liberal arts; diverse range of programs and courses; freedom of expression in and out of the classroom; learning outcomes, including critical thinking; AUC’s core values, including professional ethics and integrity; blend of professional education and liberal arts; core curriculum; small class size; teaching pedagogies; diversity, strength of faculty
AUC’s Core Strengths (Internal to AUC)
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Administration/Staff/Governance
– Quality, dedication of administration, faculty, staff; large pool of talent; strong senior administration; collegiality; management support for and culture of innovation and continuous improvement; well-developed systems; stimulating working environment; support for faculty research and teaching improvement; willingness to change and adapt; commitment to teaching, research, and service
Faculty
– Strength, diversity, quality of faculty
Other
– Location in the region and context; quality of programs, faculty, students, and staff; high standards for performance; co-curricular and exchange programs; community engagement and linkages with local communities and international organizations; strong outreach; diversity of students and faculty; specific programs; specialized accreditation; alumni; talented students
AUC’s Core Strengths (Internal to AUC)
No. of Responses Facilities/Campus/Resources Reputation/History Liberal arts/System of education/Core values Administration/Staff/Governance Faculty Location in the region Quality Student life Community engagement Diversity Specific programs Accreditation Alumni Other Students English as language of instruction 3 9 8 9 11 17 15 14 14 14 26 37 35 53 56 99
Areas Needing Improvement (Internal to AUC)
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Governance/Administration
– General governance and administration issues: the need to reduce bureaucracy and redundancy, streamline inefficient business processes, increase accountability and transparency – Academic governance and administration issues: concern about efforts to streamline processes, failure to hold students accountable, lack of enforcement of policies, inefficiencies in class scheduling as well as registration and advising, need for increased transparency
Quality
– Overall quality concerns: need to demand excellence and hold high standards for all aspects of administration and teaching, research, and service.
– Academic programs: grade inflation, the need to update the curriculum, academic integrity, overall quality, need to emphasize teaching excellence, overcrowded classrooms – Faculty: the use of Arabic in classrooms, ability to recruit top faculty, inadequately prepared adjunct faculty, the need for faculty to hold students accountable for performance and classroom behavior.
– Students: admissions standards, quality, preparedness
Areas Needing Improvement (Internal to AUC)
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Campus culture
– Resistance to change, behavior and attitudes of both faculty and staff that hinder the development of a student-centered environment, disharmony, lack of respect for rules and policies, decline in student behavior and ethics, absence of school spirit, lack of community
Mission/Planning
– Mission creep, expanding too rapidly, developing too many new programs rather than focusing on core strengths and quality, lack of alignment between mission and strategic objectives , need to integrate plans at area and unit level, need to slow enrollment growth, need to update curricula and revise programs
Finance/Budgets
– Budget constraints, economy, effect that budget cuts and the economy will have on program quality, salaries, the ability to recruit quality faculty and faculty, pressure on tuition, and the ability to fund research.
Other:
– Commute, isolation from downtown Cairo and its impact on field work and graduate studies, competitiveness of relocated staff salaries and incentives, improve English language proficiency, insufficient financial aid, more vibrant campus life, improve communication, silo mentality, sense of community, and an absence of unified purpose or ownership of institutional priorities, inequities in salaries and benefits, heavy teaching loads, balance between teaching, research, and service requirements
Areas Needing Improvement (Internal to AUC)
No. of Responses Governance/ Administration Quality Campus culture Mission/ Planning Finance/ Budgets Location/ Transportation/ Commute Staff issues Other Tuition/ Financial aid Campus life Communication Organizational integration/ Unity Research Inequities Balance between teaching, research, service Security Student/ Staff unrest 4 5 13 12 11 8 9 11 10 19 18 17 26 25 30 51 79
AUC’s Challenges (External to AUC)
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Political issues/Security
– Political unrest and impact on ability to attract and retain international students and qualified faculty, ability to negotiate a difficult political climate and maintain its strategic vision, security, changes in laws and regulations, increased censorship, safety, student and alumni “brain drain”
Economic issues
– Overall state of the economy, rising inflation, devaluation of the Egyptian pound, loss of international students, pressure on tuition, impact on investment in academics and research, rise in tuition and impact on admissions
Increased competition
– Local, regional competition for students and faculty from universities comparable to AUC, universities in Canada and the US more cost competitive
AUC’s Challenges (External to AUC)
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Cultural change
– Impact of Revolution on student attitudes and behavior, need to help students’ understand how to express themselves in appropriate ways, have successful protests provided students with examples to emulate, need to be relevant in a new Egypt, possibility for increased conservatism in society
Technological changes
– Need to adapt teaching strategies to reflect the development of instructional technology and the changes in higher education, need to keep pace with rapid changes, need for funding and assistance in training faculty
Other
– Changes in higher education, rise of distance learning, ability to continue to recruit quality staff and faculty, increasing traffic, problems with road safety, ability to raise funds, ability to fund research, decreasing quality of AUC’s feeder schools in Egypt’s primary and secondary educational system, need to improve AUC’s visibility in international rankings, need to stay ahead of changing market demands, environmental stresses, general lack of an adequate national infrastructure
AUC’s Challenges (External to AUC)
No. of Responses Political issues/ Security Economic issues Increased competition Cultural change Other Technological changes Changes in higher education Recruitment of quality faculty and staff Traffic, location, and road safety Ability to raise funds Limited funds for research Quality of Egyptian primary/secondary schools Visibility/ Rankings Changing market demands Lack of infrastructure/ Environmental concerns 6 6 6 8 7 8 11 17 15 15 28 26 35 77 89
AUC’s Opportunities
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Expand linkages and collaboration
– More collaboration with national, regional, US, international universities; global research networks; library linkages; faculty exchange; joint degrees; student exchange; partnerships with companies and NGOs; interdisciplinary programs and research
Leverage role as catalyst for change
– Play role in shaping Egypt’s future: research, training, outreach, service, learning outcomes; leverage new freedoms; impact US foreign policy; teach students how to be citizens
Expand outreach
– More involvement in service, community development; use downtown facilities for more interaction; serve disadvantaged communities; CBL; engage all the community (alumni, friends, parents, corporations, etc.); collaborate with NGOs; expand base, including Africa
AUC’s Opportunities
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Focus on quality
– Increase selectivity; create centers of excellence; increase merit scholarships; improve student recruitment; assess quality; build on strengths of specific programs; size ourselves smaller
Increase efficiency
– Eliminate redundancy (admin., programs); integrate; streamline; target research funding; use campus resources better; increase role of community/internal campaign; consolidate; eliminate 2x2; become leaner and more productive
Other
– Revise curriculum; introduce new majors and degrees; new non-traditional majors; professional schools (medicine/pharmacy); re-define AUC’s role; assess programs; expand use of instructional technology; distance/blended learning; ebooks; increase diversity of students and faculty; expand recruitment; increase international visibility; enhance fundraising; increase and refocus research; enhance student life; build on alumni networks
AUC’s Opportunities
No. of Responses Expand linkages and collaboration Leverage role as catalyst for change Expand outreach Focus on quality Increase efficiency Revise curriculum/introduce new programs Other Expand use of instructional and other technologies Explore distance learning Expand recruitment efforts/ Increase diversity Increase visibility Enhance fundraising Increase/ Refocus reseach Enhance student life Build on strong alumni networks 4 7 8 9 10 17 16 17 19 22 23 26 26 32 36