The CNS Action Plan was presented by Dean Steve Goodwin to faculty and staff at the 2015 annual State of the College.

1. UMASS AMHERST
Strategic Action Plan For
Transformative Growth & Success
2016 - 2018

2. Process overview
 Current situation
 Mission & Vision
 Objectives
 Strategies
 Metrics
 Financials
 Threats & risks
 Ability to deliver results
 Call to action

3. What keeps me up at night
 Cost of quality education
 Teaching and advising capacity
 Teaching lab renovation
 Cost of quality research
 Hiring new faculty
 Retention of good faculty
 Research lab renovation

4. Upcoming Big Opportunities
 Rolling out Advanced Manufacturing and
Materials
 Finding synergies across Big Data
 Infusing Energy, Climate, and Sustainability
across the college
 Catching the wave in Neuroscience and
Cognitive Science
 Strengthening discovery to translational research
in Life Sciences

5. Mission
Provide a best in the nation education in
science and math
leading to rewarding and impactful careers
Featuring:
 Mentoring from exceptional and accessible faculty
 Participation in authentic learning experiences for all
students
 Involvement in innovative research and entrepreneurship

6. Vision
 Students receive a nationally recognized, premium
science and math education
 This education is provided through mentoring from
exceptional and highly accessible faculty
 The underpinnings of this education is based on
providing students with a wide range of authentic
learning and research experiences
 This vision is achieved through a cost and quality-
oriented approach to teaching, research, and societal
impact.

7. Our academic reputation outside
of our scholarly disciplines

8. Objectives
1. Transition to a better understanding of and a
more sustainable approach to cost/quality
decision-making
2. Identify and implement viable ways to improve
the academic reputation of CNS
3. Make the value proposition of a UMass Amherst
science education more visible and more tangible
for students
4. Expand external relationships with industry,
government, alumni, K-12

9. Improving quality/lowering costs of
instruction
 Section offerings
 Course offerings
 Course completion rates
 Curricular complexity
 Faculty course loads

10. -
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
CNS undergrad majors and instruction
Undergrad Total Majors
FTE Instructed Students

11. Student credit hours and
organized class sections / FTE
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
2004 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
#
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
/
F
T
E
TenureTrack Non-TenureTrack TeachingAssociates
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
2004 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
#
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
/
F
T
E
TenureTrack Non-TenureTrack
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2004 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
#
S
t
u
d
e
n
t
C
r
e
d
i
t
H
r
s
/
F
T
E
TenureTrack Non-TenureTrack

12. Departmental variation in organized class
sections per tenure system faculty
0.97
0.71
1.23
1.77
1.10
1.31
1.51
1.73
0.98
1.54
1.17
1.93
0.48

13. Maximizing every possible minute of tenure-track class
sections and credit hours is not optimizing the balancing
act of delivering an exceptional CNS educational
experience.
# Class
sections
Exceptional
Education
# Student
credit hours Advising ResearchMentoring
Faculty contribution to the student experience

14. 1A. Transition to a more sustainable cost- & quality-oriented
approach to teaching, research & societal impact
 Restructure the college by creating a School of Earth,
Sustainability, & the Environment by fall 2016
 Reorganize across the life sciences
 Reorganize the graduate programs by Jan. 1, 2016
 Create a unified first-year curriculum by spring 2016
 Initiate discussions about opportunities in physical
sciences & math with appropriate participants by Jan. 1,
2016
 Create more reasonable teaching loads across all levels in
AY15/16
 Consider alternatives to current advising (have tentatively
budgeted $1MM)

15. 1B. Transition to a more sustainable cost- & quality-oriented
approach to teaching, research, & societal impact
 Develop a plan by July 1, 2016, with a target to save $2MM in
budget efficiencies within the first two years. Adding efficiency
in running the college and executing actions within the
university
 Reduce duplication of courses
 Allow us to make more broadly impactful hiring decisions
 Develop more CPE classes including online with a target of 10
new courses per year.
 Facilitate successful implementation of the new budget model.
 Help everyone understand what the new process means, how it
is intended to work, and why it is a benefit to them.
 Develop cost / quality as a management tool to make good
decisions and have an efficient use of resources.
 Accomplish all actions with an efficient use of resources &
defensible priorities

16. Objectives
1. Transition to a better understanding of and a more
sustainable approach to cost/quality decision
making
2. Identify and implement viable ways to improve the
academic reputation of CNS
3. Make the value proposition of a UMass Amherst
science education more visible and more tangible for
students
4. Expand external relationships with industry,
government, alumni, K-12

17. 2A. Improve academic reputation
 Make a commitment to a continuing upgrade of teaching laboratories at
$1MM a year within three years
 Expand the off-campus opportunities for students to develop and practice
research-centered skills, professional practice, and habits of mind
 Define the data to track number of students by Jan. 1, 2016
 Double the number of students with this experience in three years.
 Provide unique authentic residential learning experiences beyond just the
exceptional students including research projects, discovery labs, and
honors theses
 Define the data to track number of students by Jan. 1, 2016
 Double the number of students with this experience in three years.
 Get all stakeholders together by Jan. 1, 2016, to determine priorities and
process of promoting targeted high profile programs
 Environment and sustainability
 Neuroscience
 Institute of Applied Life Sciences

18. 2B. Improve academic reputation
 Assess advising at the college and departmental level in the
AY15/16 to identify strengths and areas needed for
improvement. Analyze & take appropriate action on
advisor/student ratio, counseling, and mentoring at an added
cost of $1MM a year. Ensure consistency with provost’s
campus- wide approach.
 Improve all department websites on a three-year rotating
basis to provide a comprehensive consistent message to
undergraduates and make them more informative by
including FAQ sheets, model pathways for advancement, etc.
 Establish college-wide learning goals by June 2016
 Increase the participation and perseverance of women and
URM in STEM majors

19. 2C. Improve academic reputation
 Utilize funds from CNS restructuring, strategic investment,
new donor relationships, & grants to upgrade faculty, labs,
and research.
 Make a commitment to a continuing upgrade of research
laboratories
 Increase funding for retaining our best faculty.
 Rebuild faculty numbers to be nationally competitive in the
departments of Mathematics and Statistics, Physics,
Chemistry, and Psychological and Brain Sciences. Achieving
net increase of five new faculty per year by fall 2017

20. Objectives
1. Transition to a better understanding of and a more
sustainable approach to cost/quality decision-
making
2. Identify and implement viable ways to improve the
academic reputation of CNS
3. Make the value proposition of a UMass Amherst
science education more visible and more tangible for
students
4. Expand external relationships with industry,
government, alumni, K-12

21. 3A. Make the UMass tuition cost advantage more
visible and more tangible for science students
 Identify and be listed in all appropriate college ranking
sites by Jan 1, 2016
 Research: studies, surveys, and any other credible
analyses of career income and success related to the cost
and debt of private versus state university educations by
September 2016.
 Work with University Relations on some “science
specific” initiatives

22. 3B. Make a stronger connection between a CNS
education and the student priority of “good jobs”
 Establish an office of professional development within the
college for undergraduate students by December 2016.
 Promote visibility of alumni who have impressive
business and personal success and credentials and
continually connect alumni to undergraduates and
graduates. Work with the university alumni group
(Evisors) as pioneers in the new advisor network.

23. 3C. Prepare graduate students for multiple
career options
 Career preparation:
 Identifying and exploring career paths; job search
 Communication:
 Writing, publishing, presenting, and applying for
grants and fellowships
 Leadership and management:
 Entrepreneurship, science policy, business skills
 Teaching strategies:
 Understanding and carrying out best teaching
practices; developing a teaching portfolio

24. Objectives
1. Transition to a better understanding of and a more
sustainable approach to cost/quality decision-
making
2. Identify and implement viable ways to improve the
academic reputation of CNS
3. Make the value proposition of a UMass Amherst
science education more visible and more tangible for
students
4. Expand external relationships with industry,
government, alumni, K-12

25. 4A. Expand external relationships with
government, industry, alumni, K-12
 Increase development of external partnerships in
research and funding with targeted businesses &
organizations.
 Reach out to state government as honest brokers
of ideas and information
 Grow involvement & visibility in Springfield.
 Expand participation in STEM Ed Institute
 Increase philanthropic giving

26. 4B. Expand external relationships and funding
 Increase pre- and post-award grant support across
the college
 Build research and donor opportunities with
business
 Develop a process for exploring leading edge
research directions for eventual faculty recruiting
 Increased collaboration with TTO and UMII.
 Follow up with ‘I-Corps’-like activities.

27.  On-line science education training
 Science Education On-line
 Develop blended programs for teacher training
 Pre-service science education training for current
student
 On-campus science activities
 Science Quest
 Jump start programs for high school students
 Student group outreach, coaching and mentoring in
the school system
4C. Science and Math Literacy and Learning

28. Expansion of the interactions with alumni and the Advisory
Board to focus on:
Relationships with companies who benefit from the students we
train. Listen carefully to their needs; deliver candidates who can
become contributing professionals faster; save them money in
training; and ramp up and earn incremental donations to fuel
the program.
 Broad development of the internship program
 Relationships with students, parents and guidance
counselors. Influence destination of choice at the right age
4D. Expand external relationships and funding

29. Process Overview
 Current situation
 Mission an Vision
 Objectives
 Strategies
 Metrics
 Financials
 Threats & risks
 Ability to deliver results
 Call to action

30. 2015 CNS sources & uses profile
2015 year-end data
Engage Michael
and Ceil on
data
$-
$20,000,000
$40,000,000
$60,000,000
$80,000,000
$100,000,000
$120,000,000
$140,000,000
Sources Uses
2015 - College of Natural Sciences
Continuing Education
Gifts/Endowment
Allocations
Sales and Services
Indirect Cost Recovery
State Appropriation
Grants
Reconcile to Sources total
Equipment
Information Tech
Operational
Scholarships
Facilities
Administrative
Payroll
DRAFT from Michael Fahey July 3..

31. 2015 Actual CNS
Sources & Uses
Plus forecasted GAP
In transformation to
additional staff, lab
upgrades and support
in 3-year strategic plan
GAP Expenditures appear
in CAPS in the legend
7/10/15
$-
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
$140
$160
$180
Sources Uses
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS
OTHER RENNOVATAIONS
TEACHING LAB UPGRADES
RETENTIONS
NEW FACULTY FACILITIES
NEW FACULTY STARTUP
NEW FACULTY SALARIES
REPLACEMENT FACULTY FACILITIES
REPLACEMENT FACULTY STARTUP
Continuing Education
Gifts/Endowment
Allocations
Sales and Services
Indirect Cost Recovery
State Appropriation
Grants
Reconcile to Sources total
Equipment
Information Tech
Operational
Scholarships
Facilities
Administrative
Payroll
$38MM
GAP

32. GAP EXPENDITURES $M/YR.
REPLACEMENT FACULTY STARTUP REPLACEMENT FACULTY FACILITIES
NEW FACULTY SALARIES NEW FACULTY STARTUP
NEW FACULTY FACILITIES RETENTIONS
TEACHING LAB UPGRADES OTHER RENNOVATAIONS
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS
GAP expenditures to enhance the student
experience, education, & outcome

33. Closing The Revenue GAP
Growth in SCH
Savings from Organization
Growth in CPE
Strategic Investment
Increased Philanthropy
Saving from Efficiency

34. The new budgeting process
 New Strategic Budget Allocation System intended to improve sound
decision-making
 Will bring more fiscal control to the college level
 Encourages cost containment, greater productivity, entrepreneurial
ideas, development, fundraising, and more
 Will position credit hour and enrollment shifts to better inform the budget
allocation process.
 Will run parallel budgeting in fiscal 2016 and transfer to new model in
2017
 We need to put in place a cost /quality budgeting and decision making
process that works for us regardless of the campus system

35. THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS?