SDSU School of Communication

Strategic Plan 2024-2029

Approved on January 16, 2024

Background

The School of Communication Strategic Planning Committee was convened in Fall 2021 to engage in a strategic visioning process. Members of the committee included the full tenure-line faculty, representatives of full-time and part-time lecturers, a staff member, undergraduate and graduate student representatives, and alumni representatives. Over the course of 5 months, 5 Vision Lab Groups met individually and in the larger committee to generate ideas that would connect the School of Communication Core Values, Vision, and Mission with the SDSU Strategic Priorities. The process was iterative and inclusive.

Due to leadership changes and significant turnover among faculty, the process was paused until Fall 2023, when documents and priorities were again discussed over the course of several faculty meetings. The result is a 5-year Strategic Plan intended to guide curriculum development, faculty hiring priorities, resource allocation, and program innovations. Each Strategic Initiative includes several goals with target accomplishments and timelines to enable internal and external constituents to measure our progress over the 5-year period.

Each Strategic Initiative addresses the SDSU Strategic Priorities in unique ways. The School of Communication Core Values, Vision, and IMPACT Mission Statement are also represented in every Strategic Initiative, with specific goals implementing different elements of those foundational principles.

• Strategic Initiative 1: Develop graduate programs that increase the School of Communication impact and influence across the discipline, institution, and relevant communities.
  • Launch of a Doctoral Program in Health Communication in the first group of new SDSU independent doctoral degrees (target proposal date, Spring-Fall 2024; target proposal acceptance Fall 2025; target curriculum procedures 2025-2026; target recruitment Fall 2028; target launch Fall 2029).
  • By Fall 2024, procure support for the existing Doctoral Program Planning Committee (1 course release each semester for members). The committee that drives the engine for this proposal should receive a reduced teaching load, and the future director of doctoral studies should be part of this committee. The justification for providing this level of support for this committee rests on its need to review what is out there in terms of top doctoral programs: Onsite visits to these programs in addition to and internal ones with SDSU independent doctoral programs (to gauge lessons learned), assessing what are their resources, determining what are they doing well, discovering what they wish they had asked for in terms of resources but did not, procuring out-of-state tuition waivers, securing 2-2 teaching load for all doctoral faculty in ramp-up years leading to program launch, and increasing travel funding for doctoral faculty (should be 5k-7k each to be competitive with R1 norming). The Director of the Doctoral Program will need additional support in the form of an additional course release each semester (1-1 teaching load) and a recruitment fund for travel.
  • By Fall 2025, launch the revised MA curriculum to comply with the CSU requirement of having 50% plus 1 unit comprised of “core” courses. This new curriculum reflects new directions in the discipline and engages diversity, equity, and inclusion both theoretically and practically.
  • By 2026, increase graduate student resources in the form of scholarships, graduate fellowships, and research assistantships to improve recruitment rates of top applicants.

• Strategic Initiative 2: Increase support for faculty and student research that aligns with SDSU priorities and represents innovative directions for the discipline.
  • Beginning Fall 2023, host weekly writing support groups to foster a culture of research productivity.
  • Beginning Spring 2024, allocate a portion of revenue from the Global Campus Degree Completion Program to fund faculty and graduate student research travel.
  • By 2027, establish a new Research Foundation Fund with a minimum of $10,000 to support DEI research conducted by SOC faculty and students to increase the impact of DEI research being disseminated by SOC faculty and students.
  • Beginning in Fall 2025, reduce teaching loads incrementally for tenure-track faculty to reach a standard 2-2 teaching load by Fall 2028.
  • By fall 2027, hire seven new tenure-track faculty (for a total of 19 TT faculty).
  • By fall 2027, increase School of Communication resources for pursuing and supporting externally funded research programs, such as space, course buyouts, and research assistants.
  • By Fall 2024, establish a Communication Research Hub on campus to house funded PI’s and research assistants.

• Strategic Initiative 3: Implement curriculum innovations that enhance global collaborations in teaching, increase service learning/community engaged learning opportunities, and provide balance between practical and theoretical curricular foci.
  • On an annual basis, conduct a student needs assessment for both undergraduates and graduates to assess their curricular and co-curricular interests, goals, and needs. Use results to plan curricular and program innovations.
  • By 2024, propose Community Engaged Learning designations for additional courses across the undergraduate curricula to increase the connection between theory and practice and to enhance the School’s community engagement.
  • By 2025, establish and advance teaching and learning partnerships in Imperial Valley.
  • By 2026, increase High Impact Practice offerings in the undergraduate curricula.

• Strategic Initiative 4: Increase social support and supportive connections among students, faculty, alumni, and internship organizations that benefit the School of Communication community.
  • Beginning in Fall 2023, hold one event each semester to connect current undergraduate students with current graduate students to highlight pathways to graduate education.
  • Beginning Spring 2024, increase participation at faculty-graduate student programs by 10% each year. Determine strategic approaches for reaching those goals.
  • Beginning in 2024, establish at least one embedded training opportunity at a faculty retreat each year for faculty to learn about supporting student-centered DEI goals.
  • Beginning in 2024, establish a Communication Transfer Support Group, led by an academic advisor, to provide peer and faculty support for upper division students new to SDSU.
  • By Spring 2029, increase alumni attendance at the annual Alumni and Awards Banquet to at least 30 alumni.
  • By 2029, establish approximately 30 regular internship partnerships.

• Strategic Initiative 5: Increase revenue streams and funding to support students, faculty, and programs of the School of Communication.
  • Beginning Fall 2023, the Society for Communication and Leadership (SoCal) annually applies for Student Success Fee grant and Associated Student funding.
  • By Fall 2026, partner with Sharp Healthcare to launch a Health Communication certificate through Global Campus to provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for healthcare providers.
  • By Fall 2028, increase endowed funds and scholarships to $3 million (from 2023 $1.8 million).
  • By Fall 2028, launch a speaker training center with industry partner(s) in one of the SDSU Innovation Districts (Mission Valley, Imperial Valley, and/or Chula Vista).
  • By Spring 2029, increase enrollment in the Global Campus Degree Completion Program to 300.