FORMING + TRANSFORMING
MCAD ASPIRES TO BE THE PREEMINENT ART AND DESIGN COLLEGE IN THE COUNTRY.
This adaptive strategy lays out the path for MCAD’s success over the next five years and beyond. It builds on MCAD’s solid foundation that has evolved for more than a century. Complex changes in higher education and society demand that we hone our value proposition and invest in future innovation, transformation, and growth.
The plan has been crafted during substantial societal upheaval. We’re confronting reckonings on health, racial justice, and inequality as well as effects of the global climate crisis. This turmoil pushes us to reevaluate what’s possible and what’s at risk.
Higher education was facing major disruption before the pandemic. COVID accelerated the need for structural change and rethinking the student experience. Students and families are deciding whether to pursue a four-year college and, if so, how to choose where they will feel safe, supported, and prepared for adulthood. While cost is a major concern, so are issues around personalization, wellness, community, and social justice.
MCAD is poised to distinguish itself as an art and design school of choice and elevate its stature and future sustainability. We are committed to a future for MCAD marked by strategic growth , educational innovation , and social impact . At the heart of this path is our belief that all art and design practitioners have the power to change society by imagining what’s possible–through new ideas, creativity, experimentation, engagement, collaboration, and action. Each of us has the potential to be creative, cultural leaders .
MCAD has the acumen, knowledge, and drive to make this bold vision a reality.
–President Sanjit Sethi
+ Research and Discovery
+ Vision, Values, and Mission
+ Creative, Cultural Leaders
+ Adaptive Strategic Plan and Priorities
+ Priorities, Goals, and Indicators
– Transformational Curricula and Programs
– Radically Accessible and Inclusive College
– Dynamic, Reciprocal Community Partnerships
– Thriving, Sustainable Enterprise
+ Implementation and Next Steps
+ Appendix
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RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY
We gathered information and input to assess the competitive environment and consider how to position MCAD for the future.
Radical imagination is the ability to imagine the world, life, and social institutions not as they are, but as they might otherwise be. It is the courage and intelligence to recognize that the world can and should be changed. The radical imagination is not just about dreaming of different futures. It’s about bringing those possibilities back from the future to work on the present, to inspire actions and new forms of solidarity today.
–Scholars Alex Khasnabish and Max Haiven
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
We identified questions to inform our inquiry and consider what’s possible. We asked how we might:
+ Reimagine the role of creatives as cultural leaders?
+ Sharpen our curricula and co-curricula programming to become the preeminent art and design school?
+ Achieve a culture and campus that reflects radical accessibility and inclusion?
+ Build trusting relationships with external stakeholders in order to collaborate on critical issues?
+ Invest boldly in transformation to elevate MCAD’s value proposition?
We engaged hundreds of stakeholders to consider MCAD’s future.
We led focus groups, conducted interviews, hosted community forums, created digital space to contribute, and welcomed conversations throughout the process.
+ Students
+ Alumni
+ Staff
+ Faculty
+ Community Partners
+ Donors
+ Parents
+ Board of Trustees
DATA AND MACRO TRENDS
We gathered data on trends in higher education with a focus on specialized private colleges.
Higher education is at an inflection point. We are experiencing a transition from a previous way of being to a new paradigm. This liminal moment creates uncertainty, but also opportunity.
According to Pricewaterhouse Cooper, “Structural shifts in higher education were underway before the pandemic, but COVID-19 is an accelerant, increasing the speed and magnitude of change that is reshaping the industry.” Higher education institutions must address:
+ Diversity and inclusion, including affordability, as central to strategy.
+ Student mental health as a high-risk challenge which needs major attention.
+ Role of the institution to contribute positively to social impact on the community and world, integrating values, goals, and metrics.
+ Boards need to be more forward-looking and focus on social and environmental responsibility, risk, and board composition.
CHALLENGES TO HIGHER EDUCATION
+ Student expectations are changing.
+ Costs are unaffordable for many.
+ Technology-enabled learning is not at its full potential.
PANDEMIC RAMIFICATIONS
+ Uncertainty is prevalent.
+ Personal and family priorities are shifting.
+ Institutions cannot rely on the status quo.
SOCIO-CULTURAL UPHEAVAL
+ Minneapolis has become a national focal point for racial injustice as part of a movement for change to address equity, identity, and ability.
CLIMATE CHANGE
+ Effects of climate change require incorporating climate into virtually all educational curricula.
+ Every institution has an obligation to be globally responsible by addressing energy, building design, housing, and other climate issues.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND EXPECTATIONS
Competitive advantage demands an understanding of students’ changing expectations, developing points of differentiation, and delivering quality academic value and personalized support.
Students and families are more discerning and demanding about the value of attending a four-year college. Once they enroll, they expect a personalized experience which supports academic success and the student’s overall experience. For institutions, retention will mean not only competitive advantage, but also survival. While the number of four-year, residential students may decline, there are opportunities to expand reach to professionals and learners at all stages of life.
SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS
+ Declining numbers of high-school graduates–the traditional higher-ed students–will begin in the mid-2020s through the end of 2037 projections.
+ The pandemic has accelerated the college enrollment decline that started nine years ago.
+ Diversity of student backgrounds (BIPOC, gender identification, non-traditional learners, economic, first-generation) has increased in college-bound populations and requires colleges to adapt to different expectations.
+ Adults and high-school non-completers are seeking ongoing credentials, and will be critical to maintaining enrollment stability.
+ Fewer international students are attending US education.
+ More than a quarter of college-bound students question the value of a college degree.
GEN Z STUDENTS
+ Have a deep concern about affordability.
+ Are energized by purpose, equity, and justice.
+ Seek to learn practical skills.
+ Want a customized experience.
+ Are comfortable with digital learning, but prefer in-person.
+ Need more support because of increased mental-health issues and learning challenges.
+ Believe lifelong learning and training are essential.
MCAD’S STRENGTHS
WE CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE STAKEHOLDER RESEARCH VALIDATION.
The research showed that MCAD is building on a solid foundation of strengths:
+ Well-regarded faculty
+ Dedicated staff
+ Caring relationships across the college community
+ Distinctive programs
+ Mentoring and support for students
+ Well-rounded education
+ Location
+ Facilities, including students’ access to them
+ Adaptability as an institution
+ Regional reputation
+ Community engagement
+ Accomplished and dedicated alumni
WE COMMISSIONED NATIONAL CONSULTING GROUP RNL TO ANALYZE MCAD’S COMPETITIVE POSITION.
The research confirmed MCAD’s strengths and surfaced additional insights into students’ and parents’ perception of value:
+ Job placement for graduates
+ Internships and hands-on experience
+ Curriculum that integrates entrepreneurship
+ Networking opportunities
+ Preparation for creative leadership
+ Scholarships (performance based)
+ Financial Aid (need based)
MCAD’S RISKS
LONG-STANDING, CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO RISK
The operational budget and capital investments have been constrained.
FACULTY AND STAFF ARE STRETCHED
New student expectations and needs, the pandemic, and limited resources are taking a toll on people and their ability to deliver exceptional results.
COMPETITION IS EVERYWHERE
Online platforms open up access to learning that is accessible, low cost, and practical.
Colleges need to step away from the herd in meaningful ways. That doesn’t mean they have to throw away all the markings of the legacy model, but it does require a real distinction in the marketplace.
–Jeff Selingo, Best-selling Author
MCAD’S VISION, VALUES, AND MISSION
IN AN EVOLVING WORLD
VISION
Minneapolis College of Art and Design emboldens creative leaders to collaboratively transform society through equity, empathy, and imagination.
VALUES
+ Transformational Ideas and Actions that emerge from the intersection of creativity, culture, and equity.
+ Collaborative Community that supports both independent achievements and collective successes.
+ Empathetic Leadership that integrates humility, inclusivity, curiosity, and foresight to fuel change.
+ Multifaceted and Complex Identities that embody diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
+ Experiential Learning that embraces generative processes, critical discourse, and an iterative methodology to achieve academic, institutional, and individual excellence.
MISSION
Minneapolis College of Art and Design provides a transformative education for creative students of all backgrounds to work, collaborate, and lead with confidence.
MCAD STUDENTS BECOME:
+ Accomplished makers and scholars
+ Equity-minded problem solvers
+ Critical, conceptual thinkers
+ Inclusive, collaborative partners
+ Empathic listeners
+ Creative storytellers
+ Engaged citizens within a global context
OUR GUIDING BELIEF
Creative, Cultural Leadership unleashes the power of all art and design practitioners to change society by imagining what’s possible – through new ideas, creative expression, experimentation, collaboration, and action.
LAURA FULK ’07
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADER
Laura Fulk is an advocate for sustainability and inclusiveness in fashion, both as a technical designer at Target and as an independent fashion designer. Her volunteer work with the blind community influenced her creative practice as she learned about the ways blindness can influence an individual’s approach to and experience with clothing. “With any kind of volunteering, you kind of end up getting more out of it than you put in. I feel like everyone should be doing that, or using what they know to make change, to do good.” Laura is currently working on a project to develop apparel that functions comfortably with adaptive equipment, such as wheelchairs.
ROSHAN GANU ’20, MFA
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADER
Roshan Ganu is a comic artist and mixed media storyteller who investigates themes of identity, immigration, and isolation. She regularly engages the Minneapolis community with public art projects, including Aapli Library , a zine library that prioritizes personal narratives, as well as the Banyan Tree Project, an ongoing storytelling and listening project. With her work in miniatures, Roshan encourages the viewer to imagine and associate what they see with how they feel; an attempt to find answers to the human condition in a fast-paced, globalized world. She is currently working on a multimedia composition for the Minnesota Opera, titled “Who are you?”
PIOTR SZYHALSKI
PROFESSOR, MEDIA ARTS CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADER
Polish-born, US-based multimedia artist Piotr Szyhalski’s works move between installation, performance, moving image, painting, photography, drawing, sound, and design to explore issues related to human ecology and extreme historical phenomena. Szyhalski’s ongoing Labor Camp project (1998–) celebrates the beauty and dignity of labor through visual art, music, posters, printed ephemera, performance, and public actions. In March 2020, he embarked on a daily drawing practice, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as it unfolded in real time. What began as a way for the artist to share observations of life in lockdown and the pain caused by the pandemic, soon became an exercise in chronicling his thoughts and feelings, reconciling them with the changes being wrought in the world.
Commissioned works include projects for Wim Mertens Quartet in Brussels, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, VocalEssence, Ingenuity Cleveland, Zero One San Jose, IN Light Indianapolis, Northern Spark Festival, and Eastern State Penitentiary (2017), among others. Szyhalski is the recipient of the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Visual Artists (2009 and 2017).
AMIT TISHLER ’12
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADER
Animator Amit Tishler spent his early career writing, animating, and producing for shows on Cartoon Network, HBO, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, and directed a variety of projects for clients such as Pfizer and Lifeguard Games. In 2017, he co-founded Pop Base, a gamified platform that teaches kids how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. PopBase was recently acquired by Pure Imagination Studios, leading to Amit’s current role as a creative director in the company’s interactive entertainment division.
ANDRES GUZMAN ’09
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADER
In the summer of 2020, illustrator Andres Guzman created a heartfelt illustration of George Floyd, an attempt to restore much-needed humanity to the suddenly famous figure. Andres then shared a transparent file of the drawing on social media, making it available to download for anyone who wanted to use it—which spread across the globe as far as Berlin, Nairobi, and Syria. “People have been remixing the image, and appropriating it in their own way, which has taken on its own life,” Andres says. “For me, visuals are my communication language, and my goal is always to triangulate messages—to try and be a megaphone for something.”
JULIA BUFFALOHEAD ’95
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADER
Julia Buffalohead is a painter whose work explores the Indian cultural experience through personal metaphor and narrative, drawing from traditional stories while contextualizing motifs of cultural identity. Her paintings juxtapose evolving representations of animal spirit, deer, and coyote forms—who are caught within the human condition, often tragic and comedic—and speak to issues of commercialization of Native culture.
MCAD’S ADAPTIVE STRATEGIC PLAN
A PATH TO SUCCESS AMIDST TECTONIC SHIFTS
OVERARCHING IMPERATIVES
STRATEGIC GROWTH
Growth expands MCAD’s reach and scale and, in turn, supports greater sustainability and impact.
EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION
Affirming a culture of excellence and experimentation is essential to respond to evolving forces.
SOCIAL IMPACT
MCAD has a responsibility to steward its resources and apply creative talents in partnership with others to solve critical challenges.
FOUNDATIONAL + TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES
For this strategy to be successful, it must include both foundational and transformational changes. Together, these changes chart the new path for MCAD and help distinguish its unique character and value. The priorities are not symmetrical, but balanced and interconnected. Our ability to make progress depends on synergy across the college.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
1.
TRANSFORMATIONAL CURRICULA & PROGRAMS
Embrace a plurality of knowledge through transdisciplinary approaches to curricula, programs, and co-curricular opportunities, and increase flexibility in support of individual student needs and success.
2. THRIVING, SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE
Evolve as an enterprise, investing in our people, systems, and culture to be agile, innovative, and resilient. Invest in the future of the college with a commitment to economic and environmental sustainability.
3. RADICALLY ACCESSIBLE & INCLUSIVE COLLEGE
Celebrate diversity and reduce barriers so that everyone in our community can be their authentic and best selves. This commitment embraces all aspects of MCAD experience including varied identities and abilities, mental health, affordability, pedagogy, and physical accessibility.
4. DYNAMIC, RECIPROCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Equip internal and external communities to cultivate mutually beneficial initiatives and alliances.
INTERSECTIONAL PRIORITIES FOCUS THE WORK
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADERSHIP IS AT THE CENTER
1
2
TRANSFORMATIONAL CURRICULA & PROGRAMS RADICALLY ACCESSIBLE & INCLUSIVE COLLEGE
CREATIVE, CULTURAL LEADERSHIP
3
DYNAMIC, RECIPROCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
4
THRIVING & SUSTAINABLE INSTITUTION
PRIORITY 1: Transformational Curricula & Programs
STRENGTHEN ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND STUDENT CHOICE
Embrace a plurality of knowledge through transdisciplinary approaches to curricula, programs, and co-curricular opportunities, and increase flexibility in support of individual student needs and success.
GOAL 1 Create a culture and systems to support experimentation, iteration, and knowledge building.
GOAL 2 Holistically redesign first-year experience and foundation studies.
GOAL 3 Sharpen and expand academic offerings and access.
GOAL 4 Decolonize the curriculum.
GOAL 5 Increase full-time faculty in correlation to enrollment growth.
The heart of the plan is to enhance academic and co-curricular programs with a focus on student choice and success. We will align resources and reshape programs to attract and engage the most talented art and design students and faculty. We aim to be the preeminent art and design school that embraces the full spectrum of diverse learners. To sharpen our programs, we seek to increase the number of faculty and better support them in their work.
GOAL 1
CREATE CULTURE AND SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT EXPERIMENTATION, ITERATION, AND KNOWLEDGE BUILDING
+ Develop institutional learning outcomes.
+ Increase transdisciplinary approaches across all academic programs.
+ Transform Online Learning into a teaching and learning lab to expand course development across in-person, online, and HyFlex modalities.
+ Strengthen program planning and curricular development processes with integrated course and program assessment.
+ Implement developmental evaluation measures for greater use of both qualitative and quantitative data in decision making.
+ Increase support for faculty and staff professional development.
GOAL 2
HOLISTICALLY REDESIGN FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE AND FOUNDATION STUDIES
+ Support new director in shepherding this work.
+ Solidify Foundation Studies as a center of excellence to support student learning and success throughout MCAD and beyond.
+ Enact real-world, community-based learning opportunities in the firstyear experience and throughout the entire undergraduate curriculum.
+ Establish structures to support Communities of Practice to enable a cohort model of peer-to-peer learning and support.
+ Collaborate with Student Affairs to strengthen co-curricular activities and advising.
+ Develop foundation-year learning outcomes and utilize assessment methods to strengthen students’ first-year experience.
GOAL 3
SHARPEN AND EXPAND ACADEMIC OFFERINGS AND ACCESS
+ Analyze all programs to identify curricular redundancies, absences, and/or opportunities.
+ Integrate sustainability and climate-change content across the curriculum and embrace sustainable practices in all programs, courses, and studios.
+ Integrate technological advancements and their impact on society more broadly into the curriculum. Examples may include coding, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, automation, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality/Extended Reality, and other emergent technologies.
+ Integrate content from Entrepreneurial Studies and Creative Leadership into the undergraduate education.
+ Reimagine professional practice courses.
+ Integrate Design programs within a single department to build on relational strengths.
+ Research and establish new program opportunities at undergraduate and master levels.
+ Increase online and HyFlex courses offered to undergraduate and MFA students.
GOAL 4
DECOLONIZE THE CURRICULUM
+ Embrace diverse perspectives and histories beyond the established western cannon.
+ Build upon diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and expand to all courses and syllabi.
+ Continue to expand anti-racism and anti-oppression training for faculty with a focus on curricular development.
+ Actively engage discourse with peers across academic and cultural institutions to ensure these efforts are done effectively and to strengthen institutional learning outcomes.
GOAL 5
INCREASE FULL-TIME FACULTY IN CORRELATION TO ENROLLMENT GROWTH
+ Diversify the faculty to be reflective of our student body.
+ Increase equitable distribution of advising and work across faculty.
+ Support pedagogical experimentation to increase dynamic, responsive, and transdisciplinary learning opportunities.
GOALS
SUPPORT A CULTURE OF EXPERIMENTATION, ITERATION, AND KNOWLEDGE BUILDING
INDICATORS
+ Define Institutional Learning Outcomes
+ Incorporate Online Learning into Teaching and Learning Lab
+ Increase number of courses meeting twice a week
+ Integrate design disciplines
ACCOUNTABILITY LEAD
VP of Academic Affairs
HOLISTICALLY REIMAGINE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE AND FOUNDATION STUDIES
EXPAND ACADEMIC OFFERINGS AND ACCESS
+ Create communities of practice for all first-year students
+ Define Foundation Learning Outcomes
+ Offer community-engaged learning opportunities for all students
+ Increased number of minors offered
+ Increased online and HyFlex courses offered
+ Reduce number of required courses
+ Launch MA in Creative Leadership
+ Propose and launch new programs
+ Create a sustainability index for all courses
Director of Foundation Studies
Academic Cabinet
DECOLONIZE THE CURRICULUM
INCREASE FULL-TIME FACULTY IN CORRELATION TO ENROLLMENT GROWTH
+ Create and offer regular workshops for faculty
+ Conduct syllabi audit to ensure all courses include diverse perspectives
+ Integrate into course evaluations to measure effectiveness from student perspective
+ Increase number of full-time faculty
+ Increase diversity of faculty
+ Increase number of team-taught courses
Academic Cabinet
VP of Academic Affairs
PRIORITY 2: Radically Accessible & Inclusive College
INCREASE OVERALL SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS
Celebrate diversity and reduce barriers so that everyone in our community can be their authentic and best selves. This commitment embraces all aspects of MCAD experience including varied identities and abilities, mental health, affordability, pedagogy, and physical accessibility.
GOAL 1 Become the preeminent neurodiverse and universally designed art and design college.
GOAL 2 Create a more our holistic approach to student wellbeing.
GOAL 3 Increase financial support for students in need.
GOAL 4 Support student success, persistence, and completion.
The pursuit of radical accessibility and inclusion is central to MCAD’s differentiation. Under this approach, students need and expect holistic support for their physical and mental health. Addressing wellness–for students, faculty, and staff–is a critical priority and will be a key factor to attract, engage, and support our community.
GOAL 1
BECOME THE PREEMINENT NEURODIVERSE AND UNIVERSALLY DESIGNED ART AND DESIGN COLLEGE
+ Conduct feasibility study across the college for high-priority Universal Design for Learning (UDL) improvements.
+ Invest in developing universally accessible facilities and technology.
+ Build awareness and understanding within the broad MCAD community of neurodiversity, accessibility, and UDL so that community members feel included and supported.
+ Become compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design (ADA) across the college.
GOAL 2
CREATE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO STUDENT WELLBEING
+ Increase physical health and mental health resources and encourage self-care and wellness.
+ Expand peer-mentor networks of support.
+ Find innovative approaches to address food, housing, and other insecurities.
GOAL 3
INCREASE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS IN NEED
+ Pursue additional funding for scholarships for in-need students to support tuition and other expenses.
+ Grow responsive funding to meet student needs on a situational basis.
GOAL 4
SUPPORT STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, PERSISTENCE, AND COMPLETION
+ Increase self-advocacy and empowerment to promote academic success.
+ Strengthen undergraduate advising experience and create robust advisor training.
+ Expand academic advising to include coaching to support students in establishing achievable academic goals.
+ Increase internal and external partnerships with classroom presentations and the development of relationships with industry professionals to support career development, internships, and community engagement for students and alumni.
+ Promote degree completion through flexible scheduling and delivery options.
+ Increase student involvement in student assessment at all degree levels.
Retention will be more critical than ever for students, families, and institutions. College completion is not only essential to the mission of higher education, it will be increasingly important to the survival of colleges and universities...For first-generation students and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, completing college is essential to achieving economic success and social mobility.
RNL Report: 2021 National First-Year Students and Their Motivation to Complete College
GOALS
BECOME THE PREEMINENT NEURODIVERSE AND UNIVERSALLY DESIGNED ART AND DESIGN COLLEGE
INDICATORS
+ Complete a feasibility study
+ Remove barriers and stigmas for students to self-identify needs
+ Make available universal support for students
+ Add training and support for faculty and staff
+ Increase staffing for student support
ACCOUNTABILITY
+ VP of Student Affairs
+ President
TRANSFORM OUR HOLISTIC APPROACH TO STUDENT WELLBEING
INCREASE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS IN NEED
SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS, PERSISTENCE, AND COMPLETION
+ Increase Flourishing Scale measured by Healthy Minds Survey
+ Identify a series of initiatives to improve student wellbeing, such as sleep and walking
+ Host conversations and workshops to identify solutions for student insecurities, such as food and transportation
+ Increase amount and/or number of funded scholarships through philanthropy
+ VP of Student Affairs
+ CFO
+ VP of Academic Affairs
+ Maintain retention rates above 80%.
+ Increase persistence for years 2, 3, and 4 above 90%.
+ Increase faculty advisors to reduce number of advisees per faculty member (15 maximum),
+ Implement new Student Information System (SIS)
+ VP of Institutional Advancement
+ VP of Enrollment Management
+ VP of Student Affairs
+ VP of Academic Affairs
PRIORITY 3: Dynamic, Reciprocal Community Partnerships
INVEST IN DYNAMIC, RECIPROCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT FURTHER UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATIVE SOCIAL IMPACT
Equip internal and external communities to cultivate mutually beneficial initiatives and alliances.
GOAL 1 Position MCAD as a creative leader by broadening our capacity to address local, regional, national and global challenges.
GOAL 2 Equip the MCAD community with the tools and resources they need to advance equity, inclusion, and justice.
GOAL 3 Transform MCAD’s relationships with alumni to deepen lifelong learning, engagement, and community.
GOAL 4 Create responsive curricular and co-curricular opportunities for all MCAD students to engage with the broader community.
We are committed to openly and collectively address critical, social issues, such as entrenched barriers to equity and climate change. Our creative approach to problem solving and envisioning possibilities adds unique value to these important conversations, plans, and actions. This work includes strengthening our relationships with our alumni community, our neighbors, and other strategic partners.
GOAL 1
POSITION MCAD AS A CREATIVE LEADER BY BROADENING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES
+ Prioritize, develop, and evaluate local, regional, and national opportunities and synergistic partnerships that are mutually beneficial.
+ Commit institutional resources to maintain, develop, and cultivate community engagement opportunities.
+ Co-develop public content and programming that align with MCAD’s mission and values.
+ Gain broad public exposure for creative work, presentation, and conversations.
– Race & Design Lecture, Disability & Design Lecture, On Topic Podcast – Faculty and Alumni: Scholarship, Work, Awards – Students: Work, Awards
+ Incorporate relevant recommendations from MCAD’S Community Engagement Final Report 2019.
GOAL 2
EQUIP THE MCAD COMMUNITY WITH TOOLS AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO ADVANCE EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND JUSTICE
+ Develop a comprehensive plan and college-wide commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression work.
+ Assess individual cultural competence of staff, faculty, and board, using a validated assessment, such as the Intercultural Development Inventory, to help MCAD achieve anti-racism and anti-oppression goals.
+ Identify opportunities and support for professional and personal development to enhance intercultural competency.
GOAL 3
EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN MCAD’S RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALUMNI
+ Develop increased opportunities for alumni to engage within MCAD as well as the broader community.
+ Create pathways for alumni to leverage MCAD as a resource in their community-based work.
+ Strengthen and expand continual learning initiatives for alumni.
+ Increase early and mid-career support for alumni.
GOAL 4
CREATE RESPONSIVE CURRICULAR AND CO-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL MCAD STUDENTS TO ENGAGE WITH THE BROADER COMMUNITY
+ Develop infrastructure and resources to support ongoing communityengaged learning experiences for students inside and outside the classroom.
+ Grow community engagement opportunities for MCAD’s staff and faculty.
+ Establish community engagement learning outcomes, best practices, and methods of assessment.
GOALS
POSITION MCAD AS A CREATIVE LEADER BY BROADENING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES
INDICATORS
+ Gain broader media exposure
+ Attract national attendance at events/programming
+ Secure national funding
+ Increase number of invitations of faculty and others to participate in national and international conversations
ACCOUNTABILITY
L EA D
+ Director of Strategic Partnerships
EQUIP THE MCAD COMMUNITY WITH TOOLS AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO ADVANCE EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND JUSTICE
TRANSFORM MCAD’S RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALUMNI TO DEEPEN LONG-LASTING LEARNING, ENGAGEMENT, AND COMMUNITY
+ Establish baseline and measure progress
+ Apply for national certification
+ Continue to offer relevant training
+ Increase number of volunteer hours per employee
+ Establish engagement and satisfaction baselines and measure progress
+ Increase number of engaged alumni
+ Increase number of alumni donors
+ AVP of Human Resources
CREATE RESPONSIVE CURRICULAR AND COCURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL MCAD STUDENTS TO ENGAGE WITH THE BROADER COMMUNITY
+ Track courses with a community component
+ Increase international partnerships and programs
+ Grow funding earmarked for community engagement
+ Director of Alumni Relations
+ AVP of Academic Affairs
PRIORITY 4: Thriving, Sustainable Enterprise
STEWARD FINANCES, HUMAN RESOURCES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE SUSTAINABLE
Evolve as an enterprise, investing in our people, systems, and culture to be agile, innovative, and resilient. Invest in the future of the college with a commitment to economic and environmental sustainability.
GOAL 1 Assure financial stewardship and growth.
GOAL 2 Reinvigorate college-wide advancement efforts.
GOAL 3 Invest in campus and IT infrastructure for the future.
GOAL 4 Grow student recruitment and enrollment.
GOAL 5 Elevate the brand.
GOAL 6 Improve employee engagement, wellbeing, and operational systems.
GOAL 7 Reposition board of trustees to align with strategic priorities.
This plan requires both capital and operational investments. Growing to 1000 students will change the college’s financial model and allow us to support students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds while attracting more full-pay students. Capital investments will focus on housing, academic buildings, and strategic energy solutions. From a human resources perspective, we will better support staff to do their best work. We will continue to research the optimal funding mechanisms to deliver these essential improvements. Untapped cash reserves create the pipeline to fund transformational priorities. It is essential that MCAD invest to strengthen the college’s value proposition.
GOAL 1
ASSURE FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP AND GROWTH
+ Develop a comprehensive operating and capital budget.
+ Revisit the operating budget annually to align with strategic goals and initiatives.
+ Model tuition and discounts to yield net tuition growth over the next three years.
+ Work with Academic Affairs to assess the profitability or ROI of current academic programs and initiatives.
+ Evaluate and leverage potential partnerships to consolidate or outsource costs to foster operational efficiency and savings.
+ Invest in and leverage new administrative software solutions to optimize.
– Electronic workflow to eliminate inefficient manual processes.
– Automatic integration of data across various solutions to provide transparency and foster better collaboration across departments.
– Timely and on-demand reporting of financial data to enable better decision-making and financial agility.
+ Research alternative financing options, income sources, and revenue streams.
+ Identify key financial metrics to benchmark and measure performance.
GOAL 2
REINVIGORATE COLLEGEWIDE ADVANCEMENT EFFORTS
+ Build greater Institutional Advancement capacity.
– Increase transformational philanthropic gifts.
– Cultivate and grow foundation support.
– Hire new Vice President of Institutional Advancement.
– Increase MCAD board participation in fundraising.
+ Develop and launch MCAD’s next philanthropic campaign after completing a feasibility study.
+ Increase corporate philanthropy, sponsored studios, and global opportunities.
GOAL 3
INVEST IN CAMPUS AND IT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE
+ Develop Campus and IT Master Plan to define future needs (9 months).
– Assess needs for additional academic space on campus.
– Identify plan to move MFA program to campus.
– Prioritize Sustainability in both campus and IT planning.
– Quantify need for increased campus housing.
– Prioritize single-point failure (SPF) investment.
– Review IT Platform and Security.
– Identify software upgrade investments.
– Enhance IT support to internal constituents.
+ Prioritize Sustainability in both campus and IT planning.
– Develop strategic energy solution that reduces MCAD’s carbon footprint yearly costs, and addresses climate change.
– Build utility plant with redundancy that focuses on MCAD carbon impact and renewable energy.
+ Campus Construction (12-48 months)
– Secure funding for campus construction and SPF R&R
– Address 50% of SPF priority in 24 months from master plan submission.
– Address remaining 50% in following 36 months with new construction.
– Build utility plant with redundancy that focuses on MCAD carbon impact and renewable energy.
– Add additional campus academic space.
– Construct new campus housing facility and explore inclusion of a community space.
GOAL 4
INCREASE STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION
+ Conduct rigorous analysis on collegewide impact and opportunities with expansion of enrollment to 1000 students.
+ Invest in capital improvements to attract and retain students of all backgrounds to the matriculated and non-credit programs.
+ Support initiatives to elevate the MCAD brand and presence nationally and internationally for recruitment efforts.
+ Continue to improve efforts to maintain retention rate above 80% and a persistence rate of 90%.
TO BUILD BRAND PREFERENCE, MCAD NEEDS TO
GENERATE PRICING POWER
% CHANGE IN ENROLLENT
$1,000 increase in tuition
$1,000 increase in aid
Financial aid has greater influence on the enrollment decision than tuition for prospects and inquiries considering MCAD.
TUITION & FINANCIAL AID DISCOUNT RATE
Discount rates have been slowly increasing.
RNL Pricing Study, 2021
GOAL 5
ELEVATE MCAD BRAND
+ Institute new brand identity and positioning across all channels.
+ Grow awareness and interest of MCAD in new and existing markets through paid, earned, and owned channels.
+ Increase investment in marketing and talent; benchmark against similar colleges.
+ Centralize marketing planning and budgets for more efficient and strategic use of resources.
+ Prioritize markets and audiences–undergraduate recruits, continuing education students, and masters online recruits.
+ Grow digital capabilities and performance.
GOAL 6
IMPROVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, COLLABORATION, AND WELLBEING
+ Support growth, care, and retention of employees and collaborative culture.
+ Recruit and hire for diversity of identity, experience, and thought.
+ Increase training experiences including, but not limited to: Leadership and Management, Leading Remote Teams, Resilience and Adaptability, Equity and Inclusion, and Individual Development Plans.
+ Build internal processes and operations to be more collaborative, cross-departmental, transparent, adaptive, and agile.
GOAL 7
POSITION BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ALIGN WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
+ Become board of choice for leaders aligned with MCAD’s dynamic vision and mission.
– Cultivate people with interest in higher education, arts and social impact who have influence in Minneapolis and beyond.
+ Partner with executive leadership to secure funding to implement strategic priorities.
– Participate actively in fundraising campaign and other philanthropic initiatives.
– Support cultivation of corporate partnerships and foundations.
– Evaluate and approve investment vehicles.
– Allocate cash reserves as needed.
+ Align board composition to support strategic needs and reflect diverse cultures, experiences, and expertise.
– Develop board needs matrix and trustee profile based on specific criteria.
– Expand national network for board cultivation.
+ Incorporate best practices to improve board policies, practices, accountabilities, and succession planning.
GOALS
ASSURE FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP AND GROWTH
INDICATORS
+ Complete Capital Plan
+ Implement new efficient software
+ Increase net tuition per student
+ Establish and test profitability and efficiency benchmarks
ACCOUNTABILITY L EA D + CFO
REINVIGORATE COLLEGEWIDE ADVANCEMENT EFFORTS
INVEST IN CAMPUS AND IT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE
INCREASE STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION
+ Launch Campaign after feasibility study
+ Increase staffing
+ Increase corporate partnerships and giving
+ Increase philanthropic participation and giving
+ Complete Master Plan
+ Secure funding
+ Complete construction
+ Grow student enrollment to 1,000 students
+ Increase out of state enrollment above 50%
+ Maintain retention rate above 80%
+ Attain persistence rate above 90%
+ Maintain income diversity of more than 35% PELL students each year
+ VP of Institutional Advancement
+ CFO
+ CFO
+ VP of Enrollment Management
GOALS
ELEVATE MCAD BRAND
INDICATORS
+ Improve organic search
+ Improve digital marketing effectiveness
+ Increase website performance
+ Increase lead generation
+ Garner more press exposure and reach
+ Meet or exceed event attendance goals
ACCOUNTABILITY
L EA D
+ VP of Communications and Marketing Strategy
IMPROVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, COLLABORATION, AND WELLBEING
POSITION BOARD TO ALIGN WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
+ Increase employee satisfaction
+ Build diverse staff and faculty
+ Increase use of online training tools
+ Increase use of Voluntary Time Off (VTO)
+ Complete best practices research and implement changes to policies and practices.
+ Conduct annual board selfassessment and improvement plan.
+ CFO
+ Board Chair
+ CEO
+ Governance Committee
TIMELINE
JANUARY - MAY 2021
+ Conducted original discovery and analysis
JUNE - AUGUST 2021
+ Strategic insight and recommendations provided by CFO
+ Held in-person strategy workshops with MJ Kaplan.
+ Hosted insight meetings with board.
+ Developed budgets associated with plan.
+ Continued cross-functional strategy development
+ Completed initial brand roll out.
SEPTEMBER 2021
+ Refined content, sharpened focus, and tested ideas.
+ Identified diverse funding avenues including campaign and debt.
OCTOBER 2021
+ Plan review and approval with MCAD Board of Trustees
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2021
+ Feasibility analysis (scope, quality, and cost).
+ Outline phased operational plans and priorities.
+ Establish team leads, timelines, and metrics.
JANUARY 2022
+ Present strategic plan to MCAD and external community
+ Establish cadence for continuous review and adaptation.
STRATEGY GLOSSARY
PRIORITY
Inter-connected thematic focus that applies to the whole college
Example: Enlivened community partnerships
GOAL
Specific, transparent milestone that is lofty, but not impossible to reach
See: FAST Goals
Example: Assure financial stewardship and growth.
OBJECTIVE
Significant, concrete, action-oriented, and inspirational statements of what is to be achieved. (see: Measure What Matters)
Example: Develop institutional learning outcomes.
INDICATOR
Specific measure that points toward achievement of the goal. Regular assessment of indicators leads to adjustments of objectives and interventions based on learning
Example: Maintain retention rates above 80%.
ACCOUNTABILITY LEAD
The person(s) responsible for aligning resources, coordinating teams, engaging stakeholders who contribute to the goal, and assessing progress and need for improvement
Example: Academic Cabinet
FOUNDATIONAL GOALS
Ongoing goals and objectives that are required to operate successfully and continuously improve
Example: Increase overall support for students.
TRANSFORMATIONAL GOALS
New initiatives that differentiate the college and accelerate its success and impact
Example: Enhance MCAD’s reputation as a creative leader in addressing regional, national, and global challenges.
HIGHER EDUCATION TERMS
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT STANDARDS FOR ACCESSIBLE DESIGN (ADA) COMPLIANCE
All electronic information and technology is accessible to those with disabilities.
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES OF ART AND DESIGN (AICAD)
A non-profit consortium of 41 leading art schools in the US and Canada, formed to help strengthen the member colleges individually and collectively, and to inf orm the public about the value of studying art and design.
FLOURISHING SCALE
Brief summary measure of a respondent’s self-perceived success in areas such as relationships, self-esteem, purpose and optimism. A high score represents a person with many psychological resources and strengths.
HYFLEX MODALITIES
Course design model that presents the components of hybrid learning in a flexible course structure, giving students the option of attending in the classroom, participating online, or doing both with the option of changing their mode of attendance weekly, by topic, or according to need or preference.
NEURODIVERSE LEARNER
A student with academic challenges or learning differences related to conditions such dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, autism spectrum disorder, and Tourette syndrome.
PELL GRANT
A federal grant that provides assistance to eligible undergraduates students with demonstrated financial need to meed education expenses.
PERSISTENCE
Continual, uninterrupted enrollment of a student in a program, eventually leading to a college degree. Persistence and retention are commonly used interchangeably. However, traditional retention is the enrollment of a new freshmen student from the first fall to the second fall only, while persistence refers to continuous enrollment throughout the program. Commonly used as an indicator of student success.
RETENTION
A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program from one year to the next, expressed as a percentage. For fouryear institutions, this is the percentage of first-time freshmen who are seeking a BA from the previous fall and are again enrolled in the current fall.
UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL)
An approach to teaching and learning that offers all students equal opportunity to succeed by offering flexibility in the ways they access materials and show what they know.
END NOTES
1. Sanjit Sethi and Elliot Felix, “Debunking Six Continuing Fallacies of Higher Education”, University World News, April 1, 2021
2. Todd Leach, “Colleges May Have Survived COVID...But Surviving Post-COVID May Prove More Difficult”, New England Board of Education, February 12, 2021
3. The State of Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities in 2021, Pricewaterhouse Cooper, Spring 2021
4. Ciara Nugent, “The Unexpected Ways Climate Change is Reshaping College Education”, Time, April 16, 2021
5. Alex Khasnabish and Max Haiven, “Why Social Movements Need the Radical Imagination”, Open Democracy, July 22, 2014
6. RNL Report: 2021 National First-Year Students and Their Motivations to Complete College
7. Jeff Selingo, “What Last Fall for College Students Means for the Autumns Ahead”, NEXT: The Future of Higher Education, September 28, 2021
8. Donald Sull and Charles Sull, “With Goals, FAST Beats SMART”, MIT Management Review, June 5, 2018
9. John Doerr, What Matters.com
Cultural equity has two parts: a right to have one’s stories told, and the responsibility to know other people’s stories. With this recommitment to cultural equity, MCAD is investing in both halves of that compact and will be a place of affirmation, connection, and exchange.
-Jamie Bennett Executive Director, ArtPlace
