Northeastern prides itself on being the most ethnically diverse university in the Midwest. They have a commitment to excellence, though it is not clearly defined.
Associate Provost Vicki Roman-Lagunas is working together with many other participants in coming up with a more clearly defined statement of values. “There is a strong commitment to our values, but they are not articulated.”
Roman-Lagunas said President Hahs set out to begin strategic planning so that this statement would be ready for the upcoming school year. “What we value as a community is very similar. Things like the value of diversity are on the top of everyone’s list…The Statement of Values is supposed to reflect the community as a whole. We want it to reflect what we all believe in and show what we are striving for, and that is a foundation that reflects who we are.”
The current draft begins with a statement that lets everyone know that the university is striving to ‘turn out’ graduates that are ready to become valuable and successful members of society.
The draft’s key values are excellence, access, community, diversity, integrity and empowerment through learning.
According to Roman-Lagunas, 350 different groups are represented in the university community and representatives from the student body and faculty were brought together to work on creating this list of values.
The groups were assigned the task of collectively making a list of values. After suggestions were taken, the groups were to pick three to five of the most important values and describe them. The groups were brought together to report to the main group.
After the first meeting of the group, a first draft was put together. It was put on the schools intranet (available only on campus at www.neiu.edu) and made available for feedback. All were welcome from faculty to students to view the draft and make comments.
The first draft was then taken off the intranet and is being reviewed. Roman-Algunas says that the group is looking for the best possible compilation that would express all of the university’s core values.
Open meetings were held at all of the NEIU locations, including El Centro and CCICS. Hahs was involved in each meeting and the goal was to gather feedback that would help put together a second draft and is currently available on the intranet for viewing and feedback.
After all meetings have come to an end the feedback will be incorporated into a polished final draft. That final draft will be brought before the SGA and The Faculty Senate Civil Service in order for them to affirm and approve it. “We have put forth a huge effort to gather feedback and we want members of our whole community here to participate,” says Roman-Lagunas.