Beach 2030: Leadership and Projects

1a. Conduct climate surveys of campus community faculty, staff, and students.

     i. Empower the President’s Equity and Change Commission, Human Resources, Academic Senate, Staff Council, and ASI to engage faculty, staff and students in developing actions aimed at mitigating negative findings and enhancing positive findings.

• Division of Academic Affairs
• Office of Faculty Affairs
• Division of Student Affairs
• Office of Human Resources
• Associated Students, Inc.
• Academic Senate and Climate committee
• Presidents Commission on Equity & Change
• Executive Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

These actions align with the goals of the 2020 presidential Equity and Action report, and can be considered the academic and cultural component of our campus’ commitment to anti-racist action.

Effecting change in campus culture requires consistent focus and responsiveness to the evolving needs of the campus community. Measuring and assessing progress and prioritizing the most impactful initiatives will require sustained administrative stamina to drive this work.

When diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are infused in the campus culture at the operational level, we are better able to support groups who are disproportionately impacted by challenges like COVID-19.

2a. Identify/Charge a representative steering committee to engage faculty, staff and students in implementing evidence-based practices to remove barriers to access and close gaps in retention and graduation. 

• Division of Faculty Affairs
• Division of Student Affairs
• Office of Human Resources
• Academic Senate and Climate Committee
• Associated Students, Inc.
• Enrollment Management

Our institution profits when our campus population reflects the highly diverse region we serve. We must embrace diversity of thought, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and ability, as well as cultural, political, religious or other affiliations.

Effecting positive cultural change will require resources, focus and stamina, as well as clear priorities and accountability. Removing barriers to access requires more than enhanced recruiting; it includes improving climate and culture, addressing educational inequities for underrepresented students, and implementing data-informed solutions over time.

Budget constriction due to COVID-19 will exacerbate challenges for several years. Success will require keen prioritization and tapping into faculty and staff expertise for quality programming.

3a. Develop and implement a holistic, sustained professional development program for all faculty and staff members, in which diversity, equity, anti-racism, inclusion and belonging are infused and an understanding of how social and cultural factors influence interactions with students and colleagues is enhanced, and builds understanding and trust through cross-divisional collaborations to improve the climate. 

• Division of Faculty Affairs
• College Deans
• Office of Equity and Diversity
• Academic Senate and Climate Committee
• Presidents Commission on Equity and Change
• Office of Human Resources
• Faculty Center

A sustained professional development program in which diversity, equity, anti-racism, inclusion and belonging are infused will enhance our institution’s understanding of how social and cultural factors influence interactions with students and colleagues, and help fortify our institution against bias.

While periods of budget constriction may slow the development of a new program, cultural change begins at a grass-roots level. The effort will require the commitment of every member of our campus community, led by the Executive Team in collaboration with leaders of all divisions and academic units.

We proudly state that “diversity is our strength,” recognizing that diversity and diverse points of view create challenges for easy solutions and consensus while ultimately resulting in unimagined benefits and opportunities.

• Division of Student Affairs
• Division of Academic Affairs
• Associated Students, Inc.
• Student Cultural Resource Centers
• Residential Life Offices
• Beach Nexus mentoring platform

Our student-serving divisions have many introductory and supplemental resources already in effect; assessing and coordinating their efforts will create a more focused, efficient, and personalized support system for students transitioning to college and professional life, and will create opportunities to deepen student data to inform services.

Anticipating budget challenges in the early 2020s, keen resource management, realigning of existing programs, and leveraging data will be critical to developing cost-effective engagement activities.

A healthy and engaged campus community is a key component of a healthy campus climate. The satisfaction and success of constituents helps ensure enrollment and retention numbers remain strong even in times of social challenges and economic uncertainty.

• Division of Student Affairs
• Student Recreation & Wellness Center
• Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
• Academic Departments
• Club sports
• Athletics
• Alumni outreach

Providing robust and comprehensive wellbeing resources enhances all aspects of students’ academic and personal lives. With dozens of resources currently available on campus, an audit and strategic consolidation of efforts can ensure these resources reach the students who need them.

Surveys show that, while student awareness of wellbeing resources is high, participation is often low, and students can be overwhelmed with uncoordinated communications efforts. Coordinating offerings and communication regarding sensitive subjects can help drive engagement and participation.

Health and wellbeing must be a priority in the COVID-19 era and beyond. Providing students with continuous resources and strategic communications will help reduce anxiety and improve all other outcomes.

3a. Create alternate credentialing pathways (alternative and interdisciplinary degrees, certifications, stackable modules, meta majors).
 
3b. Guarantee high-impact practices for every student (internships, study abroad, service-learning, research, proactive advising).
 
3c. Match campus level of technology with needs of incoming students.
 
     • Provide technology and training that is on par with what is used in high schools, junior colleges and the modern workforce.
 
3d. Provide access to necessary technology to all students

• Division of Academic Affairs
• Division of Information Technology
• Academic Technology Services
• Center for Community Engagement
• Career Development Center
• Dean of Student Success

Providing a wide variety of academic models and pathways, credentials, and high-impact practices will attract a greater diversity of traditional and non-traditional students, create opportunities to supplement the budget, strengthen our ties to industry, and give students the tools to succeed in an ever-evolving modern workforce.

New high-impact practices may face resistance within the institution if they appear to contradict conventional practices. Similarly, new academic models may appear to prioritize workforce-readiness over scholarly pursuits. Training faculty and staff to implement high-impact practices and new academic models will require concentrated effort. New offerings will likely require supplemental revenue models.

“Conventional” wisdom suggests that enrollment in advanced degrees declines in a good economy, but the coming decade promises uncertainty in terms of economy, workforce, and public health. Having relevant advanced and stackable forms of learning such as micro-credentials will attract new audiences and offer students flexibility in an uncertain environment.

1a. Expand categories of faculty (clinical faculty, faculty of practice, etc.) to attract and strengthen the faculty talent pool and to diversify the portfolio of curricular offerings.

• California Faculty Association
• College Deans
• Faculty Affairs
• Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Retention, Tenure and Promotion Policies

By expanding the categories of faculty at the university, we will be better able to attract an instructional faculty that reflect both the curricula of the future and the types of programs demanded by our constituents.

Implementing new faculty categories will require revising and expanding the definitions and descriptors of “faculty” in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This may add complexity to what is currently a simple system with two categories of faculty.

Dramatic shifts in the world of work will not be limited to the COVID-19 era; as demand for online and alternative offerings increases, faculty skills and qualifications must likewise respond. Expanding faculty lines will ensure that CSULB maintains a competitive talent pool to prepare students for the workforce of the future. Non-traditional faculty may be sourced from industry partners with financial arrangements that offset hiring costs.

2a. Revise university Retention, Tenure and Promotion (RTP) policies to allow tenure candidates to place differential emphasis on the three components of tenure review; Encourage colleges and departments to review their RTP policies with similar considerations.

2b. Reward interdisciplinary collaborations in support of our values. 

2c. Reward intellectual achievement in response to grand challenges in the communities we serve. 

• Retention, Tenure and Promotion Policies
• Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Academic Senate Policy on faculty awards
• California Faculty Association
• College Deans
• Faculty Affairs

As we allow greater autonomy in tenure and promotion, we empower our faculty to engage each other across disciplines, strengthen our ties to community in terms of research, teaching, and service, and redefine what it means to be a faculty member at CSULB.

Redefining the idea of the teacher-scholar at the CSU and CSULB levels will challenge current expectations for tenure.

The ability to redefine faculty roles allows us to be responsive to the changing demands on higher education institutions over time. There will always be a place for traditional teacher-scholar models in our university, but as the world of work changes, we must expand the faculty body to include those with the skills and experience to prepare a workforce of the future.

3a. Form a working committee to develop recommendations for new department and college organizational structures that best support interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship, creative activities, and community engagement.

• Academic Senate Policies
• Retention, Tenure and Promotion Policies
• Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Existing administrative structures within Departments (Chairs, ASCs, technology)
• California Faculty Association
• College Deans
• Department Chairs and Directors

Reimagining department and college structures provides the opportunity to enhance interdisciplinarity in teaching, research, creative activity, and service.  The goal is to foster an environment for faculty to collaborate across disciplines to explore new opportunities for intellectual pursuits.

Disciplinary models are often ingrained in department and faculty identity, and implementing new, future-oriented disciplinary models will require careful development of, or transition away from, traditional models. All developments must be done with full transparency and representation of faculty and departments, with a clear goal of increasing faculty autonomy and opportunities.

Reimagining department and college structures will create more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and nimble restructuring of degrees and programs in response to the needs of students and the workforce, ultimately empowering departments and faculty to better tackle emerging social issues and grand challenges.

1a. Create an institutional structure modeled after the Faculty Center that offers opportunities for staff to develop their skills for the future and to seek career advancement at CSULB.

1b. Develop infrastructure and organization to support telecommuting.  

1c. Invest in hardware and support services for flexible schedules and 24/7 service.

• Staff Human Resources Offices
  • Training
  • Classification
  • Employee Relations
• Staff Council
• University Library
• Beach Building Services
• Academic Technology Services
• Division of Information Technology

Developing alternative work arrangements for staff will lay the foundation for expanding instruction and student resources beyond traditional work formats. With telecommuting already in place across campus, now is the time to refine guidelines and expectations as they pertain to job function and efficacy. Reducing on-campus staff will also reduce parking congestion and commuting time, thereby contributing to our campus’ climate goals. Some offices already have these practices in place. Hence, we have an opportunity to formalize the process for all who want to engage in this strategy.

The implementation learning curve might dissuade managers from embracing alternative work formats. Assumed efficiency problems may also keep managers from even attempting to adopt a new format, which will lead to increased feelings of inequity among staff among those who are able, and those who are not able to adjust their work format.

COVID-19 has illuminated and exacerbated the need for a more formalized alternative work format, such as telecommuting or alternative hours. This will not be the last crisis that will hit California. An earthquake can significantly damage buildings and workspaces, and flooding has been an issue in the past. Being prepared to transition or having staff already participating will be invaluable as crises appear in the future.

2a. Create an inventory of staff wellness, service, and mentorship programs as well as opportunities to serve on campus committees and other activities, and establish a method for communicating this information to all staff.

2b. Create a shared resource pool to help reduce disparity between departments, colleges, and units who cannot generate discretionary funds.

• Office of Human Resource Management
• Staff Council
• ASMs

As staff members are empowered, incentivized, and engaged in a culture of collaboration and community, greater campus citizenship can be extolled to our students as a downstream effect. Campus initiatives will see greater participation and students and staff will want to be on campus more regularly, which can also enhance feelings of well-being and sense of belonging.

Morale and retention will decline during crises, but increasing the ‘reserves’ of satisfaction and morale ahead of time can help weather the storms.

3a. Explore physical and digital spaces where staff and faculty subject matter experts can share best practices and trainings.

3b. Reevaluate the efficacy of performance evaluations as a tool for professional development and advancement.

3c. Explore additional merit-based incentives and cross-union skill sharing (SSP and ASC training).

• Office of Human Resources
• Ally Training
• Faculty Center for Professional Development
• Chancellor’s Office series / resources training
• Data Fellows
• Leadership Fellows
• Beach Building Services
• Academic Technology Services
• CSU Employees Union 

Supporting intellectual achievement, career advancement, and professional development will allay concerns of inversion and improve morale, institutional knowledge, and retention. Sustained intellectual growth will also bring innovation and success to the campus as an increasingly competitive environment.

Advancement and compensation for new skills will require substantial investment. Revamping Performance Evaluations will also encounter complications with union contracts and parity/equity across classifications and positions.

Having a repository for best practices and implementations that can be referenced will make future crises even more manageable. Because the Office of Human Resources undertakes many responsibilities during such events, allocating additional resources would be instrumental to prepare for and respond to future crises.

1a. Diversify and expand portfolio of non-stateside curricular offerings to address the needs of non-traditional learners and the workforce of the future (stackable credentials, certificates, etc.).

1b. Expand credit-for-experience protocols in high-demand disciplines.

• College of Professional & International Education
• Existing corporate and community partner programs within Colleges.
• The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• New Industry and community partners
• Course shells for independent study that could be tailored for experiential learning credit

Expanding CPIE to address needs not met by traditional state-side offerings can create additional revenue streams and synergies with the regional workforce. Co-creation of programming with regional partners is likely to strengthen partnerships across the institution and elevate CSULB’s mission for the public good. It is likely that innovations generated in this area can also be adopted for state-side learners (i.e., the development of certificates for working learners could also be offered through state-side structures to 4-year degree seeking students).

Workforce development, professional certificates, and co-created programming require specialized expertise that may not be prevalent among current faculty and administrative structures. This will require capacity development, investment, and parallel structures to accomplish this level of expertise. Growth in this area without state-support will mean that degree programs either have very small return margins or are priced higher than current tuition, which could limit access to some students. Online delivery expertise is also likely to be a key factor in success in this area, given both an increasingly competitive market and the need for time and location flexibility among non-traditional learners.

Economic downturn and a competitive, evolving labor market have increased demand for new skills and qualifications among 4-year degree holders and those seeking to re-enter the workforce in new industries, sectors, or careers. Curricular offerings that are tailored to regional labor needs will help catalyze economic growth in the region and ensure that CSULB continues to meet the needs of a rapidly changing workforce.

• Academic Technology Services
• Information Technology Services
• Academic Senate

Expanding virtual capacity advances CSULB’s ability to reach new (non-local) markets and to grow without constraints of physical capacity, benefitting both state-side and non-state-side learners. Models for success can already be found in the conversion to remote instruction in Spring 2020.

Developing alternative delivery infrastructure requires investment in technology and expertise, including instructional designers, faculty training experts, and specialized technology to address virtual labs, adaptive learning, and other online support systems. Growth in virtual student service will also be needed, such as advising, tutoring, financial aid, registration, and extra- curricular engagement.

CSULB has demonstrated ability to scale up alternative delivery infrastructure to address the immediate needs of Spring and Fall 2020. As we continue to expand infrastructure to serve more students, specific developments may be designed around the needs of an evolving education market (e.g., competition, demand, students’ desire for virtual vs. physical offerings, tuition parity, etc.).

3a. Develop a working group or other steering structure to evaluate, prototype, and execute a robust set of stateside and non-stateside programs off-campus.

• College of Professional & International Education
• Satellite campus(es)
• Community Colleges
• Downtown campus
• High school spaces
• Public spaces (city buildings leased to campus)
• Industry and community advisors
• Corporate embedded programs

Off-campus growth reduces campus congestion, further embeds our institution with the community, and creates opportunities for specialized programs (e.g., 2 + 2 programs targeting community college students who can’t access impacted programs on campus; corporate-embedded offerings for workplace instruction and internships).

Existing infrastructure can be extended to other locations (e.g., we are not starting from scratch to create new locations), existing corporate-embedded and off-campus locations within CPIE, CHHS and COE can serve as models, and current industry and community partners can advise on development.

If there is a growth in student demand as a result of an economic downturn, off-campus physical locations would also enable CSULB to meet this demand while reducing impaction on current campus locations.

1a. Create an institutional structure to develop grand challenge ideas and serve as an entry point for community input.

1b. Embed grand challenge structures within CSULB courses and student experiences, including research opportunities and non-research experiences such as internships, applied learning, and service learning.

1c. Create incentive structures and mechanisms for interdisciplinary faculty engagement and work that benefits the local community. 

1d. Reward faculty, staff, and students who engage in the scholarship of service. 

• Office of the President
• Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
• Dean of Student Success
• Office of Government & Community Relations
• College Deans

The many public, private, government, research, and academic partnerships that currently exist among CSULB’s divisions and colleges demonstrate the tremendous potential for success that cross-disciplinary concentration of resources can bring. Leveraging cross-disciplinary and cross-functional teams to address major societal challenges in the Long Beach region will allow CSULB to extend our intellectual, research, and business acumen into the community to solve the problems of tomorrow, today. To accomplish this, we will need to reimagine how we reach out to the community, identify problems to be researched, and how we approach solutions. These new alignments will drive internal structural and systems change for external benefit over the coming decade.

Centralizing and coordinating truly cross-disciplinary grand challenge programs will require careful allocation of resources, staffing, and leadership. To develop a culture around grand challenges, participation must be complimentary to current efforts, and not an additional strain on resources, and the sharing of partnership resources must never be a loss to one department, but a benefit to all.

Social and economic shifts are already taking place in the post-COVID world, and corporations and communities require creative solutions to novel challenges. The Grand Challenge infrastructure will send a clear message that CSULB is a resource with open doors and the intellectual capital to be a force for public good.

2a. Create a Beach Partnerships Collaborative to coordinate consulting, convening, and advancing of internal partnerships across campus.

2b. Create an institutional structure to centralize entry for external partnerships and track, streamline, and extend external partnerships across campus.

• Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
• Center for Community Engagement
• Office of Government & Community Relations
• College of Professional & International Education
• Existing partnerships and liaisons across campus:
  • Colleges (Deans)
  • Division of Administration & Finance (Procurement)
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • Auxiliaries
  • Athletics
  • Academic Senate
  • Associated Students, Inc.
  • Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

By coordinating CSULB’s extensive portfolio of internal and external partnerships, we are better able to extend and efficiently utilize existing partnerships in every discipline and department, and to increase the overall number of partnerships on campus. Focusing on these efforts will serve to market and further extend CSULB’s brand as a partner-focused institution to external stakeholders.

Often external parties feel overwhelmed by the number of offices individually reaching out to them and types of partnerships that can happen on campus. A coordinated effort on campus can help ensure the entire portfolio of opportunities available is properly communicated and stewarded.

Many partnerships across campus are currently decentralized and unit-specific, creating the potential for duplication of efforts if clear objectives are not established for the Collaborative. Though the use of existing structures will be essential to this effort, a macro-structure would require some funding to establish, as well as support for technology and development of infrastructure, websites, communications, CRM management, and performance tracking.

1a. Institutionalize Beach 2030 strategic planning processes:

• Develop goals and milestones for Beach 2030 Action Plans
• Establish funding and monitor return on investment (ROI) of Beach 2030 project(s) and strategic efforts
• Communicate and celebrate Beach 2030 actions and outcomes to all stakeholders
• Create a network of internal and external strategic planning stakeholders (e.g., Beach Futures Strategic Planning Committees)
• Develop infrastructure to plan and execute the next Beach Strategic Vision process for 2040

1b. Develop futures thinking capacity within organizational structures:

• Provide futures thinking training for faculty and staff with CSULB Beach 2030 specific materials and resources
• Create materials and resources for incorporating futures thinking into decision making and planning across the institution
• Create mechanisms to integrate, evaluate, and reward futures thinking (staff PD changes, futures thinking feedback loops, futures thinking staff recognition and staff champions)

• Vice Provost of Academic Planning
• Office of Faculty Affairs
• Director of Strategic Planning (AS Policy 01-08)
• Office of Human Resources
• Center for Professional Development
• BEACH 2030 Planning Team
• Institutional Research and Analytics

The BEACH 2030 planning process has already established some futures thinking infrastructure and expertise at CSULB and earned brand recognition for our forward-thinking campus. As we capitalize on that momentum and expand and institutionalize our futures thinking capacity, we will equip faculty and staff with CSULB-unique tools to execute our ambitious BEACH 2030 Action Plans in pursuit of our university’s Strategic Priorities.

To fully integrate futures thinking into organizational culture across campus, our traditionally siloed structures, departments, and units, particularly those responsible for trainings and professional development, must be synchronized and empowered to lead the charge. Acting on the commitment of Beach 2030 aspirations will require on-going commitment and coordination.  Administrative support and an institutional structure that coordinates these efforts will be essential to maintaining momentum into the decade.

Higher education institutions across the country are discussing how to best position themselves in an increasingly uncertain future. This effort would both build internal capacity to think strategically about the future and consistently channel campus-wide efforts toward long-term strategic priorities.

2a. Develop futures thinking curricula for students, utilizing existing structures such as SOAR and new modules, courses, minors, certificates, and internships in the discipline.

2b. Engage the community in foresight-related activities:

• Host events that bring stakeholders together around pressing issues such as Grand Challenges (futures thinking guest lectures, expert talks, Beach Futures conferences)
• Maintain communications with the community on these topics

2c. Develop interdisciplinary foresight capacity:

• Assemble a cross-institutional network of experts to conduct foresight study of pressing issues (Beach Grand Challenges, BEACH 2030 Actions, and other themes impacting higher education)
• Establish interdisciplinary support, funds, competitions, and incentives in this area
• Create foresight, data, and reports in support of Beach Grand Challenge efforts
• Produce a signature Beach 10-year Futures Forecast

• Vice Provost of Academic Planning
• Division of Academic Affairs
• Center for Community Engagement
• Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP)
• BEACH 2030 Planning Team
• Institutional Research

Futures thinking is an invaluable resource for our institution’s aspirations for interdisciplinarity, community engagement, and the public good – areas of primary focus within the BEACH 2030 dialogue.

In addition to equipping our campus to pursue its goals for 2030, institutionalizing futures thinking can generate revenue as an intellectual commodity. Courses in futures thinking can be extended through CPIE to non-CSULB students; conferences and futures thinking events can be hosted on campus; and consultation in foresight capacity can be provided to regional and corporate partners. There is a growing appetite for experts in futures thinking among organizations grappling with the same challenges that CSULB is tackling, and these skills can benefit businesses, institutions, organizations and students alike.

Each of the sub-themes within this effort are campus-wide and multi-year efforts that require the coordination of multiple units, divisions and external partners. Administrative support and an institutional structure to coordinate actions will be essential to directing these ongoing efforts and maintaining momentum into the decade.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for foresight and the capacity for nimble action in response to rapid change. By institutionalizing futures thinking among students, campus, and community partners, and by implementing strategic analysis of current signals and future trends, we help empower CSULB to grow in the face of challenge and shape a bright future.