The Executive Summary of the 2013 Periodic Review Report stated, “the college’s mission has remained consistently focused on providing workforce, career-oriented degrees grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation to a diverse student population” (Strategic Plan 2014-19). While our mission has changed little over the years, the mission statements have been adjusted periodically to reflect evolving contexts and circumstances. At the time of the 2008 decennial evaluation, the college’s Mission Statement had been in place for some time and one of the self-study suggestions was to reevaluate it (Strategic Plan May 2009). That did not happen, however, until the development of the 2014-2019 Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan 2014-19), which proposed a new statement of the mission, setting it in the current climate and emphasizing interdisciplinary thinking and innovation.

The first draft of the current Mission Statement was formulated by the 2014-2019 Strategic Planning Committee, made up of representation from college stakeholders and leadership who were involved in various collaborative initiatives across campus and well-positioned collectively to express our shared vision for the future [Strategic Planning Committee 2014-2019]. The draft Mission Statement was posted to the College Council website with a blog function for comments and discussion (Mission Statement Public Comment), and presented and discussed at regular campus meetings including the provost’s Council of Academic Affairs, the president’s Cabinet, the college Personnel & Budget Committee, Student Government, and the Executive and Personnel Committees of College Council (Mission Statement History). Following receipt of comments and based on this feedback, a revised Mission Statement was presented to College Council, the representative body for shared college governance, and approved at its February 28, 2017, meeting (College Council Minutes 02-28-17).

A further example of the collaborative process involved in defining the institutional mission is reflected in the individual mission statements developed by departments and units as a requirement of external accreditations or as a tool to define the goals and outcomes of programs for the benefit of students and constituents (Mission Statements of Individual Departments_Units). City Tech’s institutional mission guides these department and program mission statements. The African American Studies Department’s program, for example, is “designed to bring into disciplinary focus, through inter-departmental and multicultural course offerings in Liberal Arts and Sciences, the history and culture of Africans and their descendants throughout the diaspora from antiquity to the present” (AFR Studies Mission). The Hospitality Management Department’s mission is to “provide students with a hospitality career education that integrates applied management practices and theory with liberal arts and sciences” (Hospitality Management Program Review). The Architectural Technology Department “provides an innovative, progressive, nurturing environment that prepares students for advanced education and employment in architecture and related fields” (Architectural Technology Mission). Each academic department is focused on providing students with expertise they can use to establish careers and or continue their education at a higher level.

City Tech Pursues a Matrix of Goals. CUNY Performance Goals are derived from CUNY’s master plan, and are set and assessed annually through the university’s system wide PMP. The individual colleges annually establish a number of College Focus Goals, which are included in the annual PMP assessment. College Focus Goals are aligned with the longer-range College Strategic Goals, which are determined locally to address campus-level priorities. Program-Level Goals define the learning outcomes for individual degree programs and are measured at the department level. The college Education Goals are the general education student learning outcomes that address the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that all students should be able to demonstrate regardless of major.

CUNY Performance Goals. Since 2003 and under the leadership of former Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, CUNY has used a Performance Management Process (PMP) that measures institutional performance toward attaining three University-wide goals: Raise Academic Quality; Improve Student Success; and Enhance Financial and Management Effectiveness. As described on the CUNY website (Performance Management – CUNY), an annual cycle links planning and goal-setting by the University and its colleges and professional schools, using well-established processes that are simultaneously bottom-up and top-down. Common metrics are used system-wide, enabling progress toward meeting these goals at the institutional level to be charted both over time and within a comparative framework across colleges.

The CUNY Chancellor announces the University’s performance goals for the upcoming academic year, guided by the University’s Master Plan. Then CUNY presidents and professional school deans, working with their executive teams and college communities, establish performance targets for their institution for the coming year reflecting plans for existing or new initiatives. The faculty and staff within each department and unit at the college work to develop annual goals. Deans, vice presidents, and the provost meet with their reporting department, school, and unit leaders to develop the annual goals for the larger college divisions in their areas of responsibility. Finally, the president and senior leadership of the college prepare the annual goals and targets for the college overall. In this way, the annual process brings together the University’s annual goals and a selected number of College Focus Goals derived from the local process. The CUNY process directs the development of “SMART” goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

At the end of each academic year, each college’s progress on university and college goals is assessed, and strengths and ongoing challenges are identified. The Chancellor meets with each college president or dean annually to review institutional performance, recognize successful performance, and identify future priorities. The University Data Books showing trends in performance indicators by the college for year-end 2015-16 and earlier years are available via the link CUNY Performance Management (Performance Management – CUNY, 2011-12 PMP_Report, 2012-13 PMP_Report, 2013-14 PMP_Report, 2014-15 PMP_Report, 2015-16_PMP_Report).

New CUNY PMP Goals Instituted in June 2017. While this Middle States Self-Study retrospectively covers Academic Years 2008-2017, a new CUNY PMP is going into effect as this report is being written. Under the current leadership of Chancellor James B. Milliken, who assumed the chancellorship on June 1, 2014, the PMP has five goal areas:

• Access and Completion
• College Readiness
• Career Success
• Knowledge Creation
• Funding Model

The above PMP goals and associated metrics are aligned with the University’s new CUNY Strategic Framework. While these goal areas overlap with the old set of goals, there is a definite shift in emphasis from academic inputs to student outcomes, from traditional academic hierarchies and boundaries to vigorous intellectual discovery and technological innovation, and from status quo financial stewardship to more entrepreneurial fiscal management. These new emphases will require CUNY colleges to become more responsive in meeting the urgent demands of the communities they serve, and more actively engaged with the risks and opportunities of the external financial environment. We expect that the new PMP goals will serve to increase accountability, responsibility, and initiative at the institutional level while enabling each CUNY college to operate more flexibly and opportunistically within its distinctive context.

College Strategic Goals. A five-year strategic planning cycle, linked to the MSCHE accreditation cycle and led by the provost, is undertaken by a Strategic Planning Committee, a subcommittee of the College Council, with broad representation from multiple college constituencies. The strategic planning process includes periodic review of the college Mission Statement and provides a deliberative forum for the long-range alignment of goals and mission. Goals identified in City Tech’s 2014-2019 Strategic Plan are:

1. Pursue changing opportunities in City Tech’s areas of expertise;

2. Increase student success and enhance students’ academic and co-curricular experience

3. Strengthen coordination and collaboration across the college to advance both personnel and programs

4. Develop a strong, shared institutional identity that will guide decision-making internally and present a distinctive, readily identifiable face to the world outside the college.

Program-Level Goals. CUNY mandates that each academic program follow a strategic planning cycle. Due to the specialized nature of many City Tech programs, many departments fulfill separate self-study and review requirements imposed by the nine external professional organizations that accredit twenty-five associate and baccalaureate programs (Catalog 2016-2017, examples: Hospitality Management Program Review, Vision Care Program Review). For academic programs not externally accredited, CUNY guidelines outline the required process for a 10-year cycle of program self-study, culminating in an evaluation by an external expert in the field or discipline (CUNY Academic Program Review Policy; City Tech Academic Program Review Policy; Comprehensive Program Review Schedule). External accreditors and CUNY guidelines require and encourage the fullest possible engagement of faculty and stakeholders in these processes, which include the formulation of five-to ten-year strategic goals (See Standard V, Criterion 8 for details).

Education Goals. See Criterion 3.

The formulation of mission and goals reflects significant involvement of external constituencies that are able to provide real-time information about the economic and technological contexts in which City Tech operates. Knowledge of external demands informs the design of academic programs so that they are maximally responsive to workforce trends and needs. For example, the Carl D. Perkins Local Advisory Committee (LAC) meets annually with college leaders to review investment of Perkins funding in career programs and its outcomes (Perkins Committee Minutes April 2017). The charge of the LAC is to promote convergence between Perkins-funding career development interventions for students and evolving professional skills requirements of the workplace. Departmental advisory boards similarly provide a real-time window to the professions (Catalog 2017-2018, p. 310-313). As described above, internal constituents participate in myriad ways in the formulation of institutional mission and goals from diverse organizational perspectives, ensuring that broad and divergent interests are represented and balanced. A continuous improvement cycle of assessment activities described in Standard V invites internal and external constituents to address institutional issues of all kinds that relate to the college’s mission and goals.

City Tech’s revised Mission Statement was presented to College Council, the representative body for shared college governance, and approved at its February 28, 2017 meeting (See Criterion 1.a.). College annual goals, which include CUNY goals and a number of college focus goals, are presented annually through the Performance Management Process to the CUNY Chancellor for review (See Criterion 1.a for details of process).

The college mission provides a foundation for decision-making and the definition of goals and outcomes across the institution, including curriculum development in both baccalaureate and associate programs. Support for broad access and post-graduate success, hiring and support of highly qualified faculty, the centrality of experiential and place-based learning, the re-visioning of General Education, and development of interdisciplinary initiatives are foci that derive directly from the college mission. For highlights, see Table I.1, and especially Standards III, IV and V for further details. Recent data indicate that 64% of faculty surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the mission guides planning at the college (25% neutral); 73% of faculty surveyed agreed or strongly agreed (22% neutral) that the college’s degree programs are consistent with its mission (City Tech Faculty Survey Report 2016).

The Mission Statement of City Tech is clearly presented and publicly available on the college Website (City Tech Mission Online), the College Catalog (Catalog 2017-2018), and the Classified Staff Handbook. Surveys conducted for this Self-Study reveal that only that 28% of the students were familiar with the mission statement but 49% of those who were familiar with City Tech’s mission did consider it as part of their criteria when choosing to study here (Middle States Student Survey Fall 2016 Report). In interpreting the student responses, it is useful to distinguish between direct knowledge of the Mission Statement text and an understanding of the college mission. City Tech enrollment has remained strong and the overwhelming majority of entering students enroll directly in one of our many technical or professional programs, evidence that students understand the relevance of our programs and the college’s underlying mission focus on workforce preparation. Of faculty surveyed, 82% percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I am familiar with the Mission Statement of the college (City Tech Faculty Survey Report 2016).

Key components of the Mission Statement appear consistently in the annual goals and strategic planning documents of the college and University (Strategic Plan 2014-19, CUNY Master Plan 2016-2020). The program review policies of the University, college, and nine external accrediting bodies (as described under Criterion 1. a., b., and c., above), ensure comprehensive, integrated, cyclical processes for the regular review of alignment between goals and mission in individual academic programs.

For evidence that institutional goals are realistic, we rely on the institution’s solid track record in achieving targeted goals, as demonstrated in annual performance management process (PMP) reports of the college and annual goals and targets reports of departments and units as further described below in Criteria 4. and 1.g., and in Standards V and VI.

The curriculum process, assessment, and student support are significant areas where institutional structures advance City Tech’s mission and goals:

• Active and continuous curricular improvement can be seen in the record of the College Council Curriculum Committee, and in the sustained record of the college in obtaining external funding and executing transformative pedagogical initiatives. Recent highlights in the latter category are two major projects for improvements in mathematics sequencing and pedagogy (STEM Education Initiatives, Opening Gateways, 2016-2017 Faculty Seminar, MSEIP Activities Repository).
• The robust activities and accomplishments of Office of Assessment & Institutional Research (AIR) demonstrate the high priority placed on assessment of student learning outcomes. AIR promotes faculty as leaders and includes student organizations and other key constituencies in the assessment process to create and sustain a dynamic system as described in detail in Standard V. A schedule of outcomes and results, including quantified data, can be found in the AIR section of the college website. This is an ongoing college-wide initiative in which all programs participate. The resulting data are examined by administration and faculty and used to initiate institutional and programmatic improvements.
• City Tech also demonstrates a strong commitment to student support in a broad and evolving network of programs, services, and initiatives, detailed in Standard IV. A comprehensive listing with links can be found under “Current Students” at the top of every page on the College website and in the Student Handbook. These resources range from The Ursula C. Schwerin Library, Computer Labs and Technology Enhancement Centers, the College Learning Center, and Counseling Services, to targeted programs such as ASAP, SEEK, Veterans Support, the Center for Student Accessibility, Undergraduate Research, and Honors Scholars, to a wide array of student clubs and activities that reflect and promote the diversity of the college community. Recent accomplishments include significant enhancements to First Year Programs, a comprehensive campus-wide tutoring schedule that is updated each semester, and launch of the Professional Development Center to support students’ workforce readiness and job placement.

EDUCATION GOALSEDUCATION GOALS

As a result of a City Tech education, students will:

• Develop knowledge from a range of disciplinary perspectives, and hone the ability to deepen and continue learning.
• Acquire and use the tools needed for communication, inquiry, analysis, and productive work.
• Work productively within and across disciplines.
• Understand and apply values, ethics, and diverse perspectives in personal, professional, civic, and cultural/global domains.

City Tech’s Education Goals were developed by the General Education Committee, a standing committee established in 2009 and made up of representatives from every academic department and program. This intensive collaboration over the course of two academic years (2009 -2011), included participation of General Education Committee and other faculty to map the learning goals in each program; distillation to a set of common college education goals; and comparison and alignment (where appropriate) with model frameworks, including learning goals from various accrediting bodies. The resulting college Education Goals were approved by college governance in March 2013 (Gen Ed proposal 2012, College Council Meeting Agenda 03-05-2013, College Council Meeting Minutes 03-05-2013).

Education Goals Are Supported by Administrative, Fiscal, and Student Support Functions. CUNY’s overarching goals of Raising Academic Quality, Improving Student Success, and Enhancing Financial and Management Effectiveness have ensured a comprehensive, coordinated approach to the attainment of education goals. The smooth coordination of management functions results in mutually reinforcing systems of unit-level Goals and Targets to support the primacy of the college’s educational mission.

The Mission Statement is periodically evaluated as part of the five-year Strategic Planning cycle to assure alignment between mission and strategic goals (see strategic planning process, Criterion 1.a. above). The Strategic Planning cycle, as well as the extensive processes set in place by CUNY and the college for setting and reporting on annual goals and targets provide a framework for continuous evaluation and adjustment to address changing contexts, challenges, and opportunities. Through a well-established annual process, the deans, vice presidents, provost, and president each meet with their reporting department and program leaders to review and develop annual goals. Each spring, college departments and units use a college template to submit goals and targets for the coming academic year, and likewise report on progress toward prior year goals. University and college templates emphasize alignment of department/unit goals with college and university goals (PMP Target Report – NYCCT 2015-2016, Template Goals and Targets 2010-11, Department Goals Template 05-15-16, COMD GT_2016_2017). Year-end progress reports are part of the record for annual performance evaluations of leaders at each level, from academic department chairs up to and including the college president’s annual report to the University Chancellor (Chair Annual Activity Report 2014-2015- AFR, COMD GT_2014_2015_Status_1, 1.041 13-14 G&T Outcomes final, PMP Target Report – NYCCT 2015-2016, Year-End Progress Report – NYCCT, Executive Competencies Form, Executive Performance Goals, HEO Performance Evaluation Form).

Conclusion and Future Focus: The mission and goals that have been outlined in Standard I are operationalized and assessed as described in Standards II through VII. City Tech’s mission is both enduring and especially relevant to current workforce needs and opportunities and to the College’s location, relationships, and student population. The college is diligent in its response to a complex but fundamentally matrix of inter-related goals. This past decade of vibrant renewal and growth for the college requires a commensurately extraordinary effort to formulate and communicate a shared sense of mission and identity that reflects the current institutional reality. This goal is addressed in the 2014-2019 Strategic Plan.

The mission and goals that have been outlined in Standard I are operationalized and assessed as described in Standards II through VII. City Tech’s mission is both enduring and especially relevant to current workforce needs and opportunities and to the College’s location, relationships, and student population. The college is diligent in its response to a complex but fundamentally matrix of inter-related goals. This past decade of vibrant renewal and growth for the college requires a commensurately extraordinary effort to formulate and communicate a shared sense of mission and identity that reflects the current institutional reality. This goal is addressed in the 2014-2019 Strategic Plan.

Nurture a shared sense of mission and identity that fosters pride in City Tech’s unique program offerings and that emphasizes ambition for excellence

(Standards I and VII)

Excelling as a baccalaureate-level college of technology requires that the entire institution—administration, faculty, staff, students—share an understanding of the potential for growth enabled by our revitalized program offerings. Over the next eight years, we will make progress towards this ideal by:

• Leveraging best practices to communicate to the college community and to external stakeholders about new program offerings, and about the scholarly and professional achievements of City Tech’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni;
• Engaging collaboration across college units to ensure that the mission and goals of all departments and offices explicitly link to the overall mission of the college and include goals for supporting student success, post-graduation placement, and support for faculty and student scholarship;
• Promoting deeper student involvement in the realization and communication of the college mission by increasing student participation in college governance, and in institutional planning.