Self-Study Working Groups

The seven Working Groups for the self-study are organized around our institutional priorities and MSCHE standards. See below for details about each Working Group, including the leaders of the group and group charge. 

• Working Group 1: Mission and Goals 
• Working Group 2: Governance, Leadership, and Administration 
• Working Group 3: Personal 
• Working Group 4: Global 
• Working Group 5: Transformational 
• Working Group 6: Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability
• Working Group 7: Financial Sustainability
  

Working Group 1: Mission and Goals 

Working Group Charge 

The charge for Working Group 1 “Standard I: Mission and Goals” is to evaluate FDU’s mission and goals and determine whether they are appropriate and effective in guiding the institution’s actions and decision-making processes. This Working Group will review the mission statement to ensure that it accurately reflects the institution’s purpose, values, and vision; assess whether the mission statement is widely understood and accepted by all members of the institution, including faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders; examine FDU’s goals and objectives to determine whether they are consistent with the mission statement, and whether they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound; review data and evidence to assess FDU’s progress in achieving its goals and objectives; and identify areas where additional attention or resources may be needed. Finally, Working Group #1 must examine FDU’s processes for evaluating and revising its mission and goals, and determining whether they are effective and inclusive of all stakeholders. 

Working Group 1’s investigation will be guided by the following description of Standard I: 

Standard I, mission and goals, transcends all the other priorities and processes defined in this Self-Study. By standard definition, FDU’s mission statement should be clear, concise, and widely disseminated and reflect our core values, beliefs, and aspirations. Ultimately, the statement should guide all aspects of FDU’s operations.  Relatedly, FDU’s goals should be aligned with this mission. The goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound and they should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that they remain relevant and appropriate.  FDU should have a system in place for regularly assessing our progress toward achieving our goals. This system should include measurable indicators, such as graduation rates, student learning outcomes, and satisfaction surveys. Finally, FDU should regularly review and update our mission and goals to ensure that they remain relevant and responsive to changing needs and circumstances of the communities we serve. 

Working Group 2: Governance, Leadership, and Administration 

Working Group Charge 

The success of any institution of higher education depends in part on effective, transparent, and consultative governance, leadership, and administration. The governance, leadership, and administration of FDU, founded in 1942, has evolved over the past eight decades. The charge for Working Group #2: “Governance, Leadership, and Administration” is to review existing policies and practices in governance, leadership, and administration, compare them to best practices in shared governance, and propose, where and when appropriate, changes that will improve the ways in which the university serves our students and supports our faculty and staff as well as the greater communities in which our campuses are located, all in fulfillment of our institution’s mission. This Working Group will also review the ways in which FDU develops and communicates its expectations of ethics and integrity of all employees (ethics concerns related to students will be discussed elsewhere in our report) and informs employees about their rights and responsibilities on many topics, including, but not limited to the following areas of concern: academic freedom, freedom of expression and intellectual property rights; respect and inclusion; grievance policies and procedures; conflicts of interest; hiring, evaluation, promotion, and disciplinary sanctions; honesty in internal and external institutional communications; compliance with relevant laws and MSCHE regulations; and the periodic assessment of all practices related to ensuring awareness of and compliance with expectations for ethics and integrity. 

Working Group 2’s investigation will be guided by the following description of Standard VII: 

MSCHE Standard VII is focused on “Governance, Leadership, and Administration,” and it sets forth expectations for how an institution should be managed and governed, including the roles and responsibilities of the governing board, the effectiveness of institutional leadership, the quality of administrative support services, and the management of financial and physical resources. In addition, Standard VII requires institutions to demonstrate a commitment to ethical practices, transparency, and accountability.  FDU must provide evidence that we have established policies and procedures for governance, leadership, and administration that are aligned with our mission, goals, and objectives. We must also demonstrate that we have a system in place for assessing and improving our performance in these areas, as well as for responding to feedback from stakeholders. 

Working Group 3: Personal 

Working Group Charge 

The charge for Working Group 3: “Personal” is to review and evaluate how FDU provides a “Personal” experience for students while addressing the standards and criteria that are most relevant to this priority. This Working Group will also work in collaboration with other Working Groups in instances where standards and criteria are relevant to both; the Working Group whose priority has the highest relevance to any standard/criterion will take the lead on all collaborative work. As noted above, in instances where a standard/criterion is equally relevant for both the Personal and Transformational Working Groups, those groups will proceed with the understanding that the Personal Working Group will address the standard/criterion from the perspective of development and delivery of services, support, resources, programs, etc., while the Transformational Working Group will address the standard/criterion from the perspective of the impact of those services, support, resources, programs, etc. The Personal and Transformational Working Groups will work in close collaboration to ensure this distinction is maintained and there is no duplication of effort.  

The Personal Working Group’s investigation will be guided by the following description of “Personal”: 

FDU provides personalized support, resources, and tools to help all members of the community achieve their individual educational and professional goals. FDU provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to enhance their personal and professional competencies to meet the workforce demands of the 21st century through degrees, certificates, and continuing education opportunities that respond to learner interests and changing market demands. FDU strives to ensure that instruction at all levels and in all modalities engages learners in ways that meet them where they are and help them to develop in meaningful ways. Through the process of advising, FDU helps students develop individualized academic plans and also offers opportunities for personalized support services that cater to students’ individual needs regardless of where the student learns. FDU aims to create environments in which all feel safe, welcome, and respected by fostering vibrant communities.  FDU recognizes that mentorship is fundamental to the learning process for both students and employees, and finally, employees recognize that providing personalized service for each other results in better service for our students. 

Working Group 4: Global 

Working Group Charge 

The charge for Working Group 4: “Global” is to review and evaluate how FDU provides a “Global” experience for students while addressing the standards and criteria that are most relevant to this priority. This Working Group will also work in collaboration with other Working Groups in instances where standards and criteria are relevant to both; the Working Group whose priority has the highest relevance to any standard/criterion will take the lead on all collaborative work. 

The Global Working Group’s investigation will be guided by the following description of “Global”: 

We foster a caring, inclusive culture and community that embraces diversity, advances equity, and supports access and belonging — upholding our enduring global education promise of bringing our students to the world and the world to our students. FDU founder Peter Sammartino had a vision to create an institution that would be “of and for the world” — of the world in the sense of being worldly and cosmopolitan, for the world in the sense of being globally engaged and responsible.  This vision was inspired by the American immigrant experience, forged in the crucible of World War II, and reflected a cautious optimism regarding the post-war internationalism epitomized by the United Nations. Instilling a global mindset and skillset in students on all campuses remains an important priority for FDU. By doing so, we help prepare them for lives of responsible membership in a diverse global community and sustainable success in an increasingly interconnected world.  This is an ongoing process requiring a multifaceted approach and the engagement not only of students but of stakeholders such as staff, faculty, alumni, and local communities. By offering international courses and curricula, promoting global experiential learning, fostering a diverse campus community, and providing global forums for discussion and dialogue, FDU can help instill in our students the competencies that make them citizens not only of region and country, but of the world.  

Working Group 5: Transformational 

Working Group Charge 

The charge of Working Group 5: “Transformational” is to review and evaluate how FDU provides a “Transformational” experience for students while addressing the standards and criteria that are most relevant to this priority. This Working Group will also work in collaboration with other Working Groups in instances where standards and criteria are relevant to both; the Working Group whose priority has the highest relevance to any standard/criterion will take the lead on all collaborative work. As noted above, in instances where a standard/criterion is equally relevant for both the Personal and Transformational Working Groups, those groups will proceed with the understanding that the Personal Working Group will address the standard/criterion from the perspective of development and delivery of services, support, resources, programs, etc., while the Transformational Working Group will address the standard/criterion from the perspective of the impact of those services, support, resources, programs, etc. The Personal and Transformational Working Groups will work in close collaboration to ensure this distinction is maintained and there is no duplication of effort. 

The Transformational Working Group’s investigation will be guided by the following description of “Transformational”: 

FDU meets all learners where they are with flexible, adaptive, and accessible programs that advance them and their communities toward success and upward mobility. FDU fosters transformational learning through high-quality teaching and high-impact practices that empower learners to succeed beyond their own academic aspirations. FDU scholars across student, faculty, staff, and administrator lines work collaboratively to engage in research and other educational activities that support the transformation of students and their local and global communities. This, in turn, nurtures a sense of social responsibility, a commitment to addressing societal challenges, an ability to communicate ideas clearly, and a deeper understanding of the impact that FDU students and graduates make in the world.   

Working Group 6: Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability 

Working Group Charge 

The charge for Working Group 6: “Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability” is to review and evaluate how FDU provides a sustainable experience for students from a socioeconomic and environmental perspective while addressing the standards and criteria that are most relevant to this priority. This Working Group will also work in collaboration with other Working Groups in instances where standards and criteria are relevant to both; the Working Group whose priority has the highest relevance to any standard/criterion will take the lead on all collaborative work. 

This Working Group’s investigation will be guided by the following description of “Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability”: 

Sustainability refers to processes that operate over long periods of time, addressing present needs without compromising future generations. The study of sustainability involves three interrelated dimensions: environmental health, economic opportunity, and social justice.  We live in a time of great challenges, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, rising poverty levels and inequalities, and resource depletion.  Higher education can address these problems by engaging our students, faculty, staff, and community in collaborative actions to promote sustainability. We can do this by developing a sustainability plan, incorporating sustainability into the curriculum, promoting sustainable practices on campus, including operations and food services and sustainability research, and providing the resources needed to meet future demands so our students can flourish in the future. 

Working Group 7: Financial Sustainability 

Working Group Charge 

The charge for Working Group 7: “Financial Sustainability” is to review and evaluate how FDU is sustainable from a financial perspective while addressing the standards and criteria that are most relevant to this priority. This Working Group will also work in collaboration with other Working Groups in instances where standards and criteria are relevant to both; the Working Group whose priority has the highest relevance to any standard/criterion will take the lead on all collaborative work. 

This Working Group’s investigation will be guided by the following description of “Financial Sustainability”: 

FDU’s institutional objectives as well as plans for individual units are assessed periodically and conclusions drawn from assessment results are used for financial planning, resource allocation and for the budgeting process that is aligned with institutional priorities and goals and linked to the strategic plan and its objectives. The planning and budgeting processes are developed with involvement of participants from various constituencies and with representation from all campuses, and are clearly documented and appropriately communicated to the FDU community.  The physical and technical infrastructures are evaluated to implement the most efficient solutions to support all operations and programs offered by FDU. The evaluation involves periodic review to cut unnecessary expenses, optimize operational systems, explore strengths and weaknesses, and design measured action plans to adapt to changing market needs and technological advances. The processes are continually improved and the comprehensive plans for facilities and technology are linked to the financial planning and allocating processes based on efficient utilization of institutional resources. FDU’s decision making processes demonstrate fiscal shrewdness while preparing annual budgets.