Themes Sorted by Prompt: I Wonder...
Download the spreadsheet of participant responses for all prompts.
I Wonder...
1. Implementation: Curiosity about how to get started, how individuals can contribute and some concern about ensuring a successful implementation
Column B in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- I wonder how to start with this. What is step 1?
- How quickly might we see results.
- How to keep our work rare and relevant to 51¸£ÀûÉç when our competitors are facing the same challenges.
- How?
- If this will be a game changer
- I wonder if we are ready for the disruption ahead.
- Who will lead the Gallup Strengths Initiative?
- I wonder if we really can be flexible.
- I wonder, too soft?
- What we can accomplish with a plan
- What role will values play? Will we develop a values statement?
- I wonder what I can do to help adoption?
- How this gets actualized. What changes have to happen?
- I wonder how you get this to stick and spread.
2. Change Management: How will we manage this change and the campus culture development required to succeed?
Column H in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- I wonder if we can really create change.
- If we collectively have the strength to sustain
- How long will it take to change culture?
- If faculty will embrace this excellent Think Big idea
- Will we avoid the pitfalls of toxic positivity while focusing on student mental health?
- I wonder how the “old guard†will be managed?
- How do we boost areas that are struggling with just rewarding areas that are doing well?
- How do we change the status-quo mindset?
- How does united and cohesive allow for difference and healthy dissent?
3. Clarifying the Research: Curiosity to learn and understand more about the research data
Column N in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- I wonder why faculty and staff are less optimistic about 51¸£ÀûÉç being on the rise and a good value.
- Why grad student opinions of 51¸£ÀûÉç are so much lower than UG students
- What’s the plan for school counselor perception?
- What are parents’ opinions of 51¸£ÀûÉç for enrolled students?
- I wonder if our athletic image is tied to our overall image.
- Is there a connection between familiarity and opinion?
- How are we going to convince the public that we are different?
- How can we shake our mid-major label?
- What makes Western special? Still don’t know. I wonder what it is.
4. Organizational and Structure Implications: Wondering about the implications of the strategy on current organizational structure and initiatives
Column J in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- How effort will be de-duplicated across colleges/departments
- Structural changes to fit the vision? Financial aid, admissions, etc.
- If our new budget model will help or harm our goal of unifying and breaking silos
- I wonder how this fits with RCM.
- If services are the new amenities
- University College. Wonder what it is, exactly.
- How will career services integrate into this new state of being at 51¸£ÀûÉç?
- How are we going to have the flexibility without extending graduation time?
- I wonder how the first-year experience will allow students to develop affinity for their individual college.
- How will student success services involve various departments of student affairs?
5. Student Experience: Thoughts about how the student experience will be impacted or improved
Column P in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- Will all first-year students enter the “universal†college or all new students to 51¸£ÀûÉç?
- Wonder: don’t major changers still leave ’safety net’ and college services? Or is advising centralized?
- We would recognize there is very little difference between traditional, transfer, and nontraditional (contemporary) students.
- Is there a plan for graduate student success?
- I wonder if it is too simplistic to reduce student needs to one simple idea.
- How do we adapt when student ‘purpose’ goes dim?
- How transfer students fit into this?
- Are we still recognizing some students need to work 40+ and need to take 5+ years?
- I wonder how students of color and their distinct experiences will fit into this model.
6. Faculty/Staff Impact: How will the vision impact staff in terms of skills, accountability and job responsibilities?
Column S in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- I wonder how we re-skill existing employees to work with the new framework/model.
- I wonder how this will impact non-student facing jobs/employees.
- [I wonder] about faculty and staff wellness.
- How overworked staff can be more responsive?
- I wonder how this will impact staff jobs (restructuring)?
- I wonder how we will redesign performance metrics (hr) for employees.
- If staff will be involved to assist in programs
- If the faculty will become advocates for the big idea
- How can this be built into every staff and faculty’s job? Set the bar.
- Where this intersects with employee engagement?
- Where my department and its program fit?
- How does this impact people daily?
7. Academic Rigor: Questions about how the strategy might improve or impact academic rigor and quality
Column E in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- University College for technical degrees—pre reqs!
- I wonder where academic rigor is in a wellness focus .
- How can we adapt the major changing strategy to intense lock-step majors like nursing?
- How will the integration of general education be worth it?
- Research opportunities with professors
- I wonder if we aren’t perpetuating outdated ways of teaching and need to modernize.
- I wonder how we develop courses that involve real world experience.
- I wonder if the “lack of linear†is too far?
- How will this be integrated with well-established majors?
- How this fits with our research mission.
- How these ideas are implemented in the classroom?
8. Marketing and Communications: What are the steps that Marketing and Communications is taking to better promote 51¸£ÀûÉç and how will these new ideas be promoted?
Column G in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- How we will get message out to alumni?
- I wonder how to get counselors in HS more aware of 51¸£ÀûÉç.
- I wonder what marketing we can do to reach parents and counselors about our brand promise.
- Wonder: how can we communicate more with parents?
- How this will be communicated in marketing materials
- How we will showcase this visually
- I wonder if we will standardize our visual colors, logo, etc.
- If the communication will improve these concepts across campus
- Get the message across the uni?
- Wonder how branding will focus around need a liberal arts degree
- Who will we market to?
9. Prospective Students/Enrollment: Questions about if and how the strategy will impact recruitment, retention and overall enrollment
Column A in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- If staff had more flexibility, if we could help with recruiting and retention.
- How fast our enrollment will increase!
- I wonder if the value proposition will actually translate to having more promoters as parents and counselors.
- Can we really change our enrollment numbers?
- Will this impact retention?
- I wonder what our goals should be as it relates to future enrollment.
- Who do we want to attract? We will attract what/who we are?
- I wonder how quickly prospective students will understand/get excited about this approach.
- How do we make prospective students (and parents) “believe†in this new brand?
- How students will view meta-majors if that will make them choose us over MSU/GVSU
10. How to Pay for It: Curiosity about how changes will be financed and how it may impact the cost of attendance
Column L in the spreadsheet
Representative Comments
- I wonder who will pay for a better U with fewer students?
- How do you balance budget limitations and the services we need to offer to implement these goals?
- I wonder about the cost of attendance and where that fits with students not choosing/leaving 51¸£ÀûÉç.
- I wonder should financial literacy also be included in university college?
- I wonder how we can do this with budget cuts.
- Capital Campaign Efforts
- I wonder: where’s the money coming from to implement “Think Big?â€
- Wonder how much the initiatives cost?
- Will we devote new recourses or is this a “Budget Rebrand?â€
- How are we going to accomplish all this in current fiscal situation?
- Is increased mental health services going to raise tuition costs?
- How does this work with the new budget model?