Date: September 21, 1999

From: Jerry Farley, President

RE: Charge to the RPPC

The Resource, Planning, Priority Committee plays a key role in the long range planning for Washburn University. To put long range in context, it should mean three to five years into the future. The two major projects that the RPPC should address are the following:

A. The RPPC needs to revise the last effort at long range planning, "Washburn University for the Twenty-First Century". This was a good document, but it needs some updating. The RPPC should obtain input from deans and non-academic area heads in this process of setting program priorities for the future.

The committee must determine those programs which Washburn should emphasize because of major student demands, special training facilities available in Topeka, critical state needs, uniqueness and strength of program, etc. Those programs identified will be the hallmark programs of the future for the Institution. Issues to be strongly considered in your deliberations must be how the program will enhance Washburn in areas such as enrollment, reputation, and uniqueness from other state institutions.

B. The RPPC also needs to propose action plans that identifies what would be needed to empasize those programs suggested in Part A. These need not be detailed, but should contain an estimate of the types of major changes needed and the rough cost of the changes for each program to reach the projected level of quality. Obviously, this would be done in close association with the leaders and members of those units which have been identified for development.

The funding recommendations should be structured realizing that in the foreseeable future, it is certain that our Institution will not receive any large increase in resources. Please create proposals that would improve funding for the identified programs without new resources.

It is important for the RPPC to work diligently and with some sense of urgency. The completion of these two projects is critical for the success of the University. I will be happy to work with the RPPC in the development of these program priorities. Thank you for your time and talent in working on this critical effort.

JBF:lcb