Strategic Plan
Laboratory for the Future
A Five-Year Strategic Plan (FY09-14) for
New York School of Interior Design
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FEBRUARY 12, 2009
Strategic Planning Committee
Scott Ageloff, VP for Academic Affairs/Dean
Jane Chen, VP for Finance & Administration/CFO
Christopher Cyphers, President, Committee Chair
Terry Kleinberg, Trustee
David Scott, NYSID BFA 1991, Trustee
David Sprouls, VP for Enrollment Management
I. Preamble
With this strategic plan, New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) begins a new chapter in the institution's nearly 100-year history. Over the course of the last twelve years, NYSID has experienced incremental increases in enrollment, the addition of the 69th Street building, the strengthening of the academic programs, and the establishment of a sound financial foundation marked by the outright ownership of the College's buildings, an investment portfolio valued at nearly $17.4 million, endowed funds totaling $3 million, and a capital reserve fund of $850,000 (as of 12/31/08). The ability to build financial reserves has come from operating NYSID at a surplus, prudent investments, and some fundraising efforts. The absence of debt, a respectable investment account, and capital reserves position NYSID to take the next step in its development, from a single-major commuter school of about 700 largely part-time students, to a college with a variety of educational programs consistent with the institution's mission, with enrollment growth to approximately 900 students, and the addition of student support services.
Broadening our educational offerings in a way that is true to our mission is an important way to attract a larger and more diverse group of students who would not ordinarily have considered NYSID. Curricular diversity also helps position the college as the leader in the field of interior design education. In order to realize this overarching goal we will need to invest in new programs, services, and facilities. A target enrollment of 900 (with more undergraduates enrolled full time) will establish the critical mass necessary to generate sufficient revenue from tuition and fees to fund the College's strategic and operational goals. Moreover, the College seeks to achieve a more diverse student body of increased quality by expanding its applicant pool both nationally and internationally. It is important to note that while the College seeks to increase enrollment, it is equally committed to maintaining the quality of learning through small class size and a high level of personal attention; both are hallmarks of a NYSID education.
This growth, in general, ultimately will require the acquisition of additional space to house classrooms, studios, instructional technology resources, student services, and additional staff. Achieving these growth plans will necessitate substantially more robust fundraising activities and goals, a sufficient apparatus to facilitate institutional advancement, and the Trustees' commitment to resource development. This plan provides a roadmap for leading NYSID towards reaching all its goals: programmatic, service/professional, enrollment, and financial. The plan also establishes performance benchmarks and accountabilities and a means to track new capital and operating expenses so that we effectively measure our progress.
II. Mission
NYSID is a college dedicated to the advancement of the discipline of interior design through education, research, public programming, professional development, and outreach. Critical to the mission is the College's engagement with New York City's cultural institutions, access to design resources, and its immersion in the City's creative economy.
III. Guiding Principle
NYSID's guiding principle—and a core institutional value—is that the successful design of the interior environment improves human welfare. Therefore, the interior design profession assumes an important role in ensuring that interior spaces are functional, healthy, safe, beautiful, and designed and built in a socially and environmentally conscientious way. The interior design profession, and NYSID in particular, support the goal of actively improving the quality of life for all segments of society.
Guided by this overarching principle, NYSID is committed to:
A. Honoring the institution's history rooted in the decorative arts and interior design
B. Being a center of national prominence for all aspects of interior design education at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing studies levels;
C. Attracting, developing, and retaining an outstanding faculty that excels in the level of scholarship and professional engagement;
D. Attracting a diverse body of students who come to NYSID to learn the practice of interior design and the history and theory of the built environment;
E. Preparing students to be leaders in all aspects of the interior design profession;
F. Carrying out its mission in an environmentally and socially conscientious way;
G. Advancing the technological and intellectual aspects of the interior design profession;
H. Providing students with a global perspective on design;
I. Seeking always to achieve excellence in all aspects of the educational process, and seeking to prepare graduates who will achieve excellence in their work as interior designers or in a related field;
J. Integrating superior decoration into all forms of interior design (residential, commercial, public, and institutional) as integral to the livability, functionality, and quality of the built environment;
K. Taking full advantage of the design, cultural, and intellectual resources of New York City, while also becoming a center and resource for interior design locally, regionally, and internationally, by way of the College's faculty expertise, library, academic and public programming, and educational outreach.
IV. Vision
By 2014, NYSID will be recognized as the national leader in the discipline of interior design education, as evidenced by:
A. the professional success of alumni, as measured by positions held at leading firms; features in local, regional, national, and international media;
B. a higher position in regional and national rankings of interior design programs;
C. the quantity and prestige of awards and honors bestowed upon students and alumni;
D. the addition of new undergraduate, graduate, and continuing and professional studies programs that enhance and expand the discipline of interior design and related fields;
E. an increase in the number and quality of applications and enrollments from outside the New York metropolitan region and from foreign countries;
F. an increase in student retention rates;
G. the increased public recognition of the professional activity of the faculty;
H. the increased ability to fundraise from a greater variety of donor sources;
I. the number and quality of partnerships, joint ventures, and cooperative arrangements with other higher education institutions, the design industry, and related entities.
V. Strategic Planning Goals/Action Items
1. Increase enrollment and improve retention of a high quality undergraduate student.
a. Adopt new advertising, marketing, communication plan
i. Analyze student population with goal of understanding “who we have” and determining “who we want”
ii. Develop system for effectively tracking student retention and whereabouts of those applicants NYSID accepts but who chose to attend another institution
b. Build new Web site; achieve greater participation in usage of portal
c. Increase financial aid to a competitive level
d. Engage alumni network in recruitment
e. Provide student housing
f. Offer student services and enhance student life
i. Counseling
ii. Clubs and organizations
iii. Student government
iv. Residence life
v. Student center
vi. Co- and extracurricular activities
vii. Career development
g. Enhance online application, registration, and collection of tuition/fees
2. Build a stronger sense of community between and among various NYSID constituencies (students, faculty, alumni, friends, trustees, staff, industry professionals)
a. Enhance student services/student life (see 1.e)
b. Engage faculty/compensate faculty for service and committee work
c. Improve communication across institution (especially important as we expand facilities)
d. Expand and improve the communication link between the faculty and administration
e. Reexamine orientation/freshman seminar
f. Establish a student council
g. Engage all constituencies in the planning process through a variety of forums and mechanisms that include students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni
h. Achieve greater trustee participation in planning and outreach
i. Engage alumni through programming, recruitment, development, and communication
j. Use commencement as a means to build relationships with future alumni
3. Raise awareness and distinctiveness of NYSID and increase understanding of the importance of interior design as a field of study and profession
a. Promote faculty, student, alumni achievements
b. Build communication/public relations apparatus
c. Develop exhibition/public programming on and off campus
d. Engage in public awareness campaign to define the interior design profession
e. Partner with professional organizations (AIDA, IDLNY, IIDA, IES, IFDA, DIFFA)
f. Engage in government/legislative affairs vis-à-vis public awareness, title/practice legislation
g. Award honorary degrees to persons of distinction in the field of interior design and to those who support the design profession
h. Encourage/support faculty publication of books and in magazines (provide workshops to facilitate faculty publications)
4. Broaden institutional governance
a. Develop a committee structure of the board (Executive, Financial Oversight, Strategic Planning, Academic Affairs, Facilities, Development, Nominating Committees); clarify the roles of committees and committee members; promote more trustee interaction with the administration
b. Review board bylaws and amend as necessary
c. Provide board development/training
i. Board retreats
ii. Consultant or facilitator for board training/retreats
d.Assess current administrative structure and adjust as necessary per strategic plan
5. Enhance resource development and maintain strong fiscal health
a. Establish new programs that enhance the breadth of academic offerings and contribute to the financial health of the institution
i. Degree
ii.Continuing and professional studies
b. Strengthen fundraising
i. VP for Institutional Advancement/alumni affairs
ii. Greater board involvement in securing resources
iii. Annual fund, planned giving, capital campaign
iv. Naming opportunities
v. Build and refine prospect list
vi. Develop corporate sponsorship program
vii. Endowed faculty chairs
c. Reengage and formalize the role of the Advisory Board
d. Rent out NYSID facilities as appropriate
e. Consider full-time tuition rate
f. Develop/strengthen internal controls
g. Develop financial contingency plan
6. Enhance existing programs and develop new programs
a. Ensure instructional technology resources are state-of-the-art
i. 4-D design (e.g., Silicon Graphics)
ii. Model-making facilities with appropriate equipment (e.g., laser cutter, 3-D printer)
iii. Macintosh lab with Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, and other presentation software
b. Develop excellence in teaching and learning initiatives
i. Professional development opportunities aimed at improving teaching, including the increased use of learning technologies
ii. Student and faculty travel abroad opportunities with funding where possible
c. Refocus public programs, including lectures and exhibitions, to directly support the updated mission and vision of the college
d. Establish a first-professional MFA program in interior design (2009)
e. Establish a BA program in the History of Interior Design and the Decorative Arts (2010)
f. Establish an MPS program in Sustainable Design (2010)
g. Establish a BFA program in Furniture and Furnishings Design (2011)
h. Establish an MPS program in Lighting Design (2011)
i. Establish other specialized graduate programs (e.g., Master of Professional Studies in Design Management)
j. Create a continuing and professional studies program
k. Enhance international programs/study abroad
l. Establish cooperative programs
7. Pursue Middle States (MSCHE) candidacy and initial accreditation
a. Apply for candidacy
b. Organize steering committee with faculty representation
8. Engage specialist to conduct comprehensive space utilization plan (with the input of faculty and staff), develop facilities master plan tied to strategic plan, engage broker to assist in finding space to purchase or lease that fit within the scope of facilities master plan
a. Form facilities committee to evaluate current and future space needs
b. Prepare a facilities master plan
c. Secure broker to help identify space that meets College's growth needs
d. Lease or purchase suitable space to house expanded academic and student support facilities
9. Engage in ongoing assessment and planning
a. Develop an assessment mechanism that is data-driven and provides evaluative data on institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes
b. Survey various NYSID constituencies and use data as basis for current and future planning activities