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The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Draft of Jordan College Strategic Plan

* Feedback reply form included at bottom, and please share comments by *Sunday, April 6, 2025.* 

 

Message from the Dean

The Jordan College Strategic Plan aligns closely with Fresno State’s Strategic Plan, and is the result of one-year of dedicated work and reflects a collaborative effort among all units within Jordan College, including stakeholders, faculty, staff, and students.

The mission, vision, and values statements have been updated to address the evolving needs of a modern agricultural university.

Recognizing the plan as a dynamic document, it is designed to guide each unit in achieving the college's goals, which ultimately support the broader objectives of the university.

Our goals are clear and mirror the goals of the university’s strategic plan that focuses on well-being, inclusivity, campus-community connections, regional and global impact through instruction and research, and modernizing infrastructure and technology.

Our guiding values — exploring, equipping, and empowering — truly embody the remarkable work being accomplished at the Jordan College.

 

Mission

The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State is shaping the future of one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions by developing global decision-makers in food and agriculture.  

We accomplish this by encouraging, equipping, and enabling faculty, staff, and students to create innovative, scientifically sound, and sustainable solutions to  agri-food, technological, and environmental challenges in California, our nation, and the world.

 

Vision

We envision a premier college excelling in agricultural education, research, and community partnership, catalyzing transformative change industry-wide by pioneering advancements in science, technology, sustainability, global outreach, and  cultivating future agricultural leaders.

 

Values

Exploring. Equipping. Empowering.

 

Strategic Plan Goals 

 

Goal 1 - Enhance Student’s Personal Well-being and Professional Achievement

Fresno State's Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology aims to empower our diverse student body to excel through a supportive educational culture, addressing basic needs, mental well-being, and academic excellence, while preparing them for successful careers and leadership roles.

  • Strategy 1: Strengthen the Jordan College community. The Jordan College aims to enhance recruitment and enrollment by expanding our presence in K-14 institutions, improving conversion rates, reducing attrition, and encouraging returning students to complete their degrees.
  • Strategy 2: Provide our students with an exceptional experience. The Jordan College aims to improve retention and graduation rates by connecting vulnerable students with support services, strengthening academic and social integration, and enhancing faculty and staff capacity to support student success.
  • Strategy 3: Meet our students’ fundamental needs so they can thrive. The Jordan College will enhance support services for essential needs such as food and housing by collaborating closely with internal and external partners.
  • Strategy 4: Prepare graduates to impact the agricultural industry. The Jordan College is committed to enhancing career planning strategies to improve graduates’ career readiness, success rates, and overall satisfaction.

 

Goal 1 Key Performance Indicators 

1. Enrollment & retention

  • Increase resident FTES enrollment to align with university targets
  • Align the gaps for equity and underrepresented students with regional student profiles
  • Increase first-time and transfer student retention rates above the five year average

2. Graduation rates

  • 50% of first-time freshman graduated in four years
  • 67% of first-time freshman graduated in six years
  • 55% of transfer students graduated in two years
  • 90% of transfer students graduated in four years
  • Decrease or close equity gaps

3. Student support

  • Increase students’ reported year-over-year satisfaction with services and experiences in the Jordan College on departmental exit surveys
  • Monitor and encourage student participation in academic support services
  • Monitor faculty awareness of, and student access to, mental health, housing, and professional support services

4. Career planning

  • All students receive comprehensive advising throughout their academic career
  • Upon graduation, a minimum of 25% of students participated in discipline-specific high-impact learning practices
  • Increase employment rates of graduates year-over-year

 


Goal 2 - Bridge Campus and Community

Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology is in the heart of an agricultural community that supplies the nation with 60% of its fruits and nuts and 25% of vegetables. A strong connection to the community is essential to securing our nation’s food. 

  • Strategy 1: Build the Jordan College brand. Jordan College will elevate its brand based on the university’s branding and marketing initiatives while ensuring that its affiliated entities are holistically elevating the college brand.
  • Strategy 2: Harness our data. Use data to both document and improve the impact of Jordan College in the Valley and beyond. 
  • Strategy 3: Celebrate diverse communities on campus. The Jordan College will work to be recognized as a destination for regional, state, and national events that bring together interdisciplinary topics, leaders, and perspectives.
  • Strategy 4: Grow philanthropic support. The Jordan College will continue to grow its philanthropic efforts and craft a comprehensive development plan to inspire donors at all levels to invest in the college’s future. Through its fundraising unit, the Ag One Foundation. 

 

Goal 2 Key Performance Indicators 

1. Community service

  • Increase in the total number of service hours
  • Increase in the diversity of events
  • The positive economic impact of community service has increased

2. Services to the community

  • Overall participation and use of programs has increased
  • Positive perception of the quality of programs and services has increased

3. Engagement of alumni, friends, and the public

  • The total number of alumni and friends who have participated in engagement events has increased
  • Overall attendance at events and the perceived quality of events has increased

4. Philanthropy

  • Annual total dollars raised for the college has increased
  • One major college transformative initiative has been supported
  • The college will create a development plan with measurable fundraising goals 

5. Social and economic impact

  • The social and economic impact of the college’s engagement effort is measured and increased

 

 

Goal 3 - Cultivate Regional Progress and Global Impact by Enhancing Instruction and Research

Jordan College is committed to academic and research excellence. Hands-on learning experiences and flexible, accessible educational opportunities aligned with employment trends will allow students to succeed in the classroom and their careers after graduation. The college is committed to providing our talented faculty, staff, and students with the resources to advance research, technology transfer, and innovation.

  • Strategy 1:  Incorporating Applied Research into the Classroom. Student empowerment will be developed using research as a teaching tool. The Jordan College will reallocate and strengthen resources to ensure faculty are assigned workload for research and scholarship commensurate with R2 goals and expectations. The Jordan College has a robust and talented community of scholars, and the college's mission is best served when faculty are granted the crucial resource of assigned time to meaningfully pursue their research, scholarship, and outreach. Students will be solving real-world challenges.
  • Strategy 2:  Promoting Workforce Development and Career Enhancement. The Jordan College will work to adapt curriculum, develop new programs, and consolidate programs to equip students to meet the current job market demands. Participating in experiential learning activities, such as service-learning, internships, field experience, study abroad, research, and other high-impact practice opportunities, provides students with valuable skills and connections that help them succeed in their future careers.
  • Strategy 3: Cultivating Regional Impact and Global Engagement. The Jordan College will enhance research support programs, proposal development assistance, and funding to support research, scholarly activities, and outreach. Internal structures provide the critical support needed to develop and grow sustainable lines of research and scholarship that engage and train students, advance knowledge across disciplines, and solve regional, national, and global challenges.

 

Goal Three Key Performance Indicators 

1. Experiential Learning 

  • Increase the number of students in high-impact practices enrolled in research, internships, field experience, entrepreneurial experience, study abroad, and other experiential learning opportunities by 25% over five years

2. Research and Scholarly Activity

  • Faculty workload is optimized for research and mentorship of students commensurate with research goals and expectations
  • Weighted Teaching Units (WTU) per semester of research and scholarly activity workload is allocated to tenure track, tenured faculty, and full-time lecturers who meet Jordan standards in this area
  •  The annual spending on research increased by 25% over five years.
  •  The percentage of submitted proposals and contracts awarded increased by 25% over five years

3. Employment Needs, Challenges of our Region, and Global Solutions

  • Strengthen interdepartmental collaboration while building collaborative research between academic disciplines at Fresno State
  • Increase collaboration between the university and its community and industrial partners
  • Building workforce-driven skill sets and technical certifications for our graduates

 

 

Goal 4 - Modernize Facilities, Infrastructure, and Technology

To deliver on its promise to provide a modern education in agriculture, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology must provide the space where modern instruction can occur and a University Agricultural Laboratory that provides access to modern practices in agriculture.

  • Strategy 1: Ensure that Jordan College infrastructure needs are updated and reflected in the university’s master plan. Jordan College will use a collaborative approach to comprehensively determine its current and future infrastructure needs.
  • Strategy 2: Update the classroom and instructional facilities. Jordan College will create modern classrooms and research facilities to promote inclusive and collaborative student learning.
  • Strategy 3: Modernize the University Agricultural Laboratory. Jordan College will build upon the improvements made using one-time state-allocated funding to continue modernizing the University Agricultural Laboratory.

 

Goal 4 Key Performance Indicators 

1. Facilities Assessment

  • A comprehensive review of college’s facilities will be conducted and included in the university’s master plan

2. Classroom and research infrastructure

  • Classroom and research spaces will be modified to create a physical environment that is in line with a modern R2 university

3. University Agricultural Laboratory has been modernized to:

  • Sustainably integrate energy and agriculture production and energy and water efficient agricultural systems
  • Have climate-smart crop production and climate-smart value-added products
  • Have sustainable food production and efficient water and natural resource utilization

 

 

Jordan College Strategic Plan Committee Members

Rolston St. Hilaire, Dean, Chair

Erin Dormedy, Dept. Chair, Co-Chair

Emily Wilson, Staff

Kevin Smith, Faculty

Kristy Sun, Faculty

Todd Lone, Faculty

Andrew Harper, Staff

John Williams, Faculty

 

 

University Strategic Plan (2025)