What are goals?

Goals are broad statements about primary aims of a unit. The goals are a step in between the unit's mission statement (a current, accurate description of the primary purpose of the unit) and operational outcomes (specific, measureable statements about improvements a unit would like to make to its programs or services to help achieve its goals).

Goals should give people who may not be familiar with the unit a general sense of the unit's purpose. Ideally, all staff within a unit should be aware of the unit's goals and be able to easily communicate the goals to others.

While there are no strict rules about how many goals a unit should have, units should have a reasonable and manageable number of goals. Three to six goals is typical. The set of goals should represent what is most important to the unit and should be reflected in the unit's programs and services. Goals should also be related to the mission and strategic directions of Appalachian State University.

Some common operational goals:

  • Increase use of services or enrollment
  • Increase retention
  • Increase student satisfaction
  • Reduce time to graduation
  • Improve efficiency
  • Reduce response time

Academic departments often have goals related to teaching, research, and service.