Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium

Preface

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) Strategic Plan: Plotting a Course for 2006-2010 addresses local, regional, and national issues that were identified through an 18-month strategic planning process involving more than 350 internal and external stakeholders. The plan identifies priority issues affecting the estuarine, coastal, and Gulf environments of Alabama and Mississippi. The plan also establishes goals, objectives, and expected outcomes for MASGC-sponsored programs.

MASGC is one of two bi-state Sea Grant Colleges, and consortium members include Auburn University, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Mississippi, The University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of South Alabama. The intellectual capital and resources at these institutions provide a significant pool of scientists who have the expertise to address the priority issues outlined in this plan through Sea Grant’s competitive research program. It is this research discovery that feeds our core program areas of education and outreach.

MASGC’s 2006-2010 Strategic Plan addresses the collective concerns of the marine community. It is MASGC’s administrative responsibility to maximize the positive impacts derived from MASGC-sponsored programs. One very important aspect of success is MASGC’s ability to develop and sustain partnerships. MASGC encourages you to critically review this plan and provide feedback. This feedback will assist MASGC to update the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction............................................................................................................................... 2

Background.............................................................................................................................. 2

Vision............................................................................................................................ 2

Mission......................................................................................................................... 3

Values........................................................................................................................... 3

Ties to the National, Regional, State, and Local Plans....................................................... 3

National......................................................................................................................... 3

Regional....................................................................................................................... 5

State and Local............................................................................................................ 6

Planning Process.................................................................................................................... 6

Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders........................................................ 7

Mechanisms for Determining Priority Areas............................................................ 7

Review, Approval, and Monitoring............................................................................. 8

Implementation......................................................................................................................... 8

Biennial Implementation Plans................................................................................... 8

Performance Measures.............................................................................................. 9

Priority Thematic Areas........................................................................................................ 10

Health and Restoration of Coastal Habitats........................................................... 10

Goal................................................................................................................ 10

Setting............................................................................................................ 10

Strategic Actions........................................................................................... 11

Objectives...................................................................................................... 11

Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures.................................... 12

Coastal Community Resiliency and Resource Management............................... 12

Goal................................................................................................................ 12

Setting............................................................................................................ 13

Strategic Actions........................................................................................... 13

Objectives...................................................................................................... 14

Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures.................................... 14

Seafood Safety and Processing Technology......................................................... 15

Goal................................................................................................................ 15

Setting............................................................................................................ 15

Strategic Actions........................................................................................... 15

Objectives...................................................................................................... 15

Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures.................................... 15

Fisheries Ecology and Aquaculture........................................................................ 16

Goal................................................................................................................ 16

Setting............................................................................................................ 16

Strategic Actions........................................................................................... 17

Objectives...................................................................................................... 17

Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures.................................... 18

Marine Education ..................................................................................................... 18

Goal................................................................................................................ 18

Setting............................................................................................................ 18

K-12 and Informal.......................................................................................... 19

Graduate and Undergraduate ..................................................................... 19

Objectives...................................................................................................... 20

Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures.................................... 20

Program Administration and Management........................................................................ 21

Short-term Actions.................................................................................................... 21

Long-term Actions..................................................................................................... 22

Objectives.................................................................................................................. 22

Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures................................................ 22

Appendix................................................................................................................................ 23

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats............................................ 24

Board of Directors..................................................................................................... 27

Advisory Council........................................................................................................ 28

Management Team................................................................................................... 30

Partners...................................................................................................................... 31

Organizational Chart................................................................................................. 36

Executive Summary

History

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) was created in 1972 and is one of 30 Sea Grant programs. The Consortium members include Auburn University, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Mississippi, The University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of South Alabama.

The strategic planning process introduced by MASGC for 2006-10 began during the fall of 2003 with a planning retreat for management team members. The team used priority areas derived from the final plan to develop the MASGC 2006-07 Omnibus request for proposals (RFP) in December 2004, and will use them again for the 2008-09 Omnibus RFP.

Mission

In the 21^st century, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium will serve as one of the region’s leading enterprises in addressing the urgent and long-term needs for ocean and coastal resource management. Ecosystem-based approaches through sound science, education and outreach excellence will be followed.

The mission of MASGC is to enhance the sustainable use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources to benefit the economy and manage and protect the environment in Alabama and Mississippi.

Strategic Plan

The 2006-2010 MASGC Strategic Plan is aligned with NOAA mission goals, in particular ecosystem-based management, and also contains many of the same priority theme areas as those outlined in the National Sea Grant College Program strategic plan. The MASGC will address the following four priority theme areas:

Health and Restoration of Coastal Habitats.
Coastal Community Resiliency and Resource Management.
Seafood Safety and Processing Technology.
Fisheries Ecology and Aquaculture.
Marine Education.

The MASGC involves its core education and outreach (communications, extension, and legal) programs in cross-cutting strategies to address each priority theme area through an integrated approach with research.

Performance Measurement

Measuring performance is an essential element of determining the success of implementation. The MASGC will use three performance measures to track the progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of each priority theme area. These include the return on investment from the discovery and application of newly found sustainable coastal and ocean products; the cumulative number of coastal, marine, and Great Lakes issue-based forecast capabilities developed and used for management; and percentage/number of tools, technologies, and information services that are provided to and used by NOAA Sea Grant partners/customers to improve ecosystem-based management. These performance measures will include short- and long-term evaluations and assessments. Short-term evaluations are simpler to implement than long-term, longitudinal evaluations since they require “follow-up” after an omnibus cycle concludes. Therefore, fiscal resources will need to be included within the MASGC administrative budget for these expenses.

Introduction

The National Sea Grant College was created in 1966 by federal legislation and is housed within the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). By design, Sea Grant is a federal/state partnership that matches NOAA Sea Grant expertise and resources with state academic institutions. The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) was created in 1972. MASGC is one of 30 Sea Grant programs and one of only two bi-state programs. The Consortium members include Auburn University, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Mississippi, The University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of South Alabama.

The MASGC administrative office is located at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. The University of Southern Mississippi also serves as the fiscal host to MASGC. MASGC’s education program is housed within the University of Southern Mississippi’s Marine Education Center, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Discovery Hall Program, and the Mobile County School System’s Environmental Studies Center. The MASGC outreach program consists of communications, extension, and legal programs located at The University of Southern Mississippi, Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center, Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research and Extension Center and The University of Mississippi Law School. Research support is provided to Consortium institutions and other institutions within Mississippi and Alabama, local governments, and non-profit organizations.

This five-year (2006-2010) strategic plan uses emerging trends to shape new opportunities and strengthens the distinctive MASGC competencies that set it apart from its peers. The strategic priorities were developed using input from a broad group of constituents vested in solving the complex coastal issues in Alabama and Mississippi. The 2006-2010 Strategic Plan is written following the guidelines from the 2005 National Sea Grant Office’s (NSGO) Guidelines for Program Assessment, the recently completed review of Sea Grant’s program evaluation process, and the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

Vision

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium will, in the 21^st Century, serve as one of the region’s leading enterprises in addressing the urgent and long-term needs in ocean and coastal resource management using ecosystem-based approaches through sound science, education, and outreach excellence.

Mission

The mission of MASGC is to enhance the sustainable use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources to benefit the economy and environment in Alabama and Mississippi. Science Serving Coastal Alabama and Mississippi is the simpler version of the MASGC mission. To fulfill this mission, MASGC commits to interdisciplinary environmental scholarship and community-based natural resources management so that coastal and marine resources are conserved and managed for a sustainable economy and environment. The tools available in support of the MASGC mission are applied interdisciplinary marine science research, communications, education, extension, and legal services using both targeted and cross-cutting approaches. These tools are utilized at the local, state, regional, national, and international arenas.

Values

The MASGC management team identified values and compared them with value-based information collected from external stakeholders. The identified values provide a means of directing the MASGC program to the realities and expectations of its stakeholders.

· The use of objective scientific discovery to improve coastal management policies and practices.

· The sustainable development of small coastal communities.

· The sustainable use of the natural environment.

· Service to coastal residents and communities.

· Collaborative efforts in addressing coastal issues.

· The marine educational needs for current and following generations.

Ties to National, Regional, State, and Local Plans

The 2006-2010 MASGC Strategic Plan is closely allied to other local, regional, and national plans.

National Plans

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s An Ocean Blueprint for the 21^st Century, the NOAA 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, the NSGO 2003-2008 Strategic Plan, and the National Ocean Research Priority Plan (ORPP) planning information were used as the foundation for the development of the MASGC Strategic Plan. Every priority theme area identified in the MASGC 2006-2010 Strategic Plan will make a contribution toward addressing one or more of the Ocean Commission’s recommendations.

The NOAA Strategic Plan defines four mission goals with each mission goal assigned five common implementation mission strategies. The NOAA mission goals are:

1. Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through ecosystem-based management.

2. Understand climate variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond.

3. Serve society’s need for weather and water information.

4. Support the nation’s commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation.

The five common NOAA strategies are:

Monitor and observe land, sea, atmosphere, and space and create a data collection network to track earth’s changing systems.
Understand and describe how natural systems work together through investigation and interpretation of information.
Assess and predict the changes of natural systems and provide information about the future.
Engage, advise, and inform individuals, partners, communities, and industries to facilitate information flow, assure coordination and cooperation, and provide assistance in the use, evaluation, and application of information.
Manage coastal and ocean resources to optimize benefits to the environment, economy, and public safety.

The 2006-2010 MASGC Strategic Plan contributes to the first three NOAA mission goals with ecosystem-based management encompassing approximately 75 percent of MASGC programs. To better understand ecosystem-based management, the Ecological Society of America described eight essential elements. Each of these elements is relevant in the implementation of the MASGC’s plan.

Sustainability: Ecosystem management does not focus primarily on deliverables but rather regards intergenerational sustainability as a precondition.
Goals: Ecosystem management establishes measurable goals that specify future processes and outcomes necessary for sustainability.
Sound ecological models and understanding: Ecosystem management relies on research performed at all levels of ecological organization.
Complex and connectedness: Ecosystem management recognizes that biological diversity and structural complexity strengthen ecosystems against disturbance and supply the genetic resources necessary to adapt to long-term change.
The dynamic character of ecosystems: Recognizing that change and evolution are inherent in ecosystem sustainability, ecosystem management avoids attempts to freeze ecosystems in a particular state of configuration.
Context and scale: Ecosystem processes operate over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, and their behavior at any given location is greatly affected by surrounding systems. Thus, there is no single appropriate scale or timeframe for management.
Humans as ecosystem components: Ecosystem management values the active role of humans in achieving sustainable management goals.
Adaptability and accountability: Ecosystem management acknowledges that current knowledge and paradigms of ecosystem functions are provisional, incomplete, and subject to change. Management approaches must be viewed as hypotheses to be tested by research and monitoring programs.

The NSGCP Strategic Plan focuses on 11 theme areas developed and updated by the Sea Grant Network. These theme areas include:

The MASGC Plan reorganized and/or consolidated several priority areas and de-emphasized other areas after completing a fact-finding stakeholder prioritization process. Fewer theme areas will allow MASGC to devote more resources to the highest priority issues. The desired outcome from this approach is to realize higher quality positive economic and societal impacts. While the MASGC plan is less broad than the NSGCP plan, MASGC maintains enough flexibility to shift resources if necessary toward new initiatives at the local, regional, and national levels.

The ORPP is an ongoing national research planning effort initiated in early 2006 and to date has included a stakeholder meeting in Denver, Colorado. MASGC will review this plan to determine if modifications are necessary as the plan is developed.

Regional Plans

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance was established by the governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas with support from 13 federal agencies. In March 2006 the Alliance released its 36-month action plan. The action plan focuses on five priority areas:

1. Water quality for healthy beaches and shellfish beds

2. Wetland and coastal conservation and restoration

3. Environmental education

4. Identification and characterization of Gulf habitats

5. Reductions in nutrient inputs to coastal ecosystems

The MASGC has a long history in addressing each of these priority areas. The 2006-2010 MASGC Strategic Plan contains elements of each and provides added value to the Alliance plan by continuing to provide leadership in environmental education and initiating research and outreach programs in support of the four other action plan objectives.

The strategic plans of the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs have numerous reoccurring themes. Education and outreach programs have long histories of collaborative projects. Numerous unplanned collaborative research initiatives have also arisen including co-funding of research projects. The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant program directors and other management staff met in July 2006. During this meeting, each program committed to cost-sharing $200,000 per year to fund a coastal communities and resiliency regional research project. The regional research project would begin with the next biennial omnibus cycle beginning in 2008.

All four Gulf Sea Grant program directors compose and serve on the leadership council of a grant funded by the NOAA Sea Grant’s National Office to develop a comprehensive and inclusive regional research strategic plan and implementation process. The strategic plan is due to be completed in 2008. At which time the, MASGC will review and update its 2006-2010 Strategic Plan.

State and Local Plans

MASGC worked closely with state and local partners during the development of the 2006-2010 MASGC Strategic Plan. The management and/or strategic plans were compared to plans from the Grand Bay and Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), the EPA supported Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP), and each state’s NOAA Coastal Programs. Administrative staff from each of these agencies either serves on the MASGC Advisory Council or participated in the planning process. Local governments and elected officials also participated in the planning process.

Planning Process

Background

Operational definitions of common strategic planning terms are provided to minimize confusion for the reader. These definitions were obtained from a variety of sources including the Center for Strategic Planning (http://www.cssp.com) and the terms were changed, where necessary, to be consistent with the terms used by NOAA Sea Grant.

Operational definitions of strategic planning terms used in MASGC strategic and implementation plans:

Priority theme or management area – a theme area identified by external and/or internal stakeholders and includes an input gathering process followed by prioritization.
Goal – a broad qualitative statement of what is hoped to be achieved.
Setting – a description of the importance of the theme area that includes some of the factors causing the topic to be an issue.
Strategic actions – statements of major approach or method to attain goals but do not describe specific activities or projects (tactics).
Objective (benchmarks) – a specific, measurable statement of those steps to be taken to achieve the desired outcome within a time frame. Objectives are achieved through implementation (action) plans. The best objectives are specific, measurable, agreed upon, reasonable, and time-limited (SMART).
Expected outcomes – desired changes in attitude, knowledge, behavior or skills sought in a person or group of people.
Performance measure (success indicators) – a common set of quantitative and qualitative metrics used to track the progress toward goals. Quantitative can be expressed in numerical terms and qualitative measures are process oriented and generally difficult to capture in numerical terms. Performance measures are closely linked to expected outcomes.
Milestone – specific actions that will be undertaken to accomplish the strategies or objectives whereby progress toward the goals and/or outcomes is realized.

Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders

The MASGC obtained extensive input from internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders are defined as the Board of Directors, Management Team, and Administrative Staff. External stakeholders include the MASGC Advisory Council and stakeholders who were contacted and chosen to participate in our Web-based strategic planning survey. Examples of external stakeholders include scientists, elected officials, commercial fishers, seafood processors, educators, charter boat captains, marina owners, private businesses, planners, librarians, federal employees, realtors, and non-profit agencies.

Mechanisms for Determining Priority Areas

The planning process began in 2003 with an internal assessment by members of the MASGC Management Team of programmatic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and an external SWOT with the MASGC Advisory Committee. In 2005, a Web-based stakeholder survey was conducted using Survey Monkey (surveymonkey.com). The planning survey and responses may be reviewed at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=61798933458. The survey questions were developed using the goals and priorities listed in the National Sea Grant College Program’s (NSGCP) 2003-2008 Strategic Plan, goals and objectives from the 2000-2005 MASGC Strategic Plan, priorities outlined by local and regional plans, and newly identified issues obtained from stakeholder input. Demographic and other value-based information was also obtained. All 11 theme areas and the 50 priorities from the NSGO Plan were used as an anchor to select and rank MASGC priorities. The remaining part of the survey presented 33 additional priorities obtained from local stakeholder input and relevant priorities from other local, state, regional, and national planning documents.

A total of 323 survey responses were received from external and internal stakeholder groups. The MASGC strategic planning exercise relied on rankings assigned to each survey question to obtain an initial ranking of importance. The response (level of importance) average for each question was determined using a 1-5 Likart scale. The responses were sorted by rank. Several priorities within the 11 theme areas were very similar. Not surprisingly, the similar priorities were often closely ranked when response data were reviewed. The management team’s role in the assessment of the results of the survey was to identify priority themes and then develop a single priority from among the elements of the overlapping priorities.

Final priorities for the MASGC plan were defined using the results of the survey, input from the MASGC management team, and input from the MASGC Advisory Council. Survey priorities were compared to the MASGC mission, other agencies’ missions, available funding, staffing, expertise within Consortium member institutions and future management goals. The 25 highest-ranked survey priorities from the 88 total were compared with priorities from the 2000-2005 Strategic Plan. If there were obvious connections the priorities were included in the 2006-2010 plan. Reviews of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Action Plan, the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program plans, and other Gulf Sea Grant program plans were valuable in understanding how MASGC’s priorities fit into a regional context. Plans of local agencies were also used in the final priority selection process. Reoccurring research priorities identified by local, state, and regional partners provided a means of validating ranked priorities and identifying potential opportunities for collaboration. Final priorities for MASGC were determined with the intent of matching highest ranked priorities with MASGC’s management and the scientific expertise found within consortium member institutions. The final priorities selected also involved, at a minimum, two of the three MASGC core areas (research, education, and outreach). Goals, objectives, outcomes, and performance measures were written based on the final priorities.

Review, Approval, and Monitoring

A draft plan was developed in August 2004 and reviewed by the MASGC Management Team, Board of Directors, and Advisory Council. The priority theme areas and corresponding objectives were posted on the MASGC Web site. Survey respondents were then contacted and asked to comment on the outcome of survey responses. The MASGC Board of Directors approved the draft plan in 2005.

The plan has been reviewed and modified twice. The first review occurred shortly after Hurricane Katrina. The post-Katrina review allowed the MASGC Management Team to place greater focus on objectives better suited for post-Katrina needs. Additional reviews and modifications occurred after the 2005 Program Assessment Guidelines were released. The print on demand format of the MASGC 2006-2010 Strategic Plan provides a simple mechanism and a no-cost incentive to constantly monitor and update the plan.

Implementation

Biennial Implementation Plans

Implementation of the MASGC strategic plan occurs through biennial plans utilizing competitively funded research, education, and outreach programs. Two biennial implementation plans are developed during each strategic planning period. Each implementation plan provides details though the addition of a set of milestones necessary to achieve the objectives from the strategic plan. Each objective contains both research and/or education milestones that will lead to fulfilling the stated objectives. Tracking the progress toward objectives is achieved by benchmarking anticipated outcomes and performance measures with a post-implementation plan evaluation of program outcomes and performance measures.

Sea Grant research funds are competitively distributed through the biennial Omnibus research proposal review process and program development initiatives. Principal investigators are afforded the opportunity to compete for funds through national strategic investment initiatives. The final priority areas from the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan were used to develop the MASGC 2006-07 Omnibus request for proposals (RFP) in December 2004 and will be used again for the 2008-09 Omnibus RFP.

Education and outreach are mandated to integrate research by focusing on youth and adult audiences who are provided with learning opportunities through a joint communications, extension, and legal program. Each core area cuts across priority theme areas to address the goals and objectives by translating research discovery into issue-based education and outreach programs. MASGC education and outreach uses numerous delivery methods including one-on-one, group meetings, distance education, print media, and the Internet, among others. MASGC outreach produces a variety of print media including publications, newsletters, web sites, and radio. For example, Sea Briefs, Water Log, Sea Harvest News, and the Gulf Coast Fishermen are four newsletters that reach over 7,000 people annually. MASGC also manages numerous web sites including the internationally renowned Aquaculture Network Information Center (AquaNIC); used by more than 4 million people annually. MASGC Education focuses on formal and information programs for teachers, students and adult audiences. Delivery of these education programs is achieved through teacher in-service training, student workshops and camps, and exhibits.

Performance Measures

NOAA has adopted three performance measures for the Ecosystem-Based Management Matrix. These measures provide categories where MASGC can report the impacts from each of its five priority theme areas. More detail concerning each of the performance measures will be included in MASGC’s 2006-08 Implementation Plan. The performance measures are:

Return on investment from the discovery and application of new sustainable coastal and ocean products.
Cumulative number of coastal, marine, and Great Lakes issue-based forecast capabilities developed and used for management.
Percentage/number of tools, technologies, and information services that are used by NOAA Sea Grant partners/customers to improve ecosystem-based management.

Examples of the performance measures will be presented for each priority theme area. More detailed use of performance and evaluation measures will be included in each biennial implementation plan.

Priority Thematic Areas

The MASGC will address five priority theme areas: (1) Health and Restoration of Coastal Habitats; (2) Coastal Community Resiliency and Resource Management; (3) Seafood Safety and Processing Technology; (4) Fisheries Ecology and Aquaculture; and (5) Marine Education. Through an integrated approach with research MASGC utilizes its core education and outreach (communications, extension, and legal) programs in cross-cutting strategies to address each strategic area. Each priority theme area is organized around three general categories including what is to be accomplished (goals), what needs to be done to get there (objectives milestones), and how to measure progress (outcomes and performance measures).

Priority Theme Area 1. Health and Restoration of Co