I’ve invited Dr. Ken Brown and executive vice president Zora Mulligan, co-chairs of the Strategic Planning committee, to provide an update on the process.

This week, we’re back to work with Strategic Planning committee meetings and forming work groups. More than 200 people indicated interest in serving on a work group. This is a good sign that people are engaged and interested in helping shape the plan.

As we continue this work, we’re reminded of something we’ve been saying since the process began:  This is our plan. “Our” includes students; faculty and staff; alumni and friends; and members of the community in which we live. We’ll all work together to develop and implement a plan that will ensure we continue to move the university forward throughout the coming months and years.

Work group responsibilities

Each work group will focus on one of these areas:

• Academic opportunities and innovation
• Branding and identity
• Community partnerships and economic development
• Institution of choice for employees and students
• Student and alumni experience

In the coming months, work groups will set goals, identify desired outcomes and develop strategies that will allow us to make progress toward those goals. Members of the campus community will come together in interactive workshops early in the spring semester and again before the plan is completed.

During the week where we held small group discussions and the first interactive workshop, we consistently heard that our public affairs mission is one of the factors that sets us apart from other universities. It’s viewed as a strength and a key part of our identity.

Many people observed, however, that while we value our public affairs mission, we don’t have a common understanding of exactly what it means, how it’s woven into the fabric of campus life and whether some components need to be updated or clarified.

So, in addition, the Strategic Planning committee will collect feedback about the university’s public affairs mission. We’ll discuss this in a process that parallels work groups, including discussion at public forums.

You can track progress on the planning process on the Strategic Plan website.

Thanks to all for your participation and input.

Ken and Zora
Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chairs