ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ

ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ’s latest strategic plan builds upon essential themes from the University’s mission, vision and value statements and includes six key areas of focus: Inclusive Student Success; Diversity & Inclusion; Teaching & Learning; Strategic Enrollment Management; Financial Sustainability; and Campus Community, Communication & Shared Governance. This plan replaces the recently completed 2020 Strategic Plan, which focused on the four initiatives of Learning, Engagement, Global Perspectives and Sustainability (LEGS).

The planning process took place over several years, beginning in May 2017 with the launch of new mission, vision and values statements. DumontJanks, a leading national strategic planning consulting firm from Boston, was contracted to help guide the process and in early 2018 convened the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, made up of 40 faculty, staff, students and administrators.

The Steering Committee was charged with utilizing the University’s mission, vision, guiding principle, and values statements to develop a new strategic plan that sets long-range priorities to support student, academic, and facility goals, and reflected our financial position and long-range opportunities and priorities.

Between February and May 2018, the Steering Committee worked with DumontJanks to facilitate several on-campus visits and tele-conferences, review dozens of documents, reports and surveys, and meet with hundreds of University stakeholders in individual, small-group, and open forums.

Revisions continued over the summer and early fall of 2018, and were shared with the President’s Cabinet, Board of Trustees, and ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ community. An electronic feedback form collected additional feedback, as did multiple open forums — 20 in all — coordinated by the Office of the Provost, held over the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019.

This plan provides the framework for all the University will work on over the next five years.

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Areas of Focus

Inclusive Student Success

Inclusive student success is the extent to which ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ recruits, supports and empowers an increasingly diverse student body and works to close the equity gaps that exist in higher education.

Diversity & Inclusion

ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ is dedicated to building a community that values differences of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, national origin, socio-economic status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, ability or disability.

Teaching & Learning

ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ has achieved remarkable success in terms of student retention and graduation rates because of its personalized approach to teaching and learning. Such efforts will continuously be assessed and refined and incorporate ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ’s Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs).

Strategic Enrollment Management

ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ has an obligation to support students who arrive in their first year, those who transfer later in their academic career, as well as those who return to school as adult learners.

Financial Sustainability

As a public institution, ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ is a steward of public funds, carefully balancing the fiscal needs of academic programs, capital and facilities, technology infrastructure, human capital, debt and expenses, student programs and services and operations while keeping tuition affordable.