Â鶹ƵµÀ

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

As we approach the end of the semester, we are reaching out to provide you with an update on the Academic Strategic Plan.

Since releasing the on Feb. 17, we have received a steady stream of valuable feedback from all parts of the University. This input has helped us refine and strengthen the plan in preparation for the release of the final draft.

Feedback from faculty, staff and students encouraged us to prioritize the following areas:

• Strengthening the focus on retaining our R1 status and on research strengths across campus.
• Clarifying that curriculum review should focus on alignment with school/college strategic plans and stated values.
• Increasing our efforts to support the needs of online and post-traditional students.
• Acknowledging the impact and contributions of staff on all three pillars (research and creative excellence; educational excellence and student success; and public impact).
• Articulating the value of strong partnerships with local communities.
• Defining expectations around study abroad and study away commitments.
• Providing more detail about deliverables and how we will measure success.

As we finalize the Academic Strategic Plan, these suggestions have been useful in not only sharpening but also improving the plan. Stakeholder input has encouraged us to streamline and condense the plan and to reflect more explicitly on what specific outcomes we hope to achieve in the next five to seven years.

We remain deeply grateful for all the time and effort that faculty, staff and students have put into this planning process at both the University and the school/college levels. While this work has been labor intensive for our community, the outcome is an Academic Strategic Plan that charts an exciting and ambitious future for Â鶹ƵµÀUniversity.

Thank you again for being part of this process and sharing your insights, ideas and constructive feedback on our collective future as an institution and a community.

As always, if you would like more information about the Academic Strategic Plan or the process of creating it, please visit the .