strategic plan university

Strategic Plan

At the University of Houston, we don’t play it safe.

We didn’t play it safe when we told the world: We’re going to be Tier One.

We didn’t play it safe when we announced: We’re going to have a College of Medicine.

We didn’t play it safe when we declared: We’re going to reclaim our athletic glory.

We didn’t play it safe when we promised: We’re going to raise a billion dollars.

We took a risk that we could fail. Some thought we would. But we didn’t. With your help, we rang the bell on every. one. of. those. promises.

You made the seemingly impossible possible.

Stretching beyond our comfort zone is a part of our DNA … but achieving those goals was last decade’s victory.

We’re moving the goalposts. Setting our sights even higher.

Come see how high we can climb in the decade to come.

It’ll take your breath away.

Together, we rise. Together, we soar.

Building a Top 50 Public University

Student success, provide a top tier, inclusive educational experience to all.

Learn More About the Student Success Goal

Nationally Competitive Research

Build a research powerhouse that impacts our region & the world.

Learn More About the Nationally Competitive Research Goal

Social Responsibility

Serve as an exemplar for equitable & inclusive community engagement.

Learn More About the Social Responsibility Goal

Nationally Relevant Athletics

Build a competitive athletics program.

Learn More About the Nationally Relevant Athletic Goal

Competitive Funding

Build a sustainable funding base to support vision & goals.

Learn More About the Competitive Funding Goal

The University of Houston Strategic Plan, " Together, We Rise. Together, We Soar. ," is a seven-year strategy to transform core initiatives of the University from 2021-2028.  

Becoming the highest-impact public research university in the world.

Change Starts Here is UT’s 10-year strategic plan to align our mission with our unique opportunity to impact society and change the world.

Explore our Strategic Plan Goals

Our faculty, staff and students are our bedrock, and they drive our aspiration to be the highest-impact public research university in the world. Our plan begins with making UT the best place to work, grow and learn. Change starts with us.

As Texas’ flagship university, we are amplifying our state’s unmatched potential through new and meaningful collaborations and plenty of ingenuity. Our plan prioritizes community impact through solution-oriented partnership. Change starts at home.

Through research, education and experiences, UT turns ideas into discoveries that serve the world while preparing the leaders, creators and doers of tomorrow. Our plan addresses critical global challenges in energy and the environment; health and wellbeing; technology and society. Change starts with ambition.

What do we mean by impact?

For UT, it’s that which improves our world and contributes measurably to a person or community’s betterment: physically, mentally, socially, environmentally or economically. That could be a new vaccine, improved renewable energy, real-time flood mapping or tracking trash and debris in Earth’s orbit.

By creating educational opportunities for all and leading cutting-edge research at scale, UT will foster positive social change, technological advancement, and economic progress showing the world that change really does start here. Every success gets us closer to our goal of becoming the highest-impact public research university in the world.

See Our Progress

Check out our successes to date across the strategic plan pillars.

Our Pursuits

Learn about our pursuits in experiences, education and research.

By any measure, UCLA is a remarkable engine of positive change in California and across the globe. Our university provides an excellent education to a widely diverse student body. We produce transformative research for the public good. And we contribute greatly to the welfare of our region, state and the world.

Bruins are driven by the immense impact we have on the communities we serve. The question at the heart of UCLA’s 2023-28 strategic plan is how we deepen our impact at a moment of transformation within our broader society, within Los Angeles and within our university.

In short: how can we create the future?

UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt shares more about the plan and the cross-cutting theme of inclusive excellence:

Our strategic plan’s goals and priorities were developed through extensive consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members.

With this plan, we are endeavoring to create the future of UCLA — one in which we surmount the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities that we face as an institution. In maximizing UCLA’s contributions to the world, we will also help create a better future for our global society. With greater impact as our goal, and inclusive excellence as our means of achieving it, we will do this with equity and justice at the forefront.

Goal 1: Deepen our engagement with Los Angeles

Hear from goal group leader Shalom Staub , Director, UCLA Center for Community Engagement:

Goal 2: Expand our reach as a global university

Hear from goal group leader Cindy Fan , Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement, International Institute:

Goal 3: Enhance our research and creative activities

Hear from goal group leader Roger Wakimoto , Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities:

Goal 4: Elevate how we teach

Hear from goal group co-leader Adriana Galván , Dean of Undergraduate Education:

Goal 5: Become a more effective institution

Hear from goal group leader Michael J. Beck , Vice Chancellor for Administration:

Explore our progress

View a timeline of major achievements to date as we make progress across our five goals.

Related News

Kaya Mentesoglu’s technological creativity helps UCLA map its global impact

U7+ Alliance of World Universities urge G7 to increase access to higher education

Chancellor Gene Block and Vice Provost Cindy Fan joined university leaders from 18 countries to address global challenges

Get Involved

Want to find ways to contribute to the plan or provide feedback? Please email [email protected] .

Strategic Plan

NorthWEstern WILL

University Strategic Plan

Northwestern's Strategic Plan, North WE stern WILL , has since 2011 provided a framework in which to define our shared goals. It builds on our many strengths and focuses our energies and resources on the most pressing issues that we are distinctively positioned to address. The structure of the plan encourages multidimensional approaches to achieving significant goals in four areas, or pillars, critical to the University's future. These pillars have been refined and articulated more recently as University Priorities , guiding our ambitions, continuous improvement efforts, and institutional investments.

Download the Northwestern University Strategic Plan for a full overview of our goals and vision.

Read the 2011-2016 Report on Progress Implementing the Strategic Plan .

The Pillars

We will work together through research and innovation to create solutions to problems that will improve lives, communities, and the world.

We will, more than ever before, integrate student learning with experiences in the world beyond the classroom.

We will close the gap between intentions and outcomes to connect individuals from widely diverse backgrounds and life experiences to a truly inclusive community.

We will, through strategic partnerships, engage locally, nationally, and internationally to heighten our global impact for the greater good.

University of Iowa Strategic Plan

Strategic plan.

Values driven. Mission focused.

A destination university.

We started this journey with a destination in mind, to become the top choice university for the next group of diverse and talented students, faculty, and staff.  To get there, we put a plan in place and called on the campus community to help us carry it out. As we reflect on our progress so far, we can see that the work is already paying off.

We are building upon our strengths in research and scholarship, implementing strategies and best practices to help our students achieve new heights, and furthering a campus culture that celebrates excellence, prioritizes well-being, and embraces our core values.

While we are proud of what we have accomplished, this is just the beginning. Together we will enhance the University of Iowa’s standing as one of the most distinguished public universities in the country.

Continuing Our Progress

As we advance through Year 2 of our strategic plan, we’re making significant progress toward our goals. We are achieving new highs for student graduation and retention rates, strengthening our efforts to support faculty success, implementing strategies to further boost our research profile, and increasing services to support the health and well-being of our community.   Our strategic investments through the P3 Program are starting to pay off and so are our collective efforts to foster a welcoming and respectful campus environment.

Thanks to the collaborative spirit, talent, and dedication across our campus, we are on pace to fulfill our shared vision for the University of Iowa.

Update from provost kregel

Latest Updates

Using introductory courses as a gateway to student success

A P3 initiative is reshaping the educational experience in key courses taken by the majority of undergraduate students at Iowa.

Flexible health care job for students is win-win

The creation of a new UI Health Care position is giving students invaluable experience while also supporting the workload of hospital staff and enhancing patient care.  

UI faculty member awarded prestigious fellowship for neuroscience research

Stephanie Gantz, Carver College of Medicine assistant professor in molecular physiology and biophysics, was named one of the 2024 Sloan Research Fellows by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

UI graduation, retention rates increase

Undergraduate retention and graduation rates continue to climb at the University of Iowa, with multiple initiatives and strategies culminating in new records for four-year graduation and first to second-year retention rates.  

Upon its founding in 1847, the University of Iowa was entrusted by the state legislature with a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service. 

The University of Iowa will be the destination of first choice for a diverse and talented body of students, faculty, and staff, who will craft new chapters of exploration, discovery, creation, and engagement. Together, we will advance the university’s standing as one of the most distinguished public universities in the country. 

Core Values

Our core values frame both who we are and who we aspire to be as a university community. As we plan, set priorities, and make daily decisions about how to carry out our mission, we are guided by these five interdependent commitments: 

Creativity, Community, Excellence, Inclusion, and Integrity.

Priorities and Goals

The five priorities of the strategic plan are interconnected, building upon each other to position our institution for success. 

Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Foster high-quality teaching and dynamic educational experiences that empower all students to achieve their aspirations.

Innovative Research and Creative Discovery

Advance the success of UI scholars, researchers, and artists and build on the university’s distinctive strengths in areas of current and emerging research and creative discovery.

Welcoming and Inclusive Environment

Facilitate proactive campus cultural change to cultivate a more respectful, inclusive environment that embeds diversity and equity into the Iowa experience.

Holistic Well-Being and Success

Provide a comprehensive foundation of support for individuals throughout all stages of their relationship with the university, beginning by attracting and retaining talented students, faculty, and staff who will contribute to a thriving university community.

Transformative Societal Impact

Expand the university’s impact on local and regional communities, the state of Iowa, and the world by leveraging its areas of distinction, the resources entrusted to it, and the collective talent of its people.

What's Next

Our Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee  (SPARC) is building upon the progress of year 1 and is busy at work implementing year 2 of the plan. For the strategic plan to be successful, we need continued participation and support from members of the campus community. Your ideas, input, and engagement are critical to us achieving our goals. 

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Strategic Plan

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Fulfilling CU’s Mission

Between the summer of 2019 and the spring of 2021, the University of Colorado conducted a collaborative and inclusive strategic planning process to identity common themes that would help guide the university for the next five years and beyond. Priorities identified were collectively chosen by stakeholders involved throughout the process and will advance CU’s mission.

“The University of Colorado is a public research university with multiple campuses serving Colorado, the nation, and the world through leadership in high-quality education and professional training, public service, advancing research and knowledge, and state-of-the-art health care.”

CU System Strategic Plan

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Strategic Plan 2025

Updating cmu’s strategic plan.

Beginning in 2023-24, Carnegie Mellon has undertaken a process to assess and revise the university’s strategic plan. Under the guidance of the Strategic Plan Update Steering Committee appointed by President Jahanian and Provost Garrett, this data-informed process aims to build on our accomplishments from Strategic Plan 2025 and fine-tune our strategic direction in light of a fast-moving higher education landscape. Based on this early feedback as well as peer benchmarking, the following six themes have emerged as areas of focus for our strategic plan update.

• Affordability & Access: Ensuring a CMU education remains accessible to top talent from all backgrounds, including low- and middle-income families
• AI & Emerging Technologies: Maximizing our leadership in technology in every sense — through our research, creative inquiry and policy impact, and by training the talent that will shape the digital revolution
• Brand & Storytelling: Further differentiating and elevating our unique brand and telling the CMU story of our impact in a more powerful way
• Organizational Agility & Effectiveness: Ensuring our complex organization is positioned for success, nimble in how we prioritize our resources and savvy in how we optimize their use
• Research & Innovation: Expanding investments and partnerships in research, energizing our culture of bold entrepreneurship and big bets, and continuing to grow our start-up and enterprise creation
• Student Experiences & Outcomes: Continuing to invest in a high-quality, hands-on and supportive student experience while maintaining the excellence that makes our students highly sought-after

We are keenly interested in broad stakeholder input, and we welcome our community’s feedback as we engage in this important process.

We plan to present our findings to the community in Fall 2024, following discussions with our Board of Trustees.

Members of the Strategic Plan Update Steering Committee

Community feedback survey.

Your  insights are crucial in guiding CMU’s efforts to update our strategic planning assumptions and priorities.  As we engage in the important process of updating Carnegie Mellon University's strategic plan, we welcome our community’s feedback through this brief survey.

Provide Your Feedback

Strategic Plan 2025 Accomplishments

Carnegie Mellon Community Celebrates Opening of Tepper Quad

Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence 

Former Steel Mill Forges New Beginning With Groundbreaking 

New Center Brings Together Efforts in Diversity, Inclusion   

"This is an extraordinary time for Carnegie Mellon University. With its world-leading strengths at the intersection of technology and humanity, CMU research, innovation and creativity will help shape the 21st century." — James Rohr, Chair, Board of Trustees, 2015-2021

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IU 2030: The Indiana University Strategic Plan

A bold, ambitious future

United by an aspirational vision for IU’s third century,  IU 2030: The Indiana University Strategic Plan  outlines an ambitious and shared path, reaffirming the university’s rightful place within the highest tier of American public higher education.

Its three foundational pillars:

Student Success and Opportunity

A commitment to affordability and a student experience that equips graduates for resounding success in the workplace and beyond.

Transformative Research and Creativity

A commitment to the pursuit of discovery, creativity, and innovation that improves communities and changes lives.

Service to Our State and Beyond

A commitment to engagement, partnership, and collaboration that strengthens the vitality of Indiana, the nation, and the world.

IU 2030 imagines an extraordinary impact —in students transformed, discoveries made, and communities strengthened.  Launched in April 2023 , the university and campus plans features clear objectives and metrics of success, ensuring that the outcomes are felt worldwide—from Hoosier hometowns to communities across the globe.

IU invests more than $250M to strengthen biosciences

New research institutes at IU Indianapolis to shape IU 2030 progress.

IU Indianapolis, Lilly partnership to boost talent pipelines

Co-op partnership will bolster the central Indiana workforce .

IU secured $772M in research awards in 2023

IU leads more sponsored research than any university in state.

Physician MBA Program revamped to position physicians nationwide for health care leadership

IU School of Medicine’s NIH funding ranked No. 13 among public universities for 2023

Dual admission program eliminates barriers for transfer students from Ivy Tech to IU Indianapolis

IU secured $772M in sponsored research awards in 2023

Latha Ramchand to lead IU Indianapolis campus as chancellor, executive vice president

IU 2030: The Indiana University Strategic Plan resources and social media channels

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Boundless Possibility: 2030 Strategic Plan

We are the makers of our future.

So, let’s go big.

Let’s reach further and dig deeper. Abandon norms. Chase inspiration. Embrace the unconventional.

The limits for what we create and what we achieve are set by us and what we choose to be. Be bold. Be imaginative. Be extraordinary. Be whatever “ever better” means to you.

Be boundless.

Our 2030 strategic plan

Bold and transformational goals will guide the University of Rochester toward framing and solving the greatest challenges of the future.

Research excellence and global reputation

We are committed to building and reinvigorating our research ecosystem and leveraging our distinctive strengths in ways to increase our reputation as a leading global research institution by investing in innovation and growth in our areas of distinction.

Exceptional undergraduate and graduate education

We will reimagine undergraduate and graduate education at our research-intensive institution to continue enhancing and enriching the student experience so that we develop leaders, citizens of the world, and learners who embody our Meliora values.

Health care of the highest order

We will continue to expand and transform health care delivery, promote an inclusive culture, and build programs of excellence that span research, education, and clinical care to reinforce and enhance our position as a leading national academic medical center.

Faculty and staff success

We are committed to building a community of individuals who represent a wide range of identities and backgrounds and to ensuring that all who work here feel valued and respected to cultivate an inclusive culture that prioritizes the well-being, development, engagement, success, and diversity of our community.

Sustainable growth

We will modernize and optimize the way we budget and allocate resources to realize our University-wide aspirations, implementing a new finance and operational model that will enable future and sustainable growth and success.

Explore examples of how our students, faculty, and staff are exemplifying Boundless Possibility .

Student life gets a new champion

John Blackshear, Rochester’s first vice president for student life, is poised to reimagine the student experience.

This way to employee success

The Office of Human Resources has put miles on a modernization path that will better support the Rochester employees’ current and future needs.

Laser-focused on laser leadership

An NSF grant positions Rochester to lead the effort in development of the next generation of lasers.

Be inspired

Hear from members of our community who are conducting research related directly to the strategic planning process.

Be informed

Our 2030 strategic plan includes significant goals for our campus and community. We are committed to transparency and accountability as we move forward.

Strategic Plan 2020

Bringing the next 10 years into focus, we are focused.

We are proud to announce the new Strategic Plan for Boston University. Developed over the course of two years by a Strategic Planning Task Force , this plan identifies five strategic priorities that will guide BU over the next 10 years. These priorities capture the core of who we are as a private research university and articulate clear commitments for our future.

Read the Full Introduction

5 Strategic Priorities

Developed by our Strategic Planning Task Force, these priorities capture the core of who we are as a private research university and will guide BU over the next 10 years.

An eye on the future

Look deeper into the ideas behind our new Strategic Plan and learn how we will be implementing the plan’s priorities over the coming decade.

Note: The Strategic Plan period has been extended by Council to 2024 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fearlessly Forward

In pursuit of excellence and impact for the public good, the university of maryland strategic plan, our strategic commitments.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PLACE—VIBRANT AND DYNAMIC AND DIVERSE.

We are a place of learning: a school dedicated to the art and science of education and committed to reimagining teaching and learning inside both classrooms and communities.

We are a campus dedicated to the indisputable value of science and humanities, inquiry, and creativity, and comprising tens of thousands of searchers and discoverers working in hundreds of laboratories, libraries, and collaborative spaces. Strategically located just a few miles from the nation’s capital, our university is a place where new knowledge is pursued, discovered, and championed.

We are also a community, nearly half a million members strong, of diverse students, faculty, staff, and alumni; a small city of residents and commuters, first responders and health care workers, learners, artists, and athletes; a place where thousands come to work every day to make a difference. Our diversity is integral to our excellence. And ours is a community that is intrinsically connected to our surrounding neighborhoods and our state, our nation, and our world.

The University of Maryland remains, since our founding, an institution of change and progress, and a proud land-grant flagship campus dedicated to the public good.

Our university is evolving faster than at any moment in its storied history. Our guiding principles are helping us to empower the next generation of leaders, artists, writers, educators, scientists, and global citizens to develop creative solutions to the grand challenges of our times.

New Strategic Plan Initiatives

• We reimagine learning
• We take on humanity's grand challenges
• We invest in people and communities
• We partner to advance the public good

We must be united in our noble and fearless purpose, because celebrating differences and leveling societal inequities must be among our greatest strengths, because grand challenges demand fearless ideas, and because progress will not be measured in individual achievement, but in our collective accomplishments.

FEARLESSLY FORWARD IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE AND IMPACT FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD: THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND STRATEGIC PLAN    presents a bold reimagining of what our university must be to uphold and expand our mission of service to humanity. Our vision is at once ambitious and fearless.

To improve the lives of every person on Earth, we will reimagine teaching and learning; accelerate solutions to the grand challenges of our time through creativity and discovery; and forge a diverse and inclusive community where our differences are celebrated and equity is relentlessly pursued. Together, we will dedicate ourselves to advancing the public good because our individual well-being is enduringly bound to our collective well-being.

This is our time to reinvent our University. We must reenvision our campus and community as a modern flagship research university for the common good. PRESIDENT DARRYLL J. PINES

FEARLESSLY FORWARD IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE AND IMPACT FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD: THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND STRATEGIC PLAN  is a living document and will evolve and grow as we do. Please visit this site to follow our progress as we move fearlessly forward.

University Strategic Plan

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Taking action to dismantle the structural and cultural barriers that stand in the way of "so that all may learn" requires us to be a responsive university that actively prepares for the future ahead. WMU is committed to improving access to learning opportunities by fostering a supportive University environment and culture while providing a relevant education with a robust return on investment. This means cultivating a student-centered growth mindset that is focused on developing 21st-century transferable knowledge, skills and aspirations. In turn, our students are equipped to make a positive impact on the world as well-rounded, global citizens.

Western's new Strategic Plan 2022-32 will cover a span of 10 years and is framed around seven key priority areas; Academic Excellence, Community Building, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Internationalization, Research and Creative Scholarship, Sustainability and Well-being. This plan serves as a guide for University strategic investment and decision making, while incorporating a 3-4-3-year plan evaluation structure that enables us to respond to changes in our environment and to evolve our process as milestones are reached.

Moving forward, University leadership will be responsible for using this Strategic Plan as a roadmap for implementing targeted initiatives to achieve these institutional goals within their own areas of influence. Meanwhile, our campus will begin to develop action plans that refine our strategies and metrics of success.

The future of WMU depends on the collaboration of our entire community and the shared commitment to build upon our strengths, seize our opportunities and pursue our aspirations.

The University strategic plan website will continue to provide progress updates throughout the implementation process. There you can learn more and discover how you can get involved.

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University Strategic Plan

TU 2020-2030 Strategic Plan: Leadership for the Public Good

With more than 150 years of leadership advancing higher education, Towson University has established a rich history of academic success and a proven dedication to improving lives. Building upon this established excellence, TU strategically looks to the future with both purpose and passion. 

TU’s academic excellence and innovative research and creative activities happen within a community where all students achieve inclusively. The diversity of our student body is a strength that not only enriches the learning environment with varied backgrounds, it also prepares our students to better lead in a global environment. TU's ongoing success is dependent on our capacity to shift perspectives and approaches and strategically place diversity, equity and inclusion at the core of our mission. We offer a transformative student experience that creates a foundation for social and economic mobility grounded in a profound respect for civic responsibility.

Towson University is an anchor institution for Greater Baltimore and Maryland, committed to making a difference and transforming lives throughout our region. Through our signature programs in BTU—Partnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore—we demonstrate our commitment to community engaged partnerships that have an immediate, positive impact on Greater Baltimore. We foster an environment that embraces leadership and entrepreneurship for our students, our region, and our state. 

As part of the university’s relentless commitment to advancing the public good, this plan serves to define objectives and deliver transformative outcomes. Through the power of learning, discovery and creativity we create opportunities, ensuring a future where everyone plays a role in shaping a positive future. Being ambitious on behalf of others isn’t just a promise at TU—we deliver on it every day. And this plan is where that ambition becomes action.

Mission Statement

Towson University fosters intellectual inquiry and critical thinking, preparing graduates who will serve as effective leaders for the public good. Through a foundation in the liberal arts and a commitment to academic excellence, interdisciplinary study, research and public service, Towson University prepares students for careers in high demand today and in the future. TU is recognized as a leader in community engagement, including entrepreneurial efforts that provide collaborative opportunities between the campus and the larger Maryland community. Our graduates leave with the vision, creativity and adaptability to craft solutions that enrich the culture, society, economy and environment of the state, the region and beyond.

Towson University is a national leader in student-centered education, where students will develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to become ethical leaders in a global society. Our faculty model the highest values of the scholar-educator, with a steadfast devotion to intellectual rigor and the pursuit of innovative scholarly and creative activities. We embrace our role and responsibilities as an anchor institution for the Greater Baltimore region and the state of Maryland.

Towson University’s Core Values

At Towson University, everything we do reflects our core values:

• Dedication to student intellectual and personal growth
• Commitment to creating and disseminating knowledge of the highest caliber
• Passion for continuous learning
• Devotion to civic responsibility and community service
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Integrity and ethical action as leaders for the public good

Towson University is already recognized as one of America’s Top 100 public national universities; this strategic plan is a call to action for an even bolder future. It is a focused strategy to build upon TU’s already impressive momentum, further its impact as an anchor institution, and advance its pre-eminent position as a national leader in higher education for the public good. 

Our Expectation: Excellence (in everything we do)

Towson University has built a reputation as a leader in inclusive, accessible academic excellence where students, faculty and staff thrive. Here, rigorous and relevant academic instruction is combined with a diverse and supportive community that deepens connections and builds success. 

• We challenge students to be engaged participants in an inspiring educational journey preparing them for professional success and positive impact as engaged members of their community.  
•  We empower faculty to make significant contributions through scholarly and creative inquiry of the highest caliber. 
• We encourage and promote excellence in staff resulting in exceptional contributions and personal growth.
• We serve communities as an anchor institution, with socially-minded partnerships and entrepreneurial efforts advancing the greater Baltimore region and Maryland. 

Through the initiatives outlined in this strategic action plan, we’ll harness our expertise from decades of transformation at Towson University to accelerate into a new era of leadership for the public good.

Our Focus: Achieving Goals 

For Towson University to make a greater difference we must remain unapologetically persistent and clearly focused on our goals above all else. Our plan focuses on six major goals, defined with input from across our university and greater communities. These goals must serve as guiding intentions at the center of every decision we make and every action we take. 

Our Goals: 

Goal one:  educate.

Of course, education is at the center of everything we do. But it’s how we educate that really matters. Towson University is committed to academic excellence, providing exceptional, student-centered educational experiences. TU’s distinguished faculty mentors push the possibilities of engaged learning, create in-demand academic programs and initiate cutting-edge instruction in each of our colleges and interdisciplinary programs. Our graduates will be prepared to lead their communities with integrity, civic-mindedness, and creativity in service of the public good.

Educate Actions:

• Institute and fully support a comprehensive enrollment strategy that achieves the goals of the university with regard to degree programs, diversity, and fiscal outcomes. 
• Recruit, retain and support outstanding faculty committed to teaching excellence.
• Provide an interdisciplinary core curriculum grounded in the liberal arts that reflects our educational outcomes and prepares students for the contemporary workforce and global society.
• Increase high-impact teaching and learning opportunities to ensure every TU student engages in multiple experiences during their academic career.
• Capitalize on new facilities in STEM and health professions to develop new, high-demand academic programs that support state and national workforce needs.
• Develop selective new masters and doctoral programs in accordance to regional demand and institutional mission.
• Offer an array of professional certificate programs and credentialing alternatives to position our graduates competitively in the workforce.
• Support our world-class faculty through the Faculty Academic Center of Excellence at Towson University (FACET).

GOAL TWO:  INNOVATE

As higher education leaders, the world looks to us for innovation. TU supports and promotes an active scholarly and creative activity agenda for faculty, staff and students. This includes providing appropriate resources, suitable facilities and work schedules to facilitate these critical and worthwhile efforts.

Innovate Actions:

• Faculty will continue to serve as leaders demonstrating the highest standards of a scholar/teacher model that balances teaching, research and service. 
• Utilize emerging and innovative technology to enhance teaching and learning.
• Substantially increase grant activities and scholarly output, utilizing the full spectrum of student, staff, and faculty expertise.
• Build requisite facilities and resources, including those of Cook Library, to support and increase faculty scholarly and creative activity. 
• Increase our commitment to undergraduate and graduate student research, including a vibrant summer research program with faculty mentors.
• Reward and recognize faculty national leaders in scholarship, creative activity and teaching.

GOAL THREE: ENGAGE

Our impact goes beyond the boundaries of our campus. As a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University, TU students, faculty and staff serve as community leaders and partners extending their talents beyond our campus boundaries to create opportunities for leadership, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and experiential learning. 

Engage Actions:

• Build on the existing success of the BTU initiative to further TU’s leadership as an anchor institution for the greater Baltimore region.
• Develop and sustain a successful StarTUp business engagement center.
• Develop and sustain innovative entrepreneurship programs for internal and external parties that increase student participation from all colleges.
• Build a successful venture creation program that engages students, faculty, staff and external participants.
• Develop nationally recognized leadership programs for internal and external markets that create and reflect cutting-edge research. 
• Ensure all TU students have the opportunity to participate in experiential learning during their academic careers.
• Promote civic responsibility and engagement as a learning outcome for all students. 
• Fully develop a world-class Career Center supporting students and alumni.

GOAL FOUR: INCLUDE

TU actively works to build an inclusive, collaborative, and equitable community where people from all backgrounds, identities, abilities and life experiences are welcomed, valued and supported to achieve their fullest potential.  This commitment is reflected in our hiring practices, decision-making, academic and co-curricular programming, support services and resources. We will achieve the goals of the university’s Diversity Strategic Plan and will be leaders in equity and inclusion.  

Include Actions:

• Provide ongoing teaching, learning, research and service opportunities to prepare students, faculty and staff to address diversity, inclusion and equity issues in disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields.
• Continue our commitment to recruiting and retaining faculty from underrepresented groups.
• Continue to build trust and confidence through strong collaborative and value-added relationships with all shared governance bodies. 
• Increase diversity-rich learning experiences that raise all students’ self-awareness and ethical and cultural intelligences while advancing their understanding and commitment to TU’s values of inclusion, diversity and equity.
• Provide resources for faculty to learn, use and evaluate inclusive teaching and learning practices, scholarly research and creative activities.
• Build upon existing mentorship programs for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff.

GOAL FIVE: SUPPORT

Student success starts with a student-centered culture. TU is committed to recruiting, retaining and graduating students of the highest caliber, offering effective support services and an engaging campus experience that reflects the values of Towson University.

Support Actions: 

• Implement a comprehensive student retention plan from prospect status through graduation and into the post-graduate years.
• Increase the four-year graduation rate through a systemic approach.
• Capitalize on the new Student Union to deliver rich co-curricular programming for students.
• Establish a One-Stop Academic Support Center.
• Support an exceptional athletics program that emphasizes success in the classroom, in the community, and in athletic competition. 
• Establish a world-class holistic practice of student well-being that addresses physical, mental, and emotional dimensions of individuals. 
• Serve as a cultural center for the TU and greater Baltimore communities, offering outstanding arts and culture programming for the region.
• Increase affordability of study abroad and other experiential learning opportunities and raise the number and diversity of student participants.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs to students while maintaining high academic and co-curricular standards.

GOAL SIX: SUSTAIN

TU is committed to sustainable practices, responsible management and efficient use of all resources. Whether it’s environmental, financial or human—we act as conscientious stewards of all resources.

2030 Sustain Actions: 

• Promote a transparent capital and operating budget process that engages shared governance to invest financial resources in support of the university’s strategic goals. 
• Promote and implement effective internal controls and enterprise risk management practices to provide reasonable assurance for the safeguarding of assets, the reliability of financial information, and compliance with laws and regulations.
• Implement a holistic Campus Sustainability Plan inclusive of environmental, health, and academic activities.
• Recruit, reward and retain outstanding faculty and staff through the implementation of a total rewards program.
• Offer engaging professional development opportunities, including mentoring and coaching programs that span career trajectories.
• Build and maintain a sustainable campus through economically viable initiatives that are environmentally and socially responsible.
• Increase philanthropic giving from all constituent groups—alumni, friends, parents, faculty, staff and students—to support ongoing and emerging needs and opportunities at TU. 
• Strengthen alumni engagement and giving in support of the university community and its strategic goals.

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UW Strategic Planning

Our shared future depends on choices we make today. Based on our community’s shared vision of its future, the UW strategic planning process identifies trends and drivers of change, and takes steps to ensure the UW is responding in ways to keep us on track to thrive in the future.

OUR SHARED VISION

The UW of the 21st Century is:

• Competitive
• Collaborative
• Technology-reliant
• Diversified

Read the full visioning document, the UW of the 21st Century .

The Sustainable Academic Business Plan is a strategic yet practical plan to maintain academic priorities while managing financial realities. The Plan guides near-term goals and activities that will position the UW to thrive in the next two decades.

• Read more about the plan .
• Download the UW’s Strategic Planning Brief .

The Sustainable Academic Business Plan includes both academic and administrative initiatives.

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Boldly Illinois: 2030 Strategic Planning

Vision. Momentum. Impact.

There is no doubt the world waiting on the other side of this global crisis will be in greater need than ever before of the kind of bold actions and audacious innovations that are the hallmarks of this university.

Robert j. jones, chancellor.

The Next 150, Strategic Plan 2018-2023, set an ambitious agenda for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to live up to its full potential of acting as a beacon of knowledge for our community, our state, our nation and our world. Through its guidance, we have advanced scholarship, provided life-changing educational experiences, served our society and stewarded resources while generating new investments. And that advancement continued despite dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Boldly Illinois: Strategic Plan 2030 will build upon this success by keeping the same four goals and advancing into these areas to rethink the way the university delivers on its missions. We are currently in the planning stages of a collaborative and comprehensive process to create this plan. As Boldly Illinois: Strategic Plan 2030 is created, we will include opportunities for members of the campus community to give feedback. I encourage you to stay involved and offer your ideas.

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Transparent, open dialogue headlines latest university update on multiple strategic plan initiatives. The information session was held on the third floor of Lehigh’s Health, Science and Technology Building on the Asa Packer campus.

Lehigh’s Strategic Plan: ‘What a Difference a Year Makes,’ Helble says

University leadership updates the Lehigh community on the progress of strategic plan initiatives.

Mary Ellen Alu

Christa Neu

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University leaders provided updates on Inspiring the Future Makers strategic plan implementation efforts and reflections on the first year’s progress on Wednesday at a campus-wide gathering online and in-person.

“We are still in the first year of a planned, 10-year implementation process,” said Lehigh President Joseph J. Helble '82 . “We made a commitment to be transparent and accessible and that is why we are here today—to give you a sense of progress, and to ask for your feedback on how we are doing in providing opportunities to participate as well as how we can continue to keep you informed of progress.”

Notable Updates

Recognizing that much activity is happening within all 10 of the strategic initiatives, Helble shared the following highlights:

Research investment/environment

• The Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience has been launched and is gaining momentum.
• Work is continuing on research expansion and investment for two other centers as well as a review of the process for application.
• The faculty survey of research support needs is complete.
• A second call for seed funding from the National Science Foundation ART (Accelerating Research Translation) grant is underway.

Data-informed decision-making

• The data dashboard has been enhanced, and an inaugural Data Day event has been planned for select members of the Lehigh community to gather May 9. Participants will learn from university leaders and colleagues about data access, usage and case studies on how best to leverage data in daily decisions.

Mountaintop and campus planning efforts

• The campus master plan is underway with a focus to improve connectivity between the three campus areas to reinforce the identity of Lehigh as a singular campus with an exceptional diversity of experiences. Results of a multimodal study to create better campus connectivity is ongoing with data being collected and reviewed.

Education Innovation

• Lehigh faculty are engaged in Lehigh UDI with 14 related projects underway. Lehigh UDI represents a gradual shift in teaching over the next 10 years that fosters authentic curiosity for students and supports the value of higher education while providing faculty an opportunity to re-engage and refresh their courses. Analytics are being developed to verify the changes in student outcomes.
• The P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science is working to revise its first-year program with an eye on Lehigh UDI as a way to transform the first-year experience for both engineering and non-engineering students.

Lehigh for Everyone

• The search for a Director of Muslim Student Life is nearing completion.
• Two food pantries, located on Mountaintop and Asa Packer campuses, have been established to address food insecurity needs.
• The Campus Climate Initiative and Brandeis Center efforts on the campus climate initiative are ongoing.

Interdisciplinary Education

• The desire to expand existing interdisciplinary programs is moving forward with the establishment of a new Integrated Business and Health undergraduate program . It will be available to students beginning Fall 2025.
• Working groups focused on exploratory semesters and doctoral education programs are underway.

Operationalizing the Plan and Engagement Updates

Chris Cook, vice president of strategic planning and initiatives, spoke about lessons learned in the first year of operationalizing the plan with the goal to use existing committees and resources as much as possible. Cook said senior leaders are interested in community member feedback for how the communication and engagement structure for plan updates is working and provided a four-question survey to capture insight in these areas.

Student Outcomes Defined

Provost Nathan Urban first defined and then reviewed student outcome targets, sharing a dashboard of where Lehigh is today alongside the target goals ahead for the next four to five years.

“From the beginning, one element of the strategic plan was to provide a focus on student outcomes and address the critique of the return of investment of a college degree,” says Urban. “That includes how successful our students are after graduation. In order to do that, we needed to define what we meant by outcomes, determine where we are at today and where we want to be in the future.”

Urban walked the community through key “Make a Difference” dashboard data points on current and target undergraduate and graduate graduation rates and career placement current and target rates for both, along with first-year undergraduate retention rates, undergraduate internship and experiential learning opportunities, and return on investment.

While acknowledging some of the target goals were bold, he expressed confidence that a concerted effort by all would put the goals within reach.

Brett Ludwig, at right, vice president university communications and public affairs, and Tracey King, associate vice president for external affairs, discuss the results of a recent multimodal community insights survey.

Enhance the Shared Bethlehem Experience

Brett Ludwig, vice president university communications and public affairs, and Tracey King, associate vice president for external affairs, initiative co-leads, shared results of a recent multimodal community insights survey developed to gauge how Lehigh Valley residents feel about colleges and universities in the valley, including Lehigh University.

Ludwig explained why community insights are imperative to helping Lehigh devise meaningful action plans to advance implementation efforts of the Enhancing the Shared Bethlehem Experience (ESBE) initiative, which aims to enrich the community and expand Lehigh’s impact.

Ludwig and King engaged the audience by introducing some questions from the survey, seeking audience responses and comparing them against the actual survey results. Ludwig focused on questions centered on core themes such as trust, community impact and willingness to recommend organizations to family and friends. Ludwig explained the purpose, meaning and value of Lehigh’s net promoter score, which placed Lehigh in a strong place compared to other universities’ NPS scores across the nation.

King walked the audience through another set of questions focused on how Lehigh interacts with area residents and if the residents believe Lehigh’s actions are or are not adding value to them. In all, 65% of the survey respondents agree Lehigh enhances the quality of life in the local community.

As part of data collection efforts, King pointed out an inventory of programs, services and research efforts had been conducted and more than 150 local opportunities cataloged by the ESBE core team.

“Everyday, a new idea is born and is inherent to the environment in which we operate,” said King.

She encouraged community members to submit their efforts to her team.

Ludwig reminded the audience that the survey results are intended for internal use only as benchmark data to help Lehigh build a comprehensive, data-informed strategy for community enrichment and to measure progress moving forward. The development of a community and economic impact report is underway.

Cultivate a Lifelong Lehigh

Sabrina Jedlicka, deputy provost graduate education and initiative lead, gave an update on the vision for in-person and online graduate program growth.

“Our goal is to continue to open up lifelong learning opportunities for current students, alumni and members of our community to gain insight about and access to re-skilling opportunities to stay ahead of the needs of our evolving world and continue to excel in their professions,” said Jedlicka. “At Lehigh, we have the community to build a thriving ecosystem focused on adopting future-forward best practices, and we have future maker grants available to invest and support the growth of new or existing graduate programs.” Applications are due by May 15.

Jedlicka pointed out the need to build an infrastructure to provide microcredentials for professionals to gain “just-in-time” skills training, such as certificate and pathway programs, stackables or other non-degree type programs in addition to providing broad opportunities for continued intellectual engagement in general.

Jedlicka reminded the audience that many of these future-focused ideas have been happening organically at Lehigh. Her goal is to accelerate the current momentum by establishing a faculty/staff working group focused on Lehigh’s online educational structure, creating a faculty focus group to ideate on stackables and microcredentials policy structure and development and continue to focus on best practices and opportunities for improvement in graduate recruitment, mentorship, training and engagement.

More information about the implementation of projects related to Inspiring the Future Makers is available on the actions underway page.

Story by Amy Bilello

Read more stories on the Lehigh News Center.

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Executive & Professional Education

Strategic Leadership for Organizational Success

In today's dynamic business environment, strategic leadership plays a pivotal role in guiding organizations towards success. Strategic leaders are entrusted with the responsibility of understanding, articulating, and executing the vision and strategy of the organization. This program focuses on equipping leaders with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively navigate strategic initiatives, implementation processes, and outcomes.

Driving Business Success

Formulate and execute strategies.

Acquire the ability to craft and enact detailed business strategies, assess their potential impact, and navigate the complexities of real-world implementation.

Lead and Engage Stakeholders

Develop leadership skills that emphasize collaboration, learn to balance diverse stakeholder interests, and foster effective teamwork for organizational success.

Apply Knowledge in Business Simulations

Gain hands-on experience by simulating real-world business scenarios, where you'll be challenged to make strategic decisions in areas such as marketing, product development, manufacturing, finance, and negotiations.

How You Will Learn

This immersive course unfolds over three in-person sessions on November 14th, 15th, and 22nd. Our in-person program design facilitates networking opportunities, allowing you to learn from peers and professionals and advance your career . Participants will engage directly with industry experts and peers, fostering a hands-on learning environment that encourages active participation and collaborative problem-solving. All sessions will be held on the Bentley campus from 8:30am-4:30pm. 

Day 1: November 14th

What is Strategy?

  •Understand the concept of strategy, its importance, and its role in organizational success. •Explore different strategic frameworks and models. •Analyze case studies to illustrate strategic thinking and decision-making processes.

Day 2: November 15th

Strategic Implementation

•Translate strategy into action plans and initiatives. •Align organizational resources, processes, and structures with strategic objectives. •Manage change and overcoming implementation challenges. •Introduction to diagnostic tools for strategic analysis and decision making.

Day 3: November 22nd

Strategic Outcomes - Leveraging Success and Addressing Failures

•Evaluate strategic outcomes and performance metrics. •Leverage successful initiatives and best practices. •Address failures and learn from setbacks. •Explore the role of ethics and corporate social responsibility in strategic leadership. •Review KPIs and their relevance to organizational performance and sustainability.

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for managers, directors, and VPs who are looking to sharpen their strategic leadership skills. Organizations are encouraged to enroll teams of managers to foster their growth into more senior roles.

Meet the Faculty

Professor Jill Brown is the Hieken Professor of Business Ethics and Professor of Management at Bentley University.  Brown’s research interests are in ethics, strategy, corporate governance, stakeholder management and corporate social responsibility. Specifically, Brown is interested in the managerial discretion that professionals have in these areas, which fall under the general category of "strategic leadership". Therefore, she studies managers, and their responsibilities and relationships in the strategic and ethical management of multi-national corporations, global supply chains, health care, and entrepreneurial organizations.

Professor Brown has published dozens of journal articles and book chapters in leading outlets such as Journal of Business Ethics, MIT Sloan Management Review, Business Ethics Quarterly, Organization Science, California Management Review, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Strategic Organization, Journal of Management Studies, the Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility, among others. She has won several research awards, including Best Paper nominations and awards from the Society of Business Ethics, the International Corporate Governance Society and the Academy of Management. Among her most highly cited articles is the 2013 Journal of Business Ethics (JBE) article.

Program Dates

Three all day, in-person sessions.

• Thursday, November 14; 8:30 - 4:30 PM
• Friday, November 15; 8:30 - 4:30 PM
• Friday, November 22; 8:30 - 4:30 PM

In-person networking during the program

Program Cost - $4,950

• Program fee includes delivery and program materials.
• Register 30+ days in advance to receive a 20% discount automatically.
• Register 14 days in advance to receive a 10% discount automatically.
• Bentley Alumni receive a 50% enrollment discount.

For information regarding the alumni discount, contact:

Bentley University Executive Education [email protected]

Group Enrollment - 30% Discount

Empower your leaders to learn together and grow together. Bentley offers a special 30% group rate discount to companies that send five participants or more. 

Bentley Refund Policy

Bentley University will grant a full refund for cancellations received at least 30 days before the program start date. A 50% refund will be given for those cancellations made prior to fourteen days of the program start date. No refund will be granted for those cancellations received after that time.

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Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes strategic reallocation of core funds

Washington State University is implementing a strategic reallocation of core fund budgets resulting in reductions to units totaling $5.5 million for the 2025 fiscal year. These reductions represent a less than 1% cut to the $1.3 billion all funds annual budget and a 1.61% reduction to the core fund operating budget.

The new budget is the first time in several years of reductions that WSU has set varying amounts, ranging as high as 5% for some of the university’s 44 separate budgeting units, rather than uniform across-the-board cuts. The strategic approach also recognizes WSU is unable to continue funding all existing levels of operations and will focus instead on those that are in most demand by students, research and the communities served by the university system.

“WSU must adapt and evolve to meet changing needs,” said WSU System President Kirk Schulz. “Protecting and prioritizing education and research is paramount. This process was essential in ensuring we’re being strategic in meeting those needs and discovering new ways to support future revenue streams for WSU.”

Detailed budget reduction figures are being shared with college, campus and administrative unit leaders this week.

“WSU has been reducing budgets for successive years in a way that assumed revenue lost from enrollment declines would rebound in the next fiscal year,” said Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Leslie Brunelli, who joined WSU in 2023. “This is not a sustainable financial model. The reallocation is necessary as persistent enrollment pressure and escalating costs demand that we do less with less. Like many institutions across the country, we’re challenged to find ways to reduce some activities and offerings to thoughtfully protect our core mission, while supporting areas that have revenue growth possibilities.”

The 2025 budget development process included a return to unit budget hearings with more than 20 hours dedicated to 44 unit meetings to assess the impact of additional budget cuts of 1%, 3%, and 5% and to gather new funding needs. Budget decisions focus resources to increase enrollment and serve more students across the system, preserve academic areas to the maximum extent possible, and protect grant-generated indirect cost recovery (Facilities & Administrative — F&A) funds from reduction to continue research support.

As part of the budget development process, to assess additional unit reductions and determine reallocation priorities, a set of guiding principles was utilized:

• Ensuring the university’s financial sustainability through evaluation of existing administrative and academic programs
• Promoting an analytics-oriented approach to understanding program investments
• Recognition that campuses, schools and colleges, and administrative and support units have varied resource needs, autonomy, and service level expectations
• Aligning the university’s financial position with the development of the (future) strategic plan, capital campaign goals, and institutional risks
• Promoting equity through increased transparency and accountability
• Providing clarity in alignment of resource allocation and outcomes with accountability for budget responsibility
• Balancing the need for increased resources to recruit, retain and develop faculty and staff with revenue growth, enhanced efficiencies, and reallocated resources

Overall, units requested more than $42 million in new, ongoing funding and an additional $32 million in one-time funding on top of the projected shortfall. New investments and reallocations will include:

• $1.5 million in operational support and essential data collection and analysis improvements
• $1.7 million in marketing efforts to increase WSU’s brand recognition, student interest, and demand for a WSU education
• Reallocation of resources to generate $2.3 million, which, combined with $2 million in new state funds, provides $4.3 million to help cover some of the cost of the new contract with Academic Student Employees
• $625,000 in funding to Sponsored Programs Services in FY24 to sustain improvements to post-award research support
• $1.1 million to Office of Research

In early preparation for the next cycle of strategic planning and budget development, President Kirk Schulz has directed Brunelli and incoming Provost T. Chris Riley-Tillman to partner closely with the Faculty Senate and others to develop a comprehensive review process of WSU’s academic programs and administrative services beginning in the 2025 fiscal year.

Detailed budget documents showing unit-level reductions and other aspects of the strategic reallocation are expected to be available online by the end of the fiscal year.

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Education | Allentown School District’s new strategic plan…

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Education | Allentown School District’s new strategic plan nears completion

A final strategic plan will be presented to school directors for approval in coming weeks. Additional action plans will come before the board to implement specific goals.

It’s the first time in recent memory the district has undertaken a strategic planning initiative; when complete, it will outline everything from district culture to goals for graduates.

“We’re hoping that the strategic planning process and the actual plan and the execution – because we have to implement that plan – will help everyone to see where they are in the process of supporting learners,” said Carol Birks, who started her four-year contract as district superintendent in March 2023.

The process

A steering committee with more than 100 members has been meeting since November to hammer out the details of the district’s vision, mission, values and priorities moving forward. There are also advisory committees with additional parents, students and staff who have participated in the planning, and whose goal is to keep the steering committee accountable; they will continue to meet twice each year to monitor implementation of the strategic plan.

“I’m a big believer in the voice of the community,” said Veronica Gonzalez, a co-chair for the steering committee and CEO of Valley Health Partners Community Health Center. “And that’s a lot of what this process is, allowing for everyone to have a voice and really be intentional about the needs and how we get there.”

Surveys and focus groups have been conducted throughout the process to gain insight from more stakeholders. A simultaneous equity audit has also been run to ensure the district infuses equity throughout its overall practices, Birks said.

The district worked with consultants from Insight Education Group throughout the strategic planning process at a cost of $103,750. The district hired consultants from The Howard Group to manage the equity audit at a cost of $90,000.

“My vision is that people feel really respected, they feel valued,” Birks said. “And our students as well as our staff, and I say this often, but I really mean it, that they feel empowered, and that they feel loved in this organization, that we really care deeply about them and their success.”

“But we have  to continue to work on designing that culture,” she added.

A new approach

The district hasn’t had a strategic plan in recent memory. A five-year strategic framework expired in 2021; but Birks said “no one knew” about the framework.

In 2022, former Superintendent John Stanford laid out four priorities – academic performance, equity and culture, accountable governance and financial stability – that were meant to guide future strategic planning, but he left the district before any planning took place.

Ali Wight, the district’s liaison with the homeless and a former school counselor, said she hasn’t been part of a planning process this expansive and inclusive in her decade in the district.

“I think that’s really powerful that we’re asking for that feedback,” Wight said.

Similarly, Raiza Trinidad, a parent of three students, said she’s enjoyed helping plan for her children’s future educational experiences as both a member of the steering committee and the parent advisory committee.

“It’s been very good to see that parents have a voice,” she said. “Before there wasn’t even a podium for parents.”

Brainstorming 

The planning process has been detailed as members have discussed word choice for the district’s mission and vision statements with great specificity, dissecting the efficacy of other organizations’ statements to inform their own.

For example, the steering committee looked at the mission and vision statements for other local school districts, such as East Penn and Parkland, and large companies, including Google and Starbucks. The goal is to keep the statements precise and simple.

“It’s really looking at a mission statement and a value statement through a microscope and understanding how it resonates and then actually giving feedback that makes a difference,” said Andrea Grannum-Mosley, dean of workforce, community engagement and technical education at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

Grannum-Mosley said the committee has made sure to remember their motivations throughout each part of the planning process, ensuring the plan is “student-centered.”

Another part of the planning process has been developing a “portrait of a learner,” or a list of attributes that defines the skills students should graduate with and the processes the district will use to approach its learning experiences.

Grannum-Mosley said she would like students to be lifelong learners.

“The reality is not everybody should be pushed into a degree pathway,” she said. “If you’re a lifelong learner, you’re always going to seek a skill. It might be an Excel skill, it might be getting better at HVAC, but you’re always going to seek the ability to not just learn, but to teach.”

Trinidad wants students to graduate with integrity, critical thinking and a sense of responsibility in order to be workforce ready.

“Those are things that employers are looking for,” she said. “I work in insurance, and it’s changing day by day, but these are things that I have to carry to work every day and that my boss is looking for when he hires people.”

Morcease Beasley participates in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Rajicka Reed participates in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Veronica Gonzalez, chief executive officer, Valley Health partners community health center, participates in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Andrea Grannum-Mosely, left, and Ashley Coleman, right, participate in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Priorities 

Committee members also shared what they hope the district prioritizes moving forward.

Allison Morales, an Allen High School senior, said the district provides many student resources, but her peers don’t know about them. She wants the district to make sure students know what’s available to them to succeed.

She also wants her teachers to have a greater voice in the daily work of the district, especially when it comes to changes that may impact them directly.

“I just want to feel like they are heard, and not frustrated to the point that they could possibly even quit,” she said. “Because a teacher can also partake [an important role] in a student’s life.”

Wight said the district should focus on celebrating its diversity so students grow up feeling secure in themselves.

“We want our kids to feel like they belong here and that they are given an equal playing field no matter what, so that they can be the best [version of] themselves when they grow up,” Wight said.

With the quick pace that technology changes, Trinidad wants to see the curriculum keep up so students are prepared for new jobs that may not even exist yet.

For Birks, it’s essential the district harness the Lehigh Valley’s “collective genius” to create personalized learning experiences for students.

“We’re very nonprofit rich, corporate rich in this community,” she said. “There’s such diversity of thought and thinking, and we haven’t capitalized on the collective.”

Birks is trying to be more intentional about how partners are involved in the district, creating opportunities for involvement at scale. Birks highlighted local colleges and universities as another partner the district can lean into.

She envisions more programs that allow students to explore career pathways, noting current collaborations with the local fire department and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union which has a local in Allentown.

Changing the narrative

As committee members reflect on the district’s past and plan for the future, they’ve also spoken about changing the public narrative around the district.

Trinidad, who graduated from Dieruff High School in 2005, said she remembers negative perceptions about the district’s academic performance from her time in school, referencing comments made by peers from other districts at sporting events.

“It’s continued to have that stigma, and it’s good to see that now moving forward, they do want to change that,” she said. “Because there’s a lot of resilience that is happening here as Allentown is changing and growing.”

State Rep. Peter Schweyer, an Allentown School District parent and chairman of the House Education Committee, said some criticisms of the district are valid, but others aren’t fair.

When it comes to the district’s standardized test scores, which are the lowest in the county, Schweyer said the data fail to show the full picture.

Specifically, he said Allentown’s transient population isn’t taken into account, noting many families move in and out of the area from Puerto Rico, New Jersey and New York, among others. Anecdotally, he said students, like his daughters, who’ve been in the district for more than just a couple years are doing “exceedingly well.”

“We are never going to be able to change that narrative, until there’s real understanding about what that data actually means,” he said.

Schweyer and other legislators in Harrisburg are considering other ways to measure districts’ success to gauge the impact of funding, such as class size, staff turnover and graduation rates, he said.

“We are churning out tremendous kids all over the place from every walk of life, and the opportunities are there,” he said. “Now with that said, we are extraordinarily hamstrung by financial constraints.”

Allentown School District Superintendent Carol Birks participates in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Katrin L. Blamey, of DeSales University, left, participates in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Nneka Bernard participates in a Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, Allentown School District strategic plan meeting at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Allentown School District officials host a meeting to form a strategic plan Tuesday, March, 12, 2024, at the PPL Innovation Center in Allentown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

Insight on superintendent

For those involved with strategic planning, this isn’t the first time they’ve spoken with Birks. She has prided herself on listening and learning from the community in her first year on the job.

The strategic planning process has been demonstrative of her approach: methodical and inclusive.

Wight said Birks is the first superintendent she’s known on a personal level throughout her 10 years in the district.

“She knows me by name. When I walk in, she says, ‘Hi, Mrs. Wight’ and she gives me a hug,” Wight said. “I see her intently engaged with the stakeholders when she’s at these meetings, she’s talking to them.”

Schweyer described Birks as smart, driven and hardworking. He said Birks has a different vision than many other superintendents and has challenged “some of our longer held strategies” by bringing a fresh set of eyes.

For one, Birks has taken creative approaches to financial management of the district, such as using pandemic relief funding to purchase new curricula, Schweyer said.

She hasn’t been afraid to push back against the status quo when needed, either, he added.

“She’s certainly ruffled a couple of feathers along the way, and I don’t think that that’s inherently a bad thing,” Schweyer said.

Trinidad said Birks has been transparent throughout the strategic planning process and has made her hopeful about the district’s future.

“It’s been quite great to see her passion, advocacy for these kids,” she said. “It looks like the future, with Dr. Birks, for our kids is a positive, brighter one.”

Throughout her time in Allentown, Birks has worked to implement solutions when challenges arise, she said.

When students wanted to earn money, she helped create a paid district internship program. When school directors said student homelessness was a problem, she asked her team to create a task force to address the issue.

Birks has aimed to be responsive to community concerns and desires, which has also informed her approach to leading and strategic planning.

“I’ve learned a lot about this community,” Birks said. “And some of the areas that people say that they want, they really drove home: ‘We want transparency. We want communication.’”

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