University asked to vet new strategic plan draft
By Kathy Barnard, WSU News
PULLMAN, Wash. – A draft of Washington State University’s strategic plan for the next five years is circulating for feedback among faculty, staff, student leaders and other stakeholders throughout the institution.
“The Strategic Plan Committee, which included representatives from faculty and administrative professional and classified staff, has done a terrific job of outlining a practical, workable plan that will help to guide and position Washington State University for the next five years and beyond,” said Interim Provost Dan Bernardo.
“Now we need the wisdom and perspective of the larger WSU community,” he said. “I encourage faculty and staff alike to take some time to review the draft and share their thoughts.”
The draft is available for viewing and comment at http://strategicplan.wsu.edu. In addition, series of focus group sessions is planned with a variety of stakeholder groups as are public conversations on each of WSU’s four campuses. Bernardo said a final plan should be completed by the end of spring semester.
While the basic tenets of teaching, research and outreach remain the foundation of the plan, the draft does give new focus to several areas, he added.
For example, the draft plan is more focused on WSU’s land-grant mandates of access, inclusiveness and impact. More attention is paid to infrastructure and alignment of resources to achieve desired goals. And the principles of diversity, inclusiveness and global engagement are integrated throughout the document rather than listed separately.
The draft plan also emphasizes learning outcomes specific to post-graduate achievements; the current plan focused on core competencies.
“Our revisions to the Common Core made over the past couple of years have gone a long way toward addressing the existing strategic plan’s learning goals,” Bernardo said.
In acknowledgement of the changed and changing budget situation, the draft plan also includes a new focus on “institutional effectiveness” including resource diversification and stewardship. It also gives sharper focus to identifying performance indicators to match specific goals.
