Chronicling the Process, Gaining the Input and
Commitment of the Community
From the very beginning of this process, in August of 2007, the members of the Strategic Planning Committee called on the campus community to evaluate and comment on each phase of the development of the Strategic Plan. By means of 13 well-advertised open campus community meetings and 23 intense biweekly Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) meetings as well as surveys of hundreds of undergraduates and student focus groups from each graduate program, the SPC gathered data to be represented in the Plan. The work of two Task Forces commissioned by President Caprio—Internationalization and Technology—was carefully integrated into the Plan as well. Subcommittees on Sustainability, Diversity, and University Status were formed as these themes emerged from our discussions. Finally, the work of the Facilities Master Plan Commitee was folded into our deliberations. The committee then constructed a document representing our Mission, our Vision for the Future, our Core Values, and our proposed strategic directions and initiatives for the next decade. Minutes of all meetings were kept, and an internal website provided a clearinghouse for many documents. Appendices were regularly added to the emerging plan document, providing supporting material and summaries of all committee and Task Force work. Complete reports were made available in D’Amour Library and distributed throughout the campus. Finally, it is important to note that all SPC decisions and planning were accomplished through consensus as the Plan progressed. During the planning process, the SPC reported all planning activities and products to the Senate and the faculty of the four schools periodically for feedback. Community comments and suggestions were then brought back to the Strategic Planning Committee for discussion and emerging initiatives were modified in response to those discussions where ideas seemed to represent a broad consensus.
Following distribution of a Preliminary Review Copy to the Trustees in September of 2008, open meetings were held so that members of the campus community could discuss the Plan further and suggest modifications and refinements. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees reviewed the Plan once again at its October 2008 meeting. The SPC incorporated many of the ideas that had emerged as a result of this input duriing the fall. A “Final Approval Copy” was reviewed and adopted by the Board of Trustees at its December 9, 2008 meeting.
