Elson S. Floyd, Ph.D. - 9/19/07
From time to time, I will turn over the Perspectives
column space to others, either inside or outside the
university community, who have an important point of view
to share about an issue that impacts Washington State
University. This week, Robert Bates, provost
and executive vice president, is writing about an
important university-wide effort – the review of
our strategic plan.
WSU Strategic Plan: Reviewed and Renewed
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Washington State University has followed the path charted
by the Strategic Plan for the last five years. It has
guided our priorities, actions, and investments, and
provided the framework for the plans developed by our
academic and administrative areas. Although the plan has
served us well, it is time to pause and reflect on both
the successes of the past and the opportunities ahead of
us.
The future for Washington State University has never been
brighter. Our efforts in building research and graduate
and professional education, our success in recruiting the
most academically qualified and diverse freshmen class
ever - including the growth of four year programs in
Tri-Cities and Vancouver - are extraordinary.
However, we remain far from reaching the heights of our
aspirations. We have merely set the stage for the next
chapter in our progress toward prominence as a world
class land-grant research institution. Our future will be
guided by a strong compelling vision focused on selected
areas of scholarly excellence and efforts to increase
both the enrollment and the quality of our graduate and
professional programs. We will enhance the overall
undergraduate experience by providing an infrastructure
for student engagement that takes advantage of our
research university environment. We fully embrace our
commitment to engagement, from regional economic
development to the globalization of our
institution.
Our land grant mission demands that we involve many
stakeholders as we plan our future. In so doing, we are
soliciting input from across the university and beyond in
a review and renewal of our strategic plan. Over the next
two months, you will have several opportunities to
participate. The goal is to have the review completed and
any revisions in place before the end of the fall
semester.
To share your thoughts on the current strategic plan, as
well as thoughts for our future, I invite you to respond
to a short survey on the Office of the Provost web site. I will also
host an open forum on this topic at each of the campuses
over the next few weeks.
President Floyd will appoint a standing presidential
level Strategic Planning Committee soon. This group will
review input from the university community and will draft
an update to the Strategic Plan. The committee will serve
an on-going role for continuous review and update of the
plan.
This is an exciting time at Washington State University.
You can feel the sense of purpose, the vigor in our
teaching and scholarship, the vitality of faculty,
students, and staff at each of our locations, and the
pride in our accomplishments. But our drive for
excellence will require all of us if we are to move to
the next level. Please join us in affirming our strategic
goals and setting our course for the future.
