Summary
Three years ago, President Reveley launched a strategic planning process. Each April, the process produces a revised five-year framework and specific implementation steps for the coming year. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2011-2016 framework (pdf) adopted in April of 2011, has about 80 steps for FY12.
During the 2011-2012 academic year, the focus will be:
- an undergraduate curriculum review
- faculty and student outreach to alumni
- the design of student residences on campus
- visual identity
- continued implementation of the new financial model – strategic investment in development, innovation and greater efficiency.
The 2011-2015 framework included about 80 implementation steps for FY11. The 2010-2014 framework produced just over 100 steps for FY10.
The strategic planning process focuses on six immediate challenges and opportunities to help us achieve our vision.
- Be a leader among liberal arts universities.
- Build and support a more fully diverse W&M community.
- Develop an ever more engaging campus experience that inspires a lifelong commitment to W&M.
- Implement a new financial model that can fund our aspirations.
- Provide the administrative resources and infrastructure required for a university in the 21st Century.
- Explain and promote W&M through a more effective communications structure and strategy.
The first challenge is the centerpiece of our strategy: to define and showcase William & Mary (W&M) as a Public Ivy, a university of compelling academic distinction, one of the world's great liberal arts universities. All of our other aspirations flow from this commitment. Major actions and decisions moving forward will build on our ability to combine the best elements of a liberal arts college and a research university with select graduate and professional programs. W&M's success in blending those two aspects is our great competitive advantage. To an extraordinary degree we effectively integrate teaching and scholarship and provide powerful faculty-student interaction. We will build on that foundation. We will focus on engaged learning by increasing our emphasis on interdisciplinary and international programs and providing even more opportunities for student-faculty research. In the words of our vision, our students come wanting to "change the world," to make a real difference regardless of their chosen field. We will make sure they have the tools to do it.
During 2009-2010 the Provost led a university-wide discussion that culminated in a white paper (pdf) about what it means for W&M to be a leader among liberal arts universities. The paper provides background for a curriculum review beginning in FY12. In 2009-2010 the strategic planning discussions also led to a summary paper (pdf) about emerging priorities to sustain and advance our position as a leading liberal arts university.
The other five critical challenges support the first. We recognize the excellence that comes with inclusiveness, and we are committed to being a welcoming and supportive university. We will help students develop as leaders both in and beyond the classroom - in civic engagement, athletics, the arts and international programs. We will give them opportunities to explore, experiment, take risks, build teams, and lead change. We will focus as well on W&M as a lifelong experience. We will build a stronger sense of stewardship among our students and our alumni. We will create and implement a new financial model to fund adequately our exceptional liberal arts university and to build a solid foundation for the future. We will provide the administrative and infrastructure resources and the sustainable environment required for a leading liberal arts university in the 21st century. We will align our communications with clear core messages flowing from our unique history and role. There is only one William & Mary.
The strategic planning process engages all parts of the W&M community. The framework includes goals and objectives for addressing each challenge. We will continue to review and update the framework annually. Implementation includes assignment of responsibility for each objective, development of specific metrics to track outcomes, and reports of performance against objectives. As a result, our planning and financial processes is transparent and focused on strategic priorities.
