Strategic Planning Fall Update

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 11:53:53 -0500
strategic-planning

As the fall semester quickly comes to a close, I write with a brief update on our work to develop the next strategic plan for UMBC. When I wrote to you in November about strategic planning, I noted that the input and feedback of the broad UMBC community is essential to the success of our plan. It is in response to your feedback that we have decided to expand the strategic plan steering committee to ensure a more comprehensive and representative body to oversee our work. The newly expanded committee, which I am chairing, comprises the following members:

Renique T. Kersh, Vice President, Student Affairs (vice chair)

Shannon Tinney Lichtinger, Director, Institutional Research (strategic planning project manager)

Lynne Adams, Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Aminah Amjad, Vice President, Graduate Student Association

Crocetta Argento, Senator, Nonexempt Staff Senate

Tanyka M. Barber, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President, Institutional Equity

Robert J. Bennett, Chair, Adjunct Faculty Advisory Committee and Part-time Lecturer, English

Meghna Chandrasekaran, President, Student Government Association

Felipe Filomeno, Associate Professor and Director, Global Studies (Faculty Senate representative at-large)

Kacey Hammel, Chief of Staff to the President

Kathleen Hoffman, Professor, Mathematics and Statistics and Associate Dean, Faculty Development (CMNS representative)

Vandana Janeja, Professor, Information Systems and Associate Dean, Research and Faculty Development (COEIT representative)

Nicole King, Associate Professor, American Studies (CAHSS representative)

Nancy Kusmaul, President, Faculty Senate

Yvette Mozie-Ross, Vice Provost, Enrollment Management and Planning

Cael Mulcahy, Vice President, Exempt Staff Senate

Jenny O’Grady, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Content and UMBC Magazine Editor, University Communications and Marketing

Christopher P. Steele, Vice Provost, Division of Professional Studies

Karl V. Steiner, Vice President, Division of Research and Creative Achievement

Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann, Vice President, Government Relations and Community Affairs

John M. Young, Chief of Staff to the Provost

This expanded steering committee met in early December for initial conversations with President Valerie Sheares Ashby, hearing directly from her about the value of a strategic plan and the opportunity before us now to chart a course for UMBC’s future. President Sheares Ashby shared with the committee her sense of the high-level aspirations and directions that will frame the strategic plan—themes that reflect the input of the community during the Bold Conversations.

We are also reviewing the nearly 800 responses we received to the recent Core Values Survey. Our thanks to all who participated; we are grateful for your engagement. Preliminary analysis of the results shows consistency with what we heard in the Bold Conversations, particularly around the shared values of inclusive excellence, student success, academic excellence, community engagement, and an innovation mindset.

We look forward to sharing more with you as this process progresses in the spring semester, including opportunities for you to continue to engage. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season.