Comments sought on strategic plan draft to guide University's next five years

What does the University of Richmond want be known for as we move forward?

With that question, President Edward Ayers began a dialogue last summer that has resulted in a strategic plan draft that, when finalized, will guide the University during the next five years.

"I think of this draft as a first articulation of the collective goals expressed by students, staff, faculty, board members, alumni and parents in recent months," said Ayers in a letter to the University community.

The draft can be reviewed at strategicplan.richmond.edu. University stakeholders may comment on the document, known as a "strawman" draft, and that advice will be incorporated into a second, "more fully articulated strategic plan draft," said Ayers.

Responses to Ayers' question followed several common themes: the University's proud past; commitment to academic excellence; opportunities for students to develop ethical judgment, leadership skills and tools to live meaningful lives; affordability; creating a diverse community; and relationships with the Richmond community and shaping an engaged citizenry.

A timetable for finalizing the plan calls for focus groups of stakeholders to discuss it and small working groups to refine goals, objectives, timetables and metrics through early fall. There will be one working group for each principle outlined in the strawman draft, and they will post information on the strategic plan Web site.

In mid-fall, additional focus groups will discuss the revised draft, and the University community may again provide comments. In January, a final plan will be presented to faculty, staff, students and the Board of Trustees.

The strawman approach has gained favor with universities that are moving away from 10-year plans to develop five-year plans, which can take better advantage of rapidly changing environments in higher education. The approach "allows for more rapid development, yet also provides multiple opportunities for input, reactions and revisions from the widest possible range of University constituents," according to the Web site.

The draft outlines the mission and values of the University and provides a summary of strengths, challenges and opportunities before introducing five principles, derived from answers to Ayers' question, that the University will focus on "in a purposeful way to achieve desired outcomes."

The principles include:

• Having an academic enterprise that will be connected, innovative, rigorous and personal in order to foster faculty growth and ensure student success;
  
  
• Being a diverse community, strengthened by the range of knowledge, opinion, belief and political perspective as well as background (race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability status, religious, economic and geographic) of its members;
  
  
• Being affordable for students who can most benefit from and contribute to the educational environment;
  
  
• Being engaged in the Richmond community and region in order to shape students, both educationally and experientially, and to contribute skills, energy and goodwill to identified needs of the larger community;
  
  
• Offering students a distinctive experience enhanced in meaningful ways grounded in the preceding principles.

Ayers said the University is poised to take full advantage of its unique strengths. "It is important that the strategic plan lay out bold, meaningful goals that are worthy of our collective effort and the generations before who have given us this opportunity," he said.