Faculty-led strategic planning committees are taking advantage of an extended timeline for holding discussions and offering opportunities for feedback as the George Washington University moves into the next phase of its process to develop a new strategic plan.
According to a detailed timeline posted on the strategic planning website, committees will deliver interim reports on Jan. 24, 2020, and seek feedback from the Faculty Senate, Board of Trustees and broader GW community before using the spring to refine recommendations and finalize them by May. The final strategic plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval in late June.
Committees—which are focused on faculty, undergraduate education, graduate education and research—recently provided status reports to the board’s Strategic Planning Task Force, outlining accomplishments, challenges, preliminary recommendations and next steps.
Committees also summarized their outreach efforts so far, which have included:
- Hosting seven public forums.
- Collecting and responding to written university community feedback and questions through email and web submissions.
- Meeting with GW leadership and stakeholders important to the committee subject areas, such as faculty chairs, deans, admissions and diversity staff, and students.
- Surveying students, faculty and staff to collect more data on specific committee charges.
- Engaging with external experts.
- Consulting with other university planning efforts, such as the strategic initiatives to improve the student experience and research ecosystem.
- Providing updates to the Faculty Senate and Strategic Planning Task Force.
“The committees are hard at work gathering and synthesizing information and feedback from across the university on an ambitious timeline,” said Trustee Christine Barth, chair of the Strategic Planning Task Force. “With guidance and insight from members of the university community, the committees are honing in on key areas of opportunity.”
The committees will continue outreach as they formulate recommendations. The GW community can also submit feedback through the strategic plan website anytime. An archive of strategic plan news also is available.
“The Strategic Planning Task Force will be there every step of the way, providing input and support from trustees and representatives of key university constituencies, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, from inception through implementation,” said Ms. Barth.
Throughout the fall semester, President Thomas LeBlanc has also met with groups of community members across campus, including events with students, faculty and staff. He attended faculty meetings at every school and college and within many individual departments to discuss the strategic plan.
“I want to thank the faculty, staff, students and trustees who are serving on strategic planning committees for their thoughtful leadership and our entire community for their engagement in this consequential discussion about the future of the university,” Dr. LeBlanc said. “I look forward to the committees’ interim reports in January and the opportunity to continue engaging with faculty, students, staff and alumni throughout the spring.”
