President Ellen M. Granberg and Provost Christopher Alan Bracey have announced the formal development of GW’s strategic framework, emphasizing that the community’s “unique perspectives and experiences are vital to ensuring our strategic framework truly reflects the aspirations and values of our diverse community.”
The framework development process began in spring 2024 in a series of future-focused conversations with students, faculty, staff and alumni. The feedback gathered in the conversations and via an online feedback form around the future of the workforce, the future of higher education and the future of knowledge were distilled into four key themes that will focus the university’s work around identifying unique areas of opportunity and innovation for the university to capitalize on in the future.
Approved by the Board of Trustees, the themes are:
- Advancing Impactful Knowledge Production through Interdisciplinary Excellence
- Reimagining Skill Development for the Future
- Redefining Authentic Leadership for Modern Challenges
- Turning Ideas into Action as a Premier Global Convener
Starting this fall, two committees will drive community engagement and the development of the strategic framework in three phases: the Research and Work Phase, the Conversation Phase and the Deliverable Phase.
The Innovation Committee, primarily comprising faculty with several staff subject matter experts, has been appointed and was charged last week. In the Research and Work Phase, the committee will review baseline institutional research and conduct environmental scans that will inform the identification of opportunities for strategic growth. The Institutional Research office will provide support as needed. During the Conversation Phase, the committee will collect input from the GW community through a variety of means, including written ideas and town halls. Ultimately, the committee will produce a draft report that provides an analysis of its research and suggests recommendations based on GW’s strengths and opportunities in the thematic areas.
In the Deliverable Phase, based on the Innovation Committee’s draft report, the Steering Committee will solicit from the GW community more detailed proposals and then distill those suggestions and the Innovation Committee’s recommendations into a final framework to be submitted to the Board of Trustees for review and approval. Implementation of aspects of the framework will begin following approval.
“We encourage the entire GW community to look out for updates and opportunities to engage with this process,” Bracey said. A feedback form is also available for members of the community to share thoughts.