Positioning the 91探花to thrive in the 21st Century
In 2009, the 91探花 initiated an in-depth strategic planning initiative to address the challenges of the then-anticipated financial crisis and the opportunities presented by emerging trends in higher education.听 University leaders consulted over 3,500 members of the community鈥攆aculty, students, and staff from the three campuses as well as members of the larger community鈥攆or input on emerging trends, threats, opportunities and future directions. In a time of major change and uncertainty, the process took nothing for granted and was open to results that might prompt rethinking our mission and long-held practices. What resulted, however, was a deep reaffirmation and commitment to staying true to the UW’s core , as well as its , as defined by the 91探花Board of Regents. In addition, the process uncovered a strong mandate to build on this core to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century: to become even more competitive, collaborative, technology-reliant, nimble and diversified; and to provide solutions to society鈥檚 most pressing problems.
This vision is laid out in the following visioning documents:
This strategic planning effort was called the Two Years to Two Decades (2y2d) Initiative because in each biennium the University should be thinking long-term. The 2y2d Initiative was designed to ensure that the University鈥檚 near-term actions were in line with a shared sense of how the University community envisioned its future. The ultimate goal is to actively manage change rather than letting change manage the University.
Our two-year challenge:
How do we ensure that we stay true to our mission, vision, and values while coping with the rapidly changing landscape of higher education鈥攆unding, competition, emerging technologies, shifting demographics, and changing student expectations?
Our two-decade challenge:
How do we ensure that the decisions we make now reflect our combined sense of where we are going and set us up well to thrive in the 21st century?
The UW’s Sustainable Academic Business Plan
To implement the 2y2d strategic directions, a steering committee made up of University leaders crafted the Sustainable Academic Business Plan听in 2011. As the name implies, the Sustainable Academic Business Plan addresses both academic excellence and grounding in financial realities. It consists of long- and short-term goals that guide work groups across the university responsible for implementing the 2y2d vision in the near-term, identifying gaps and launching initiatives to fill them. The Plan is regularly updated, most recently in听September听2018.
Initiatives
Current
- Husky Experience
- Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century
- Transforming Administration Program (TAP)
- Institutional Assessment
- Innovation听Imperative
- Tri-Campus Task Force
Past, now integrated
听include:
- Organizational Effectiveness
- Campus of the 21st听Century
- Enhance Student Services
- Fostering Collaboration
- Program Evaluation Initiative
Delivering results
2y2d, the Sustainable Academic Business Plan, and related efforts have leveraged the University鈥檚 collaborative, central-decentralized culture to empower groups across campus to innovate to achieve the goals in ways unique to each department, school, college, or unit by providing tools and resources, and by celebrating success to raise awareness and inspire others to similar actions. As a result, we have enjoyed wide implementation, buy-in, and results.
Downloadable Briefing Documents
Download the ,听submitted to the state’s Office of Financial Management as part of the UW’s annual budgeting process, outlining UW’s Strategic Planning in a single, condensed document.
Commended by accreditors
During the most recent round of University accreditation, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities commended our 鈥溾obust response to the fiscal downturn, marked by planning that engaged much of the University community. By remaining focused on the University鈥檚 mission and values, the institution was able to formulate and implement strategic decisions, and as a result 91探花has sustained its strong academic reputation.鈥