Strategic planning process builds momentum with latest mini-summit

The second strategic planning mini-summit drew 150 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners, who shared progress they have made in their strategic initiative working groups. (Photos by Erin Pence)

Momentum is building for Wright State University’s strategic planning process, as 150 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners gathered to participate in the latest strategic planning mini-summit.

The June 1 session saw the highest turnout yet at a strategic planning event.

President Cheryl B. Schrader said it was exciting that so many community members are participating in the process — and she encouraged anyone who wants to join the effort to participate.

“We’re reaching out and bringing in various perspectives that will help us create our future,” she said.

Schrader noted that the Strategic Planning Steering Committee will use surveys, additional summits and other outreach efforts over the summer to generate feedback and raise awareness.

Susan Edwards — who will join the university as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost on July 30 — traveled to Wright State to participate in the mini-summit. She said the event would help her better understand the community.

“I need to listen to hear where you’re all at so that I can understand where it is that you see Wright State in the future,” she told the participants.

Wright State’s strategic planning process is the fourth plan Edwards has participated in. A successful plan comes from allowing engagement from the base to drive the process, she said.

“You can’t really get to where you need to go as an organization if you don’t have the engagement by the people of your organization,” she said.

She described a strategic plan as a road map for the institution, helping to determine how to use resources and which areas to prioritize.

“Strategic planning is important to help you determine how to move your institution and culture forward,” she said.

Over the summer, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee is organizing a series of mini-summits to create goals and action plans, establish priorities for strategic initiatives and identify the milestones, resources and factors of success to include in the strategic plan.

Participants have joined 15 working groups organized around strategic initiatives that focus on collaborative delivery of services; research, innovation and entrepreneurship; strategic relationships and partnerships; teaching, learning and programming; and the Wright State experience.

Four more mini-summit sessions are planned:

June 22: Session 3: Develop lists of actions
July 13: Session 4: Evaluate and prioritize actions
August 3: Session 5: Identify metrics, resources and milestones
August 31: Session 6: Assemble the strategic plan

The sessions will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the first-floor gallery space at 2455 Presidential Drive. 

RSVP through the strategic planning website.

Participants do not need to attend every session. Supervisors and managers are encouraged to provide employees with the time to attend mini-summit sessions as business conditions allow.

Anyone from the Wright State community can participate in the four remaining strategic planning mini-summits planned for this summer.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is also gathering input on draft statements on values that address Wright State’s mission: foster student success; discover, create and share new knowledge; and transform our world. Wright State community members can provide feedback on the values statements through an online survey.

During the June 1 mini-summit, each working group discussed their revised aspiration statements, which will be used to create goals and action plans and establish priorities for the strategic initiatives in the strategic plan.

David Bright, co-chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, noted that representatives of the entire university system were participating in the mini-summit.

“This allows us to do things that are very difficult to do in other formats,” said Bright, chair of the Department of Management and International Business. “If we work together and share our ideas together we begin to see connections and we’re able to provide one another feedback and shape the overall strategy.”

David Bright, co-chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, led a discussion during the mini-summit.

Through the strategic planning process, the university is creating an ongoing dialogue that encourages continuous reflection and revision of the community’s hopes and priorities. The planning process is designed to help faculty, staff and students engage and reconnect with others across the university and with partners in the broader community in meaningful ways. Over time, this process will help the Wright State community shape both its culture and future.

The new strategic plan will guide Wright State University by creating a vision and focus that directly aligns resources with the community’s values, strengths and the strategy built around them. The planning process will put the institution in a position to thrive in higher education’s changing environment, help the university achieve financial sustainability, and foster a campus atmosphere that provides graduates with opportunities to excel in fields that define the future.