Strategic planning participants show passion for Wright State

Passion and determination to make a difference at Wright State University were prevalent among those who participated in the latest community dialogue for the university’s strategic planning process.

During the two-hour forum, more than 60 students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members shared stories exemplifying moments of success they experienced at Wright State. Giving students the tools they need to succeed, valuing a sense of community and collaborating with others to tackle new challenges were among the themes that emerged from the discussion.

Held Feb. 12, the community dialogue was the second public event designed to help refine the university’s vision, mission and values statements as part of the ongoing strategic planning process, The Wright Path to 2025: Pride, Transformation, Potential.

The strategic planning process also includes the creation of a new plan aligned with university resources and metrics that can measure the outcomes of those strategies. The plan will guide decisions at the university on a day-to-day basis.

Additional community dialogues are scheduled for:

• Monday, Feb. 19, 5 to 7 p.m., first-floor gallery space, 2455 Presidential Drive
• Friday, Feb. 23, 1 to 3 p.m., first-floor gallery space, 2455 Presidential Drive
• Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9 to 11 a.m., 207 Student Success Center
• Wednesday, March 7, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Montgomery County Business Solutions Center, 1435 Cincinnati Street, Suite 300, Dayton, Ohio 45417

Details on these events can be found on the strategic planning website.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members shared positive stories about Wright State during a community dialogue on Feb. 12 to help refine the university’s vision, mission and values statements as part of the ongoing strategic planning process. (Video by Kris Sproles / photos by Erin Pence)

The strategic planning process will include numerous community discussions, focus groups and surveys during the spring, summer and fall semesters at the Dayton and Lake Campuses.

The process is intended to start an ongoing dialogue among the campus community that encourages a continuous reflection and revision of the community’s hopes and priorities. The conversations are a chance for community members to engage with others across the university in meaningful ways.

“We are all gathered here today because we are all invested in the future of Wright State University,” Wright State President Cheryl B. Schrader told forum participants.

Attendees reflected on their time at Wright State — as students, employees, alumni or partners — and explored ideas of pride, transformation and potential for the university.

“From the stories you share, we will be able to identify our strengths and what it means to define the advantage that Wright State has. Ultimately, these stories will help us refine our vision, mission and values,” Schrader said.

Those who attended the Feb. 12 community dialogue made it clear they participated because they want to help Wright State University succeed.

Working in small groups, community dialogue participants reflected on and shared stories exemplifying moments of success they experienced at Wright State.

“I feel really encouraged. I feel really inspired. I really feel like these types of forums are bringing us together as a community so we can tell our stories,” said David Baugham, a senior supply chain management major and Student Government president. “I really feel like getting to work.”

Madhavi Kadakia, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, said she was impressed by the passion forum participants showed for Wright State.

“Everybody is committed to seeing us go to the next step,” she said. “Everybody is very optimistic about this process and so am I.”

“I am excited to see the future of the university and seeing that potential and transformation and pride grow,” said Alina Syed, a senior human resource management major.

The new strategic plan will guide Wright State 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 be continuous and will put Wright State 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.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is guiding the university’s efforts to include a wide range of perspectives from the Wright State family and the broader community. The committee includes 33 Wright State employees, students and alumni as well as Dayton community leaders. It is co-chaired by Schrader, David Bright, chair of the Department of Management and International Business, and Michael Wiehe, director of the Applied Policy Research Institute.

The first phase of the planning process is focused on gathering community input to develop an updated vision, mission and values statement for Wright State. The statement should reflect a compelling perspective about the core identity of Wright State and its future.

Alina Syed, a senior human resource management major, said the community dialogue made her excited to see the Wright State community’s potential and transformation and pride grow.

In April, the committee will host an event to unveil the updated vision, mission and values statement and a draft strategy statement.

From May through September, the committee will use what it learns from its outreach efforts in the spring semester to further develop strategy statements, priorities and goals, as well as metrics to measure the effectiveness of the strategies.

The goal is to deliver a strategic plan to the Board of Trustees by October 2018 for its approval.

You can stay up to date with the planning process by visiting wright.edu/strategicplan.