Six strategic themes are at the core of MSU’s strategic plan. Critically, these themes emerged through an engaged and inclusive process. They provided the scaffold for broad, outcome-oriented goals and related objectives that also represent the thinking of our campus community. For each objective, illustrative strategies and actions appear, and for each goal, potential indicators or metrics demonstrating progress are suggested. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) anticipates strategies/actions and indicators/metrics will be refined and expanded during plan implementation as well as by individual colleges and units in their unit-based planning and implementation.
The ordering of the themes is intentional. The plan begins with a focus on people, with the success of our students, faculty and staff at the heart of all that we do. We begin with students, the reason we exist as an educational institution, then follow with a theme addressing the needs of our unique workforce. Next come themes focused on excellence reaching across our core missions, concentrating on strengths, differentiators and areas of societal need. The plan concludes with foundational and cross-cutting themes required for sustainability, effectiveness and excellence in the future: themes addressing various aspects of sustainable stewardship, including financial, and our diversity, equity and inclusion theme, which highlights the intersectionality of our DEI strategic plan with the university strategic plan.
Planning Across the University
Although MSU2030 articulates broad themes and suggests actions to advance our goals, it is anticipated much of the specific work to put the plan into practice will be developed within colleges and administrative units. The success of the plan will depend on the collective wisdom and expertise of the campus community.
At the unit level, college and administrative unit strategic and annual plans will advance the strategic themes of the university. University processes, including budget planning and resource allocation, will support planning priorities.
Updating the Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan Implementation Steering Committee, working with strategic theme workgroups, will report regularly to the president. Formal reports on progress and achievements will be provided to the president and Board of Trustees annually.
A task force appointed by the president in consultation with the SPISC will initiate a formal review of the university’s strategic plan in fall 2024 and produce written recommendations on additions, deletions, revisions or updates to the themes, goals and objectives of the university’s strategic plan no later than summer 2025. As context for its work, the task force will complete an environmental scan and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis.