Update on University-wide Strategic Planning Process and Launch of Implementation Design Phase
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Over the last two years, faculty, staff, and students across our campuses have worked toward a strategic plan that establishes a clear vision for the future of Boston University, and a set of measurable goals and objectives to help guide decisions on institutional investments and activities between now and 2030. We have taken stock of where the University currently stands, engaged a University-wide task force, and held 42 listening sessions with over 1,000 staff, faculty, and students. As a result of this work, in April 2020, the Board of Trustees approved a new University-wide Strategic Plan, which articulates five strategic priorities for BU over the next 10 years.
Strategic Priorities 2020-2030
1. Vibrant Academic Experience
- Provide undergraduate students a quality residential education and prepare them for the world of work.
- Offer graduate and professional students high-quality, innovative academic and educational programs.
2. Research that Matters
- Hire and support world-class faculty in select areas across the University where we can excel and have both local and global impact.
3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Become an even more diverse and inclusive institution that provides fair access and opportunities to all faculty, staff, and students.
4. Community, Big yet Small
- Create opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to find their individual communities, while benefiting from the resources of a large, urban university and numerous accomplished alumni.
5. Global Engagement
- Expand BU’s global reach through student, faculty, and alumni engagement opportunities.
In the face of the disruption and uncertainty caused by the global pandemic, and the overdue elevation of conversations around racial justice, the Strategic Plan will allow us to maintain our high-level aspirations for BU while enabling needed flexibility to adjust to the changing landscape in higher education and the world.
With the Strategic Plan complete, we now turn to the next phase of this effort: implementation design. This phase will run through early 2021, and will engage stakeholders across BU to develop a clear road map and specific action steps to turn the new Strategic Plan into reality.
I am pleased to introduce the dedicated group of faculty and staff who will play central roles in the implementation design process. A new Strategy Implementation Group (SIG) will serve as the engine for this effort, providing thought partnership and support to campus leaders, and managing implementation of initiatives through ongoing progress monitoring. Strategic Priority Sponsors will guide and support the development of University-wide initiatives designed to advance the strategic priorities. The membership of these groups is listed below; more information on these groups, the Strategic Plan, and the entire planning effort can be found on BU’s new Strategic Plan website.
Please join me in thanking the Strategy Implementation Group, Strategic Priority Sponsors, and everyone who will be involved in the important work charting the path to our 10 year vision. Many thanks as well to the Strategic Planning Task Force, who worked tirelessly over the past two years to develop the new Strategic Plan, and to all the members of our community who have contributed to and informed the plan’s development. I look forward to continuing to build our future together.
Strategic Priority Sponsors
Vibrant Academic Experience:
Amie Grills, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs & Research; and Professor of Counseling Psychology, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
Research that Matters:
Michael Sorenson, Associate Dean of the Faculty, Natural Sciences; and Professor of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Yvette Cozier, Assistant Dean for Diversity & Inclusion; and Associate Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health
Crystal Williams, Vice President and Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion
Community, Big yet Small:
Jason Campbell-Foster, Senior Associate Dean of Students
Crystal Williams, Vice President and Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion
Global Engagement:
Kevin Gallagher, Director, Global Development Policy Center; and Professor of Global Development Policy, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
Strategy Implementation Group (SIG)
Swathi Kiran, Associate Dean for Research; and James and Cecilia Tse Ying Professor in Neurorehabilitation, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, SIG Lead
Deidre Fisher, Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost, Project Manager
Rachel Lapal, Assistant Vice President, Public Relations – Social Media, Communications Lead
Patricia O’Brien, Associate Provost for Budget & Planning, Budget Lead
Boston University Strategic Planning Task Force
Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Chair
George Annas, William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor; and Director, Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights, School of Public Health
Evan Apfelbaum, Associate Professor of Management & Organizations, Questrom School of Business
Emelia Benjamin, Professor of Medicine and Assistant Provost for Faculty Development, School of Medicine; Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health
Margrit Betke, Professor of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences; Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Thomas Bifano, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering; and Director, BU Photonics Center, College of Engineering
John Connor, Associate Professor of Microbiology, School of Medicine
Daniel Dahlstrom, John R. Silber Professor and Chair of Philosophy, College of Arts & Sciences
Josée Dupuis, Professor and Chair of Biostatistics, School of Public Health
Roscoe Giles, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Kimberly Howard, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology and Program Director for Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
Swathi Kiran, Associate Dean for Research; and James and Cecilia Tse Ying Professor in Neurorehabilitation, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
Kim McCall, Professor and Chair of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
Patricia O’Brien, Associate Provost for Budget & Planning
Gary Sheffer, Sandra R. Frazier Professor of the Practice of Public Relations, College of Communication
Katharine Silbaugh, Professor of Law, School of Law
Andrew Soares, Vice President for Financial Operations
John White, Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Harvey Young, Dean, College of Fine Arts
Staff:
Laura Jenks, Chief of Staff, Office of the Provost
Deidre Fisher, Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost
Megan Funaro, Executive Assistant and Project Manager, Office of the Provost