Dear Campus Community,
We write today to provide an update on the University’s Strategic Planning process.
As President Thompson noted in the recent State of the University address, the development of our new Strategic Plan shapes our shared future by directing our decisions and actions. It will be the guide for us to move collectively through the next five years and beyond as we focus on the values, ideals, and goals that we develop and execute together.
Recently, the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) met with SME Strategic Consulting for three days of Concentrated work to shape our plan. Thanks to your participation in visioning sessions, focus groups, and surveys, the SPCE was able to work with over 100 pages of your ideas and goals for our future. This vital information allowed us to complete a SWOT and PESTLE analysis of the University’s current state, consider our future through the lens of a risk analysis, and identify three strategic focus areas for the campus community.
We thank those who graciously gave of their time and energy to these three days, and we also thank the colleagues of our committee members who helped cover responsibilities to allow us the opportunity to collaborate. You can see from the list of committee members below that this plan is being developed by a diverse group of representatives. These individuals come from all areas of our campus community and bring unique perspectives to the work to ensure that this plan represents the viewpoints and goals of the entire campus.
At the conclusion of our time together, President Thompson asked the two of us, Dr. Kevin Hearn, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, and Dr. Sabine Klein, Associate Dean in Academic Affairs, to serve as committee co-chairs moving forward. She also asked Maria Feuerstein, Associate Vice President of Strategic Finance and Institutional Planning; Dr. Leslie Rice, Executive Director of Communication, Marketing, and Branding; Daniel Currier, Student Trustee; and Alexis Pratt, Student Representative, to serve with us as the Executive Committee for SPC. As a leadership group, we pledge our commitment to sharing information about the plan and inviting participation from everyone as we move forward.
Strategic Planning will only be effective if we are all committed to the process of bringing ideas, goals, and efforts together for the future of our University. We encourage you to connect with the committee members listed here or reach out to use at StrategicPlanning@westfield.ma.edu to learn more about our work and share your thoughts.
The future is bright for Westfield State University and we look forward to our shared success.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sabine Klein
and
Dr. Kevin Hearn
Strategic Planning Committee Members:
- Amber Monroe, User Experience Librarian & Head of Access Services
- Audrey Antosz, Administrative Assistant, Sports Medicine & Human Performance
- Carolyn Healey, Administrative Assistant, Ethnic & Gender Studies, Sociology, Hispanic and Liberal/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Jessica Tansey, Assistant Dean, Graduate and Continuing Education
- Josh Hettrick, Associate Director of Space Management
- Dr. Kevin Hearn, Vice President of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs
- Laura Blockel, Director of Corporate and Foundation Grants, Institutional Advancement
- Leah Nielsen, Associate Professor of Creative Writing, Department of English
- Dr. Leslie Rice, Executive Director of Communication, Marketing, & Branding
- Luis Gonzalez, Maintainer, Dower Center
- Dr. Margot Hennessy, Professor, Department of Ethnic and Gender Studies
- Maria Feuerstein, Associate Vice President of Strategic Finance & Institutional Planning
- Marlee Berg-Haryasz, Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Well being, Recruitment & Retention; Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach; Asst Men's & Women's Track & Field Coach
- Matt Dellea, Director of Student Activities, Involvement & Leadership (SAIL)
- Dr. Max Saito, Professor, Department of Communication
- Michael Mazeika, Director of Undergraduate Admission
- Capt. Mike Foyle, Assistant Director of University Police
- Nicole West, Director of the Course Achievement, Retention & Engagement Center (CARE)
- Dr. Paul Cacolice, Associate Professor, Department of Movement Science, Sport & Leisure Studies; Faculty Athletic Representative
- Dr. Sabine Klein, Associate Dean, School of Education, Arts, Communications & Humanities; School of Criminology, Psychology, Social Justice & Public Policy
- Sherard Johnson, Assistant Practicum Education Director, Department of Social Work
- Sierra Alexander, Diversity and Inclusion Senior Program Coordinator
- Dr. Susan McDiarmid, Director of Clinical Education & Associate Professor, Physician Assistant Program
- Dr. Susanne Chuku, Professor, Department of Economics
- Alexis Pratt, Student Representative
- Daniel Currier, Student Trustee and SGA Representative