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Strategic Planning

President's Message

May 9, 2019

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) unanimously approved Westfield State University’s Strategic Plan at a full board meeting held on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. This follows the unanimous endorsement from the strategic planning committee of the BHE on April 30 and the February 7 approval from the Westfield State University Board of Trustees.

It has been rewarding to see our process unfold and reflect the input of students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, and alumni. Establishing the Plan’s direction, clarifying its focus, obtaining comprehensive input from campus constituents, and developing outcomes and metrics to measure the five-year Plan’s success, has been a massive undertaking and I extend significant gratitude to all involved in this important process for our University community and the students we educate and inspire.

Final Strategic Plan

Committee Charge

This committee will serve as an advisory and planning body working with the campus community to structure a strategic plan in conjunction with the vision and mission of Westfield State University. The committee will be supported in its efforts by a strategic planning consultant.

Charge:

Propose an inclusive process for engaging the campus community in a review of the current the mission, vision and values.
Present the campus community with opportunities to engage in development of the campus strategic planning process through surveys, focus groups and SWOT analyses.
Analyze data collected through input processes and incorporate campus input into development of strategic planning priorities.
Analyze data on trends in higher education in the state and region as well as nationally and internationally to inform the development of strategic planning priorities.
Propose strategic priorities that support the mission, vision and values.
Propose methods for implementation of the strategic plan and its assessment.

Membership List

Dr. Joe Camilleri, Department of Psychology

Jennifer Carlson, Office of the Registrar

Patrick Carpenter, Institutional Advancement

Dr. Susanne Chuku, Department of Economics and Management

Dr. Enrique Morales Diaz, Department of Languages and Culture

Marcus DiBacco, Student

Dr. Jennifer Hanselman, Department of Biology

Richard Lenfest, Athletics

Angelo Mazza, Trades & Grounds

Dr. Susan Leggett (Chair), Office of the President

Arielyss Santiago, Student

Dr. Rose Sullivan, Department of Social Work

Stephen Taksar, Finance and Administration

Timeline

Timeline Process Steps Infographic

Timeline:

Reaffirm Mission and Vision September/October
Conduct Environmental Scan September/October/November
Collect and Analyze Stakeholder Input October/November/December
Conduct SWOT Analysis November/December
Summarize Strategic Issues December/January/February/March
Prepare Strategic Plan February/March/April/May/June
Develop Distribution/Implementation/Assessment Plans April/May/June

Milestones:

Project Kick-off Meeting September 8th
Summary of environmental scan & stakeholder input preparation October
Stakeholder input sessions across campus November
Identify plan priorities and goals December
Initiate plan goal alignment at division level January
University community feedback & briefing with Board of Trustees & Board of Higher Education March
Finalize plan & brief the Board of Trustees & Board of Higher Education May