Noting the importance of shared values – excellence, collaboration, innovation, diversity and inclusion, and integrity – in reaching our goals, President M. Roy Wilson provided an update on Wayne State University’s strategic planning process.
“Values are the kinds of things that you won’t see as a specific focus area because they should permeate the strategic plan,” Wilson said during a Nov. 11 town hall meeting held in the David Adamany Undergraduate Library’s Bernath Auditorium. “They should form the foundation upon which it is based.”
Launched in June, the university’s strategic planning process looks to develop a five-year plan that will bring Wayne State University recognition as a pre-eminent urban, public research university. The goal is to gather input from all of WSU's stakeholder groups, including faculty, staff, students, administration, alumni, the Board of Governors and members of the community.
The forum further outlined other key components of the plan such as student success, teaching excellence, research, entrepreneurship, community engagement and financial sustainability. In addition, the campus community was encouraged to ask questions and provide input.
“Values are something that are easy to talk about, but sometimes hard to incorporate as part of an organization,” Wilson said. “The good thing, to at least some extent, is that each one of these values is something we already believe in. It’s already a part of us. It’s not like we have to change anything.
“But what we do have to do is continue to be guided by these values, think about them and reflect. … I don’t think that’s a far stretch for us.”
Also on hand to speak and answer questions during the town hall were Margaret Winters, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Akosua Barthwell-Evans, founder and CEO of the Barthwell Group Inc.; Rick Nork, treasurer, vice president and CFO for finance and business operations; Michael Wright, vice president for communications and chief of staff; and Lou Romano, professor of chemistry and president of the Academic Senate.
“From a faculty perspective, the question can be, ‘Why should we buy into this?’” Romano said. “(Because) we need to make Wayne State relevant to the state and city … and the best way to do that is by showing we are educating students well, coming up with new research programs that bring in money to the state, and have innovative ideas that result in technology transfer that maybe grow new companies.
“If we’re relevant and we publicize it, at that point, it’s going to be very hard for the state to keep saying Wayne State doesn’t deserve any more money … which will increase our funding and enable the faculty a better chance to do the things they like to do.”
To ensure transparency and maximum engagement, Wilson, the Strategic Planning Committee and focus groups are continually seeking feedback on key portions (i.e. WSU’s vision, mission, strategic focus areas, goals and objectives).
“I want you to think of this as a work in progress,” Wilson said. “This is an interim update to see where we are and solicit input.”
More information and updates can be found on the Strategic Plan’s website.