Dear Colleagues,
I’m pleased to provide you with an update on our strategic planning process, which has reached its next phase of refinement and implementation.
Since my last update in November, we have incorporated insights from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the Board of Trustees into a more detailed road map for the future, including several key action steps we seek to take in 2023. A draft of the strategic plan was presented to the Board of Trustees and senior University administrators in February and was met with enthusiasm and excitement about our future. While we have much work to do in the coming months, I am confident that the plan reflects our values and what I believe to be essential goals and objectives to chart our path forward.
The title of the 2030 strategic plan, Boundless Possibility, reflects our desire to support the people of the University of Rochester in their quest to frame and solve the greatest challenges of the future, without limitations. This aspiration guides our institution and inspires us to search for solutions and redefine the impact we can have on individuals, our community, and the world. Importantly, the plan represents who we are. The strength of our Meliora values, the talent and commitment of our students and employees, and the core beliefs interwoven throughout the plan will allow us to discover new, modern, and distinctive ways to tackle complex challenges. We aim not only to create the next chapter for the University but also to remind others of the leadership role we play in higher education, health care, and our communities. The path forward will not always be an easy one, but we are committed to the work. Everyone has a role to play, and there will be many ways to contribute to our efforts over the next few weeks and months.
Between now and May, we will refine the plan’s goals and objectives based on the recent feedback we received, though we do not anticipate any major changes to what has been presented. We will also build out the key tactics we need to accomplish in 2023–24, review measures of success that demonstrate progress toward goals, and identify barriers to success.
Provost Figlio and I, along with members of my team, will continue to meet with faculty leaders, staff leaders such as the Genesee Staff Council, student representatives, and managers across the organization to gather thoughts on tactics, metrics, and what is most important for a successful implementation of the plan. All are invited to share ideas about the strategic plan with their leadership or representatives in these groups, submit feedback on the Boundless Possibility website, or attend one of our open forum Strategic Planning Discussion Sessions hosted by my team.
After commencement we will provide more details about our implementation plan, which will actively involve faculty, staff, students, and alumni representatives in different ways. Stay tuned for more information on how to engage. We will also continue to evaluate our infrastructure to ensure we have the appropriate resources needed to move this effort forward, be more agile and responsive to environmental changes, and support our employees.
As I have shared in the past, our plan will inform how we make decisions; allocate resources; and coordinate, collaborate, and better tell the story of our incredible University and its people. The Boundless Possibility plan provides a road map for innovation and strengthens our ability to succeed in the complex academic, research, and health care environments that shape the experiences of our students and their families, faculty, staff, patients, alumni, and community partners.
The plan is the direct result of the great work of many people. My sincere thanks to everyone who has helped us arrive at this point and who will no doubt help us as we move ahead. I look forward to continuing our conversations and collaborations.
Warm Regards,
Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor