Governance and Accountability
Strategic Plan Oversight Committee
Chaired by Dean, includes Assistant and Associate Deans, department heads, Extension leadership, and faculty/staff representatives. Meets twice per year to review progress, resolve barriers, and adjust priorities.
Annual Goal Owners
Each strategic priority has designated senior leadership owner(s) accountable for initiative execution and metric achievement.
Departmental Alignment
Each department will develop/update strategic plans aligning with college priorities, identifying specific contributions to college-level goals and metrics.
Annual Reporting
The College will publish an annual progress report documenting performance metrics, initiative updates, and resource allocation decisions.
Resource Allocation Principles
Strategic investments will be guided by:
- Mission centrality — Priority to initiatives directly advancing teaching, research and extension impact
- Cross-cutting impact — Favor initiatives serving multiple departments and cross-cutting themes
- Leverage — Prioritize investments with potential for external funding or partnership cost-sharing
- Evidence-based — Allocate resources to initiatives with clear logic models and measurable outcomes
- Equity — Ensure resource distribution advances access and equity goals across all priority areas
Phased Implementation Timeline
Year 1 (2026–27): Foundation
- Hire strategic faculty positions (research clusters, access and equity)
- Launch signature Extension programs
- Submit large center grant proposals
- Begin farm and forest strategic assessments
- Implement student support enhancements (advising, scholarships)
- Establish baseline metrics and data infrastructure
- Initiate administrative process improvements
Years 2–3 (2027–29): Acceleration
- Complete/advance major facility renovations
- Scale experiential learning programs
- Submit large center grant proposals
- Expand industry partnerships and philanthropic campaign
- Implement administrative process improvements
Years 4–5 (2029–31): Maturation
- Achieve significant metric milestones (research expenditures, graduation rates, Extension reach)
- Document impact stories demonstrating ROI
- Begin strategic planning process for next cycle
- Celebrate successes and recognize contributions
Risk Management
Key risks and mitigation strategies
- Fiscal constraints — Diversify revenue, prioritize high-ROI investments, build philanthropy
- Recruitment challenges — Competitive compensation, clear value proposition, inclusive culture, shared governance and transparency.
- Infrastructure aging — Phased capital plan, deferred maintenance reduction strategy
- External disruptions — Maintain operational resilience, scenario planning, rapid-response capability
