The 2016 Strategic Planning Advancement Committee, from left: Kimberly Engber, Bob Ross, Cathy Moore-Jansen, Richard Muma, John Perry, Amy Schwiethale, Cindy Claycomb, Dennis Livesay, Clay Stoldt, Charles Koeber, Janet Twomey, Connie Dietz and Stephen Arnold.  Click the photo to view larger.

The Evolution

WSU President John Bardo launched the strategic planning effort for Wichita State University in 2012, envisioning a dynamic, powerful future for WSU.

The planning effort was divided into three phases:

• Phase I - Development of a Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals
• Phase II - Development of individual plans for:
  • Enrollment management, distance education, adult learning, retention and technology transfer
  • Academic units and Academic Affairs
  • Student Affairs programs
• Phase III – Engagement of Resource Partners to support Phase II plans

Phase I

Phase I planning was completed in spring 2013. It was managed by a steering committee appointed by President Bardo and co-chaired by Cindy Claycomb, Wichita State University professor of marketing, W. Frank Barton School of Business and Ed O'Malley, president and CEO, Kansas Leadership Center. The committee engaged hundreds of people --including faculty, staff, students, business and community leaders and the general public -- to generate ideas, gather data and make sense of the results.

The data from the steering committee, town hall meetings, interviews and strategic planning retreats were then distilled into a Strategic Planning Artifact report, a document that informed the recasting of the vision, mission and values statements for the university.

The new statements clearly outline what Wichita State can become, and set forth big, audacious goals for the university. The clear support of the community, on and off campus, sends the signal that Wichita State University has the ability and resources to harness their unlimited potential.

Phase II

Phase II planning was completed in spring 2016. In fall of 2013, academic colleges and units on campus were charged with developing their strategic plans. They were allowed freedom in developing these individual plans, discovering how the university plan relates to their college or unit, and what they plan to change as a result. Plans for academiccolleges and other units (e.g., Student Engagement, Career Development) were completed in spring 2014.

In November 2014, Cindy Claycomb, assistant to the president for strategic planning and professor, formed and facilitated a Phase II Strategic Planning Steering Committee. The steering committee was tasked to support alignment of WSU Colleges' strategic plans with the University's seven strategic goals. Presentations and discussions with deans, chairs, vice presidents and directors occurred throughout the planning cycle. The following was accomplished:

• Review of colleges' strategic plans
• Review of Career Development Center strategic plan and feedback
• Review of Student Engagement strategic plan and feedback
• Review of Academic Affairs units strategic plans and feedback
• Development of strategic plan self-assessment tool for colleges
• Review of colleges' self-assessments
• Development and rollout to colleges of a university strategic planning template
• Development of a university Strategic Planning Dashboard (including descriptions, rationale, metrics, and targets)
• Launch of Carnegie Community Engagement application process (WSU Service Learning Fellows are spearheading this initiative)
• Relaunch of Strategic Planning website
• Development of an annual review process to determine how colleges and units are accomplishing the seven university goals
• Development of a structure for a university strategic planning standing committee (Strategic Planning Advancement Committee)

Phase III

In Phase III, engagement of Resource Partners to support Phase II plans continued. Resource Partners are units on campus not located within an academic College. Resource Partners include Career Development Center, Finance and Administration, Research and Technology Transfer, Strategic Communications, Student Affairs, Human Resources, WSU Alumni Association, WSU Foundation and miscellaneous other offices.

This engagement process kicked-off with the first annual strategic planning review process -- “Where We Are and Where Are We Going” -- on September 7, 2016. This event was our first annual interactive strategic plan review and update. Each of the deans from the academic Colleges presented the implementation highlights, multidisciplinary collaborations, challenges and next steps from their college's strategic plan. The entire campus community was invited, and attendees were engaged in interactive sessions throughout the afternoon that encouraged cross-campus conversations.

The second engagement event was held March 9, 2017. The Strategic Planning Committee hosted a spring Strategic Planning Forum. This engagement process utilized panel sessions on topics of strategic interest to the entire campus community. The topics included Strategic Enrollment Management, Research with Industry, Implementation of the UniScope Model, Strategic Communications and Academic Engagement, Applied Learning, and Diversity. The Committee members moderated or coordinated each of the panel sessions.

On August 8, 2017, a university policy (1.09) created a new standing committee -- the Strategic Planning Committee. The committee was formed in fall 2017. Each college, other Academic Affairs units, and university organizations selected a person to serve on this committee. Original committee members were:

• Tom Aldag, director, research and development, National Institute for Aviation Research
• Steve Arnold, associate dean for Academic and Student Affairs and professor, College of Health Professions
• Amy Barfield, staff psychologist, Counseling and Testing Center and Unclassified Professionals Senate President
• Misty Bruckner, director, Public Policy and Management Center; facilitation staff for committee
• Deanna Carrithers, director of operations, Diversity and Community Engagement
• Cindy Claycomb, chair and assistant to the President for Strategic Planning and professor, President's Office
• Aaron Coffey, assistant dean, Graduate Enrollment Management, Graduate School
• Shelly Coleman-Martins, associate vice president, Strategic Communications and chief marketing officer
• Karen Davis, director pre-award services, Office of Research, Pre-Award
• Kimberly Engber, dean of the Honors College and associate professor, Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College
• Misha Jacob-Warren, assistant general counsel, General Counsel; advisor to the committee
• Charles Koeber, senior associate dean and associate professor, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Kevin Konda, associate vice president, Student Affairs
• Gery Markova, associate professor, Barton School of Business and Faculty Senate representative
• David Miller, vice president, Finance and Administration
• Cathy Moore-Jansen, interim associate dean/coordinator collection development and associate professor, University Libraries
• Rick Muma, interim provost, Office of Academic Affairs
• Sara Muzzy, interim executive director, Career Development Center
• Jeremy Patterson, director, Institute for Interdisciplinary Creativity
• John Perry, chairperson and associate professor, Department of Management, W. Frank Barton School of Business
• Amy Schwiethale, associate professor, School of Performing Arts, College of Fine Arts
• Randy Sessions, tech support consultant, WSU Police and University Support Services Senate President
• Clay Stoldt, associate dean and professor, College of Education
• Chris Thiel, undergraduate student representative, Student Governent Association
• Anna Turosak, graduate student representative, Graduate Student Association
• Janet Twomey, associate dean, Graduate Studies, Research and Faculty Success and professor, College of Engineering
• Sherree Utash, president WSU Tech and vice president of Workforce Development for WSU, Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology

Responsibilities for this committee included:

1. To schedule review of and provide feedback to colleges and other University departments on updated strategic plans, to include:
2. To review Strategic Plan templates, tools and metrics for needed changes.
   1. Reviewing applied learning proposals and providing endorsement or non-endorsement (with feedback)
   2. Providing representation on Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee and Graduate Council for review of applied learning proposals
   3. To ensure two-way communication with the various University senates.
3. To facilitate the applied learning implementation process, to include:
4. To provide ownership of WSU Strategic Plan website content.
5. To provide meaningful cross-campus conversation on strategic topics to demonstrate progress on the University's strategic plan, to include: 
6. To engage in the strategic planning assessment process to monitor progress toward targets, to include:
   1. Strategic Planning Dashboard
   2. Areas for improvement
   3. Coordinating University continuous improvement efforts
7. Transferring implementation responsibility of the strategic plan to Provost, Deans, and Resource Partners
   1. Facilitating University Strategic Plan events (e.g. Fall Strategic Plan Annual Review, Spring Strategic Plan Forum)
8. To review University goals for needed revisions, to include additions, deletions or changes as appropriate.
   1. Ensuring college and department plans are linked to University Strategic Plan
   2. Ensuring colleges and departments engage in continuous improvement of their respective strategic plans