UW Strategic Planning Listening Sessions Begin This Week

Members of the University of Wyoming community and the public have the opportunity to express their hopes and dreams for the university in a series of dialogue and listening sessions beginning this week.

Each session will focus on a particular aspect of the university, with discussions led by co-leaders selected by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kate Miller. The meetings are part of the process to create a five-year strategic plan for the university.

“We encourage everyone to participate in these sessions to help us create a vision for UW’s future,” Miller says. “We would like participants to come prepared to express their ambitions for the university in these specific areas, along with identifying obstacles that must be overcome to achieve these ambitions.”

The first session, focused on intercollegiate athletics, is Thursday, Oct. 20, from 2-3 p.m. in the Engineering Building, Room 1055. The co-leaders for that discussion are Alyson Hagy, UW’s faculty athletics representative, and Joi Thomas, UW’s assistant athletics director for administration.

Eight other sessions will take place the following week. Times and locations, topics and discussion co-leaders are as follows:

-- Monday, Oct. 24, 3-4 p.m., Agriculture Building, Room 223 -- resource realignment, revenue and budgeting modeling; Rob Godby (Department of Economics and Finance) and Steve Smutko (Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources).

-- Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2-3 p.m., Engineering Building, Room 1055 -- student success; Donal Skinner (Department of Zoology and Physiology) and Patrice Noel (Office of Academic Affairs).

-- Tuesday, Oct. 25, 3-4 p.m., Agriculture Building, Room 2024 -- research, scholarship and graduate education; Bryan Shader (Office of Research and Economic Development) and Suzie Young (College of Education).

-- Wednesday, Oct. 26, 10-11 a.m., Arts and Sciences Building, Room 401 -- undergraduate recruitment and enrollment; Chip Kobulnicky (Department of Physics and Astronomy) and Mary Aguayo (Division of Student Affairs).

-- Wednesday, Oct. 26, noon-1 p.m., Agriculture Building, Room 223 -- academic programs, curriculum and academic quality; Ricki Klages (Department of Art and Art History) and Derek Smith (Division of Kinesiology and Health).

-- Wednesday, Oct. 26, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Engineering Building, Room 2105 -- extended education and lifelong learning; Meg Van Baalen Wood (Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning) and Karen Bartsch Estes (Department of Psychology).

-- Thursday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.-noon, Agriculture Building, Room 223 -- diversity, inclusion and internationalization; Cecilia Aragon (Latina/o Studies) and David Messenger (Global and Area Studies).

-- Thursday, Oct. 27, 2-3 p.m., Engineering Building, Room 1055 -- information technology; Jen Chavez (Information Technology) and Dimitri Mavriplis (Department of Mechanical Engineering).

One additional listening and dialogue session is scheduled for each of those topics in November and December, along with sessions for these other topics: university structures and organization; engagement and outreach, economic development and vibrant communities; and design, master plan and campus aesthetics. Additional notices will be distributed for the November and December sessions, but the schedule may be found on the strategic planning website here: www.uwyo.edu/president/strategic-plans/topical-sessions.html.

Separately, Miller and members of UW’s Strategic Planning Leadership Council will meet with individual departments and units (www.uwyo.edu/president/strategic-plans/dept-sessions.html) and colleges (www.uwyo.edu/president/strategic-plans/college-meetings.html) beginning this week, to discuss priorities and strategies that will help shape the future.

And meetings to gather input from constituents around the state will be scheduled in November and December. Once dates and locations have been finalized, the schedule for those sessions may be found on the strategic planning website at www.uwyo.edu/president/strategic-plans/state-meetings.html.

President Laurie Nichols has approved release time for UW employees to attend the unit and college sessions and any topical sessions of their choosing. The scheduling of release time should be a collaborative discussion between employee and supervisor to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the unit. The amount of release time should correspond to the length and number of sessions attended.

Following the extensive series of campuswide and statewide discussions, the Strategic Planning Leadership Council is scheduled to begin drafting the strategic plan in January, with presentation of a draft to the campus community and stakeholders in March. The revised plan then will be presented at a town-hall meeting for consideration by the governing bodies of Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and the Associated Students of UW.

Following approval by the Board of Trustees, the plan will be implemented at the start of the 2017-18 fiscal year, with college and unit plans finalized in fall 2017. A website, www.uwyo.edu/president/strategic-plans/, has been established to inform the campus community and the public throughout the strategic planning process. More details about meeting and session schedules, as well as contact information for the Strategic Planning Leadership Council members and co-leaders for the listening and dialogue sessions, may be found at that site.