Kayllan Olicio
Asst. News Editor
The focus of the fall All University Meeting on Oct. 17 was preparing for the University’s new strategic plan.
The current strategic plan will expire in September of 2017.
A strategic plan is required by the Board of Higher Education and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. FSU conducts strategic planning on a five-year cycle, according to President F. Javier Cevallos.
He said strategic planning “sharpens the vision of the University for the next five years.”
The strategic planning steering committee is co-chaired by Rita Colucci, chief of staff and general counsel, and Judith Otto, associate professor in geography.
Otto said the meeting was a “kickoff event to begin to see input” for the new strategic plan.
The format of the All University Meeting deviated from past semesters. Round tables were set up instead of the traditional-style lecture format to promote discussion among those attending.
Attendees were asked to participate in an activity. They were given seven minutes to discuss the “Four F’s,” which were, “Flaunt what are we good at, Fix what are we bad at, Fund where are we currently underinvesting and what new opportunities might need funding. And, figure out what’s the big picture.” said Otto.
The strategic plan is in the early stages of development according to Otto. She added, “The biggest challenge that we always face in strategic planning is getting the info, getting the people to weigh in on the issues that are important to them and to craft together a vision for the future.”
Jill Gardosik, internship coordinator for Career Services and Employer Relations said “It was nice to hear what other departments are doing on campus.”
She added faculty, staff and administrators “were all focused on a very particular topic which helped shape the conversation, and everyone was incredibly respectful of everyone else’s ideas and opinions.”
Sean Huddleston, chief office of diversity, inclusion and community engagement, said he hopes the University constructs the five year strategic plan with the five year strategic plan for Inclusive Excellence in mind.
Colucci discussed the importance of the whole University engaging in the strategic planning processes, and said everyone can bring their areas of expertise to the table. “We want to all be thinking more broadly,” she said.
She added inclusiveness is a vital part of the planning process, and “it’s our goal that the ideas will come up from the bottom and rise up.”
Those in attendance were asked to keep track of the topics that were being discussed at their tables on forms that were provided and to turn them in at the end of the meeting.
According to Cevallos, the summary of the discussion will be compiled by Otto and Colucci and will be made available to faculty, staff and students via Blackboard.
Dale Hamel, executive vice president, said one of the main topics discussed at his table was funding for new academic programs on campus.
He added, “Any consideration of new initiatives will need to consider funding – either from new sources of revenues or from reallocation of current funding.”
Student fees will be kept in mind throughout the development of the strategic plan, according to Cevallos. “The trustees really don’t want to raise fees in a way that would make education unaffordable. So, we cannot really count on unlimited resources.”
Hamel said the current costs for FSU students are “significantly below the state university segment average.”
He added, “One of the goals of the strategic plan will likely be continued focus on keeping FSU costs affordable to students.”
Huddleston said his group discussed the “sense of community” at FSU, and how its size fosters close relationships among faculty, staff and students.
They also agreed how FSU’s location in “a business corridor of major corporations” is beneficial and the University should embrace and capitalize on those benefits and align “our academic programs with workforce needs in our region.”
Melinda Stoops, dean of students, said one of the main topics discussed at her table was how to flaunt some the “really unique or niche kinds of majors,” adding FSU could also work on flaunting the University’s sense of community.
The participants at her table also discussed the new Hemenway laboratories and how to showcase the new facilities, while keeping in mind how to fund other programs outside of STEM, such as the arts.
Cevallos said, “Having an official student representative on the advisory committee makes the point very clear that we need to have student participation in the process.” Junior Jackson Stevens will be taking on that role.
The steering committee consists of 14 members. Co-chairs Colucci and Otto; Xavier Guadalupe-Diaz, sociology professor; Stoops; Huddleston; Stevens; Margaret Carroll, dean of STEM; Deb McMakin, psychology professor; Julie Zoino-Jeannetti, education professor; Jon Huibredgtse, history professor; Jeremy Spencer, dean of enrollment management; Lucy Green administrative assistant of facilities; Steve Whittemore, alumni relations officer; and Trustee Kevin Foley.
The majority of the strategic plan will be formulated over the academic year and it will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the end of May. The plan will be revised according to the boards’ feedback. They will finalize and approve the plan by next September, according to Otto.
Cevallos said, “We all have a different interpretation of what a vision is. I have a vision for the University. You have a vision for the University. We have to have a combined collective vision and that is the strategic plan. It allows you to have that combined vision that we can all agree on and work together for.”