July 29, 2013
Dear Members of the Board of Visitors:
In advance of the August Board retreat, I write to give you an update on the strategic
plan and to provide background materials to supplement our presentation and subsequent
discussion at the retreat.
Since the May meeting of the Special Committee on Strategic Planning, we have been
working to refine and develop the strategic drivers (pillars) and strategies that make up
the strategic plan. I received feedback from several of you, and I thank you for sharing your
insights as we have continued to refine the strategic plan over the past two months. As a
result of your input, you will find some changes in the strategic drivers and the strategies
we will use for each one.
As co-chairs Atkinson and Rose explained in their letter last September, the strategic
plan should “examine our very purpose and reason for being, and then develop a roadmap
for our future.” To that end, we have considered the findings of the academic assessment
conducted by the Art & Science Group and have sought to address the challenges and
opportunities that they identified in their report. In response to my request to the Art &
Science Group to consider our strategic priorities in light of the assessment findings, Ben
Edwards commented, “I don’t see a critical consideration that you have neglected.”
Co-chairs Atkinson and Rose also asked that the strategic plan consist of “a
manageable list of strategic initiatives and priorities to which the Board of Visitors,
administration, faculty, students, and supporting constituents might commit.” The final
draft of the strategic plan also will incorporate milestones, metrics, an estimate of
resources, and the assignment of responsible parties for each of the strategies.
The September letter also requested that the strategic plan “articulate strategic
direction for the University as a whole, recognizing that its ultimate success will, of course,
be in large measure derived from collaboration and the collective efforts of our schools and
academic units.” The strategic plan does just that—it is an enterprise-wide plan that sets
direction and requires the strong collaborative commitment of faculty, staff, and
administrators across all schools and academic units. The strategic drivers, strategies, and
underlying principles set forth in the strategic plan will inform the school and unit-level
strategic plans in a mutually reinforcing cycle.
Until now, UVa has not had a set schedule for the development of unit-level strategic
plans. Although most units have developed plans, the plans are not integrated, and they
have been developed in isolation and updated at irregular intervals. That will now change.
Our planning office, headed by Milton Adams, will be charged with implementation of the
enterprise-wide plan and also with coordination so that newly developed unit plans will
align, where appropriate, with the enterprise-wide plan. There are mechanisms other than
strategic plans for ensuring better coordination, including the newly developed annual
hiring plan and the annual budget.
The plan now identifies five strategic drivers (pillars) and 15 associated strategies
that will distinguish the University of Virginia at all levels—in preparing our students, in
assembling our faculty, in conducting scholarship and research, and in serving as a model
of excellence in the global higher education community. The pillars and strategies are
presented in the accompanying materials.
The focus of the strategic plan is leadership as an institutional objective and
leadership development as a focus for students, faculty, and staff. This focus has its roots in
both the work of the Steering Committee and Working Groups as well as the
recommendations from the Art & Science Group. Rather than make leadership a separate
strategic driver (pillar) of the plan, we have instead sought to infuse it throughout the plan.
Other concepts that are incorporated throughout the plan include diversity,
financial prudence, improved technology, and an emphasis on strategies that directly affect
STEM-H. In the appendices are implementation principles that we have adopted to guide
the implementation, and diversity and leveraging technology appear as implementing
principles.
Also accompanying this letter is a glossary of terms that are frequently referenced in
the strategic plan. Over the planning process we found that working from a common
understanding of terms enhanced our dialog and also eliminated unnecessary confusion.
As co-chairs Atkinson and Rose suggested, our August presentation of the strategic
plan will include detailed presentations on three of the fifteen proposed strategies. These
presentations are intended to provide you with a more complete perspective on how we
envision the plan unfolding once it becomes operational.
The first presentation is the proposed Big Data Institute, which is an
implementation of strategy 4: The University will leverage current talent and new faculty
hiring opportunities to focus research on those intellectual and social challenges in which it
can have the most impact. Big Data is an area that affects every discipline, and the need to
develop new analytics, data storage, and data security measures is ubiquitous. It is truly an
interdisciplinary area, and offers an opportunity to overcome the disadvantages of
relatively small institutional size by combining interested faculties from different
departments in a virtual institute. As Rick Horwitz will discuss, more than 140 faculty have
been engaged in designing this institute, identifying areas of research distinction, and
developing educational opportunities such as a certificate in data science. We believe that
Page 2 of 3
a credential in data science would be very marketable for our students in a critical STEM
area.
The second presentation will be Total Advising, which is strategy 2: “The University
will pioneer ‘total advising,’ a multidimensional process for all students that combines
high-quality academic advising, career advising, and coaching, includes an online portfolio,
and capitalizes on relationships with UVa. alumni.” Vice President Pat Lampkin will talk
about an innovative approach to career advising that has had significant input from the
Council of Foundations and the Parents Committee. In our student forums, improved
advising emerged as their number one priority.
The third presentation will be on strategy 14, Organizational Excellence: “The
University will enhance its organizational capacity through resource alignment and
optimization to enable academic excellence and affordable access.” COO Pat Hogan and
Sarah Collie, who helps to lead our efforts in this area, will discuss new models of internal
service excellence, identify near-term savings opportunities, and long-term revenue
sources. These areas are critical to our objectives of affordability and streamlining.
We intend to present implementation plans for additional strategies at the
September Board meeting, and then provide a complete plan with cost estimates at the
November meeting. Even then, however, the strategic planning process will not be over.
As I stated at the outset of this process, I believe in two principles for planning: that it be
inclusive and that it be continuous. We intend for the plan to be a living document,
especially as unanticipated opportunities arise.
I hope that we will leave the retreat with a shared vision for the future of the
University and with a united set of expectations for the finalized strategic plan. I look
forward to seeing you later this week.
Very truly yours,
Teresa A. Sullivan
President
TAS:bva
Enclosures:
Strategic Pillars and Strategies
Principles for Implementation
Glossary
Letter from Jeff Walker, Chair of Council of Foundations
Mapping of Pillars and strategies with Art & Science Group report
Page 3 of 3
PILLARS AND STRATEGIES
Strategic Plan Pillars and Strategies
Pillar 1: Extend and Strengthen the University’s Distinctive Residential Culture
The University is acclaimed for the quality of its residential experience—defined by a
cohesive yet increasingly diverse culture, deeply rooted values such as honor, diversity,
integrity, and student self-governance. Undergraduate, graduate, and professional
students can benefit from their residence to experience more intense and focused
curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular experiences. The University will rededicate
itself to strengthening its distinctive residential learning environment, differentiating it as
well as increasing its intensity and scope.
Strategy 1: Student Leadership Development
The University will make the development of ethical leaders a central theme of its
curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs.
Strategy 2: Total Advising
The University will pioneer “total advising,” a multidimensional process for all
students that combines high-quality academic advising, career advising, and
coaching, includes an online portfolio, and capitalizes on relationships with U.Va.
alumni.
Strategy 3: Lifelong Alumni Engagement
The University will develop training, teaching, and counseling programs for alumni
that enable U.Va. to serve as their lifelong university.
Pillar 2: Strengthen the University’s Capacity to Advance Knowledge and Serve The
Public Through Research, Scholarship, Creative Arts and Innovation
The quality of research, scholarship, creative activity, and innovation at the University is
central to the University’s founding vision of discovery and innovation. The University will
reinforce its capacity both to support curiosity-driven research wherever it may lead and
to address the important societal needs of the Commonwealth and the world.
Strategy 4: Strategic Research
The University will leverage current talent and new faculty hiring opportunities to
focus research on those intellectual and social challenges where it can have the most
impact. Specifically, the University will develop four research institutes that
address key issues and provide valuable educational opportunities.
Strategy 5: Research Infrastructure and Services
The University will enhance institution-wide infrastructure and services, including
information technology, to encourage and support individual, curiosity-driven
research, scholarship, creative arts, and innovation by faculty and students.
1
Strategic Plan Pillars and Strategies
Pillar 3: Provide Educational Experiences That Deliver New Levels of Student
Engagement
The University is distinguished by the exceptional quality of its students, the commitment
of its faculty to their education, and an emphasis on student research, experiential learning,
and initiatives that promote public service. The University will develop a full range of
innovative educational experiences that unite the curricular, the co-curricular, and the
extracurricular into a coherent and powerful educational experience, and measure the
effectiveness of those experiences to enhance teaching and learning.
Strategy 6: High-Impact Educational Experiences
The University will enhance its ability to deliver a broad range of high-impact
educational experiences for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students,
including meaningful research with faculty members, service learning,
entrepreneurial experiences, and internships. In doing this, the University will lead
in using technology to appropriately enrich these student experiences.
Strategy 7: Global Experiences
The University will strengthen its global presence and systematically foster
international knowledge and cross-cultural understanding among all its students:
undergraduate, graduate, and professional.
Strategy 8: Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning to Enhance the Student
Experience
The University will utilize evidence-based practices to enhance its ability to
describe, document, and understand the synergistic impact of the total student
experience—academic, co-curricular, and extra-curricular—and apply that
knowledge to improve faculty teaching and student learning for undergraduate,
graduate, and professional students.
Pillar 4: Assemble and Support a Distinguishing Faculty
A high-quality faculty is critical for academic excellence and fuels the intellectual
innovation that attracts better undergraduate, graduate and professionals students, higher
research funding, and more engaged and committed alumni. The generational turnover in
faculty presents a remarkable opportunity to sustain and advance the University for future
generations. The University will invest in the professional development of faculty
members to advance their careers, strengthen the institution, and also heighten their
impact on its students.
Strategy 9: Faculty Leadership Development
The University will invest in, mentor, and support current faculty to further their
careers, assisting them gain the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their
effectiveness as teachers, researchers, and leaders in the University community and
in their fields of study.
2
Strategic Plan Pillars and Strategies
Strategy 10: Continuous Active Recruiting to Secure Leading Faculty
The University will develop a continuous recruiting process to more accurately
identify high-potential faculty, build stronger relationships with targeted
candidates, and close recruitment efforts successfully.
Strategy 11: Interdisciplinary Hiring
The University will identify its hiring priorities and, in those cases where they are
interdisciplinary in nature, adjust institutional and professional incentives
appropriately.
Pillar 5: Steward the University’s Resources to Promote Academic Excellence and
Affordable Access
As a public university, the University is committed to serving society by preparing students
for leadership and fostering discovery and innovation while ensuring that a University
education is available to qualified students, regardless of their circumstances. The
University will achieve its goals of academic excellence and affordable access by promoting
a culture of excellence and maintaining an intense focus on wise stewardship of all its
resources (human, financial, facilities, technology, etc.)
Strategy 12: Affordable Excellence
The University will develop and implement a business model that generates
adequate resources to sustain academic excellence in all schools of the University,
promotes a diverse student body and university community, and enhances financial
predictability and affordability through the “AccessUVA” program and additional
measures envisioned in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s recent higher education
legislation.
Strategy 13: Leadership in Promoting Staff Excellence
The University will foster a culture of excellence and achievement among its
employees and will invest in, recognize, and promote those who assist it in fulfilling
its mission.
Strategy 14: Organizational Excellence
The University will enhance its organizational capacity through resource alignment
and optimization (e.g., financial, human, facilities, technology, etc.) to enable
academic excellence and affordable access.
Strategy 15: Philanthropy in Service to Strategic Priorities
Fundraising will be aligned with University and school strategic priorities by
making the enhancements necessary for advancement to become a center of
excellence that results in greater effectiveness and efficiency.
3
PRINCIPLES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
Strategic Plan Principles for Implementation
The University will observe the following principles in implementing the strategic plan:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
We will ensure that our actions conform to our values. Every decision and strategic
initiative should align with such fundamental University values as honor, integrity,
diversity, responsibility, self-governance, and public service. If we succeed in rankings
but fail to sustain our values, we will have failed to advance the University.
We will maintain our commitment to access and affordability. As a public
university, the University has a responsibility to ensure that all qualified students have
the opportunity to benefit from a U.Va. education, regardless of racial, ethnic, or social
background.
We will welcome opportunities to serve the Commonwealth. Starting with Top
Jobs 21, we will take steps that advance economic development and quality of life in the
Commonwealth.
We will leverage technology for maximum gain. We will lead in applying technology
to improve learning, advance knowledge, and make learning accessible to our citizens.
We will pursue continuous improvement as the source of ongoing excellence. We
will rethink how we undertake important processes that guide our operations to make
them less episodic and to ensure that we learn from the experience. We commit to
measuring our results to provide evidence of our progress.
We will make collaboration an institutional hallmark. We will view collaboration
not only as a technique to leverage our size to maximum advantage but also as a critical
source of innovation. We will cross boundaries, real or perceived, to work together.
We will seek opportunities to enhance our global perspective and presence. To
fulfill its aspirations, the University must operate on a global stage. The ability to place
knowledge in its global, regional, and local context will define our graduates.
We will align resources with aspirations. As we implement a new activity-based
budget model, we will create incentives for faculty collaborations, provide the right
blend of central services, and empower deans and faculty to innovate while taking
responsibility for controlling costs.
1
GLOSSARY
Strategic Planning Glossary
Academic Excellence: Bringing together the best people—faculty, students and staff—in an
environment that enriches the mind and sustains a spirit of free inquiry directed to understanding
the nature of the universe and role of humanity in it. Enabling young men and women to realize
their full potential as human beings, possessed of the knowledge, skills and depth of
understanding needed to become engaged and responsible citizen leaders. Producing and
disseminating original research, scholarship, and creative activity that advances and transforms
our understanding in all fields of study in order to advance understanding and serve society on a
local, national, or global basis.
Affordable access: UVa’s affordable access program ensures access to all academically
qualified students. Admissions are “need blind” with a commitment to meet 100% of defined
financial need with an established limit on student indebtedness (Access UVa). The program is
underpinned by market tuition competitive with our peers that is reasonable and predictable over
the 4 year period for undergraduate students. Tuition is discounted for instate students. We will
provide further relief for in-state middle income families not otherwise covered by the current
terms of Access UVa.
Collegiate research university: Describes the University’s unique and distinguishing niche and
value proposition among higher education institutions. Defined as a university that combines the
academic rigor and depth of a Research 1 university with a close community characterized by
extensive student-faculty interaction. Scale is the determining characteristic; the University is
smaller than most research universities yet larger than the typical liberal arts college.
Enterprise-wide: Encompasses the University’s entire academic function (schools, centers, and
units.)
Implementation Plan: Each strategy has an implementation plan that includes the objective,
action steps, five-year timeline, metrics (both milestones and outcomes), and general budgetary
requirements. The implementation plans serve as a general roadmap for the strategy, but may be
modified/amended should unforeseen opportunities and/or circumstances arise.
Mission: Purpose of the University of Virginia developed by the Faculty Senate and offered for
adoption by the Board of Visitors. The current mission statement dates from 1985. The mission
statement presented in the strategic plan was developed by the Faculty Senate in 2013.
Organizational excellence: Resource alignment and optimization that enable the achievement of
institutional goals and priorities.
1
Strategic Planning Glossary
Pillars: Strategic drivers that the plan will pursue to fulfill the enterprise-wide vision. These are
the cardinal points of the strategic plan and highlight the overall thrusts that will guide the
University over the next five years as it seeks to fulfill its mission and realize its vision. They
will both inform and complement school and unit goals as articulated in their respective strategic
plans.
Principles for implementation: Institutional values and philosophies that inform and guide
decision-making process for selecting and implementing current and future initiatives.
Strategic plan: Comprehensive presentation of enterprise-wide goals, strategies, and initiatives
that will enable the University to achieve its vision while at the same time advance and
distinguish the university as a whole. The final plan includes five-year implementation plans,
timelines and metrics for specific initiatives. Key characteristics of the strategic plan include:
− five-year outlook;
− pan-university scope (i.e., not school or department level);
− framework for decisions about where and how to invest resources (i.e., time, effort, and
financial);
− metrics to track progress and assess outcomes.
Strategy: Specific programs and projects that help achieve a specific pillar (goal) that will be
undertaken.
Steward resources: Responsible planning and management of resources (e.g., financial, human,
facilities, technology, etc.)
Vision: Direction for the University of Virginia over the course of the next five years, developed
by the Faculty Senate for approval by the Board of Visitors.
2
COUNCIL OF FOUNDATIONS LETTER FROM
JEFF WALKER REGARDING STRATEGIC
PRIORITIES
MAPPING PILLARS AND STRATEGIES WITH
A&S DRAFT REPORT
Mapping of Art & Science Recommendations with Pillars and Strategies
Strategic Plan
Emphasis on
Excellence
Noted in Art & Science Draft Strategic Assessment Report
p. 14: excellence should not be compromised or ceded
Leadership theme
pp. 46-47: claim leadership development as a major focus; leadership in
teaching and learning, developing leaders, institutional leadership for
Commonwealth and higher education at large
p. 51: institutional leadership on value of higher education and become “‘the
public intellectual’ of our time”
p. 12: invest in residential experience; value of residential experience over
online learning; cautionary about technology
pp. 19-20: students’ perceptions—addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 4
p. 21: student experience outside classroom—addressed in Pillars 1 & 3
pp. 23-24: total advising and high impact experiences—addressed in Pillars
1&3
pp. 45-46: focus on students’ academic-residential experience— addressed
in Pillars 1 & 3
Comparison study p. 3: recruit and support a diverse student body—
addressed in Pillars 1 & 5
Comparison study p. 4: strengthening the undergraduate experience
Comparison study p. 10: graduate student advising
Internal interviews p. 11: focus on student research experience and
advising—addressed in Pillars 1&3
Positioning study pp. 8-10: competitive positioning recommendations—
addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 5
Pillar 1
Pillar 2
p. 9: faculty issues—addressed in Pillars 2 & 4
pp. 19-20: students’ perceptions—addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 4
p. 48: position as research institution
pp. 45, 48-49: strategic research, scholarship, and collaboration—addressed
in Pillars 2 & 4
Comparison study p. 10: problem-driven approach to research
Comparison study p. 14: “creation, management, and delivery of scholarly
resources in support of teaching and learning”
Comparison study p. 24: issues-oriented research and service-learning
opportunities—addressed in Pillars 2 & 3
Internal interviews pp. 2-3: faculty recruiting and retention—addressed in
Pillars 2&4
Internal interviews p. 5: strategic research investment and support
Positioning study pp. 8-10: competitive positioning recommendations—
addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 5
Pillar 3
p. 11: teaching and learning
pp. 11-12: technology as means of “enhancing traditional classroom
experience”
1
Mapping of Art & Science Recommendations with Pillars and Strategies
p. 13: assessment and measuring outcomes to enhance learning
pp. 19-20: students’ perceptions—addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 4
p. 21: student experience outside classroom—addressed in Pillars 1 & 3
pp. 23-24: total advising and high impact experiences—addressed in Pillars
1&3
pp. 45-46: focus on students’ academic-residential experience— addressed
in Pillars 1 & 3
Comparison study p. 4: educational experiences for students to “directly
engage with problems of the world”
Comparison study p. 6: technology as a means for improving learning
experience and increasing faculty-student interaction
Comparison study p. 17: increased global orientation
Comparison study p. 24: issues-oriented research and service-learning
opportunities—addressed in Pillars 2 & 3
Internal interviews pp.9-10: design and lead in reinvigorating teaching
Internal interviews p. 11: focus on student research experience and
advising—addressed in Pillars 1&3
Positioning study pp. 8-10: competitive positioning recommendations—
addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 5
Pillar 4
p. 9: faculty issues—addressed in Pillars 2 & 4
pp. 19-20: students’ perceptions—addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 4
p. 40: faculty hiring, salary, and retention
pp. 45, 48-49: strategic research, scholarship, and collaboration—addressed
in Pillars 2 & 4
Comparison study p. 22: investment in faculty recruitment and community
Internal interviews pp. 2-3: faculty recruiting and retention—addressed in
Pillars 2&4
Pillar 5
p. 8: “broken business plan” across higher education, vulnerable tuition,
pricing, and financial aid model
pp. 19-20: increase in-state tuition, financial aid, out-of-state enrollment
p. 42: philanthropy in service to strategic priorities
p. 47: set tuition based on market
Comparison study p. 3: recruit and support a diverse student body—
addressed in Pillars 1 & 5
Comparison study p. 22: invest in faculty recruitment and community
Comparison study p. 29: raising private funds for institution-wide priorities
Internal interviews p. 6: strategic funding for academic priorities
Positioning study pp. 6-7: develop new cost and financial aid model
Positioning study pp. 8-10: competitive positioning recommendations—
addressed in Pillars 1, 2, 3, 5
Positioning study pp. 8-10: new business model, including increased tuition
and financial aid
2