By Virginia Horvath, Vice President for Academic Affairs
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On Monday, Jan. 31, SUNY Fredonia will hold a Strategic Planning Conference, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room. All are invited to participate in a short planning conference to begin a month-long process of gathering ideas about the future of SUNY Fredonia.
Participants will engage in several small-group activities designed to gather ideas, and we'll be distributing toolkits for strategic planning discussions in departments, divisions, offices, and other groups.
A light lunch will be available, and faculty, staff, and students are welcome to be part of this event.
--Vice President Horvath
What might SUNY Fredonia be doing to make a strong institution even better?
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How can we position ourselves to build on our strengths and focus our efforts on important priorities?
These are the questions guiding the next strategic university-wide planning process, The Power of Fredonia.
In 2006, the campus launched The Fredonia Plan, a strategic plan that identified 21 action items designed to further improve campus performance in five areas: student learning, scholarship and creative activities, campus diversity, technology, and image.
President Dennis Hefner appointed a 14-person steering committee in Fall 2010 to lead this effort, chaired by Vice President for Academic Affairs Virginia Horvath and Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences Keary Howard.
This year, the steering committee has an innovative, inclusive approach – one that invites everyone who is associated with SUNY Fredonia to give ideas about where we should be in five years and how our campus might coordinate efforts with the Six Big Ideas of the state-wide strategic plan, The Power of SUNY.
The committee has developed a toolkit of activities that any group can use to stimulate discussion and submit ideas.
These activities are varied so that participants can choose the approach that appeals most to them: a discussion of campus traditions and change, a gallery walk, a survey, a campus walkabout, a discussion based on readings, a “game show,” and several other options.
The toolkits look like Chinese take-out boxes, encouraging people to help determine the “fortune” of SUNY Fredonia in the next five years. The kits will be sent to student, faculty, and staff leaders on campus at the end of January, with the expectation that they will all engage their constituents at some point in February. The electronic toolkit is also available on the Power of Fredonia website, , so that any individual or group could engage in one of the activities and send ideas to the steering committee.
All members of the community and Fredonia alumni family are welcome to be part of this initiative. By going to the website, you can complete a survey as an individual or engage a group of people who share your interest in SUNY Fredonia.
