Second Strategic Plan Town Hall Seeks Input on Key Initial Recommendations

By Mike Yeomans

The process for developing Carnegie Mellon's strategic plan for the next five-10 years kicks into high gear with the second campus-wide town hall meeting from 4:30 - 6 p.m., on Wednesday, Jan. 28 in the Posner Center.

The meeting is open to the entire campus community and will be webcast live and archived on the strategic plan website.

"At this meeting, the leaders of the planning processes' three focus areas will be seeking feedback on key initial recommendations that have been developed by their committees. Approximately 45 minutes will be devoted to recommendations in each focus area: Transformative Teaching and Learning; Transformative Research, Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and the Transformative CMU Experience," said Nathan Urban, interim provost and the Dr. Frederick A. Schwertz Distinguished Professor of Life Sciences.
 
The meeting also will feature a discussion of key crosscutting issues to be addressed in the plan, including diversity and international strategy.

Later this semester, campus leaders will be holding their own focus area-specific town hall meetings with faculty, students and staff across the university as they continue to develop sections of the plan. Alumni input also is being solicited. A third campus-wide town hall meeting is tentatively scheduled for March, when the university community will have the opportunity to assess and provide input on the plan's evolving conclusions.

The strategic planning process began in September 2014. The initial town hall meeting, held Nov. 17, 2014, resulted in a standing-room only crowd and a wide-ranging discussion of what makes CMU unique, as well as areas where it can improve.

Ratification by the board of trustees and release of the strategic plan is expected in September 2015.

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