University of St. Thomas

Strategic Planning Discussions are Feb. 10, 20

Strategic planning discussions will be held on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 10 and 20, at St. Thomas, including a brown bag luncheon with President Julie Sullivan on Feb. 10.

Sullivan invites faculty, staff and students to join her and Drs. Corrine Carvalho and Michael Cogan, co-chairs of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, for discussion over the noon hour Feb. 10 in Woulfe Alumni Hall in the Anderson Student Center.

The luncheon will be live streamed to 201-202 Opus Hall on the Minneapolis campus. Bring your own lunch; beverages and cookies will be provided at both locations. There is no need to RSVP, and people should feel to drop in at any time.

A second discussion will be held at noon Feb. 20 in O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium for those unable to attend the Feb. 10 session because of class commitments. Carvalho and Cogan will lead the discussion, and Sullivan will attend. (Note: the Feb. 20 discussion was originally scheduled for Feb. 11.)

Sullivan appointed the 16-person steering committee in December. It has met twice for a total of 13 hours and will offer updates and opportunities for input throughout the process. The committee has reviewed the results of several studies conducted at St. Thomas, including the Higher Learning Commission reaccreditation self-study, a campus climate survey, a planning survey from Sullivan, and the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey.

The president has approved a working vision statement to guide the strategic planning process:

“The University of St. Thomas, a national leader in Catholic higher education, will prepare students for the complexities of the contemporary world. Ever striving for greater academic excellence in disciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiry as well as deeper intercultural understanding, we will inspire students to lead, work and serve with the skill and empathy vital to creating a better world.”

The steering committee expects to appoint subcommittees this month to address specific issues and themes, and ultimately will recommend to Sullivan a series of priorities and goals. She plans to review a new strategic plan with the Board of Trustees at its October meeting.