Sent: 2011-04-07
From: William V. Weber, Vice President for Business Affairs
To: Students, Employees
Subject: Strategic Planning Update
Throughout 2011, we will be engaged in a collaborative strategic process that will help us create a sustainable academic and financial future for Eastern Illinois University.
A steering committee has been selected to help guide our strategic planning effort. The steering committee is co-chaired by Assege HaileMariam, Professor of Psychology; Ken Baker, Director of Campus Recreation; and William Weber, Vice President for Business Affairs. The steering committee members are
Ashley Aardsma (Undergraduate student)
Robert Augustine (Graduate School)
Roger Beck (History)
Kaninika Bhatnagar (School of Technology)
Gene Deerman (Sociology/Anthropology)
John Dively (Educational Leadership)
Michael Dobbs (School of Business)
Karen Drage (School of Technology)
Terri Fredrick (English)
Tina Jenkins (Booth Library)
Paul Johnston (Music)
Cay Kolling (Information Technology Services)
Tiffany Leschke (Graduate student)
Brenda Major (Admissions)
Andrew McNitt (Political Science)
Michael Mulvaney (Recreation Administration)
Tony Oliver (Kinesiology and Sports Studies)
John Pommier (Recreation Administration)
Kathy Reed (Information Technology Services)
Ryan Siegel (Facilities Planning and Management)
Grant Sterling (Philosophy)
Jody Stone (Housing and Dining Services)
Jocelyn Tipton (Booth Library)
Dawn VanGunten (Secondary Education and Foundations)
Heather Webb (Office of Student Standards)
Janet Werden (Housing and Dining Services)
Kraig Wheeler (Chemistry)
Vicki Woodard (University Marketing and Communications)
In addition, Trustees Leo Welch and Bob Webb will represent the Board of Trustees in the strategic planning process.
There will be five phases to the collaborative planning process. You can read a description of the process at http://www.eiu.edu/strategicplanning/.
The steering committee is committed to a meaningful engagement of campus stakeholders. By this, we mean face-to-face interaction and conversation. We want to talk with and, more importantly, listen to as many people as possible over the next several weeks.
Steering committee members are engaging campus stakeholders (e.g. faculty, students, alumni, staff, community members) in collaborative meetings to discuss the future challenges facing Eastern; the strengths and weaknesses of the university; how we can improve current practices on campus; institutional values and guiding principles; the uniqueness and specialness of the university; the sense of community people want to achieve; and the hopes and aspirations for the future. We hope to meaningfully involve 500 to 1,000 campus stakeholders this month. The engagement schedule is available at http://www.eiu.edu/strategicplanning/meetings.php.
We want everyone to be informed about the planning process. We will update the website on a regular basis. The website offers the opportunity for everyone to share ideas as well as express any concerns or advice about the planning process. We want your ideas.
Some of the guiding principles of this process are:
> We want to be as inclusive as possible.
> We will be transparent in our data gathering and share information with everyoneóthere will be no secrets.
> We want the stakeholder meetings to be designed for maximum participation and to ensure that no individual or group dominates the discussion.
> We want to explore the external trends and issues facing the university, and we want to utilize good data in order to make informed decisions about our future.
> This planning process is ìours.î We are working with outside consultantsóthey are helping guide us through the process, not telling us what to do.
The steering committee is energized by its work and is excited to be engaging the campus community in the planning process. We want to craft a compelling and enabling vision and goals that will be worthy of our commitment. We want a clear, concise strategic plan that will help shape the future of Eastern Illinois University. Successful strategic planning requires courage, discipline and a community working together. We hope you enjoy the journey with us.
Ken Baker, Assege HaileMariam and William Weber
