| Dear Colleagues,
As you may recall, in July 2021 our Board of Trustees tasked our System and campus leadership teams with developing a new strategic plan for the University of Maine System (UMS). While we have collectively been guided in recent years by periodic strategic directives from the Board, our System has not written and implemented a full-scale strategic plan since 2004. A comprehensive, forward-looking plan is long overdue, and in light of both unified accreditation and our nearly-completed NECHE evaluation process, the time for such a plan is upon us.
In spring and fall 2022, our Huron strategic planning consultants visited all of our universities and Law School to meet with faculty, students, staff, and administrators and gather your input about our System. They also met last summer with external stakeholders— business leaders, legislators, donors, and others— to seek their thoughts. In addition, throughout the past year I engaged in dozens of conversations— many of them in open town-hall forums and office hours on your campuses— with members of our university and Law School communities. I have also spoken with numerous supporters of our institutions. In both contexts, my abiding goal has been to ensure that as many voices as possible are heard on a subject I know is deeply important to all of us: the current promise and future trajectory of UMS.
Late last fall, I asked Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jeff St. John to form a strategic plan draft-writing team with representation from our universities and Law School, from our System staff, and from our trustees. That team has been formed and includes three faculty as well as three university leaders in (respectively) Nursing, research development, and Cooperative Extension. You can find the full membership of the draft-writing team near the bottom of the Committee Roster page on our Strategic Planning website.
In consultation with the presidents, Board Chair Trish Riley, and Board Strategic Planning Committee Chair Emily Cain, I have asked the writing team to share a first draft of our new plan with you and us in late February, and a second draft— again, shared publicly with all— in early April. In keeping with our approach to the NECHE self study last year, the two strategic plan drafts will be accompanied by a mechanism for you to provide your feedback (anonymously if desired), every word of which will be shared with the draft-writing team. I urge you to contribute to this mission-critical endeavor by reading the two drafts and sharing your feedback promptly.
Following a final round of review and input from the presidents, the Board, and me, I will deliver a proposed final plan to Chair Riley in early May with a request for its consideration and approval at the May 22, 2023 Board meeting.
You can expect further messages from me on this subject in late February (draft #1), early April (draft #2), and late May. Thank you, and again, I encourage you to participate in this process and help us shape the future of our System.
Sincerely,
Dannel P. Malloy, Chancellor
University of Maine System |
