2004 Draft Strategic Plan | 2000 Plan | COE SP Committee | Planning Resources | Environmental/Future Assessment | 2006-2009 Strategic Plan
In September 2003, strategic planning was undertaken in order for the College to survive and prosper in a dynamic and uncertain world. We seek answers to: Where are we? Where do we want to be? How do we get there from here? To get "there" from "here" in a rapidly changing environment, the College of Engineering must have a purpose and clear sense of direction - "a mission." The College must have a specific set of mission oriented and mission supported goals, a set of long-range and short-range quantitatively measurable objectives, a set of actions or "tactics" for reaching each objective, a set of metrics for measuring our progress toward meeting each objective, and a process for continuously reviewing, revising and refining our objectives so that we move steadily towards our goals. These together comprise the Strategic Plan.
In order for the strategic planning process to be successful, it must have the support of our constituents. Ordered by level of involvement in the process, these are: 1) faculty, staff, administrators and board of governors; 2) students and employers of our students; 3) alumni and friends; 4) legislators and officials of government agencies; 5) citizens of Rhode Island. The development of the strategic plan allows the participation of all constituent groups and as many members of each group as possible.
The procedure used in developing this plan is top-down, bottom up with iterative refinement. Planning is initiated by the leader of the organization, the Dean. A small core composed of representatives from the most affected set of stakeholders, the faculty, was charged with assembling a draft plan. This core group is the College of Engineering Strategic Planning Committee. The planning committee was reconvened with broader membership in spring 2005.
Throughout September and October 2003 the core group sought information for a draft set of undergraduate education goals from a small number of advisors from the other highly affected constituencies. These constituencies are: faculty, staff, students, employers, alumni and friends. Each faculty member in the core group was encouraged to seek advice from members of the other affected groups. Advisement external to the faculty was not formalized at this point. The board members and members of the upper administration provided information and direction for the draft plan through the URI Joint Strategic Planning Committee (JSPC) and President's Strategic Plan document.
The COE is now ready to make a second iteration on its strategic plan by engaging the faculty, staff, students, and advisory boards in the refinement and focusing of the strategic plan. The COE Strategic Planning Committe (COE-SPC) now includes faculty, staff, students, and advisory board members. The COE-SPC will meet every two weeks starting on April 13, 2005. A vision/mission meeting has been scheduled for April 22, 2005 and a two day retreat on the mornings of May 11 and 12, 2005. The COE-SPC will provide a report to the COE faculty and staff at each general meeting.
The COE-SPC has completed its work as of May 14, 2007 after meeting every two weeks for two years. The report of the COE-SPC will form a road map for the College through 2009. A copy of this plan is available by clicking on the following link: 2006-2009 Strategic Plan