Strategic Planning

Overview

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-SCP) now includes faculty, staff, students, and advisory board members. The COE-SCP 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- SCP will provide a report to the COE faculty and staff at each general meeting.

It is anticipated that the work of the COE-SCP and the strategic planning process will continue for 8-12 months. The resulting plan will guide the decision making, staffing and the budgeting process within the COE to achieve the strategic goals of the plan.