U of A ‘150 Forward’ Strategic Planning Underway; Campuswide Town Hall Series Starts This Month
Old Main
The U of A’s 150 Forward strategic planning process is underway with a series of three campuswide town hall discussions scheduled in February and March. The town hall sessions will focus on advancing the university’s three strategic priority areas: student success, research excellence and the university’s status as an employer of choice. Other strategic planning activities are happening in parallel, designed to examine the state of the university and assist with setting goals and objectives.
“The university is currently experiencing a great deal of momentum, and we must seize the moment to plan our future course and work to advance our land-grant mission to Arkansas in ways that we have only dreamed about until now,” Chancellor Charles Robinson said. “Our plan will be grounded in research and data insights and best practices as we determine the right fit for the University of Arkansas. The town halls will allow us to discuss our initial data review of our three strategic priority areas, focusing on where we are, where we want to be and how to get there, including overcoming potential challenges.”
Chancellor Robinson, along with other university leaders and subject matter experts, will participate in each of the 150 Forward town hall sessions. Margaret Sova McCabe, interim vice chancellor for research and innovation, will moderate all three sessions.
All of the town halls will be held at the School of Law’s E.J. Ball Courtroom and will also be accessible via the U of A YouTube channel. Suggestions for topics and/or questions can be submitted by email to feedback@uark.edu in advance and/or during each of the three sessions.
Achieving Research Excellence – Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 1-2:30 p.m.
In-Person: School of Law – E.J. Ball Courtroom
Online: U of A YouTube channel
The Achieving Research Excellence Town Hall is primarily designed for campus researchers and staff who support the university’s growing research enterprise.
Advancing Student Success – Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 10:30 a.m. to noon
In-Person: School of Law – E.J. Ball Courtroom
Online: U of A YouTube channel
The Advancing Student Success Town Hall is designed for faculty, staff and students with a desire to improve support for students and successful outcomes in the areas of orientation, retention, graduation, career development and more.
Enhancing University’s Status as an Employer of Choice – Friday, March 17, from 9-10:30 a.m.
In-Person: School of Law – E.J. Ball Courtroom
Online: U of A YouTube channel
The Employer of Choice Town Hall is designed for faculty, staff, graduate assistants and other student employees with an interest in enhancing the overall employee experience at the U of A, including the ongoing class and compensation initiative, flexible work guidance, total benefits package and professional development.
The university is partnering with EAB, a higher education research group, to help facilitate several activities supporting the 150 Forward strategic planning process including a goal-setting workshop for campus leaders and providing a “toolkit” with resources for benchmarking and best practices. During the next few months, the university will initiate the town hall series, multiple workshops and other activities related to developing the university’s strategic plan.
“We have an ambitious schedule with the goal of defining our goals and objectives by the end of the school year, with strategies continuing to be developed by the colleges, schools and units over the summer and into the fall semester,” Robinson said. “I’m excited about beginning this important work with campuswide discussions.”
Additional planned activities throughout the semester leading into April will include a goal-setting session and the development of strategies by the colleges, schools and units seeking direction to align their plans to the overarching goals.
This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.