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By Sharron Hannon
shannon@uga.edu
The University Council voted unanimously to approve the university’s strategic plan for the next
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decade at the Nov. 16 council meeting. The council vote follows previous endorsements by the Staff Council and the UGA Foundation trustees.
The plan, drawn up through a process that began in March of 1999 under the direction of Vice President for Strategic Planning Don Eastman, focuses on three strategic directions: building the new learning environment, investing in research and competing in the global economy. Within those broad categories, specific strategic priorities have been delineated.
“Those priorities are built around an understanding of ‘strategic’ as matching institutional strengths with external opportunities,” William Davis, chair of the council’s Strategic Planning Committee, said at the meeting.
Davis, who also served on the institutional Strategic Planning Advisory Group, emphasized to the council that the plan should not be considered “set in stone.”
“None of us [on the committee] believe this plan is perfect,” he said. “We do believe it is an excellent plan right now and will become even better as we use it and modify it.”
Davis also said the plan “is an example of close cooperation and collaboration between the administration and the faculty.”
The council vote includes an endorsement of an annual review and accounting process. A number of benchmarks have been delineated in the plan to measure progress toward goals.
The cost to implement the plan is estimated at $2.5 billion. In discussion prior to the vote, a council member asked about input in decisions regarding internal redirection of funds. President Michael F. Adams answered that “effective redirection requires input from faculty and others,” and said he anticipates redirection to be in the 1-2 percent range over a period of several years. He cautioned, however, that budgets need to reflect demands for programs and that resources need to flow “where the greatest needs are.”
Regarding other identified funding sources, Adams said he hoped to see private gifts to UGA increase to the level of $80-$100 million per year and to see external research funding double from $100 million to $200 million.
Robert Boehmer, chair of the institutional self-study for reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, said the strategic plan “will have a major positive impact” on UGA’s evaluation. |
