How the Strategy Was Developed
Starting in 2024, College of Arts and Sciences leadership began working on a strategy that will guide the college over the next five years. To ensure the strategy is inclusive and representative of the views of the faculty, staff and students who make up the CAS community, the college’s leadership held town halls and formed a 13-member committee to guide the process.
During the blueprint stage of the College of Arts and Sciences’ strategy development, faculty and staff provided feedback and ideas at CAS Community Conversations.
More than 100 faculty, staff and students helped develop the key strategic priorities that will serve as the college’s guiding star in the years ahead at CAS Community Conversation events.
Today’s students will most likely switch careers multiple times throughout their lifetime, and a liberal arts education promises to prepare them for that. One question that arose during strategy development sessions conversations was: How can we be sure we’re giving students a true liberal arts education?
“We’re very much wanting to look at the core curriculum and take it apart, start over and reshape it,” Poulsen said, adding that CAS needs to make liberal arts relevant in the 21st century. “What does the future look like if AI is a presence? How can we weave computer science and data science throughout the college? And what are our values, and are they different from what they were yesterday?”
“Our strategic plan is a chance for us to reflect on who we are as a community and what makes us distinctive,” Poulsen said. “We’ll use it to set high-level directions that align to our mission and guide our resource allocation.”
CAS Strategy Timeline
Since the College of Arts and Sciences began developing its strategy, it has engaged with its community of stakeholders. This was so the college could incorporate as many voices and input into the strategic planning creation process. This engagement period was filled with enthusiastic feedback from our alumni, campus leaders, faculty, graduate and undergrad students, and staff.
December 2023-June 2024
Strategic Planning Committee
A 13-member steering committee was formed to represent the diversity of the CAS community, consisting of students, faculty, and alumni. Their duties were to:
- Provide feedback on the stakeholder engagement approach
- Serve as a sounding board for emerging themes and concepts
- Champion the process and ultimate outcomes
January-February 2024
Early Interviews
University administrators and faculty leaders provided insight to:
- Gather early perspectives on CAS’s key distinctions
- Define the contours of the current landscape
- Discover critical readings, stakeholders, and early strategic questions
Feb. 14, 2024
CAS Leadership Meeting
- Members of the dean’s leadership team, unit heads, and shared services leaders engaged with the process to:
- Generate energy and enthusiasm for the strategic planning process
- Gather concepts and sentiments to inform the development of the CAS vision mission, and values, as well as ideas of potential CAS-wide priorities
Feb. 26, 2024
CAS Advisory Board
Members of the CAS Advisory Board provided input on:
- Perspectives, stories, and concepts to help steer CAS’s future vision
- Ideas, concepts, and language to inform the mission and values
- Energy and enthusiasm on the strategic planning process.
Feb. 27, 2024
CAS Caucus
Members of the CAS Caucus, UO senators from CAS units, offered ideas on:
- Generate energy and enthusiasm for the strategic planning process
- Gather ideas to inform vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities
- Communicate the desired role of the faculty as advisors in the process
Feb. 27, 2024
Undergraduate Student Advisory Board (USAB)
Members of the USAB provided feedback to:
- Orient students to the strategic planning process and desired outcomes
- Generate energy and enthusiasm around the strategic plan
- Gather ideas to inform vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities.
April 10, 2024
Division of Administrative Services Leadership (CASDAS)
CASDAS leadership met to discuss:
- An update on the planning and engagement process
- Feedback and input on the emerging vision, mission, values, and potential strategic directions
- Engagement with the CAS community
April 29-30, 2024
Community Conversations
Dean Chris Poulsen hosted large-scale conversations with the CAS community to:
- Encourage shared ownership, as well as connection, with the draft mission, vision, and values statement
- Collect perspectives, stories, and concepts to inform the college’s strategic direction
- Generate enthusiasm around the strategic planning process
The Steering Committee Who Guided the Process
The College of Arts and Sciences strategic planning process included voices and perspectives from our community. A 13-member steering committee represented departments and programs in CAS and assisted in the development and finalization of the strategy process.