MiamiTHRIVE strategic planning effort continues
Nine foundational strength committees finished work over the summer
Work on MiamiTHRIVE, Miami University’s strategic planning process, continued across the full summer. As was previously communicated, a total of 19 committees were formed as Phase II of the MiamiTHRIVE initiative.
Over the course of the summer, the work of Phase II progressed:
- The nine foundational strength committees finished their work by developing perspectives on how each strength is demonstrated at the university, how it differentiates us, and how we can reinforce that position moving forward. The nine foundational strengths focused on:
- The teacher-scholar model
- Writing
- Liberal arts
- Campus beauty and sustainability
- Student life
- Excellence in undergraduate education
- Student-athletes
- Inclusive excellence
- Alumni engagement
- Four opportunity area committees launched in late April and their work is ongoing:
- Building lifelong skills (focuses on how Miami’s courses and curriculum support the development of lifelong skills and professional leadership)
- Expanding experiential learning (focuses on how Miami’s current strengths in experiential learning can be cataloged and expanded to continue to provide our students with real-world experiences that will enhance their learning, as well as professional and leadership development)
- Developing a partnership ecosystem and related urban bridges (focuses on how we can identify and grow university-wide partnerships and developing opportunities to scale for Miami students to explore, study, and work in urban areas)
- Marketing and communicating our differentiated value proposition (focuses on new ways to push our marketing efforts to rise above the noise of our competition)
- Two opportunity area committees launched in the last three weeks:
- Strategically leveraging the regional campuses
- Strengthening the student experience and supporting growing segments
- The four remaining Opportunity Area committees will launch in early September:
- Increasing academic program flexibility and interdisciplinary pathways
- Growing programs in high-demand fields
- Developing ecosystems of excellence in research and scholarship
- Resetting the cost of attendance
As the last six committees begin their work, they will refine their charter and begin to brainstorm and develop ideas respective to their committee that will propel Miami forward.
The work of all 19 committees draws from the progress made in Phase 1, which involved listening sessions, interviews, and the work of over 400 Miami faculty, staff, and students.
In addition, over the course of the summer, the MiamiTHRIVE steering committee met three times to receive updates and provide feedback on the progress of MiamiTHRIVE. The steering committee is comprised of President Gregory Crawford, Provost Elizabeth Mullenix, all university deans and members of the president’s executive cabinet.
As we return from the summer, we expect additional opportunities for input from the community, and we will return to regular updates to the University Senate.
Questions should be directed to Brent Shock by email at shockb@MiamiOH.edu or by calling 9-8710.
