In June 2019, the Board of Visitors unanimously approved the university’s new strategic plan, The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries. The strategic plan, developed in collaboration with faculty, staff, students, and alumni across  colleges, institutes, offices, and campuses, and shaped by partners and employers, articulates initial steps to achieving Virginia Tech’s Beyond Boundaries vision. 

One of the strategic plan’s foundational strengths is its incorporation of a continuous planning process, which involves monitoring goals, metrics, and milestones for existing priorities; identifying, developing, and advancing new strategic priorities; and ensuring a culture of self-evaluation, innovation, agility, and adaptability. This strategic plan is intended to be a dynamic and collaborative process that adapts to the university’s needs. 

Another key feature of The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries is the integration of diversity strategic planning into university-wide planning process. In August 2019, more than 300 stakeholders gathered for the fourth annual Diversity Summit at the Inn at Virginia Tech to engage around elevating the Ut Prosim Difference (one of the four priorities in the university strategic plan) and achieving collective diversity strategic goals.

“Diversity strategic planning remains an important part of advancing toward a more inclusive Virginia Tech. The offices for Strategic Affairs and Inclusion and Diversity have been engaging to help units ensure alignment between unit-level strategic plans and diversity action and implementation plans,” said Menah Pratt-Clarke, vice president for strategic affairs and diversity.

The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries also provides a university-level guide for colleges, institutes, offices, departments, and units as they develop their respective strategies and plans to advance institutional priorities. The College of Science is one among many groups at Virginia Tech working on their individual strategic plans.

“In the College of Science, we are developing a strategic plan that will support the university’s, including incorporating the idea of continuous planning. Indeed, our strategic plan is intended to be a living document that will be continue to be a contemporary guide even in the ever-evolving landscapes of higher education and scientific research,” said Ronald Fricker, associate dean for faculty affairs and administration.

The Office for Strategic Affairs continues to be a resource for colleges, institutes, offices, and units across the university to support and align plans.

“The Office for Strategic Affairs collaborates with colleges, institutes, offices, and units as they develop their own strategic plans in alignment with the university strategic plan,” said Erin McCann, director for strategic planning.

“The Office of Strategic Affairs has been an outstanding partner in the college’s strategic planning process. Leveraging their expertise has been hugely beneficial to the College of Science as we have proceeded through our strategic planning process, both in terms of designing the process and then effectively executing it,” said Fricker.

As indicated by The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries, Virginia Tech will achieve 100 percent completion of college and unit-level strategic plans by May 2020.

“As units across the Virginia Tech community continue to develop their respective plans, the Office for Strategic Affairs welcomes collaboration and offers tools and resources to support unit-level plan alignment with the university plan,” said McCann.

To learn more about continuous strategic planning tools and resources developed to guide and support strategic plan alignment, please contact the Office for Strategic Affairs at strategicaffairs@vt.edu.

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