Finding our true north

September 29, 2021

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

Throughout our proud 147-year history, our University has been on a journey that reflects the extraordinary work and achievements of our students, faculty and staff. The unparalleled energy, commitment and passion that our people have brought to our University and its mission have made it a special journey – a journey where we are all working toward realizing a better world.

As we chart a course for the next stage of our journey, we need you to help find our True North. We need your bold insights, intuitions and innovations for an audacious future in the 2022-27 Strategic Plan.

There is no question we begin this work in a time of major challenges. Yet in many ways, this makes the University’s strategic planning more timely and needed. Enhancements and new points of emphasis are always possible. New directions and programmatic initiatives are certainly within our grasp. Our Strategic Plan, when it is completed, will position our institution to not only move smoothly through this time of challenge, but to advance our position in higher education as a leader in student success, faculty and staff achievement, and connection with the communities we serve.

Our strategic planning process will give us the opportunity to:

• Identify our institutional strengths and areas with potential growth as we meet the challenges of our time and the opportunities for the future;
• Strategically discuss and design the ways we can effectively leverage our unique capabilities and culture for maximum institutional impact on a dynamic higher education landscape and marketplace;
• Direct our resources and planning efforts toward the realization of an ambitious future for our University, a future that is nimble, creative and entrepreneurial in serving our students and people in our region and globally;
• Provide our University with a roadmap for the future that will define our distinct strengths while also informing our decision-making processes to provide transformative, self-actualizing opportunities for our faculty, students and staff and initiatives that will better the lives of all Nevadans;
• Bolster our University’s commitment to our land-grant mission and Community Engaged status through innovative, dynamic and entrepreneurial programs.

At its core, our Strategic Plan will clearly define who we are as a University and the steps needed to become who we wish to be in the future. It will be a public demonstration of our priorities, with clear goals and benchmarks that steward our resources — human, physical, financial — in the most effective way possible.

The University has partnered with Grant Thornton, one the country’s most well-known and largest advisory organizations, to help facilitate our strategic planning process. In conducting the strategic planning process, the intention is to be inclusive and transparent throughout. There will be several opportunities for the campus community to provide ideas and input as to what the University’s priorities need to be as we work together to shape the shared vision of our Strategic Plan.

We have started with a series of fall semester-long listening visits with our schools, colleges, divisions and units. These are all meetings where you are invited to bring with you the best, brightest and most audacious goals and ideas you might have for your area and for our University. Members of an ad hoc University Strategic Plan advisory committee will also be attending these meetings as well. Working with Grant Thornton, the information shared — as well as University planning documents from all aspects of the University’s mission — will be synthesized into a draft Strategic Plan in early January at which time we will hold town hall gatherings to allow for dialogue on the draft of the plan. The Strategic Plan will be finalized in March and submitted to the Board of Regents for approval. This is an ambitious timeline, but one that we are confident we can meet — particularly if we hear from all of you. We want the entire campus community to be involved. Provide your ideas during your college/school/unit/division’s meeting with us and representatives from Grant Thornton.

Please check the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan website for dates of meetings, timeline and latest updates regarding this important endeavor.

As we previously mentioned, our campus possesses an unparalleled energy, commitment and passion for what we do. This is the time to channel your energy, commitment and passion for our institution to what the future will hold for all of us. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked together through what has been an historically challenging time. Now is the moment to share your audacious goals so that our Strategic Plan can be reflective of the challenges we face but also provide the framework for the future — a plan that will guide us on a continued trajectory where all aspects and all people of our University are empowered to realize their fullest potential.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President

Jeffrey Thompson
Provost