Nearly 200 members of the Marquette community — faculty, staff, students and senior leaders — filled the AMU Monaghan Ballrooms on Thursday, April 13, for a campuswide strategic planning forum. Hosted by the Strategic Planning 2030 Core Team and organized by the team’s cross-campus volunteer group, the event provided an opportunity for participants to share their vision for Marquette’s future and hear from others in the campus community how they envision the university moving forward.
When he announced the kickoff of the Strategic Planning 2030 work last November, President Michael R. Lovell — who opened yesterday’s event — said, “Over the past nine years, we have transformed our campus and we executed on the majority of the priorities outlined in Beyond Boundaries. Now is the time to refocus and develop strategies that will position Marquette for success in 2030 and beyond. Through a strategic planning process that incorporates input from all of the Marquette community, we will chart a fresh course that we can all enthusiastically embrace.”
Marquette’s latest strategic planning effort is framed by the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp, vice president for research and innovation and chair of the Core Team moderated a discussion with Dr. Chris Navia, vice president for inclusive excellence, and Rev. Jim Voiss, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, who shared how strategic planning can and should be guided by mission and a commitment to DEI.
“The process requires a willingness to understand what others are sharing from the perspective of charity — to look for the good in what they are saying,” Father Voiss said. “We further want to raise up and listen to those voices that are often excluded. This should be a conversation grounded in hopefulness.”
Added Navia, “Strategic plans at their core are about what we value and whom we value. This is a relational exercise. We need to ask, ‘Who do we want to be and how do we get there? How do we engage each other?’”
“Everything that makes Marquette, Marquette is based on our relationships,” she emphasized. “It’s also about equity: Where are we not making gains? Where are those gaps? Then, let’s close them with this strategic plan.”
Attendees had the opportunity to share experiences and ideas in group table exercises facilitated by Dr. Liz Angeli, associate professor of English in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. The input from the table discussions will ultimately help frame the new strategic plan.
The open forum was part of a larger campuswide strategic planning engagement effort. The Core Team is also hosting a series of targeted discussions with the colleges, governance and constituent bodies, and other campus groups that have expertise in the university’s emerging priorities.
About Strategic Planning 2030
Marquette University in November 2022 announced the kickoff of a new university-wide strategic planning process to develop an actionable plan for 2024-30. Rooted in Marquette’s mission, vision and Guiding Values, and strategically aligned with the Campus Master Plan and Campaign Plan, the Strategic Planning 2030 effort will chart the university’s direction up to the next decade. Leading the effort will be a Strategic Planning 2030 Core Team, which will secure regular input from campus governing bodies and other key groups, including the University Leadership Council, University Academic Senate and University Staff Senate, alumni, trustees and an external consultant, along with a new Strategic Planning Engagement Planning Team.
The Strategic Planning 2030 Core Team will partner with the Executive Leadership Team to write the university’s new strategic plan. Through early 2024, the Core Team will lead efforts to develop engagement and communication plans; seek input from campus stakeholders; develop SWOT and gap analyses; and draft and finalize a final plan to be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval.
RELATED CONTENT:
Marquette announces new Strategic Planning 2030 effort, Core Team members
Going Beyond Boundaries: Marquette makes strides on strategic plan themes, priorities
