(October 10, 2022) - From the President: Strategic Planning Update: Introducing Coordinating Committees

Dear campus community,

At Convocation in August, we launched our new Strategic Plan which confirms our mission, vision and values and identifies six strategic priority areas around which we will prioritize our focus and budgeting. Strategic planning is most valuable when it includes many voices and provides a framework for continuous institutional improvement. Our large and representative Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) worked hard to include hundreds of voices in the plan thanks to months of discussions, surveys, focus groups and workshops. Details about the process may be found on the Strategic Planning website. Now we turn our attention to the “real” work—implementing an ongoing process to meet our goals and ensure continuous institutional improvement.

This fall, we launch six coordinating committees, each focused on one of our strategic priority areas:

Strategic Priority #1:  Educational Equity and Student Success
Strategic Priority #2:  Working with Purpose and Passion: An Improved Employee Experience 
Strategic Priority #3:  SF State: Your University, Our University, One University
Strategic Priority #4:  The Academic Edge: Relevant Education and Pathways to Success
Strategic Priority #5:  Fiscal Sustainability: Transparency, Literacy and Shared Objectives
Strategic Priority #6:  An Engaged Community Partner: A Force for Good in the Bay Area

Each coordinating committee includes representation from existing structures/committees, key functional/administrative areas, and faculty, staff, and students. In some instances, we will rely on an existing committee to serve as a coordinating committee, such as the Student Success and Graduation Initiative (SSGI) Committee.  For others, we’ve assembled a new group based on the feedback and insight of the Cabinet, the Senate Executive Committee and the SPC. Each Coordinating Committee will develop metrics to measure outcomes and work with offices and established committees to review and prioritize initiatives that ensure that efforts are being made that directly impact university-wide priorities attached to the strategic area and to ensure ongoing progress. 

Details about the Coordinating Committees, including leadership and composition can be found on the Strategic Planning website. Coordinating Committees will meet throughout the fall semester to develop outcomes and metrics and then in spring begin the process of coordinating and prioritizing initiatives, ultimately sharing their work with the Strategic Planning Committee and the University toward the end of the spring semester. This structure will ensure continuous, cross-divisional focus on university strategic priorities. If you have any questions about the process or committees, please contact Dr. Teddy Albiniak, special assistant to the president and provost.

Strategic Planning at its best is an ongoing, inclusive process that fosters institutional engagement and improvement. All that we do should be consistent with the university’s strategic priorities.

Strategic Planning involves all of us. Everything each of us does every day contributes to the success of San Francisco State. Please continue to share your thoughts and suggestions with us and look for opportunities to participate. As, always, I thank you for all you do to support our students and one another.

Best,

Lynn Mahoney, Ph.D.
President