CARBONDALE - The Southern Illinois University System is surveying stakeholders for input as it begins work on a system-wide strategic plan. System President Dan Mahony said the goal of the plan is to identify opportunities to enhance service to students and to the central and southern Illinois region.
“We know we can build synergy across the system to address the needs of the communities we serve,” Mahony said. “The strategic plan will focus on deploying the strengths and benefits of the system while preserving the unique characteristics of each campus.”
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The SIU System is made up of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It includes the Schools of Medicine and Law affiliated with SIU Carbondale and the Schools of Dental Medicine and Pharmacy as well as the East St. Louis Center affiliated with SIU Edwardsville.
During Mahony’s transition as SIU president, eight working groups representing both universities were created to explore potential initiatives in the following areas: academic programs, student success, diversity and inclusion, employee satisfaction, community impact, partnerships, research and shared resources. The working group reports are available on the system website, which will be updated as the strategic plan takes shape.
“As the next step in the process, this survey invites the entire SIU community to help us prioritize the initiatives identified by the working groups,” Mahony said.
Alumni, students, faculty and staff will receive emails linking them to the survey. Community members and others are invited to take it by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/ r/SIUSystemsurvey. Responses are requested by Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Mahony said the survey results will inform the work of a system-wide strategic planning committee represented by constituent and community groups from the SIU campuses. SIU System vice president Gireesh Gupchup is the chair of the committee. Lakesha Butler, professor in the SIU Edwardsville School of Pharmacy, and John Pollitz, dean of Library Affairs at SIU Carbondale, are co-facilitators of the strategic planning process.
Once the system-wide strategic planning committee has drafted goals for the system, its members plan to conduct virtual “town-halls” to obtain system-wide and external input. Representatives from the SIU campuses will then outline the objectives and metrics that will be tied to achieving and measuring goals, Mahony said. The plan is to have the SIU System Strategic Plan completed in spring 2021.
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