2027 Strategic Plan - December 2024 Update

The following is a copy of the content presented in a Strategic Plan Update to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees on December 5, 2024.

Speaker:

Anastasia Vrachnos, Vice Provost, Global Education, Immersions, and Strategic Initiatives on behalf of the Strategic Plan Advisory Council (SPAC) co-chairs

Strategic Plan Timeline

  • Year 1 - 2022-2023: Ideation and Creation
  • Year 2 - 2023-2024: Refinement and Initial Implementation
  • Year 3 - 2024-2025: Implementation, Synthesis and Reintegration
  • Year 4 - 2025-2026: Maturation and Sustainability
  • Year 5 - 2026-2027: Reflecting, Assessing, Looking Ahead

Strategic Plan "Top Five"

Themes:

  • Rebuild enrollments and improve retention
  • Diversify revenue streams
  • Evolve our education so that it’s future ready
  • Strengthen our community
  • Tell our story
    • Student outcomes and ROI
    • Impact in SF and global reach
    • Faith that does justice

Snapshot of Strategic Plan Process

SPAC and SP working groups initially identified 80+ implementation priorities/initiatives. A snapshot of our progress below captures the percentage of the 80+ initiatives that are completed (30%), in process or ongoing (60%), actively searching for resources (9%), or currently on hold (1%).

Strategic plan progress pie chart

Current Actions

  • 25 initiatives completed
  • 55+ initiatives in process
  • Share progress with the community in monthly Provost’s newsletter
  • Report to Board of Trustees (December/June)
  • Implement and track progress via dashboard of key implementation priorities and KPIs
  • Assess in May 25

Recent Wins

Rebuild enrollments and improve retention

  • Rebuilding enrollments via Integrated Strategic Plan and comprehensive graduate school plans
  • Reimagining and redesigning curricula with innovative initiatives
  • Exceeded retention targets for FTFY students (83.7% vs 81%)
  • Increase of 1% in FTFY students returning for third fall indicates a positive trend in graduation rate

Strengthen our community

  • OSP increases proposal submissions by 20% and secures $2.3mm grant to grow research at USF
  • USF team of faculty and staff eligible to receive $400,000 NSF EPIIC grant to build a more inclusive regional innovation ecosystem
  • Global partnership with Taejae University in Seoul will generate more than $1mm in revenues, bringing ~45 UG students each fall
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative launches and raises roughly $1.3mm from nine donors

Recent Wins

Tell our story

  • McCarthy Center gala in SF showcases USF commitment to public service, drawing 500+ attendee and raising $500K
  • USF rises from 547 to 367 in national R & D rankings (HERD)
  • Designated as a minority-serving institution (MSI)
  • First destination/career survey captures value of a USF education
    • 95% of students employed or pursuing further education
    • 79% employed with strong avg starting salary of $71,600
    • 76% completed internships at USF getting a jumpstart on jobs
  • One Earth Initiative (OEI) action plan to steward USF’s commitment to environmental justice in the spirit of Laudato sii’
  • SOL Faculty jump 10 spots to #47 in Leiter Scholarly Impact Rankings
  • USF sees meaningful rise in USN&WR rankings
    • USF climbs 6 spots to No. 109 among national universities (top 25%)
    • Top performer in social mobility rising 11 spots to No. 59
    • USF ranked #88 as a Best Value School (slight drop from 87% last year)
    • Nursing jumps 48 spots to rank No. 19 (top 3% of UG programs)
    • SOM UG business program rises 21 spots to N0. 114 (top 25%)
    • Sports Management (CAS) ranked in Top 10 of graduate programs

Challenges

  • Resource constraints
  • Continuity in academic leadership
  • Balancing community led approach with executive sponsorship
  • Celebrating Wins
  • New developments in education landscape (AI, immigration, geopolitics, value of higher education)