USF 2027 Strategic Plan
Introduction
The University of San Francisco is committed to diversity, inclusiveness, and academic excellence and innovation in everything we do. Deeply rooted in our Jesuit mission and guided by aligned values, our five-year strategic plan positions the university to revitalize and realize its mission now and into the future. The plan seeks to position our students -- and thus the university -- to thrive in a rapidly changing world through local and global experiences that cultivate rigorous thought, hone future-ready skills, nurture the whole person, and prepare students for a pluralistic world.
This strategic plan was developed in the midst of a global health pandemic, a national racial reckoning, an environmental crisis, and political upheaval, accentuating the importance of attending to the holistic care of our people, institution, and resources. The strategic plan articulates a vision for USF as deeply engaged in transformative social and environmental justice, responding thoughtfully and courageously to the multiple crises of this moment, and advancing a vision of a more just, sustainable future.
University Mission
Since 1855, the University of San Francisco has dedicated itself to offering a daring and dynamic liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. As a community, we empower and hold accountable our students, faculty, librarians, staff, administrators, alumni, and community partners to be persons for and with others, to care for our common home, including the native lands on which our campuses reside, and to promote the common good by critically, thoughtfully, and innovatively addressing inequities to create a more humane and just world.
We seek to live USF’s mission by nurturing a diverse, ever-expanding community in which persons of all races and ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, genders, generations, abilities, nationalities, occupations, and socioeconomic backgrounds are honored and accompanied. We are committed to educating hearts and minds to cultivate the full, integral development of each person and all persons; pursuing learning as a lifelong humanizing and liberating social activity; and advancing excellence as the standard for teaching, scholarship, creative expression, and service. Inspired by a faith that does justice, we strive to humbly and responsibly engage with, and contribute to, the cultural, intellectual, economic, and spiritual gifts and talents of the San Francisco Bay Area and the global communities to which we belong.
Vision for 2027
USF will be the leading Jesuit university for diversity, inclusiveness, academic excellence, and innovation, distinguished by our experiential and civically-engaged education; our caring, equitable, and global community; and our contributions to social and environmental justice. We will be:
- An innovator in designing an education that drives scholarly, creative, and professional competencies.
- A destination for emerging lifelong learning opportunities.
- A global and diverse university where all community members are supported to thrive holistically.
- An ethical and engaged partner with our local, national, and global communities, and our alumni.
- A dynamic institution that is able to respond rapidly and transparently to a changing world.
GOAL 1
REIMAGINE JESUIT EDUCATION to accelerate the achievement of a more just and sustainable world.
- Revise USF’s curricula and co-curricula to be responsive to our students’ aspirations and to prepare them for a changing and pluralistic world.
- Build alliances and integrated infrastructure that provide a sustainable and incentivizing process to invite, design, and implement new programs and academic initiatives that serve all learners – undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong.
- Hire and invest in faculty, librarians, and staff to ensure that the curricula and co-curricula endeavors reflect USF’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
- Develop a culture of responsive and evidence-based assessment that is inclusive and equitable, ensures programs of the highest quality, and improves relevant learning for all students.
- Transform and leverage physical and virtual spaces to support collaborative work, prioritizing innovative and interdisciplinary learning and research.
Objectives | Actions |
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Revise USF’s curricula and co-curricula to be responsive to our students’ aspirations and to prepare them for a changing and pluralistic world. |
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Build alliances and integrated infrastructure that provide a sustainable and incentivizing process to invite, design, and implement new programs and academic initiatives that serve all learners – undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong. |
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Hire and invest in faculty, librarians, and staff to ensure that the curricula and co-curricula endeavors reflect USF’s commitment to equity and inclusion. |
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Develop a culture of responsive and evidence-based assessment that is inclusive and equitable, ensures programs of the highest quality, and improves relevant learning for all students. |
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Transform and leverage physical and digital technology spaces to support collaborative work, prioritizing innovative and interdisciplinary learning and research. |
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GOAL 2
INVEST IN AND PROMOTE THE SCHOLARLY, CREATIVE, AND COMMUNITY-FOCUSED ENDEAVORS that advance justice and address the pressing challenges of our time.
- Advance scholarly, creative, community-focused work that generates social action and leads to positive impact aligned with USF’s mission.
- Hire, invest in, and retain diverse faculty, librarians, and staff to ensure scholarly and artistic endeavors that strengthen academic excellence and reflect USF’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Elevate the public profile of scholarly and creative achievements through proactive media outreach, social media, and USF’s communication platforms.
Objectives | Action |
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Advance scholarly, creative, community-focused work that generates social action and leads to positive impact aligned with USF’s mission. |
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Hire, invest in and retain diverse faculty, librarians, and staff to ensure scholarly and artistic endeavors that strengthen academic excellence and reflect USF’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. |
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Elevate the public profile of scholarly and creative achievements through proactive media outreach, social media, and USF’s communication platforms. |
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GOAL 3
PROVIDE A RADICALLY INCLUSIVE, INTERNATIONAL, AND WELCOMING CAMPUS EXPERIENCE that propels students to realize their full potential as leaders, social change agents, creators, practitioners, and lifelong learners.
- Improve equitable sense of belonging, retention, and success for all students.
- Address our students’ housing, food security, and holistic mental health needs.
- Provide a climate free of sexual, gender, and racial violence, using a compassionate survivor-centered and trauma-informed approach.
- Measure and improve the return on investment on a USF education and enhance the upward social and economic mobility of USF graduates.
- Develop creative, responsive and collaborative data-driven strategies to expand undergraduate and graduate enrollment.
Objectives | Action |
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Improve equitable sense of belonging, retention, and success for all students. |
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Address our students’ housing, food security, and holistic mental health needs. |
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Provide a climate free of sexual, gender, and racial violence, using a compassionate survivor-centered and trauma-informed approach. |
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Measure and improve the return on investment of a USF education and enhance the upward social and economic mobility of USF graduates. |
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Develop creative, responsive, and collaborative data-informed strategies to expand undergraduate and graduate enrollment. |
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GOAL 4
EXTEND OUR VISIBILITY, PROMINENCE, AND ACCESSIBILITY through strategic partnerships, public programming, and community outreach that extend our reach as people for and with others.
- Increase USF’s visibility in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, through a comprehensive awareness campaign and strategic investments in facilities and technologies, as well as community outreach.
- Become a leading destination for career acceleration, lifelong learning, and virtual and on-campus programming related to social justice, sustainability, health equity, and innovation.
- Partner with educational and community organizations serving K-12 students to extend college access and civic-engagement opportunities for local youth and USF students.
- Create incubator spaces where USF students and faculty, as well as industry and community partners, can unleash creative and collaborative ideas and generate daring solutions.
- Leverage reciprocal local, national, and global partnerships to boost visibility, advance the common good, extend access to USF’s programs, and enhance civic engagement and professional development for students, alumni, and community members.
Objectives | Action |
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Increase USF’s visibility in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond through a comprehensive awareness campaign, strategic investments in facilities and technologies, and community outreach. |
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Become a leading destination for career acceleration, lifelong learning, and both virtual and on-campus programming related to social justice, sustainability, health equity, and innovation. |
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Partner with educational and community organizations serving K-12 students to extend college access and civic-engagement opportunities for local youth and USF students. |
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Create incubator spaces where USF students, librarians, staff, and faculty, as well as industry and community partners, can unleash creative and collaborative ideas and generate daring solutions. |
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Leverage reciprocal local, national, and global partnerships to boost visibility, advance the common good, extend access to USF’s programs, and enhance civic engagement and professional development for students, alumni, and community members. |
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GOAL 5
ENSURE USF IS AN EQUITABLE AND EXTRAORDINARY PLACE TO WORK through developing an agile, highly-motivated, collaborative, and growth-oriented workforce.
- Co-create a comprehensive and mission-centered employee engagement and enrichment program that institutes concrete practices to support the formation, development, success, and retention of faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators.
- Provide ongoing leadership and management training for faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators at all levels to develop opportunities for growth and advancement, and support a culture of collaborative, transparent, and values-centered leadership.
- Advance strategies to foster the belonging and retention of diverse staff, faculty, and librarians, especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Plus), women, and caregivers.
- Reimagine and implement contemporary and adaptive work practices to increase equity and employee effectiveness, engagement, and well-being.
- Extend cura personalis by fostering holistic wellness and the mental and spiritual health of USF and surrounding communities, with special attention to the needs of those impacted by injustice.
Objectives | Action |
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Co-create a comprehensive and mission-centered employee engagement and enrichment program that institutes concrete practices to support the formation, development, success, and retention of faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators. |
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Provide ongoing leadership and management training for faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators at all levels for growth and advancement, and support a culture of collaborative, transparent, and values-centered leadership. |
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Advance strategies to foster the belonging and retention of diverse staff, faculty, and librarians, especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Plus), women, and caregivers. |
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Reimagine and implement contemporary and adaptive work practices to increase equity and employee effectiveness, engagement, and well-being. |
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Extend cura personalis by fostering holistic wellness and the mental and spiritual health of USF and surrounding communities, with special attention to the needs of those impacted by injustice. |
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GOAL 6
DEVELOP INCLUSIVE AND PARTICIPATORY SHARED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES to harness the creativity, vision, and brilliance of our students, staff, faculty, and librarians.
- Define and implement an institutional shared governance structure to ensure inclusive and participatory decision-making, and strengthen transparency, communication, and trust.
- Engage students in co-designing the educational experience through direct input and engagement in design and delivery of curricula and co-curricula.
Objectives | Action |
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Define and implement an institutional shared governance structure to ensure inclusive and participatory decision-making, and strengthen transparency, communication, and trust. |
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Engage students in co-designing the educational experience through direct input and engagement in design and delivery of curricula and co-curricula. |
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Resource Stewardship
A fundamental principle of the strategic plan is to realize that our revitalized mission depends on our ability to advance both cura personalis – holistic care for our people – and cura apostolica – passion for our mission and vision. In implementing the plan, we will apply this principle to the stewardship of our resources, working to build a thriving enterprise that generates and shares abundance with current community members and with those who will live, learn, and work at USF in the future. Core features of this mission-driven fiscal stewardship include:
- Transparent and participatory processes for managing the university’s financial, physical, and digital resources
- Commitment to strategies that ensure students graduate with manageable debt
- Maintenance of operating reserves of at least two percent annually to provide institutional resilience in uncertain times
- Growth of tuition revenue and diversification of other revenue streams to support strategic goals
- Provision of competitive compensation that enables the university to hire and retain diverse talent
- Operation with strong internal controls, compliance, and fiduciary oversight
- Investment in our physical plant and reduction of the university’s cumulative deferred maintenance backlog
- Management and growth of the university’s endowment to achieve risk-adjusted investment returns superior to the median of the university’s benchmark set of peer institutions
- Launch of the university’s next comprehensive campaign
- Continual adaptation to changing trends in developing an agile, mission-driven, business model of higher education
Shared Accountability
This plan is a living document that will guide institutional efforts and resource allocation in an iterative manner involving all members of the USF community. Specific actions to advance and monitor progress include:
- The Office of the Provost will ensure regular communication on progress and updates, and on continuity of strategic planning as a transparent institutional practice.
- A widely representative strategic plan council will be established to guide and manage the implementation of the strategic plan.
- The vice presidents will ensure that objectives and goals relevant to their specific areas are advanced, and provide quarterly progress reports to the president.
- The Board of Trustees will review the plan and receive updates on progress toward goals annually.
- Objectives and actions will be refined and updated in a transparent manner and with input from campus stakeholders.
A Living Document
This plan articulates new strategies to strengthen the institution and increase the value USF generates for students, employees, our extended community, and the world. It is intended to work in concert with the many successful academic, co-curricular, and administrative programs, practices, and operations already in place that must persist in order to realize our mission and ensure the viability of the institution. Through shared accountability, the strategic plan will continually evolve in response to feedback and experience.
The development of this plan was envisioned as an opportunity to continually support a culture that fosters trust and ensures community-wide participation in co-creating USF’s future. Through review of recommendations from past data-gathering efforts and survey and listening sessions with students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, and community partners, five guiding values and three integrated and underlying themes identified as vital to all priority areas were confirmed as central to both our present and emerging needs, and to our opportunities to ensure USF’s future. During the spring semester of 2021, the strategic planning core committee formed four working groups composed of over 60 community stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners) who applied or were nominated to participate. Each working group focused on specific priority areas and developed action plans containing objectives and supporting actions. University stakeholders provided feedback again in October 2021 specific to the vision and the resulting goals and actions.
- Jesuit Identity
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Globally Focused and Responsible
- With and In Community
- Resilience and Responsiveness
Integrated and Underlying Areas
- Culture of Transparency and Communication
- Sustained Institutional Health
- Physical and Technological Infrastructure