FORT SMITH -- The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is working to identify key priorities as it crafts its direction for the next five years.
Chancellor Terisa Riley provided the UAFS Board of Visitors an update on the development of the university's strategic plan for 2023-2028 at its meeting Wednesday. She also discussed results the university has seen as it closes out its current strategic plan, which started in 2017 and runs through the end of this year.
Riley, who became chancellor in July 2019, said UAFS' new strategic plan will focus on honoring some of the work that came from the current plan while also moving the university forward. It will help ensure UAFS continues serving the community in the best way possible by providing quality education that prepares those who complete programs at the university for their future careers, she said. Other priorities will include increasing the number of people the university educates and the faculty and staff responsible for this education.
Riley said UAFS hired MGT of America Consulting, a public sector consulting firm headquartered in Tampa, to help create the new plan. The university intends to present the new plan to the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees for approval in May.
Among MGT's expected responsibilities are facilitating environmental scans; an analysis of the university's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; and discussions to fine-tune its mission, vision and values. The firm will also work with a strategic planning steering committee comprising faculty, staff, students and administrators to develop a draft plan with goals, as well as each of the university's departments to help them develop their own plans to help the university achieve its goals.
"But they also proved a point that you're never a prophet in your own land," Riley said. "When we get up and talk about the strategies and the things that we want to accomplish as our goals, often a consulting group can come in and emphasize that those things are truly revolutionary or innovative or things that other institutions are working on and we ought to be in order to stay competitive with them."
Rachel Putman, associate director for strategic communications for UAFS, has said the university chose to hire MGT for $142,479. Riley said it shared this cost with the UAFS Foundation.
WHAT'S BEEN DONE
MGT will continue conducting focus groups involving external stakeholders, students, faculty and staff through December, according to Riley. It has already conducted "a tremendous number" of interviews with people from both inside and outside the university to get their perspectives on the work the university has done and what remains to be accomplished.
Riley said MGT held a virtual open forum earlier this fall in which all faculty, staff and students were invited to provide feedback on the university's mission and vision statements, as well as core values. Forty-four people participated, with their consensus being that each of these components were missing elements that would better reflect the institute.
The environmental scan MGT conducted looked into current and projected racial, ethnic and age-related demographics in the Fort Smith area, according to Riley. It also included an economic overview of the area incorporating labor force and occupational needs and high school and college enrollment pipelines.
Part of the scan involved researching jobs posted in the area that required bachelor's degrees. The top 10 jobs were based in the fields of computer science, data analytics, health care, manufacturing and management, with the top three industries being manufacturing, health care and government.
Other elements of the environmental scan were comparisons between UAFS and other institutions and a review of the university's resources in budget and capital needs, Riley said.
WHAT'S NEXT
Riley said based on MGT's research and the input it's received, the new strategic plan should include adjustments to the university's mission, vision and values to fully reflect commitment to the success and timely completion of a diverse student body and investment in the people who educate and support them. It should also strongly emphasize investment in the largest areas of future workforce needs, such as those Riley mentioned, that will increase earning potential for graduates.
Mike Barr, chairman of the Board of Visitors, said after the meeting he has been pleased with the work to craft the new plan. He described the process as "deliberate" and "methodical," as well as being backed with data.
"I like the way we're going with program development and less focus on, we'll call, capital and more about how we're going to impact students' lives and how we're going to bring people into the college and give them avenues for higher learning," Barr said.
MGT is set to meet with the university's steering committee for an on-campus "stakeholder workshop" in late January, according to Riley.
UAFS reported a fall enrollment this year of 5,360 students.
Terisa Riley (far right), chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, participates in a court dedication in honor of coach Gayle Kaundart on Thursday during halftime of a men’s basketball game inside the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith. At a meeting on Wednesday, Riley gave the UAFS Board of Visitors an update on development of the university’s strategic plan for 2023 through 2028. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today’s photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)The current strategic plan
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith’s strategic plan for 2017-22 identified four initiatives for the university to achieve, along with strategies for doing so. The initiatives included:
• Increase the enrollment, retention and graduation rates of students.
• Provide an “innovative and holistic” educational experience for students with a focus on academic opportunities supporting economic growth and development.
• Increase workplace productivity, collaboration and innovation by fostering and championing professional growth and development for faculty and staff.
• Strategically align resources to support university objectives.
Source: University of Arkansas at Fort Smith