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Northern Michigan University officials are calling it an onramp for whoever is hired as the new president.
We'd call an interim strategic plan presently under development a set of short-term, common sense goals that keep the university on the right course while a new chief executive is sought.
NMU faculty, staff and students have an opportunity to provide feedback on plan draft elements at engagement sessions scheduled at various times from March 14-18. Individuals may register for a session at bit.ly/3M9zPmY, a Mining Journal story on the issue detailed.
A final draft will be presented to the NMU Board of Trustees in late April.
Here are the five identified focus areas and related goals and strategies:
≤ New markets, new supports
≤ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
≤ Rural Roots
≤ Environmental Sustainability
≤ Emergency focus area, COVID-19 response
This so-called interim plan is meant, according to NMU officials, to cover 18-14 months out, not 5-10 years as strategic plans often do.
"We want to bring the plan to the campus for specific feedback on the focus areas, focus goals and identified strategies," Jason Nicholas, assistant provost and director of the university's Institutional Effectiveness, said in the Journal story. "Our hope is to engage 400-500 participants. The feedback will be themed and coded. Institutional Effectiveness will generate a feedback report with insights from the engagement sessions. The feedback will be provided to the focus area teams to use for final revisions."
We recommend readers seriously consider getting involved in this all-important process. There's a lot at stake.