2016 Board of Trustees Retreat
The implementation phase of the University of Illinois System’s strategic framework kicked off at the 2016 Board of Trustees retreat, which took place the day before the July board meeting. Four members of the U of I community presented briefly, each focusing on one of the four pillars of the Strategic Framework.
Strategic Pillar 1: An Institution of and for Our Students
University of Illinois at Chicago Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis | View presentation
Strategic Pillar 2: Research and Scholarship with Global Impact
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Assistant Professor of Bioengineering Princess Imoukhuede | View presentation
Strategic Pillar 3: A Healthy Future for Illinois
College of Medicine at Peoria Regional Director Sara Rusch | View presentation
Strategic Pillar 4: Tomorrow's University Today
University of Illinois at Springfield Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Megan Styles | View presentation
Fifteen students, faculty, administrators, and staff shared their individual Declaration Statements about how they see themselves as part of the Illinois community.
Next, attendees broke into smaller groups to discuss one of the four pillars. Groups were tasked with identifying transformative ideas related to their assigned pillar in three areas: acceleration of preexisting programs, new ideas, and new partnerships. Group members also discussed implications of implementation, including what resources would be needed to be successful. Each group also agreed on a declaration statement that conveyed how the group was represented in the strategic framework.
Finally, attendees reconvened and each small group presented a summary of their group discussions to the board members.
Small Group, Strategic Pillar 1: An Institution of and for Our Students
- Develop out-of-class experiences that include solving real societal problems
- Use general education as a vehicle to produce graduates ready to succeed in their careers and communities
- Value diversity and inclusion of vulnerable and underrepresented populations
- Leverage online education as a vehicle to reach nontraditional students and/or prepare high school students for college
Small Group, Strategic Pillar 2: Research and Scholarship with Global Impact
- Incentivize internal and external collaboration and eliminate barriers that prohibit good working relationships
- Expand Extension model to embed the System throughout the state (distance learning, healthcare)
- Address Grand Challenges and healthy communities in the age of globalization
Small Group, Strategic Pillar 3: A Healthy Future for Illinois
- Expand Extension model to reach all communities to deliver education, healthcare, etc.
- Invest in human capital to improve wellness of individuals and communities, including college readiness and job preparation
- Address wellness of all communities (rural, System, underserved, etc.)
- Participate in creating State of Illinois health goals
Small Group, Strategic Pillar 4: Tomorrow's University Today
- Develop strategic tuition pricing to improve affordability
- Encourage completion through flexible, personalized curricula that incorporate extracurricular opportunities and future career paths
- Leverage advanced technologies to improve reach and affordability
- Improve online learning to enhance student engagement
- Reward and encourage entrepreneurship
The next step of the implementation phase will convene a team of members of the U of I community to review the current organizational structure to determine if there are opportunities for improvement to better serve the universities and the System.