Online Edition | Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | Friday, February 8, 2002

President Rawlins outlines next steps
Regents OK strategic plan
By Barbara Petura, University Relations

The university’s strategic plan, developed with considerable input from faculty and staff, received the official blessing of the Board of Regents at its Jan. 25 meeting in Pullman.

President V. Lane Rawlins briefed the regents on the main elements of the plan.

The first goal is "to offer the best undergraduate experience in a research university."

"This is an historic statement," Rawlins told the regents. "This is what we’ve always aimed at, but this is the first time we’ve stated it publicly."

The second goal is to "nurture a world-class environment for research, scholarship, the arts, graduate education and engagement." This goal relies heavily on the university’s faculty for its accomplishment, he said.

Goals three and four call for creating "an environment of trust and respect in all we do," and developing "a culture of shared commitment to quality in all of our activities."

The president said that these two goals "were not what I expected, but as I read through them, I realized they are magnificent." He acknowledged that there is work to do to bring incentives and rewards in line with the university’s goals.

"We do want everyone to know that if it isn’t the best, it won’t do for WSU," he said.

The next steps include:

• Appointment of implementation councils to develop a list of actions necessary to achieve the goals and ensure accountability.

• Creation of external task forces to obtain support for the key elements of the plan.

• Making the plan serve as the central framework for the decentralized planning and budgeting process.

• Appointing an oversight committee.