Prioritization and Practicality
On August 12, 2025, the Central Strategy Team and working groups convened as a unified body to refine practical goals for the next 3 to 5 years that align with UCA’s 10-year vision. The group evaluated ownership and efforts to address overlaps and gaps, relocating lower-priority ideas to a “parking lot” for future phases.
We aligned on a resourcing lens: each initiative should account for space, staffing, timing, and whether costs are one-time or recurring, with preliminary funding approaches identified.
Dr. Shawn Charlton also previewed Feedback Labs, small focus groups that will gather representative campus input (see the Feedback Opportunities page).
Provost Hargis underscored that the first 3–5 years are “round one,” and that progress in early years should build capacity for later priorities. He encouraged process-oriented benchmarks that match our current measurement maturity.
Working Group Highlights
Groups assessed their goals and narrowed them down to a focused set of high-impact actions. They began to identify key dependencies, including budget, staffing, and space, and highlighted areas where policies and processes were causing friction. There was a call for clearer coordination regarding external partnerships. Common themes such as external engagement, experiential learning, and measurement will be consistently included in the final structure. Each group was tasked with attaching basic cost and ownership assumptions to their top proposals.
Moving Forward
In the coming weeks, groups will:
- Add cost elements and preliminary funding approaches to proposals
- Define implementation ownership (startup leads and long-term stewards)
- Prepare materials to inform Feedback Labs this fall