The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education unanimously approved the University’s Strategic Plan on May 7.
This follows the unanimous endorsement from the strategic planning committee of the BHE on April 30 and the February 7 approval from the Westfield State University Board of Trustees.
I congratulate the Westfield State strategic planning committee for its steadfast, multi-year commitment to guide the Plan’s formulation. I also extend thanks to the co-chairs of the committee—Chief of Staff Dr. Susan Leggett and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Diane Prusank—for overseeing this dynamic group to bring about a robust, yet measurable and attainable Plan.
It has been rewarding to see our process unfold and reflect the input of students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, and alumni. Establishing the Plan’s direction, clarifying its focus, obtaining comprehensive input from campus constituents, and developing outcomes and metrics to measure the five-year Plan’s success, has been a massive undertaking and I extend significant gratitude to Drs. Prusank and Leggett for shepherding such an important process for our University community and the students we educate and inspire.
Realizing that some of the objectives to meet the Plan’s goals are already underway, now a more concerted effort to promote and implement the Plan by University divisions will begin. Much headway has been made to establish a multi-year budget to support the Plan. For Fiscal Year 2020, $500,000 will be dedicated to strategic investment, while funds totaling another approximately $500,000 will be invested before the end of the current Fiscal Year 2019.
Good work was already being done prior to the Plan’s approval; however, the Plan provides Westfield State with a strategic roadmap to better attach resources and priorities for the next several years. The direction of the Plan ensures our University’s competitiveness in the statewide and national higher education landscapes that continue to evolve quickly.
Please join me in to reflect on this significant institutional accomplishment and extend your thanks to your colleagues on the strategic planning committee. They are listed according to their campus role when they were committee members. They include:
- Dr. Joseph Camilleri, Department of Psychology
- Jennifer Carlson, Office of the Registrar
- Patrick Carpenter, formerly of Institutional Advancement
- Dr. Susanne Chuku, Department of Economics and Management
- Dr. Enrique Morales-Diaz, Department of Languages and Culture Studies
- Marcus DiBacco, Class of 2019
- Dr. Jennifer Hanselman, Department of Biology
- Dr. Susan Leggett, Office of the President (co-chair)
- Richard Lenfest Jr., Athletics
- Angelo Mazza, Trades & Grounds
- Dr. Diane Prusank, Provost (co-chair)
- Arielyss Santiago, Class of 2020
- Dr. Rose Sullivan, Department of Social Work
- Stephen Taksar, Finance and Administration
- Dr. Hugo Viera, Language and Culture Studies
To review a copy of the final, approved Westfield State University Strategic Plan, visit the Strategic Planning web page.
Sincerely,
President Ramon S. Torrecilha, Ph.D.