UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The community review period for the draft proposal of the Penn State Strategic Plan has ended. Following the conclusion of phase two of the multi-step process, the Office of Planning, Assessment and Institutional Research (OPAIR) will now analyze and review the feedback received by the Penn State community. As the plan is being edited and finalized, members of the community who have submitted feedback may be asked to review changes to the plan.
Throughout the community feedback process this fall, Penn Staters from every unit, college and campus — nearly 2,000 people — shared their thoughts across four goals: Enhance Student Success; Grow (Inter)disciplinary Research Excellence; Foster Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; and Increase Land-Grant Impact.
In total, OPAIR received more than 1,200 survey responses, 30 emails and 11,000 engagements with the goal content online, as well as hosted meetings with more than 635 individuals. In addition, more than 460 people have provided their name for any follow-up questions or to continue to be involved in the plan beyond the feedback period.
“We’ve received incredible feedback and insights from our community that will undoubtedly shape a stronger, more targeted Strategic Plan,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who took the time to review and provide their thoughts.”
In early spring 2025, a summary of this feedback will be shared with the Penn State community, in addition to specific pieces of feedback that will be provided to unit leads for consideration in the unit-level planning process, which will officially kick off in the spring. In preparation for the start of phase three, guidance and resources to inspire unit planning for colleges, units and campuses will soon be shared with unit leads.
The Penn State Strategic Plan, incorporating the community’s feedback, is expected to be finalized and shared with the Penn State community in spring 2025. Additional questions about the plan and process can be directed to strategicplan@psu.edu.
About the strategic planning process
In February 2023, President Bendapudi shared her vision for Penn State and her goals for the University. Workgroups were formed in summer 2023 to begin the work of crafting the new Penn State strategic plan. After their work was complete, small workgroups created draft objectives, measures, and strategies to propose ways to achieve the goals of the institutional plan. These draft proposals were shared with the University community in fall 2024 to garner feedback that will help shape the final draft of the institutional strategic plan.