Approach
Explore how we are shaping the Penn State Strategic Plan to chart a transformative future for our students and communities.
Our Motivation
The 2016-24 Strategic Plan has reached the end of its lifecycle. The effort, championed by many faculty, staff, and students across our campuses and units, successfully guided our priorities and allowed the University to achieve significant milestones.
In 2022, revitalized efforts to create a renewed strategic plan for Penn State were ignited by President Neeli Bendapudi. In 2023, she outlined a new vision for the University defined by agility, purpose, and opportunity, and her goals sparked a multi-year process to develop Penn State’s Strategic Plan.
As collaborations began for the strategic planning process, President Bendapudi’s priorities evolved into goals that will guide our community’s efforts.
Our Philosophy
Our strategic plan reflects our commitment to the Penn State Values – integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence, and community. Along with our mission, these values will be the driving motivation for every goal and objective we bring to life and represent why we are pursuing this strategic plan.
The “how” – our implementation plans and measures of progress – are guided by the principles of sustainability; efficiency; effectiveness; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Together, these concepts will be deeply embedded into every aspect of our Strategic Plan.
Our Process
We are pursuing a phased approach to develop and implement the strategic plan. Each phase in the five-phase approach is designed to build upon the previous one to enable the University to adapt to the changing needs of the Penn State community and the world at large.
In February 2023, President Neeli Bendapudi shared her vision for Penn State and her goals for the University. In the summer of 2023, Penn State initiated the new strategic planning process and workgroups were formed to begin the work of crafting the new institutional strategic plan. Phase one, which included agile information gathering and landscape evaluations, provided preliminary strategy frameworks to inform the future phases of strategic planning.
During phase two, 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. While the feedback surveys have closed, community members can still engage by sharing feedback and questions on the drafts proposals with strategicplan@psu.edu. Phase three — unit-level planning — will begin in spring 2025.
Phase 1 (complete): Benchmarking and explored the current state of Penn State for each goal area through an agile information-gathering exercise;
Phase 2 (complete): Appointed goal leads, developed the next institutional strategic plan; shared draft plan with community for feedback;
Phase 3 (in progress): Developing unit, college, and campus plans that align with broad institutional plans;
Phase 4: Implementing institutional and unit plans; and
Phase 5: Continuously evaluating and recalibrating plans and efforts based on progress and outcomes.
When is the strategic plan expected to be completed?
The institutional plan is being finalized in the spring of 2025, pending approval from the Board of Trustees. Unit planning, implementation, evaluation, and recalibration began in early 2025 and will continue throughout the year.
Will the University provide guidance for unit-level planning?
Yes, the University will provide guides and resources to assist units in developing their own strategic plans that align with the institutional plan. These were shared with unit leads and can also be found on the web presence for the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research.
How has the Penn State community been involved in shaping the strategic plan?
In 2023, the University launched the strategic planning process with strong community participation and representation. More than 80 members from across the University were selected to contribute their perspective within phase one. The University also sought broad engagement in phase two through targeted participation in which goal leads and co-leads connected with select community members to participate in discussions or contribute to committees.
Between September 24 and November 27, 2024, the draft institutional plan was shared with the Penn State community for review. Penn Staters from every college, campus, and administrative unit contributed to the development of the plan in a variety of ways, including by serving on committees to identify and articulate the institution’s priorities. Across all phases, more than 2,300 people — of which 37% were staff, 29% were faculty, and 13% were students — engaged in sharing feedback around the plan.
How can I engage with the strategic planning process?
We highly encourage faculty, staff, and students to contribute their thoughts by reaching out to strategicplan@psu.edu. To contribute to the development of your college, campus, or unit plan, please contact the unit’s executive.
How does the strategic planning process intersect with other University initiatives, such as the road map and the Academic Portfolio and Program Review?
While the Penn State road map and Academic Portfolio and Program Review are distinct from the strategic plan, both efforts are aligned with the strategic plan’s focus on advancing the University’s mission and commitment to academic excellence and innovation. There will be strong collaboration between the Enhance Student Success goal and the APPR, specifically in how we align our educational offerings to provide transformative experiences for our students.
Why are the health care and transforming internal operations goals being handled differently?
The goal to Transform Health Care through Academic and Clinical Synergy will be following a unique timeline and process led by Penn State Health and the College of Medicine. The community will be asked for feedback on this goal after a draft is completed. The goal group focused on optimizing internal operations will pursue a unique path to implementation. Institutional initiatives to Transform Internal Operations will support each strategic plan goal by providing the necessary infrastructure to achieve Penn State’s objectives.
Questions?
Please email strategicplan@psu.edu.