Shippensburg University 2021-2024
Strategic Planning Process

The 2021 – 2024 Strategic Planning Process for Shippensburg University addresses the tremendous shifts in higher education and responds intentionally to these changes. This website reveals a snapshot in time. While this planning process continues, this website will also be continually updated. 

Shippensburg is a student-centered university that takes a hands-on approach to supporting all members of the campus family.  This is evident in the personalized attention our students receive, the passion from our strong alumni network, and the positive impact we have in our town, state and region. Ship is committed to welcoming and supporting students, faculty and staff from many different backgrounds who contribute a diverse range of perspectives, abilities, talents and cultures to our vibrant teaching and learning community.  Our commitment to excellence, equity, and engagement continue to fuel the innovation demonstrated in our unique academic offerings and student/faculty engagements designed to inspire and equip our students to thrive in an ever-changing world.  It is from this position that we look to plan for Ship’s future.

Strategic Report (Current Draft)

Managing the Process

To manage this massive undertaking, the process has been broken up into different areas and timeline tiers. This began with the formation of the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee by President Carter, which oversees the planning process.

SPOC This group manages the overall work of the planning process overseeing four distinct working groups. These insight teams are comprised of individuals from many parts of campus which are broken up by the four priorities as founded in the 2018 visioning report.
Four Priorities Each priority became the basis for an Insight Team.  Led by co-chairs also serving on the Oversight Committee, each group benefits from the talents of carefully selected staff, students, and over a dozen faculty.
Timeline This timeline goes into full detail the deliverables and expectations of the Insight Teams. It is a way to manage the process as a whole and explains the steps each team has taken.

Strategic Planning Oversight Committee (SPOC) Co-Chairs

The planning process is guided by a Strategic Planning Oversight Committee (SPOC), which is led by two co-chairs who are joined by a Dean, a Subject Matter Expert (Dr. Peter Garland), and eight co-chairs of working teams drawn from across campus. The SPOC is being defined by the recognition of the culture of contributions that has long existed at Ship.

Provost Dr. Tom Ormond (Academic Master Plan), Dr. Stephanie Jirard (DEI Plan), the Deans of the Colleges, Mr. Chris Clarke (Facilities Plan), Dr. Justin Sentz (University IT Plan), Dr. Eric Zeglen (Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness) and other subject matter experts will join the SPOC during Tier 2 of the Strategic Planning Process.

	Neil Connelly  Professor of English	Message From the Co-Chairs Ship’s current strategic plan is sunsetting this year, so together, we must plot a new course for our school’s future. The next Strategic Plan’s creation comes at a crucial time:  Among other challenges, the nation is simultaneously managing a pandemic and struggling to confront systemic injustice and promote equity.  Our academic world confronts serious questions about the role of technology, the impending drop in high school graduates, and the State System’s redesign. All this heightens the demand for a clear and decisive direction. This will emerge from a review of Ship’s existing strengths and priorities as a result of a carefully designed process that includes input and feedback from a host of stakeholders—students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and community members.
	Sue Mukherjee Senior Vice President for Strategy & Success

Four Priorities

The four university priorities recognized by the Visioning Report as integral to our academic identity define our work in the initial phase include: