Creating a vision:
Strategic planning groups get to work
It was a busy month of June for 62 UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff and students who have spent the past few weeks doing SWOT analyses instead of summertime reading.

They are members of five strategic planning work groups, asked by Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich to help shape a vision for the future of UW-Eau Claire. Work groups are addressing a range of themes identified at campus focus group sessions this spring. They include creating leaders for a global, multicultural world; transforming learning; serving the public good with community partners; enhancing our campus community for faculty and staff; and creating an infrastructure that will support our vision.

"Creating a future vision is a tall order, one that requires more than just brainstorming 'what if's,'” said Mary Jane Brukardt, special assistant to the chancellor for strategic planning. "So work groups are doing their homework, identifying our institutional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in preparation for developing some specific ideas for where UW-Eau Claire needs to go in the decade to come."

On June 13, the chancellor convened all 62 participants, as well as campus administrative leaders, and challenged them to think broadly to create ideas that will truly distinguish UW-Eau Claire. The work groups now are meeting weekly to review the university budget process, interview community members to learn their perceptions and needs, and explore models for integrated learning and internationalization at campuses around the country.

During the week of July 2, work groups will submit a progress report that will be posted on the strategic planning Web site. The site also includes descriptions of the issues each group is exploring and group membership lists.

Strategic planning work groups will submit preliminary proposals to the chancellor early in August, and their ideas will be discussed and refined in campuswide forums this fall. Faculty, staff and students are also welcome to share ideas with work groups now by contacting any of the work group leaders listed below:

1. Preparing Global Leaders: Don Mowry and Eva Santos-Phillips
2. Transforming Learning: Steve Drucker and Jennifer Lee
3. Serving the Public Good: Gretchen Hutterli and George Kroeninger
4. Enhancing the Campus Community: Marc Goulet and Vicki Reed
5. Effectively Managing for our Mission: Kathy Sahlhoff and Bob Sutton.

Summer Bulletin
Published weekly during the summer session by the UW-Eau Claire News Bureau. News items and notices should be sent to the News Bureau, Schofield 201, by 10 a.m. Monday for publication in the following week’s issue. E-mail submissions to Julie Poquette at poquetjm@uwec.edu are encouraged. Faculty/staff news items are published on a space-available basis.