Board Review of Draft Strategic Plan

December 3, 2013

Members of the Rutgers Community:

Today I presented a draft of the University strategic plan to the Rutgers Board of Governors for review and comment. The draft document—a plan by Rutgers, for Rutgers—reflects the contributions of our entire University community, and it provides a framework that enables us to reach our aspiration—to be broadly recognized as among the nation’s leading public universities: preeminent in research, excellent in teaching, and committed to community.

In the coming weeks, the Board of Governors will study the draft plan, which I will also present to the Board of Trustees at its December 19 meeting, and they will provide their comments.  Feedback from the governing boards will help shape the final document, which will come before the Board of Governors for approval early in the New Year. Upon that approval, we will post the strategic plan on our website, distribute it within the Rutgers community, and share it with stakeholders across the state.

I again want to thank the many thousands of you who have participated in the strategic planning process. Your passion for Rutgers, your insight, and your hard work have created a plan that provides a bold vision for the University, a vision that also establishes clear, practical initiatives to ensure our success. You will have additional opportunities to contribute to the campus- and school-level phase of the planning process in the coming months. 

Each of our four chancellors has reviewed the draft plan and provided input, and this plan establishes the framework for the detailed strategies that will be created for Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Our intention is to complete these interrelated plans by the end of the academic year. Moreover, the plans will also inform the physical master planning process, which we expect to complete by the fall of 2014.

This is an exciting time to be at Rutgers for many reasons, including the establishment of RBHS, our entry into the Big Ten and Committee on Institutional Cooperation, and the state-bond-supported construction taking place on all our campuses. With your help, the strategic plan will ensure that we take full advantage of this moment to achieve our aspiration.

Sincerely,

Bob Barchi