EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

OUR PLACE, OUR TIME

This strategic plan establishes a 10-year blueprint for our university. An R1 research university with an access mission, Georgia State University spans the metro Atlanta region and beyond. Joining cities, suburbs and rural areas experiencing rapid growth, our university brings together diverse people, populations and communities to promote individual development, social transformation and workforce preparedness.

Georgia State University is a unique institution. We are a Place for All, from high school students pursuing dual-enrollment opportunities to doctoral candidates creating new knowledge. Georgia State’s breadth makes it the place for students to achieve their academic and career goals, whether they are beginning a path in higher education, seeking new skills to enhance career opportunities or developing new passions as retirees. Our faculty and staff are committed to excellence in teaching, research and service. We advance knowledge and educate Panthers no matter where they are in their academic journeys. At Georgia State University, everyone is welcome and anyone can succeed!

Ten years from now, Georgia State’s cutting-edge research and scholarship will enhance our state’s competitiveness and help our citizens build a better world. Our creative activities will open pathways of imagination and emotion, enabling us to understand ourselves and our communities in a bold fashion. Georgia State staff and faculty will experience professional satisfaction, security and recognition. Georgia State students will learn in the classroom, in their communities, throughout the country and across the globe. Alongside their instructors, they will develop a broad knowledge of the world, mastery of specialized disciplines and learn the skills necessary for citizenship, leadership, career and craft. Graduates of Georgia State will be positioned for flexibility and choice and will be prepared to make an impact on the economic and social character of our state, our nation and beyond. The growing value of a Georgia State degree is measured by our graduates’ success and earnings in their chosen careers, and also by their experience as part of a highly diverse university.

What do you get when you have one of the most accessible and diverse university campuses, with one of the fastest growing research and innovation environments located within one of the most rapidly evolving metropolitan centers?

That’s easy. You get the most important university in the Nation – now and for everyone’s future. Over the past decade, Georgia State University has been the national leader in student success and innovation while vastly expanding its student population and campus boundaries.

Over the next decade, Georgia State will become even more accessible and diverse while broadening our student body to produce more career-relevant graduates at all levels with a special focus on graduate education. At this time, there is not a more diverse community of students, faculty and staff, and we know that our identity is our strength. We will build on this strong foundation by expanding and further diversifying our faculty body to provide an even more special engagement for our students in addition to enhancing our capacity for research, scholarship and creativity. The physical growth of our campuses in recent history perfectly positions us for this next decade of campus and cultural enrichment and placemaking that will make our overall student experience more vibrant than ever before.

With gratitude to the work and reflections of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, “Blueprint to 2033 – Our Place, Our Time” articulates our bold vision and aspirations for the future. I am so inspired by the rich partnerships and innovative initiatives that the institution will build out over the next decade. Let’s get to work and Go Panthers!

How We Worked

In February 2022, Dr. Nancy Kropf was appointed Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives to oversee strategic planning. From March through May, planning and development senators led focus group meetings in their units to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that would help guide strategic plan development. Four hundred and forty-four faculty and staff participated in 46 focus groups. SWOT data were analyzed by a research team comprised of Dr. Janice Fournillier and doctoral candidate Shae Earls (COEHD). In addition, 56 external stakeholders participated in summer focus groups to provide their input.

In late spring, the strategic planning committee was established. Provost Nicolle ParsonsPollard served as Honorary Chair and Drs. Karen Wheel-Carter and Jared Poley were selected as co-chairs such that the Atlanta and Perimeter campuses were represented in committee leadership. Dr. Kristie Seelman was brought on as Project Coordinator. Each dean nominated a faculty and/or staff member to participate and representation was sought from major administrative units. This yielded a committee of 18 members. Additionally, a student advisory group was organized to provide a forum for student input.

President M. Brian Blake charged the committee in May 2022. The committee met weekly to consider the research report, meet with campus leaders and experts, and construct a draft plan. Founded upon the four pillars articulated by President Blake, a draft plan was presented to university leadership in December.

In January and early February, feedback was solicited more broadly across the university, including university leaders, faculty and staff. Four charettes were held on the Atlanta and Perimeter campuses, and a virtual charette was offered to faculty, staff and students. In the fall and again in the spring, the co-chairs attended meetings of all senate committees to give updates and solicit feedback.

On March 27, the Planning and Development Committee voted to recommend that the strategic plan be approved and adopted at the April 5 meeting of the full university senate.