More than 13,600 University of Virginia community members responded to a survey last month asking the community for input on the University’s next strategic plan. The strategic planning process and its accompanying listening tour – called Grounds for Conversation – seek insights to help inform the University’s goals and priorities for the future.
Since he took office in January, University President Scott Beardsley has engaged UVA’s schools and units in the listening tour. In July, he launched a 22-member strategic planning committee to oversee the full strategic planning process. The committee, co-chaired by School of Engineering Dean Jennifer West and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Marc Johnson, designed and distributed the survey to provide community members with another outlet to share more about what they believe is going well around the University and where there are opportunities for growth.
The committee is also hosting 35 in-person workshops for students, faculty and staff this fall across Grounds and around the country, with virtual options, to gather feedback and ideas. Committee members are also reviewing data on the University’s standing, hearing from leaders across the institution and benchmarking with other institutions to inform their thinking.
“We want to hear from as many areas of the University as possible, and I am grateful for each person who has taken the time to share their thoughts, complete the survey and sign up for workshops,” West said. “Ultimately, your feedback will help University leadership to map out a strategic plan that truly fits with UVA’s mission and values, and that identifies and plans for the resources we will need to carry this flagship institution forward.”
There were more than 13,600 responses to the survey, including:
- 6,500 alumni
- 3,700 staff
- 2,100 parents and family members
- 1,650 students
- 1,600 community members and friends
- 1,350 faculty
Some respondents represented more than one affiliation.
Respondents shared some common themes in what a vision of success for UVA in the future would look like. While different groups chose areas of emphasis, across stakeholders people spoke to a vision of enduring academic and research excellence; a commitment to accessible education; a community characterized by honor, trust, integrity and the free exchange of ideas; a focus on citizen leadership; and a commitment to world-class patient care and to community partnership.
The survey asked respondents to rate how UVA is doing in four key areas of its mission: education, research, clinical care and public service. Seventy-five percent of respondents said UVA is “doing well” or better in research; 74% in clinical care; 73% in education; and 56% in public service.
Respondents also selected priority areas they believe will be important for the strategic plan. Sixty-five percent listed academic and research excellence and the student experience as their top priorities. Other key priorities included institutional culture and governance, employee well-being and operations, and community engagement and impact.
As Beardsley told the Board of Visitors during the September meeting, he was especially encouraged to see that students and parents rated UVA’s performance against its mission most positively and that faculty had the highest response rate of any group.
He also pointed to a pattern in the results: Those closest to the work tend to be the toughest graders, with clinical providers rating clinical care lowest and faculty rating research lowest – a sign, he said, that proximity raises the bar and that the community holds itself to high standards.
