Montgomery, W.Va. – WVU Tech will host a public forum to announce progress on the University’s five-year Strategic Plan. The updates will include the first half of the first year’s progress on each initiative.

The forum, which is open to the public, will be held in the Engineering Auditorium on WVU Tech’s campus at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. Dr. Guy Vitaglione, Tech’s Strategic Planning Coordinator, will be presenting an overview of each initiative workgroup’s progress.

“Strategic Planning is a fluid process.  Each of our initiative workgroups have made great progress,” explained Vitaglione.  “It’s important that all constituents groups continue to be involved as we shape the future of WVU Tech.”

Updates for each of the Strategic Initiatives are available online: http://techprovost.wvutech.edu/strategic_planning. Vitaglione also maintains a blog and a Facebook page.

Dr. Scott Hurst, Campus Provost, commented, “I’m pleased with the progress our workgroups have made and am confident, that with everyone’s continued dedication, we will most definitely achieve our 2015 Vision for WVU Tech.”

The event, which will be held in the WVU Tech Engineering Auditorium at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, is open to all faculty and staff, students, alumni, policymakers, and community members.

WVU President James P. Clements outlined the draft for the strategic plan during his State of the University address on October 11, highlighting five goals intended to move the state’s flagship institution into the next decade. More information on the process and a draft of the plan are available online at: http://strategicplan.wvu.edu/.

“Now that the draft plan has been out there circulating for a couple of weeks, it’s time for faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, policymakers, residents of our state – everyone whose lives are touched by WVU in some way to have a voice in shaping and redefining our University’s future role and success,” said Dr. Clark. “All of us can contribute to the vision and plans for WVU’s role in education, research and outreach. This is your time to talk and our time to listen about ways to advance WVU’s goals.”

“The action plans and goals of WVU’s 10-year strategic plan fit well with Tech’s own 5-year strategic plan, and we look forward to a harmonious collaboration in reaching our collective objectives,” explained Dr. Guy Vitaglione, WVU Tech’s Strategic Planning Coordinator.

Comments are welcome at Tuesday’s event. Feedback can also be submitted online at: http://strategicplan.wvu.edu/feedback.

Tech’s Strategic Plan was presented to the Tech Faculty Assembly on September 2, 2010. It was presented to the WVU Board of Governors in Morgantown on September 17, and it was presented to the Tech Student Government Association on September 21.  The Strategic Plan will be presented to Tech’s Classified Staff Council in an upcoming meeting.

Volunteer!

Tech has hit the ground running in its first year of the five-year plan to achieve the Vision for Tech in 2015.  People in the seven strategic initiatives have been working since last semester, and volunteer work groups for each initiative are forming in the next two weeks to carry on the mission.

Critical to the success of our strategic plan are the ideas, feedback, cooperation, and participation of everyone in the Tech family. Please join one of the volunteer work groups to make your contribution.

If you haven’t already participated in one of the strategic planning work groups, you can click on this link  http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/wvutech/SPIworkgroup/ to sign up for the initiative of your choice.

If you participated in a work group last semester, you will be contacted soon by the work group leader to get back in the action.

Updates on our collective progress will continue to be posted here, on the strategic planning web site ( http://techprovost.wvutech.edu/strategic_planning), and the Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126414157398623&ref=ts ).

Contact us if you have any questions!

We are proud to say that the entire Tech community was involved in contributing to our strategic planning process. Tech’s faculty, staff, and student organizations have all approved the strategic plan. Part of its success is because we communicated honestly, openly, and transparently at all times. The WVU Tech community is fully committed to the hard work ahead to achieve our vision.

On a more personal note, I look forward with great enthusiasm to collaborating again, and over the long term, with people who are keenly dedicated to making Tech stronger and better than it is today.

To see for yourself how Tech will look in 2015 and how we will get there, click here. And, don’t forget to return to this page periodically for updates and new developments.

Sincerely,

Scott M. Hurst, Ph.D., Campus Provost

As part of West Virginia University Institute of Technology’s Strategic Planning Initiative, members of the Montgomery community and alumni have the opportunity to sign up for work groups. Please click  here to sign up for a workgroup.

(A narrative description of WVU Tech in the year 2015)

West Virginia University Institute of Technology, the premier university of the region, is recognized nationally for its excellent, cutting-edge academic programs. WVU Tech is a leading STEM institution (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and a designated U.S. News and World Report Top 100 Best Engineering College. Degree programs in engineering, technology, health care, business, humanities, and the social sciences are thriving, and several new interdisciplinary degree programs have been launched to prepare Tech students for emerging worlds of work.

Campus life is vibrant. With larger numbers of female, international, and out-of-state students enrolled in academic programs, the student population is richly diverse. New student organizations have been formed and existing ones revitalized to afford students a more enriching student life experience. Student success programs continue to assure students the individualized educational support essential to classroom success. Renewed by enhanced facilities, WVU Tech athletics is enjoying record success. New programs for special audiences keep classrooms, residence halls, and activity centers busy during the summer months.

Through adoption of data-driven and transparent governance, WVU Tech has a solid foothold on its future. Enrollments have grown steadily, and academic programs are financially self-sufficient. Members of the Alumni Association have contributed generously to their alma mater, and as a result endowment funds in the WVU Tech Foundation have increased substantially. The campus is being transformed through implementation of the master plan, as demonstrated by several new construction projects, attention to renovation and maintenance needs, and a campus-wide beautification effort.

Our Core Values

At WVU Tech we are…

Student Centered

Collaborative

Entrepreneurial

Innovative

Accountable

Passionate and Enthusiastic

Committed to Diversity

And we value…

Our People,

Excellence,

Integrity

The mission of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology is to prepare students for careers (in engineering and science; and in business, humanities, and social sciences) and to enrich the socioeconomic and cultural lives of its students and members of the communities of Southern West Virginia.

Institutional Goals

Reflective of its dual roles as division of the State’s land-grant, flagship institution and as regional leader in its academic specializations, the primary goal of WVU Tech is to enable the full potential of students and residents of its service area. Toward this end, Tech’s educational programs and services are:

•Student-centered – They are accessible; affordable; personalized as much as possible to the unique needs of each individual; focused on the learning process; designed to empower students and to prepare them to become lifelong learners; and assessed annually for their contributions to the learning experience.

•Relevant and current – They prepare students for knowledge-based careers; incorporate technology innovatively; foster critical thinking by students; encourage interdisciplinary problem solving; and have high but attainable expectations for student performance.

•Culturally diverse – They introduce other cultures by way of formal and informal educational programs; focus on the world-wide nature of contemporary human interdependence; and interact with persons and groups different from oneself by way of international programs, professional societies, college clubs, and similar such communities.

•Accountable in the use of resources – They are cost-effective and responsible; if and when appropriate partner with business, industry, government and nonprofit organizations on goals of mutual interest; focus on objectives; employ creative and entrepreneurial strategies; and report transparently to stakeholders.

Early 2/2010: Provost and executive staff attend faculty assembly, classified staff, and student government association meetings, as well as meetings with members of the greater Montgomery community and WVU Tech alumni to:

• Provide an overview of the 5 year strategic planning process;
• Seek feedback about working drafts of WVU Tech’s Vision, Core Values, and Strategic Initiatives;
• Introduce members of the executive staff who will lead each of the strategic initiative work groups; and
• Enlist members of the community and alumni to serve on strategic initiative work groups to help shape 5 year goals, annual milestones, and annual action plans and to assess progress.

3/1/2010: Share refined WVU Tech Vision and Core Values

3/15/2010: Executive staff members convene 7 strategic initiative work groups

5/1/2010: Strategic initiative work groups submit three to five 5-year goals and annual milestones to support their strategic initiative

5/30/2010: Publish and distribute 2010-2015 Strategic Plan

6/1/2010: Strategic initiative work groups submit year-one action plans to attain year-one milestones

8/15/2010: Implementation of year-one action plans

1/15/2011: Executive staff members reconvene 7 strategic work groups to formulate processes to assess year-one action plan progress

3/15/2011: Strategic initiative work groups begin assessment of action plan progress

4/1/2011: Reaffirm WVU Tech Vision and Core Values

5/1/11: Strategic Initiative work groups recommend refinement of the 3-5 goals and annual milestones based on assessment of action plan progress

6/1/2011: Strategic initiative work groups submit year-two action plans for year-two milestones

8/15/2011 – 11/30 2012: Implementation of year-two action plans

Strategic Planning

Process – Year 2

1/15/2012: Executive staff members reconvene strategic initiative work groups to formulate processes to assess year two-action plan progress

Strategic Planning

Process – Year 2 thru 5

The above annual planning process will be repeated for years 2 through 5. Throughout the process attention will be paid to assessing the progress toward the attainment of annual milestones. Annual milestones and goals may be adjusted as necessary throughout the process.

Roll-Out Meeting Schedule

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Classified Staff Council
1:00 pm
Reserve Room, Vining Library

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Faculty Assembly
1:00 pm
1200 Orndorff Hall

Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Student Government Association
1:00 pm
Activities Room, Tech Center

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
6:00 pm
Tech Alumni, Institutional Board of Visitors, WVU Tech Foundation Board
Auditorium of the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering building

Thursday, March 18, 2010
5:15 pm
Members of the Greater Montgomery Community
Auditorium of the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering building

At these meetings, Provost Hurst will present an overview of WVU Tech’s five-year strategic planning process. Meeting participants will be encouraged to provide feedback and to sign up to participate in the development of goals, annual milestones, and action plans for each of the 7 strategic initiatives that comprise the strategic plan.