Crafting the Plan

In launching this strategic planning process, Chancellor Zeppos charged the Executive Committee and its Steering Committees to be bold and creative. To meet this charge, the Planning process included for the first time the entire campus—all ten colleges and schools. This inclusive process was inspired by the success of the 2002 University Central and 2006-08 Medical Center strategic plans. The benefits of a campus-wide approach were apparent from the start, and the range of perspectives gave rise to a rich variety of innovative ideas and recommendations.

The process relied on a bottom up approach with the faculty leading the way. Over 600 faculty participated formally or informally in the process. This attribute is quite distinct in comparison to the organization of strategic plans at other universities. As the year unfolded, great care was also given to securing feedback from key university stakeholders. The end result allowed great ideas to flourish, and the plan benefited directly from the input of the Board of Trust, donors, alumni, students, and staff. In total, well over 1,250 colleagues and friends contributed to this process, providing constructive insights and opinions from the important constituencies that comprise Vanderbilt.