2010-2014 Strategic Plan - FULL PDF
The following Executive Summary reflects the key points of A Strategic Plan for IIT 2014-2019. Details of the plan will be updated on the other pages of this website as they are released in early 2014.
Executive Summary
Five years ago the “many voices” of the IIT community entered into in a strategic planning process to develop a plan for the university: Many Voices, One Vision! It is now four years since that plan was announced and it is time to revise the priorities for the next five years.
The University Steering Committee was reinstated in 2013. Academic deans, faculty, staff, students, Trustees, alumni, all provided feedback on various drafts of the updated strategic plan themes.
The plan remains true to Illinois Institute of Technology’s legacy as a university with a nationally preeminent stature in engineering, science, and technology, and to the Bauhaus spirit of innovation brought to Chicago and IIT in the 1930s by László Moholy-Nagy and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In this spirit, IIT graduates must exercise discipline-specific expertise, maintain high values, and exhibit a true ability to create, innovate, initiate, and lead. Our vision and mission statements are unchanged. The university remains committed to:
- Innovation and the nurturing of excellence
- Vigorous partnerships with the great city of Chicago
- Relevant education of our students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds
- International collaborations
- Cross-disciplinary research and education that build on our strengths in the professions and technology
We challenge ourselves to relax the boundaries between our academic units in order to bring greater recognition to IIT through collaboration, an emphasis on excellence, a commitment to diversity, and a respectful work environment.
Six university-wide priorities have been identified as areas of focus over the next five years:
- The Growth and Development of the Student Body
- The Promotion of Innovative Thinking and Excellence throughout the University
- The Elevation of IIT’s Visibility and Reputation
- The Enhancement of IIT’s Facilities, Infrastructure and Environments
- The Development of Resources to Enable Progress
- The Strengthening of All of IIT’s Colleges/Schools
Each of these priorities is linked to specific goals with measurable five-year milestones. While ambitious, these goals are achievable and essential for IIT to attain its vision.
This document addresses not only the priorities but also the implementation process aimed at achieving the goals within the priorities. Implementation requires the ideas and commitment of the faculty and staff, and continuous input from students. The following actions are essential in achieving a successful implementation process:
- The Board of Trustees will hold senior administration accountable for execution of the plan and achievement of its milestones.
- All constituents of the university will contribute to the development of resources necessary for institutional progress.
- The president and provost will strategically allocate resources to ensure that staff and faculty will have the resources necessary to achieve our priorities.
- The faculty and academic leadership will be responsible for development of the distinctive educational experience for IIT students that will allow us to grow the student body.
- The faculty and staff will be responsible for firmly entrenching our institution’s core values of innovation and excellence, of the encouragement of diversity, and of the maintenance of a respectful work environment.
- A marketing and communications plan will be implemented aimed at elevating our visibility and reputation.
- Plans will be developed by the Board of Trustees, facilities and university leadership to support our long term need to enhance and preserve our physical resources, infrastructure and environments.
- Each dean, with their faculty, will develop College/School specific plans to strengthen their units and/or programs.
- Our alumni will be engaged in the plan acting as advocates for the university, in working directly with our students, and in providing volunteer and philanthropic support.
The execution of the plan depends not only on the implementation process put in place but also on timely assessment of progress. The metrics found in the report will be used to determine improvement and guide revision of the plan as circumstances change. The Strategic Plan Assessment Advisory Board (SPAAB), which consists of faculty, students, and staff, plays an important role in providing an objective assessment of the achievement of our goals and milestones, and is the group that reviews proposed enhancements to the plan through time. The University’s senior leadership and the Board of Trustees will receive periodic reports on the progress of attaining these goals and justification for any deviation from the plan. The implementation and assessment processes are as important as the plan itself.
Our strategic plan continues to be replete with ambition, optimism, and confidence in an institution that takes demonstrable strides toward a bright future in all applicable dimensions including financial stability, global reputation, and noteworthy contribution to the community, city, state, nation and society in general. The plan is dedicated to a culture of continuous improvement and quality. It belongs to everyone who supports and believes in IIT. We will achieve our goals and reach our vision.
