Frequently Asked Questions
Drexel is executing a strategic plan to effectively – and intentionally – address shifts in higher education and broader challenges facing society.
In 2018, Drexel leadership launched a pre-planning process and began assessing goals and structure. In 2019, an Executive Planning Committee (EPC), chaired by former President John Fry and consisting of leadership across academic and administrative units, was created to oversee the strategic planning process. In December 2020, EPC member, Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, was named chief strategy officer and she assembled a CORE team of representatives from across the University to manage implementation.
Incorporating broad input from across the University, as well as analysis of peer institutions, demographic trends and broader challenges facing society, the EPC identified strategic priorities for the plan. Since 2021, members of the Drexel community have been invited to participate on the various implementation teams to share their experience and expertise in strategic areas.
The plan seeks to maintain and grow Drexel’s success, impact, visibility, reputation and distinctiveness during a time of change and disruption in student demographics, consumer attitudes toward higher education, employer hiring trends and societal challenges that require research-focused and more transdisciplinary solutions. As always, student success will continue to remain Drexel’s central focus.
Overall, as primary areas of focus, Drexel seeks to continue to pursue and grow: 1) enrollment success; 2) efficiency and effectiveness in mission delivery; and 3) new markets and diversification of revenue.
To achieve those goals across academic and administrative units, twelve initiative teams have provided recommendations which are to be prioritized by related unit area owners and operational leads in collaboration with the Drexel 2030 CORE team. Further, Drexel has identified goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) around six imperatives which will help us measure progress.
Drexel’s commitment to diversity, access and inclusion will be thoroughly considered and represented in all components of the plan.
Members of the Executive Planning Committee (EPC) are responsible for overseeing plan development and implementation. In December 2020, EPC member, Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, was named chief strategy officer and she assembled a CORE team of representatives from across the University to manage implementation, overseeing a set of twelve initiative teams in three primary areas of focus: 1) enrollment success; 2) efficiency and effectiveness in mission delivery; and 3) new markets and diversification of revenue. Each team will examine and deliver recommendations in more refined initiative areas. Learn more about the implementation structure.
Multiple teams of faculty, professional staff and administrators are working together to execute the plan, ensuring representation and incorporating input from all areas of the University. Our implementation approach is structured to foster cross-collaboration, idea sharing and integration of knowledge, while maintaining agility and flexibility. Connecting related initiatives together, team chairs will collaborate to ensure alignment and integration for each of the key focus areas.
Members of implementation teams have been working over the course of two years to plan and ideate the path toward strategic goals, including development of strategic initiatives, resources and budgeting, and development of metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and measure progress. We are currently in the action phase in which strategic priorities are being prioritized for implementation so that we can measure progress and optimize our future state.
Each of the teams are at various stages of the implementation process. Most teams have presented their recommendations and are working with related unit area owners, consisting of senior leadership, and operational leads to prioritize recommendations for implementation and track and measure progress. Others have passed on their recommendations which are in various stages of implementation within area owner units.
While some teams are continuing their work, others are pausing for next steps or serving in a consulting role. Some team members are also engaged in related University-wide initiatives. Generally, we welcome as much engagement and participation as possible from team members; however, we understand and respect that often this work is completed on top of our regular job responsibilities.
Projects such as the Academic Transformation, Areas of Excellence and Opportunity (AEOs), Campus Master Plan, Building Financial Resilience to Strengthen Academic Enterprise, and others all include representation from and partnership with the Drexel 2030 strategic plan. Each of these initiatives aligns with one or more of the three focus areas of the strategic plan: driving enrollment success; efficiency and effectiveness in mission delivery; and new markets and diversification of revenue sources.