Download the Strategic Plan for 2022-2027 (PDF)

Strategic Plan Development  

Development Process 

The University of Iowa’s strategic planning process originally began in spring 2020 and was placed on hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic that critically affected university operations. The development process was relaunched in January 2021, substantially redesigned to ensure it fully addressed pandemic impacts. A Strategy Team was appointed to lead the effort. The Strategy Team in turn appointed four Strategic Planning Development Teams and a Data and Assessment Team.

Strategy Team 

The Strategy Team, co-led by the executive vice president and provost and vice president for research, was charged by the university president to develop a new five-year strategic plan to be implemented on July 1, 2022. Strategy Team members were selected based on their areas of expertise and/or oversight of key units. Faculty, staff, and collegiate dean representatives were nominated by the Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Council of Deans, respectively. Ex officio members of the team included the presidents of student, faculty,  and staff shared governance bodies, as well as liaisons from the Data and Assessment Team and the writing and administrative support group. 

Development Teams 

Development Teams were created in four core areas: Student success; faculty and staff success; research and discovery; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each team was co-chaired by campus experts in the topic area and comprised broad representation of students, faculty, and staff from across campus and from a variety of disciplines, as well as a representative from the UI Center for Advancement. Membership was decided with input from shared governance leaders. The Strategy Team co-chairs charged the Development  Teams to identify themes and priorities from collegiate and central administrative unit strategic plans, hold campuswide listening sessions and key informant meetings, and identify areas of university distinction, and to use that input to generate preliminary plans for their core areas. The Development Teams met during spring, summer, and fall 2021, and  submitted their preliminary plans in December 2021.

Data and Assessment Team 

A Data and Assessment Team was created to support the Strategy Team and Development Teams throughout the development process. Team members served as liaisons on each team, providing input about existing and potential data sources and helping to define metrics and assessment strategies.

Writing and Administrative Support 

A writing liaison was embedded to support each team. Administrative support also was identified to facilitate the teams’ efforts. This was especially important in the coordination of internal and external engagement sessions, and in the work to discern themes from the collegiate and central administrative unit strategic plans and from the input gathered during feedback sessions.

Internal and External Engagement 

TThe Strategy and Development Teams engaged in campuswide iterative feedback processes, as well as meetings with external stakeholders, to collect input and promote transparency during plan development.

Listening Sessions 

Key Informant Meetings 

Focus Groups

External Stakeholder Feedback 

Online Feedback 

July-October 2021 

October 2021 

Fall 2021 and Spring 2022

Spring 2022 

Spring 2022 

Gather campus-wide feedback on priorities, areas of distinction, and opportunities for growth 

Gain insight on needs of development team focus areas 

Gather input on drafted strategic plan goals 

Collect feedback on institutional mission and vision, areas of distinction, and drafted key priority goals  

Gather campuswide feedback on drafted plan content

More than 20 sessions held with student, faculty, and staff groups 

More than 30 meetings held with campus content area experts 

More than 10 discussions held with content experts and campus stakeholders 

Multiple meetings held with key stakeholders,
spanning alumni and community leaders

Asynchronous open-ended feedback from the campus community

 

In January and February 2022, the strategic plan was drafted based on the plans submitted by the four development teams, the collegiate and central administrative unit strategic plans, and input from the internal and external feedback sessions. The plan was refined throughout spring 2022 based on input from focus groups and individual consultations with campus experts in the strategic priority areas, as well as feedback from alumni, and other key external stakeholders. In addition to the Strategy Team, drafts were shared with the Council of Deans and President’s Cabinet.  

The UI Strategic Plan for 2022–2027 was submitted to the Board of Regents for approval in May 2022.

Strategic Plan Implementation and Evaluation  

Implementation 

An Implementation Team comprising campus leaders in each of the strategic priority areas will be formed in summer 2022. It will be charged with leading the process to carry out the strategic plan over the next five years. 

Building on input from the Development Teams and in consultation with key internal and external stakeholders, the Implementation Team will further develop and prioritize a series of critical tactics the university will use to advance the plan’s strategies. The team will identify metrics to measure progress toward  implementing the tactics and to assess outcomes.

The strategic plan will be supported by the General Education Fund budget, the UI Center for Advancement Comprehensive Campaign, internal and external resources, and funds from the university’s public-private partnership (P3) with ENGIE North America and Meridiam. The Implementation Team will identify the resources needed to support critical tactics.

The tactics, metrics, and other information will be collected into an implementation plan that will be shared with the university community via the university’s strategic planning web site.

Evaluation 

While the strategic plan’s goals, objectives, and strategies will remain constant, the implementation plan will be reviewed periodically over the life of the plan and will be revised to adjust to new challenges and opportunities, to make more effective use of available resources, and/or in response to assessment of success. 

The Implementation Team will meet quarterly to review and discuss progress and make any needed adjustments. The team will discuss and review the impact of the implementation plan on progress toward strategic plan goals, and to promote transparency in the process will share such progress at least annually with the campus community and stakeholders. 

Definitions 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The University of Iowa defines diversity, equity, and inclusion as follows: 

Diversity refers to all aspects of human difference, social identities, and social group differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religion/spirituality, age, (dis)ability, military/veteran status, political perspective, and associational preferences. 

Equity refers to fair and just practices and policies that ensure all campus community members can thrive. Equity is different than equality in that equality implies treating everyone as if their experiences are exactly the same.  Being equitable means acknowledging and addressing structural inequalities, historic and current, that advantage some and disadvantage others.  Equal treatment results in equity only if everyone starts with equal access to opportunities. 

Inclusion refers to a campus community where all members are and feel respected, have a sense of belonging, and can participate and achieve their potential.  While diversity is essential, it is not sufficient.  An institution can be both diverse and non-inclusive at the same time, thus a sustained practice of creating inclusive environments is necessary for success. 

Experiential Learning

The practice of learning through applied experience—curricular or co-curricular—and guided reflection on those experiences (Kolb, 1984).

First Generation

A student is considered to be of first-generation status if neither parent or guardian holds a four-year degree.  This is self-reported information collected on the undergraduate admissions application.  

High Impact Practices

High impact practices (HIP) refer to a variety of educationally purposeful and structured activities that span curricular and co-curricular contexts and incorporate, but are not limited to, the following aspects: mentored relationships with faculty, staff, and/or peers; timely feedback and collaborative problem-solving; and reflection on learning experiences (Kuh, 2008).  HIPs include a range of activities such as internships, undergraduate research, study abroad, and community-based service learning.  These activities have been shown to positively impact all students, with additional positive gains on underrepresented students (Finley and McNair, 2013). 

Infrastructure

In the context of this plan, the term infrastructure is used broadly and may refer to people, processes, policies, facilities, and/or technology.

Scholarship, Research, and Creativity

Scholarship on the UI campus takes many forms, including traditional research in the lab, artistic creation, applied forms of discovery through experiential learning, and more. Creativity in this context encompasses all forms of looking at the world in new ways to discover and create new knowledge.

Translational Research

Research that focuses on translating scientific and scholarly discovery into applications and practices that directly benefit people and society.

Well-Being

Well-being at the UI is a process focused on life-long learning that promotes and sustains optimal health, personal connectedness, meaningful experiences, and a purposeful life.  

Teams Participating in Strategic Plan Development

Strategy Team Members

Co-Chairs 
Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 
Marty Scholtz, vice president for research, Office of the Vice President for Research 

Team Members 

Ted Abel, chair and department executive officer, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology; director, Iowa Neuroscience Institute; and Roy J. Carver Chair in Neuroscience, Carver College of Medicine 
Steve Fleagle, associate vice president and chief information officer, Information Technology Services
Sarah Hansen, vice president for student life, Division of Student Life
Brooks Jackson, vice president for medical affairs and dean, Carver College of Medicine
Terry Johnson, chief financial officer and treasurer, Office of Finance and Operations
Amy Kristof-Brown, professor, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, and dean, Tippie College of Business
Lynette Marshall, president and chief executive officer, UI Center for Advancement
Danielle Martinez, director of student retention, Academic Support and Retention, University College
Dan Matheson, associate professor of instruction, and director of sport and recreation management, Department of Health and Human Physiology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Laura McLeran, associate vice president for administrative affairs and senior advisor to the president, Office of the President
Amanda Haertling Thein, professor, Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, College of Education; associate provost for graduate and professional education, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; and dean, Graduate College
Liz Tovar, executive officer for diversity, equity and inclusion and associate vice president, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Tanya Uden-Holman, clinical professor, Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health; associate provost for undergraduate education, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; and dean, University College
Kevin Washburn, professor and N. William Hines Dean, College of Law

Shared Governance Team Members (Ex Officio) 
Moala Bannavti, PhD candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, and Graduate and Professional Student Government president
Teresa Marshall, professor, Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, and Faculty Senate president
Regan Smock, undergraduate student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Undergraduate Student Government president 
Kevin Zihlman, assistant athletics director of compliance, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, and Staff Council president

Support Team Members (Ex Officio) 
Kathy Andrews, senior executive assistant, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 
Mirra Anson, coordinator of strategic plan and student success initiatives, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and senior director, Academic Support and Retention, University College
Wayne Jacobson, director, Office of Assessment, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; and Data and Assessment Team lead 
Charlie Taylor, director of communications, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
Mike Weaver, program manager and executive assistant to the vice president, Office of the Vice President for Research
Kristina Yows, associate director of administration and planning, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; and Data and Assessment Team and Strategy Team writing support

 

Development Team Members

Team Leads 

Tanya Uden-Holman (lead), clinical professor, Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health; associate provost for undergraduate education, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; and dean, University College
Angie Reams (co-lead), associate vice president and dean of students, Division of Student Life
Amanda Thein (co-lead), professor, Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, College of Education; associate provost for graduate and professional education, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; and dean, Graduate College

Team Members 

James Ankrum, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering 
Heidi Arbisi-Kelm, assistant dean of academic affairs, Graduate College​​​​​​​
Pauline Beazer James, senior international student and scholar advisor, International Programs​​​​​​​
Broderick Binns, executive director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics 
Kathy Mellen, associate professor of instruction, Department of Health and Human Physiology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences​​​​​​​
Noel Mills, MPA candidate, School of Planning and Public Affairs, Graduate College, and Undergraduate Student Government former president 
John Murry, Jr, associate professor, Department of Marketing, Tippie College of Business
Cody Pritchard, project director, TRIO Student Support Services, Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion​​​​​​​
Scot Reisinger, assistant dean of student services, College of Public Health​​​​​​​
Regan Smock, undergraduate student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Undergraduate Student Government president​​​​​​​
Shaun Vecera, professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College Liberal Arts and Sciences, and director, Honors Program, University College 
Susan Vos, clinical professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, and associate dean of student affairs, College of Pharmacy

Data and Assessment Team Liaisons 

Matt Anson, associate director for institutional research and assessment, Office of Assessment, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 
Teri Schnelle, director of projects and partnerships, Division of Student Life​​​​​​​
Duane Staskal, data, analytics, and insights workgroup leader, Information Technology Services  

Support Team 

Mirra Anson, coordinator of strategic plan and student success initiatives, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and senior director, Academic Support and Retention, University College 
Jayme Johnson, office manager, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost  

Team Leads 

Edith Parker (lead), professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, and dean, College of Public Health 
Joshua Weiner (co-lead), professor, Department of Biology, and associate dean for research, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences    

Team Members 

Alaa Albashayreh, PhD candidate, College of Nursing 
Ethan Anderson, associate professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy 
Shalini Birari, undergraduate student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Erin Brothers, research administrator, Office of Research, Carver College of Medicine 
Colleen Campbell, clinical associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine 
Liz Constantine, director, Grants and Research Services Center, College of Education
David Frisvold, associate professor, Department of Economics, Tippie College of Business 
Nicole Green, postdoctoral research scholar, Tina Tootle Lab, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, and UI Postdoctoral Association president
Steven Hitlin, professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Keri Hornbuckle, professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering 
Michaeljulius Idani, MFA candidate, creative writing, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Allison Jaynes, assistant professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Anya Prince, associate professor, College of Law 
Ann Ricketts, associate vice president for research, Office of the Vice President for Research 
Tina Tootle, associate professor and director, Biomedical Sciences: Cell and Developmental Biology Program, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine  
Xian Jin Xie, Centennial Professor, Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry; associate dean for research; and director, Biostatistics and Computational Biology, College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics   

Data and Assessment Team Liaisons 

Nate Cook, manager of accounting and financial analysis, Division of Sponsored Programs, Office of the Vice President for Research 
Boyd Knosp, associate dean for information technology, Carver College of Medicine   

Support Team 

Kathy Andrews, senior executive assistant, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 
Mirra Anson, coordinator of strategic plan and student success initiatives, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and senior director, Academic Support and Retention, University College  
Kimberly Nye, administrative assistant, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 
Steve Pradarelli, director of strategic communications, Office of the Vice President for Research  

Team Leads 

Liz Tovar (lead), executive officer for diversity, equity and inclusion and associate vice president, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
Armando Duarte (co-lead), professor; director, Bachelor of Fine Arts program; and director, Dance Production, Department of Dance, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences   

Team Members 

Moala Bannavti, PhD candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, and Graduate and Professional Student Government president 
Venise Berry, professor and department executive officer, Department of African American Studies, and professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Will Coghill-Behrends, clinical associate professor, Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education 
John Culshaw, Jack B. King University Librarian, University Libraries 
Nicole Del Castillo, director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Carver College of Medicine 
Paul Gilbert, associate professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health 
Nicole Grosland, distinguished professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and associate dean for academic programs, College of Engineering 
Weimin Han, professor and department executive officer, Department of Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Angie Lamb, assistant director, Academic Support and Retention, University College
Elizabeth Lara, manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion, College of Public Health
Noel Mills, MPA candidate, School of Planning and Public Affairs, Graduate College, and Undergraduate Student Government former president 
Bill Nelson, associate dean and executive director, Iowa Memorial Union, Division of Student Life
Sara Sanders, professor of School of Social Work, and dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Charlie Taylor, director of communications, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion   

Data and Assessment Team Liaisons 

Matt Anson, associate director for institutional research and assessment, Office of Assessment, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Sriram Chari, executive director, Administrative Information Systems, Information Technology Services 
Deb Tiemens, associate director of institutional data, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

Support Team 

Kathy Andrews, senior executive assistant, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost​​​​​​​
Mirra Anson, coordinator of strategic plan and student success initiatives, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and senior director, Academic Support and Retention, University College 
Jayme Johnson, office manager, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

Team Leads 

Lois Geist (lead), professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, and associate provost for faculty, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 
Cheryl Reardon (co-lead), chief human resource officer and associate vice president, University Human Resources

Team Members 

Erin Barnes, clinical assistant professor, Department of Counselor Education, College of Education 
Sue Bodine, professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine
Nicole Brogden, associate professor, Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy​​​​​​​
Brandi Carr, senior human resources director, UI Health Care 
Lawrence Cook, lecturer, Master of Finance Professional Director, Department of Finance, Tippie College of Business
Sean Hesler, interim director, Organizational Effectiveness, University Human Resources​​​​​​​
M. Lindell Joseph, clinical professor and director of graduate health systems/administration, College of Nursing​​​​​​​
Ruthina Malone, departmental administrator, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences​​​​​​​
Jamie Matthews, director of information technology, Information Technology Services and College of Law
Heather Mineart, department administrator, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and UI Staff Council past president​​​​​​​
David Ryfe, professor and director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
Sarah Tallman, associate director of operations, Office of the Vice President for Research  

Data and Assessment Team Liaisons 

Deb Tiemens, associate director of institutional data, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost​​​​​​​
Kristina Yows, associate director of administration and planning, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 

Support Team 

Mirra Anson, coordinator of strategic plan and student success initiatives, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and senior director, Academic Support and Retention, University College 
Kim Carter, executive administrative assistant, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

 

Data and Assessment Team Members

Team Lead 

Wayne Jacobson, director, Office of Assessment, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost 

Team Members 

Matt Anson, associate director for institutional research and assessment, Office of Assessment, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Sriram Chari, executive director, Administrative Information Systems, Information Technology Services 
Nate Cook, manager of accounting and financial analysis, Division of Sponsored Programs, Office of the Vice President for Research​​​​​​​
Gokul Murugesan, senior data scientist, UI Center for Advancement 
Boyd Knosp, associate dean for information technology, Carver College of Medicine​​​​​​​
Mike Noel, senior director, Administrative Information Systems, Information Technology Services 
Dan O’Connell, assistant vice president, Constituent Insights and Analytics, UI Center for Advancement
Teri Schnelle, director of projects and partnerships, Division of Student Life​​​​​​​
Duane Staskal, data, analytics, and insights workgroup leader, Information Technology Services
Don Szeszycki, associate vice president and director of administration and planning, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost​​​​​​​
Deb Tiemens, associate director of institutional data, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost​​​​​​​
Kristina Yows, associate director of administration and planning, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost