‘Our North Star’: MSU starts developing next Strategic Plan

MSU is currently gathering input for its next Strategic Plan through surveys, listening sessions and community conversations. The plan, which is set to be published Nov. 19, will help guide the University for the next several years.

“Our Strategic Plan is our North Star. It is how we chart our course into the future,” said the Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture Dean Adams, who serves as leadership support on the planning team. 

According to the MSU website, the University has assembled a dedicated team to guide the planning process. Members of this team include undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff from different departments and community representatives. 

Adams, a Montana-born MSU alum who has been teaching since 2001, said his ties to the University and the state drove him to get involved in the planning process. “I feel not just an investment at MSU, but an investment in the state of Montana,” he said.

According to him, the Strategic Plan will be focused on executable items rather than reshaping the school’s mission. 

“We’re dealing with actionable things at MSU that help us better serve our students, that help us better serve our community and beyond,” he said. “The mission statement, the vision statement, the values list of how we work at MSU — we’re not altering that this time.” 

Adams said the University will use listening sessions and surveys to gather input from students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as other individuals and groups across the state and country with ties to MSU.

The planning team will guide the community input process, and consultant Kate Sutherland will facilitate the community listening sessions. Sutherland works for Tyton Partners, an education consulting firm, according to a communication from MSU President Brock Tessman published on Feb. 3.

According to Ashley Dahlman, the undergraduate representative on the planning team, the surveys and listening sessions are intended to gain insight that members on the team may not have. 

“I cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to engage as many constituents as possible throughout the entire state of Montana,” she said. 

Dahlman said student’s voices in particular matter because they are key contributors to the University. “The whole reason the University is here is to serve students. Therefore, it is very important to take this opportunity provided and bring their voice to the table,” she said.

The first listening session, held Tuesday, Feb. 17, was designed specifically for undergraduate students to provide input on the plan. 

Some points brought up at the event included MSU’s ties to research in military and surveillance technology on the Innovation Campus, problems with perceived program funding inequality and a lack of interdisciplinary opportunities across campus. 

Sophomore computer science major Will McClain expressed concern about the University’s lack of focus on some departments. 

“See, I’m very lucky. As far as computer science, there’s a new hall being built right now,” he said. “I want there to be a more general fair share with all the departments.”

According to McClain, when he visits other buildings on campus, like Howard Hall — which houses the College of Music — he doesn’t see the same investment. “Seeing the resources they have there versus the resources that get donated to nursing and computer science and the things that bring in money for the University is kind of stark,” he said.

McClain also raised concerns about how the University should address the increasing prevalence of AI. According to him, the University doesn’t have a campus-wide AI policy. “There [are] a lot of different standards that different professors have independently.” 

Adams said the planning team is considering AI. “I know it’s a problem that we’re going to have to figure out how to engage with,” he said.

According to Adams, the best way to get involved in the planning process is to take the surveys and attend listening sessions. “We want to hear from everybody. That is the whole purpose of the strategic planning team,” he said.

“If I had one message to go out there, it would be that we do it together. We create our future together,” Adams said. “It’s an opportunity for everyone to play a part in the future of MSU.”

To learn more about the Strategic Plan, visit https://www.montana.edu/strategicplan/.