
Over the last 18 months, the College of Arts and Sciences partnered with a local firm, Clarus Consulting Group, to develop our new strategic plan for 2024-2028. I am happy to announce that the plan (“Forging Ahead”) has been approved, and it is now available on the College’s website.
This strategic plan is the result of months of meetings, focus groups, interviews, and reflection about who we are as a College, what our goals should be for the future, and how we can accomplish them. The CAS community also elevated foundational values related to Viability and Organizational Health—both of which reinforce UAB’s shared values: Collaborate, Act with Integrity, Respect All, and Excel.
The College’s unique foundational values represent our community's mindfulness around balancing our investments and aspirations, as well as our collective desire to prioritize well-being and belonging given the rich disciplinary variety of CAS. We know so much about the higher education landscape is changing and evolving at the moment, so we believe these values will help us make wise decisions about the College’s future moving forward.
Along with foundational values, the strategic plan outlines goals, priorities, and activities related to three pillars:
- Student Success
- Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities
- Community Engagement
So much great work is already underway within these pillars, but we know that we can do more. From recruiting more students across the Greater Birmingham region to investing in research to increasing service learning courses, the College is ready to fortify these pillars and hold ourselves accountable along the way.
We have set metrics for accomplishing our goals, so you should expect to hear how we're doing throughout this year (and into the future). We will highlight stories, actions, and new resources in our newsletters, on social media, and elsewhere. Our hope is to keep our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and community partners engaged every step of the way. And, as we track data related to our metrics, you should also expect for us to ask for feedback and suggestions when we might need to reconsider or revise a goal.
A special thanks to all of you who provided feedback throughout this process. Over 150 members of the CAS community—including faculty, staff, students, and alumni—participated and offered valuable insights and candor. Your time and commitment to CAS is what makes our College so special. I look forward to Forging Ahead with you.
Explore the plan here.