The UAB Strategic Planning Council includes representatives from all campus stakeholder groups.

Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D., co-chair Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Brian Burnett, Ph.D., co-chair Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration

Jim Bakken, co-chair Chief Communications Officer

Anupam Agarwal, MD Dean, Heersink School of Medicine		Bradley Barnes, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management
Tom Brannan Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives		Jennifer Braswell Christy, Ph.D. Faculty, School of Health Professions
Christopher Brown, Ph.D. Vice President for Research		Josh Carpenter, Ph.D. CEO, Southern Research
Laine Chapman Past Chair, Staff Council		David Dada Community Relations
Paulette Patterson Dilworth, Ph.D. Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion		Paul Erwin, DrPH Dean, School of Public Health
Eva W. Lewis, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Planning		Patrick Murphy, Ph.D. Faculty, Collat School of Business
Kathy Nugent, Ph.D. Executive Director, Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship		David Randall, MD Chief Strategy Officer, UAB Medicine
Ryan Robinette Past President, UAB Alumni Association		Ritika Samant Undergraduate Student Government Association
Autumn  Massey-Sims Graduate Student Government		Mike Sloane, Ph.D. Past Chair, Faculty Senate
Andy Sullivan Faculty, School of Engineering		Kecia Thomas, Ph.D. Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Mission pillar subgroups

Members of the Strategic Planning Council were tasked with forming subcommittees around each of our four mission pillars: Education; Research, Innovation & Economic Development; Community Engagement; and Patient Care. Membership on each of those subcommittees is listed here. The subcommittees worked to develop goals, objectives and activities/strategies for each of the mission pillars. They also provided input into the dashboard metrics appropriate for these goals.

EDUCATION		RESEARCH, INNOVATION, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Chair: Paul Erwin, MD, Ph.D		Co-Chairs: Kathy Nugent, Ph.D., Chris Brown, Ph.D.
Bradley Barnes, Ph.D. (Enrollment Management)		Patrick Murphy, Ph.D. (Business)
Ritika Samant (USGA)		Josh Carpenter, Ph.D. (Southern Research)
Chris Minnix, Ph.D. (Blazer Core)		Suzi Lapi, Ph.D. (Medicine)
Mary Wallace, Ph.D. (Student Affairs)		Suzanne Judd, Ph.D. (Public Health)
Walter Stewart (Veterans Services/ Student Affairs)
Scott Phillips, Ph.D. (Center for Teaching and Learning)
Pam Paustian (Provost's Office/ Online recruitment)
PATIENT CARE		COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Co-chair: David Randall		Chair: Kecia Thomas, Ph.D.
Co-chair: Anupam Agarwal, MD		Andrew Sullivan (Engineering)
Tom Brannan (Advancement)		Shauntice Allen, Ph.D. (Public Health)
Michael Faircloth, MD (Medicine)		Jaret Langston, Ph.D. (IEA)
Elizabeth Steele, OD (Optometry)		Teresa Shufflebarger (Medicine)
Michele Talley, Ph.D. (Nursing)		Katrina Watson (Literacy Council)
Russell Taichman, DM.D., DMSC (Dentistry)		Mike Wyss, Ph.D. (CORD)

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Subcommittees were formed to develop goals, objectives, strategies and metrics for the foundations of those mission pillars:  Diversity, Stewardship and Philanthropy.

DIVERSITY		STEWARDSHIP		PHILANTHROPY
Chair: Paulette Dilworth, Ph.D.		Chair: Brian Burnett, Ph.D.		Chair: Tom Brannan
Autumn Massey-Sims (GSA)		Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D. (Provost)		Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D. (Provost)
David Dada (Community Relations)		Tom Brannan (Advancement)
Felesia Bowen, Ph.D., DNP (Nursing)		Stephanie Mullins (Vice President for Strategic Initiatives)
Tequila Smith, UAB alumna		Andy Hollis (Interim CFO and Associate Vice President of Financial Affairs)
Nabiha Yusuf, Ph.D. (Faculty Senate)

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Subcommittees also were formed to redefine UAB's peer group, update the university's mission, vision and value statements and report on the processes and progress made through the strategic plan.

PEER COMPARISONS		MISSION/VISION/VALUES		COMMUNICATIONS
Chair: Brian Burnett, Ph.D.		Chair: Mike Sloane, Ph.D. (CAS/ Honors College		Chair: Jim Bakken
Eva W. Lewis, Ph.D. (IEA)		Jennifer Christy, Ph.D. (Health Professions)		Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D. (Provost)
Laine Chapman (Health Professions)		Jim Bakken (CCO)		Maelynn Chung (UAB Health System)
Sean Kerins (IEA)		Arpan LiM.D.i (UAB Medicine)		Linda Gunter (Institutional Communications)
Jeff Holmes, MD, Ph.D. (Engineering)		Zandral Washington (UAB Police)		Chris McCauley (CAS)
		Tyler Huang, alumnus

A new framework for success

At UAB, we are prepared to meet new opportunities and challenges because we plan ahead and sustain strategic growth that has a positive impact on people’s lives.

Forging Ahead, UAB's five-year strategic plan for 2024-2028, builds on the success of our past plans and outlines our mission, vision, values, peers, foundations and pillars, as well as outlines institutional goals and strategies to achieve them, and measurements of success.

The monumental success experienced under previous strategic plans in UAB President Ray L. Watts’ first ten years leading the institution are chronicled in the Spring 2023 UAB Magazine. Forging the Future, UAB’s 2018-2023 strategic plan, produced a new core curriculum, launched a Grand Challenge, led to record-breaking enrollment and research expenditures and unparalleled generosity in giving by donors.

Before that, the UAB21 plan led to notable achievements including the Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance, which is accelerating the efforts to treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, diabetes and kidney disease and more. Subsequent strategic plans expanded the Honors College and created the Blazing Start initiative to give more Birmingham-area high school graduates greater access to UAB educational opportunities.

UAB’s current plan, Forging Ahead was developed over two years in an inclusive process that leveraged the knowledge and expertise of UAB’s most valuable resource – its people. Learn more about how the plan was developed.