| October 9, 2003 Dear Campus Community: |
| At their meeting on Wednesday, the Board of Trustees was presented with a timeline
for crafting the plan for the University's strategic directions. I expect this plan
to be completed by the Board's final meeting on April 28. This is an aggressive
timeline, but with the support of the USD community I'm certain it can be done. |
| The outcomes of this process will address the university as a whole, with linkages
as appropriate to specific divisions, departments, and programs. These strategic
visions will require commitment and implementation actions across the divisions of
the university during the next five years. I believe it's important for us to take
a fresh look at our mission, our distinctiveness, and our institutional priorities,
particularly as we embark on a major capital campaign. |
| I have appointed a steering committee to guide this process during the year,
with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning supporting their endeavors.
During the next two months, the office will be conducting a series of focus groups
and interviews to gather information from both on-campus and off-campus constituencies.
The time line for the process and the membership of the steering committee are posted
on their Web site under the heading "Strategic
Directions." We will post updates to the site at regular intervals to keep the
campus community apprised of our progress. |
| Sincerely, |
| Mary E. Lyons, Ph.D. President |

