Strategic Plan implementation accelerating

The University of Colorado is taking steps to accelerate efforts around its systemwide 2021-2026 Strategic Plan as well as campus strategic plans. Action steps are being launched that will deliver on the pillars in the system plan, advance CU’s long-term mission and benefit students, faculty and staff.

President Todd Saliman updated the Board of Regents Wednesday, saying the university is making good progress and that it will use one-time funds to help accelerate strategic initiatives.

“The strategic plan is a road map for CU’s future that focuses on students, faculty, staff, research and operations,” said Saliman, who co-chaired the strategic planning process. “Like many organizations, CU has benefited from a historic year with its investments, which will enable us to accelerate progress toward systemwide and campus specific goals. I appreciate that the regents recently supported this accelerated approach and look forward to seeing this effort help move the university forward.”

The university experienced a 24.4% return on its investments over the past fiscal year. A portion of those gains — $436 million — is available for projects, of which approximately $225 million will be used on strategic initiatives over the next two years. Another portion of the gains will be used to build a treasury pool to buffer against market fluctuations.

The Strategic Plan goals include:

• Making CU more affordable and accessible for Colorado students and families
• Increasing graduation rates to help meet Colorado’s workforce needs
• Increasing efforts to ensure the university welcomes the diverse communities and perspectives of Colorado to CU
• Making a one-time investment to support and retain faculty and staff
• Advancing research, healthcare and discovery
• Making critical investments in technology and infrastructure

The strategic plan was developed over the past two years in collaboration with the university’s four campuses and with continued engagement and support from the Board of Regents.

“The strategic plan was the product of a universitywide conversation on the long-term health of CU,” said Sharon Matusik, dean of the Leeds School of Business, who co-chaired the strategic planning process with Saliman. “These investments are important for our future and ensure that we stay focused on our goals.”