Jischke seeks input for
Purdue’s strategic
plan
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
The document that will shape Purdue University
for the next five years and take us to "the next level" — the strategic
plan — will be open for public scrutiny Wednesday afternoon.
President Martin Jischke, who coined the phrase
"the next level" over a year ago, is hosting a series of three open
forums for public input into Purdue's strategic plan. The first will
be from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday in Stewart Center, Room 302.
The forums are a venue for students, faculty, staff
and members of the community to offer their ideas on the drafted plan.
"Please become involved, we need your input," Jischke
said to faculty members at the University Senate meeting Monday afternoon.
Linda Mason, associate professor of entomology
and chairperson of the University Senate, also urged her fellow faculty
members to attend at least one forum.
"The strategic plan will lay out the roadmap for
educational objectives for Purdue," Mason said. "Attend the workshops."
The director of strategic planning, Rabindra Mukerjea,
added students should also attend. "Everyone is welcome. We encourage
everyone, particularly students, as many as can attend," he said. "This
is a very important activity for Purdue."
A task force met periodically over the last few
months to draft the strategic plan, which has separate parts for each
Purdue regional campus. West Lafayette's plan includes mission and vision
statements, goals for the University and ways to benchmark Purdue against
other universities.
The concept of the plan is preeminence, which Jischke
reiterated at the University Senate meeting. He said the overall vision
for Purdue has it becoming a superior university, especially in the
basic and applied sciences, engineering and other technical areas.
Preeminence is divided into three categories —
discovery, which includes research and infrastructure goals; engagement,
which includes corporate partnerships and personal relationships with
alumni and friends; and learning, which includes enrichment programs
and instruction methods.
Mukerjea said the task force that created the plan
worked hard to compile it. "I think it's really important," he said.
"It's one of the most important steps the University's going to be taking
to provide a framework for Purdue's development."
Each of the three open forums will be similar.
Mukerjea said Jischke would probably introduce the plan, answer questions
and receive feedback on Wednesday.
The main purpose of the other two sessions, which
will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 19 in Stewart Center, Room 306
and 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 20 in Stewart Center, Rooms 302-306, is
to provide different times for people to participate.
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