Gatherings of faculty, students, staff, administrators and external constituents throughout the Strategic Planning process helped to inform the final plan. Summaries were posted as they occurred and reflect one or two sample insights gained around each topic. To note, in some cases we heard completely opposing ideas. All feedback was shared with the Strategic Planning Committee for further discussion.

March 28, 2018 Meetup 10: Wildcats for Life

How might we build a future where alumni engage in lifelong learning and relationships?

Live poll

What programming should the UA offer alumni?

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In one word, what makes you most proud to be a Wildcat?

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What three words should define the Wildcat alumni experience?

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Discussion

In small groups, we talked through questions like What do alumni want/need from the UA (e.g., tools, skills, networking) and what programs would you be proud to support as an alumna?

Here are a couple of outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Continued career development and networking
assure relevancy of education throughout alumni careers and provide connections to alumni networks and current students

Mentorship
create opportunities for alumni to serve and support students, peers, factulty and staff

March 28, 2018 Meetup 9: Make Science Fiction Scientific Fact

How will we lead the integration of our physical, digital and biological worlds on Earth and beyond?

Discussion

In small groups we talked through questions like What do alumni want/need from the UA (e.g., tools, skills, networking) and what programs would you be proud to support as an alumna?

Here are a couple of outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Define technological goals
integrate the human-computer interaction, data science, machine learning and AI into technological goals, including development

Preserve the Earth
use the same energies and technologies we use to explore space to help sustain Earth

March 27, 2018 Meetup 8: Arts Oasis in the Desert

How might we make Arizona a destination for the arts?

Discussion

The arts are a significant contributor to creative problem-solving and a happy, healthy life. In Phase I, it was made clear that many of us believe we are a gem in the desert. We asked groups to describe Tucson. Then think about our bigger place in Tucson, in society and the world. What would it look like for every student, staff and faculty member to experience arts and culture at Arizona?

We also asked attendees to show how the arts at Arizona and in the Tucson and AZ community be known to the world five years from now? What events, programs, installations, performances and exhibits would be distinctive?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Night lights
build our version of South by Southwest to promote the importance of the arts and community

New thinking in old west
be a destination for murals and indigenous art, collaborations of the arts and sciences to bolster outcomes in K-8 schools, prisons and intercultural relations

Artside out
make walking through campus and learning at Arizona an artistic experience

March 22, 2018 Meetup 7: Age Without Limits

How might we create the solutions that help people age with health and dignity?

Discussion

In Phase 1, “Age without limits” rose to the top as a grand challenge for health in Arizona and beyond. We asked small groups to share big ideas around how we will lead in this area in a way that is big and distinctively UA?

Here is the outcome that resulted from this discussion:

Age without limits
integrate Arizona expertise across holistic approaches to aging, cybersecurity and neuroscience to strengthen collaborations and show the world we age better 

March 22, 2018 Meetup 6: The World is Wildcat Country

How will we establish our place on the world stage and prepare students for a connected and global world?

Discussion

Several big ideas emerged during Phase 1 with regard to preparing students for an interconnected world, including:

1. Enabling every student to have a multi-cultural experience through study abroad, and
2. connecting research across campus, micro-campuses and other research hubs.

For each big idea, we asked the small groups to think about: How might we might make this bigger? Make a real difference? What would you add?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Internationalism
increase international language and learning opportunities, physically and virtually, to create more of a global experience

Global perspective
foster global collaborations with experts and entities tackling similar problems to deepen multicultural learning and impact

Then we asked attendees to show how the UA should develop global impact:

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March 21, 2018 Meetup 5: H2Onward

How might we ensure a sustainable future given our strengths?

Discussion

Sustainability is a consistent theme across our Strategic Plan discussions. We asked groups to consider: How we might observe and predict a future Earth and lead practices around food, energy and water? How might we make our contributions bigger, bolder and distinctively UA?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Connect, understand, inspire
Be an integrated institute of sustainability across disciplines, curriculum, community and partnerships to inspire everyday action 

Engineered desert
Embrace our status as a living laboratory to solve problems for the third of the world’s population living in arid lands

March 20, 2018 Meetup 4: Healing the Health Gap

How might we discover solutions to health disparities among diverse populations?

Discussion

During Phase I, multiple ideas came to the surface around our existing health gap. We asked groups to consider two grand challenges around health: “Age without limits” and “Precision Medicine for the underserved.” Then we asked:What are unifying themes that tie these challenges together and how might we make our initiatives bigger, more distinctive? Does this change in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution? What is the role of humanities, the arts, social and behavioral sciences?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Value of research and collaboration
connect education with breakthroughs and health with quality of life, to engage communities in preventative practices 

Power of diversity
understand our unique populations, across physical and social determinants of health, to better serve all Arizona communities

March 14, 2018 Meetup 3: Finding Meaning in a Digital World

How will arts and humanities help us define and live a meaningful life?

Discussion

Many ideas emerged during Phase I with regard to creating Finding Meaning in a Digital World. We asked the small groups to think about:How will the UA become the “University of the Future?” How might a 4th Industrial Revolution Impact Center help us determine how government, business and society will work together to increase innovation and design meaningful lives?

Then we asked them to show: What does a meaningful life look like?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Meaning through more human connection
increase outreach and interaction that builds a more multicultural and global community 

Prepare for digital reality
develop critical life, social and intercultural competencies within a digital context

March 13, 2018 Meetup 2: One Arizona

How should we create a diverse and inclusive campus?

Discussion

Diversity and inclusion is a significant theme that emerged during Phase I. First, we asked the small groups to think about: What does diversity and inclusion look like at the UA? How will we know we are successful?

Then we asked them to show: What does an inclusive campus look like?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Diversified populations and curriculum
higher enrollment and employment across marginalized identities to reflect the diversity seen in students

Pride in diversity
success is an improved campus climate, increased retention, common student experience and feeling of community

March 12, 2018 Meetup 1: Agile Wildcats

How might we develop disruptive problem solvers for a rapidly changing world?

Live Poll

What three words should describe the University of Arizona student experience?

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What are the top three skills Wildcats need to be successful in the world?

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What words should describe the University of Arizona curriculum?

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Discussion

We pulled three big ideas that emerged during Phase I with regard to creating Agile Wildcats. Idea 1: The UA will unveil a forward-looking Gen Ed curriculum to create disruptive problem-solvers. Idea 2: The UA will be the university of active teaching and learning. Idea 3: The UA will build pathways and experiences to make Wildcats global changemakers.

For each big idea, we asked the small groups to think about: How might we might make this bigger? Make a real difference? What would you add?

Here are a few outcomes that resulted from the discussion:

Interdisciplinary and diversified approach
build a cohort model that integrates the arts, design- and systemic-thinking into students’ course of study to promote active learning and multicultural thinking

Applied problem-solving
connect curriculum with real-world problems through applied research and community partnerships to solve today’s grand challenges

Global focus
embrace the importance of a global experience and versatility of micro-campuses

Career track
educate students so their career track and marketable skills are a top priority

Phase 1: Discovery

Website Questions

Question 1: List up to five words or phrases that should define the University of Arizona ten years from now.

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Question 2: List up to five words or phrases that describe the strengths of the University of Arizona.

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March 6, 2018, Interactive Discussion in Phoenix

Nearly 200 Wildcats shared their voices in Phoenix on March 6, in an interactive discussion about a future UA. We began with introductions and a live poll with answers that populated on the big screen. Watch the recap.

Discussion Outcomes

Live Poll

We asked everyone to share thoughts about where we are today and where we should be tomorrow:

What word best describes the strengths of the University of Arizona?

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What word should define the University of Arizona ten years from now?

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Small Group Discussion

Then we asked everyone to work in groups to answer: What impact will the University of Arizona have on students, society and the community in ten years?

Each group shared their ideas on a poster and voted between all of the posters after the event on the ideas that resonated most.

Co-Chair Panel

The Strategic Plan Committee co-chairs came to the stage for a panel Q&A session moderated by Dr. Robbins. Read more about some of the great questions we received and the committee's answers in this Lo Que Pasa article.

Due to time restrictions, some of the panel questions were not answered during the event. Instead, they were answered by the co-chairs afterward. These questions and answers are:

What things in this plan would move towards less debt and cost for students and grads?
What are we doing to make education more affordable for students in need?

A core piece of this strategic plan will be student success. This will include making the Wildcat student journey more affordable, personalized and relevant to the changing world of work. Some key pieces that will help us increase the value of a UA degree and increase affordability for students are: potential increase in scholarship opportunities, focus on improving our retention and four-year (or shorter) graduation rates, increased use of evidence-based and active teaching techniques, and increased support for students (e.g., advising, opportunities to get connected or become involved, etc.). It is top of mind for us that every student who comes to the UA does not graduate with an undue financial burden.

How is this different from past strategic plans?

A key difference of this strategic plan has been the amount of input we have sought and received, and plan to continue receiving, from the UA community and beyond. We have heard from thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members and other members of the UA family. With this amount of input, we are confident that this plan will be bold and transformative. We plan on committing deeply (financially and operationally) to the strategic pillars and initiatives that emerge during this process and will hold ourselves accountable to deliver on the targets and goals we set as a university.

January 29, 2018, Interactive Discussion in Tucson

On January 29, 2018, more than 500 Wildcats — students, alumni, faculty, staff, donors and community members —  came together to discuss the university's future. President Robbins, the Arizona Pep Band, Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat and the cheer squad kick the event off with spirit. Watch the recap.

Discussion Outcomes

Live Poll

We asked all to share thoughts about where we are today and where we should be tomorrow. The live poll populated on the big screen as the audience submitted answers to the below questions via text message.

What word best describes the strengths of the University of Arizona?

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What word should define the University of Arizona ten years from now?

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Small Group Discussion

In small groups, we worked to answer the question, “What impact will the University of Arizona have on students, society and the community in ten years?” Following the event, each attendee was given six sticker dots to mark the idea(s) they felt resonated the most.

These posters highlighted below are representative of a total of 40 worked on in collaborative table discussions that resulted in great ideas for our future.

After tallying the dots, three common outcomes arose (with some overlap between statements):

Executive Committee Panel

Then we brought the Strategic Plan executive committee up for a panel Q&A session. Read more about some of the great questions we received and the committee's answers in this Lo Que Pasa article.

January 10-29, 2018, Feedback Sessions

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We've held nearly 100 focus group discussions and met with groups including faculty, students, staff, alumni, supporters and community members to gather input about strengths, challenges and ideas for our collective institutional future.

January 12, 2018, Site Launch

We launched this site!

January 10, 2018, Class Visits

The first day of spring classes: President Robbins and the strategic plan team visited four classrooms with over 1,300 students to discuss the plan and gather input.