Implementation Planning

Our Institutional Access Strategic Planning and Implementation process will unfold in three stages. Last year, the College of Social Science completed a strategic planning process to advance our goals of Institutional Access, in alignment with Michigan State University’s mission to make Institutional Access central to our excellence. Many faculty, staff, and students participated in this collaborative process, and our SSC community laid out clear strategic Access goals and objectives for our college. This was stage one of the process. Learn more about our strategic planning.

We are now in stage two of a 5-year implementation process. This process which started in late Fall 2023 and involves the imagining of the strategic objectives and goals into doable and sustainable initiatives, and identifying the metrics for benchmarking success, will be completed by December 2024. The implementation will be a community driven process. Institutional Access implementation plan committees, representing all SSC stakeholders—faculty, staff, students, alumni—have been identified and will participate in the development of initiatives that support our strategic plan. We will also be reaching out to all members of our community to submit ideas/proposals via an online submissions’ portal. (coming soon)

Stage three of the implementation process will be the actual execution of the plan, which will begin January 2025.

Helping lead this process, are three Dean’s Institutional Access Fellows who will work with the Office of Institutional Access (OIA) to identify specific priorities and ways to most effectively achieve our goals. Below are the nine implementation goal areas that our implementation planning will focus on.

• FACULTY EXCELLENCE

  Objective: 1A

  Increase the proportion of underrepresented faculty and staff utilizing proactive recruitment, hiring, and retention strategies.

  Objective: 2B

  Increase the proportion of underrepresented faculty in the rank of Professor.

  Objective: 2F

  Support opportunities and create pathways for leadership development for underrepresented faculty.

  Objective: 4F

  Increase the training of underrepresented faculty in donor development.

   

• STUDENT EXCELLENCE

  Objective: 1C

  Increase the proportion of underrepresented students enrolled in our undergraduate and graduate programs.

  Objective: 2A

  Reduce disparities in persistence and graduation rates among underrepresented minority, Pell-Eligible, and first-generation students.

  Objective: 2C

  Bolster supports for the success of underrepresented and first-generation graduate students.

  Objective: 4C

  Increase student engagement with alumni from underrepresented backgrounds.

• STAFF EXCELLENCE

  Objective: 1A

  Increase the proportion of underrepresented faculty and staff utilizing proactive recruitment, hiring, and retention strategies.

  Objective: 2E

  Formalize pathways for career advancement among academic and support staff.

  Objective: 4D

  In line with university guidelines, integrate Access into consideration of vendors and suppliers.

• ENGAGED RESEARCH

  Objective: 1B

  Increase the proportion of faculty engaged in impactful community-based research with underrepresented communities.

  Objective: 1D

  Increase fiscal and other tangible supports for Access-related research and applied Access-related projects within the College.

  Objective: 4A

  Increase fiscal and other tangible supports for faculty engaged in research with underrepresented communities.

• ENGAGED LEARNING

  Objective: 1E

  Increase substantive Access content in curriculum.

  Objective: 4B

  Increase community-engaged learning experiences.

• PROMOTING ACCESSIBLE SPACES

  Objective: 2D

  Improve the accessibility of our physical and digital spaces.

  Objective: 3D

  (Re)design physical and digital spaces to reflect our diversity and foster connection.

  Objective: 3E

  Offer flexible methods of engagement in Access professional development.

• CULTURE OF CARE AND TRUST

  Objective: 3A

  Cocreate a culture of trust that addresses exclusionary behaviors (microaggressions, incivility) and encourages inclusive behaviors.

  Objective: 3C

  Support ongoing opportunities to develop and sustain meaningful and collaborative relationships and a sense of community across affinity groups & Access goal areas.

• FOSTERING INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

  Objective: 3B

  Provide onboarding and continued Access professional development opportunities to College and unit leadership.

  Objective: 3F

  Increase College community participation in regular climate assessments.

• COMMUNICATIONS

  Objective: 3G

  Enhance Access communications to internal and external audiences.

  Objective: 4E

  Increase donor engagement in the Access space.