Among Dr. Tony Atwater’s first initiatives as president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania was to create a new five-year strategic plan for the university that could serve as a road map for advancing IUP’s legacy of excellence into the new millennium.
Driven by the vision and mission of the university as well as by critical contemporary trends in academia, enrollment, resources, student needs, diversity, global opportunities, technology, career advancement, and economic development, the 2007-2012 University Strategic Plan identifies the university’s core strengths and values to be:
- Access with opportunity to succeed
- Engaged Learning
- Student-Centered Emphasis
- Diversity
- Civility
- Global Awareness
- Accountability
- Shared Governance
Based on these core values, the plan presents a coherent agenda for guiding IUP’s continuing evolution—through academic success, public service, and scholarship—as one of America’s premier public universities. The overarching strategic goals, outlined by the plan, include:
- Academic Excellence: To continue to promote and achieve demonstrated success and quality in teaching and scholarship at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Student Development and Success: To facilitate the achievement of academic and personal goals by existing programs and services, and creating new ones, in order to ensure the growth and development of the whole person.
- Civic Engagement: To continue to evolve as a community of staff, students, and faculty who embrace the values, institutional pride, traditions, and history of IUP and are committed to serving the university as well as the region.
- Marketing and Promotion: To launch an integrated, comprehensive, coordinated, and institutionwide effort to communicate the mission-critical values and messages in ways that IUP’s different constituencies notice, understand, and respond to.
- Enrollment Management: To adopt an integrated and systematic approach to student enrollment that allows the university to develop a strong relationship with students from the time of their initial inquiry through graduation and post-graduation.
- Continuous Improvement: To continue to foster an environment where individuals may proactively collaborate to constantly review and improve the systems and processes used by the university. » more
- Resource Development: To strengthen efforts to identify, cultivate, and secure financial and human support for the university, its mission, and its vision.
- University Safety and Security: To continue to find ways to improve the safety, security, and wellness of the university community and safeguard the university’s assets.
Also, see Next Steps.
Together, we will build upon the university’s solid reputation for teaching excellence, high-quality scholarship, and student success. Together, we will courageously chart the course for the next successful chapter of IUP’s radiant history. Together, we will sustain the university’s ability to serve the evolving needs of students and the Indiana region. And together, we will secure the future of Indiana University of Pennsylvania as one of the finest public doctoral universities in America for generations to come.
—Dr. Tony Atwater
