Colleagues,

Welcome to a new academic year.

As you know from an email sent earlier this summer, IUP’s Strategic Priorities for the 2026–27 academic year have been identified.

This year’s Strategic Priorities and the guiding themes—transparent and effective communication; broad organizational engagement; collaboration and shared ownership; continuous improvement and innovation; and accountability and measurable results—remain a shared work in progress.

I am pleased to share additional information about this important work, including the leader for each of the priorities and the executive statement:

  • Financial Viability—Vice President for Administration and Finance Peter Holden. Foster a sustainable financial culture that drives responsible stewardship, strategic decision-making, and long-term resilience.
  • Employee Learning and Development—Director of Human Resources Lindsey McNickle. Establish a comprehensive, multifaceted learning and development environment that cultivates talent, strengthens leadership capacity, fosters cross-functional collaboration, and positions the university to thrive in an evolving higher education landscape.
  • Experiential Learning—Associate Vice President for International Education and Global Engagement Michele Petrucci. Develop a campus-wide, systematic approach to experiential learning in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students to further foster experiential learning and bolster IUP student engagement in these critical, high-impact practices.
  • Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity—Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Hilliary Creely. Cultivate a dynamic, inclusive culture of research, scholarship, and creative activity that expands engagement, strengthens collaboration, removes barriers, and maintains IUP’s R2 status while positioning the university for future growth and impact.
  • Non-Degree Learning Pathways—Executive Director of Graduate and Special Admissions Rich Muth. Promote, facilitate, and expand high-quality, in-demand noncredit and credit-bearing academic certificates that support career advancement and meet evolving workplace needs for learners and industry partners.
  • Artificial Intelligence—Chief Information Officer Todd Cunningham. Advance the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence to improve student outcomes, enhance teaching and learning, support employee effectiveness, strengthen institutional decision-making, and prepare IUP graduates for an AI-enabled workforce while managing risk.

These Strategic Priorities are not the sole responsibility of the Strategic Priority leader or team; every member of the IUP community has a role to play in advancing these important initiatives. There will be many opportunities for ongoing discussion and collaboration, including during the first Open Conversation on September 14, which will be held in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room from 11:20 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (More information and a complete schedule of the Open Conversation and Informal Conversation Series will be shared shortly.)

More information about these Strategic Priorities, including updates, is available at iup.edu/future. Updates about the Strategic Priorities will be made on a quarterly basis, starting in early September.

As I thank the Strategic Priorities group, I also thank you. These Strategic Priorities have been developed in great part from your feedback, including through our time together at Building IUP’s Future events. IUP has maintained a commitment to our shared mission of becoming an exceptionally student-centered university while ensuring that IUP remains a leader in higher education, focusing on the University’s Strategic Plan and the Presidential Goals.

While we look forward, I want to recognize progress we have made together on our 2025–26 key initiatives. These projects have advanced the university in very important ways and have laid the foundation for this year’s Strategic Priorities, while continuing our commitment to supporting our students:

  • Academic Program Review
  • Noncredit Credentials
  • Convening Functional Groups Across Divisions to Inform Change
  • Experiential Learning for Our Students
  • Program and Course Sharing Across PASSHE
  • Financial Sustainability
  • Establishing Our College of Osteopathic Medicine

I encourage you all to visit the Strategic Priorities website on a regular basis; you can also offer suggestions and comments via iup-future@iup.edu.

Thank you for all of your creativity, diligence, willingness to collaborate, and most importantly, for your focus on our students.

As I begin my 15th year at IUP as your president in IUP’s 151st year, I see a university that is strong and capable, excited about new opportunities and the promise of growth, but that remains firmly committed to a tradition of excellence.

I am very proud to be your president and grateful to be part of the Crimson Hawk family.

Best wishes for a productive and enjoyable year.

Michael A. Driscoll
President

P.S. I hope to see you on Friday, August 21, at 9:00 a.m. for our Opening of the Academic Year program in Fisher Auditorium. You will hear brief remarks from each of the Strategic Priorities leaders during this event.