Establishment of the University Planning Council

The president established the University Planning Council to advise and assist him in the strategic and tactical planning of the university.

The president’s initial charge to the UPC in 2019 included:

  • Develop priorities that will guide the design of a University Strategic Plan focused on ordering all of our resources and all of our work to ensure that each student is successful—both here and after graduation.

  • Guide the final assessment of the 2015–20 IUP University Strategic Plan and prepare a final report to be shared with the IUP community.

  • Advise the IUP president and university leadership about challenges and opportunities impacting the institution.

In January 2020, UPC members began meeting with divisions, departments, and organizations to discuss and receive feedback about the Core Principles, Impact Areas, and barriers to IUP student success.

More than 600 faculty, staff, and students participated in meetings with UPC representatives through June 2020 (held virtually after March due to the pandemic).

UPC Strategic Plan Development Team

  • Co-chair, Scott Moore (History/College of Arts and Humanities) at rsmoore@iup.edu
  • Co-chair, Paula Stossel (Student Success) at pstoss@iup.edu
  • Allison Baker (University College)
  • Christine Clewell (Music)
  • Amy Cook (Health and Human Services)
  • Todd Cunningham (IT Services)
  • Nick Deardorff (Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
  • Erika Frenzel (Criminology and Criminal Justice)
  • Farzaneh Jahangiri (Professional Studies in Education)
  • Courtney McLaughlin (Psychology)
  • Carlena Nicholson (Office of Student Billing)
  • Tanya Patterson (Annual Giving and Development)
  • Cory Shay (Military and Veterans Resource Center)
  • Ramesh Soni (Management)
  • Bryanna Troop (Geography, Geology, Environment, and Planning)
  • Veronica Watson (English)

At its December 2020 meeting, the IUP Council of Trustees formally endorsed the 2020–25 University Strategic Plan.

Guiding Philosophy

  • The strategic plan for 2020–25 is to transform the culture at IUP to enhance the student experience by fostering exceptional student-centeredness. Transformation will include reordering resources to ensure every student is successful in transitioning to college, while at IUP, and after graduation.

Impact Areas

  • IUP-Readiness
  • Finding and Creating Community
  • Mental Health and Well-Being
  • Post-IUP Success
  • Academic Success

Core Principles

  1. Every student is a priority.

  2. Promote the search for, production of, and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of our students and society.

  3. Provide a wide range of intellectual and professional opportunities for students that will assist them in developing their potential for becoming productive and responsible citizens.

  4. Construct an environment of respect that encourages the growth of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

  5. Respond to students and their needs when and where they are to enhance student satisfaction.

  6. Design and re-engineer processes and procedures logically to improve ease of use for students.

  7. Improve communication, collaboration, and engagement across the university, and with our alumni and community partners.

The Role of the UPC in the Strategic Plan Implementation

In 2021, the UPC Strategic Plan Implementation Team was created to help units, divisions, and departments to engage with and make the Strategic Plan actionable for the planning and daily operations at IUP.

Members of the team will act as liaisons across the university to work with units, divisions, and departments to create, report, and track goals, strategies, and tactics that align with the strategic plan. A newly developed Strategic Plan Toolkit will help in that effort.

As part of the Strategic Plan implementation, UPC will help to identify areas of overlaps and gaps in planning, helping the university maximize and streamline its efforts and resources. The UPC Implementation team will help to map and track outcomes related to Strategic Plan activities, impact areas, and core principles.

As part of that effort, UPC will take an active role in reformatting the structure of selected university-wide committees to align with the Strategic Plan’s five impact areas.

Members of the Implementation Team, and UPC Liaisons across the university, include:

  • Co-chair, Scott Moore (History/College of Arts and Humanities) at rsmoore@iup.edu
  • Co-chair, Paula Stossel (Student Success) at pstoss@iup.edu
  • Allison Baker (University College)
  • Mimi Benjamin (College of Education and Communications)
  • William Buttz (Administration and Finance)
  • Koga Chiluma (Graduate Student Assembly)
  • Tedd Cogar (Student Affairs)
  • Amy Cook (Eberly College of Business)
  • Hilliary Creely (School of Graduate Studies and Research)
  • Todd Cunningham (IT Services)
  • Nick Deardorff (Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
  • Erika Frenzel (Criminology and Criminal Justice)
  • Lisa Halmes (Cook Honors College)
  • Abigail Hancox (Student Government Association)
  • Chris Kitas (Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment)
  • Chris Koren (University Advancement)
  • Jim Racchini (College of Health and Human Services)
  • Karen Scarton (Art and Design/liaison to Kathleen Jones White Writing Center)
  • Simon Stuchlik (Marketing and Communications)

UPC continues to welcome feedback on the plan or suggestions of barriers to student success that need to be removed or modified. Comments can be emailed to co-chairs Scott Moore at rsmoore@iup.edu or Paula Stossel at pstoss@iup.edu, or any member of the UPC.