Summer Strategic Plan Update

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Earlier this year, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President, announced the formation of a Strategic Planning Committee. Fr. Shanley charged the Committee with developing a comprehensive strategic plan with clear objectives and measurable goals that will prioritize the activities and identify the resources needed to best support St. John’s University’s mission and vision going forward. Our charge is to deliver a draft of the Strategic Plan to Fr. Shanley in April 2022 so that it may be presented to the Board of Trustees in May 2022. We write now to provide the campus community with an update on the Committee’s work.

We are pleased to share that the Strategic Planning Process is well underway. Five major foundational themes (listed below) have been identified, and, subcommittees have been formed to explore each of the themes. In addition to the 20 members of the at-large Strategic Planning Committee, more than 70 members of the student body, faculty, administration, and staff have now been invited to participate in the strategicplanning process by serving on a subcommittee related to each of the themes.

Fr. Shanley has invited Lucy Pesce, Executive Director for Mission and the Vincentian Institute for Social Action in the Office of University Mission, to serve as one of the trichairs (along with us) of the Strategic Planning Committee. Ms. Pesce enthusiastically joins the Committee and replaces Nada M. Llewellyn, Esq., who departed the University in June.

As referenced above, the five major foundational themes guiding St. John’s strategic planning process are:

  1. The Student Experience: A Holistic Approach from Enrollment to Graduation and Beyond (Subcommittee chaired by Anne R. Pacione, Chief Information Officer)
  2. Academic Distinction: Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Research (Chaired by Kathryn T. Hutchinson, Ph.D., Vice President, Division of Student Affairs)
  3. Mission, Equity, and Inclusion: Advancing Our Catholic and Vincentian Commitment to Social Justice (Chaired by Rev. Jean-Pierre M. Ruiz, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
  4. Developing and Maximizing Institutional Resources: Human, Financial, and Our Physical Presence (Chaired by Judy Chen, C.P.A., Ed.D., Associate Vice President for Business Affairs, and Sarah Jean Kelly, Esq., Vice Dean for Administration, School of Law)
  5. Amplifying the St. John’s Brand: Ensuring Recognition through Enhanced Marketing, Branding, and Communications (Chaired by Stephen Dombroski, Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations)

As the Strategic Planning Committee and various subcommittees have gone about our work, there have been several questions that have guided the formation of our plan. They include

  • Whom do we wish to serve?
  • What is the right size (from an enrollment perspective) of St. John’s University?
  • What is distinctive about the St. John’s student experience—for undergraduates, transfers, and graduate students?
  • What programs does St. John’s excel at, and, how can and should the University support and promote those programs?
  • What investments does St. John’s need to make in our facilities, infrastructure, and personnel?
  • How does St. John’s ensure our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly as we strive to become an antiracist institution?
  • How does St. John’s stay committed to our vision of being known worldwide for addressing issues of poverty and social justice through the lens of a Catholic and Vincentian university?
  • How do we ensure the long-term financial stability of St. John’s?
  • How do we enhance the St. John’s brand within our own community and in the broader community?

In the months ahead, the Strategic Planning Committee will meet with other members of the University community, including members of the Senior Management Group, as we continue our work. In addition, the Committee will compile data from various offices, units, and departments, which will help to guide the formulation of the StrategicPlan.

We will continue to keep the members of the St. John’s community of students, faculty, administrators, and staff apprised of the Committee’s progress.

Thank you.

 

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