Monticello Live

UAM Chancellor Peggy Doss has appointed Dan Boice, director of the Taylor Library, to facilitate the university’s ongoing strategic planning process. Dr. Doss said, “The UAM strategic plan must be a ‘living’ document that is constantly reviewed to ensure we meet the ever-changing needs of our university, our students, and the state and region we serve. It is at the heart of our institution and is our navigation system. Boice will involve faculty, staff, students and the community.

Doss selected Boice, now beginning his sixth academic year at UAM, for his experience and enthusiasm for the strategic planning process. Boice is no stranger to his new duties, having developed strategic plans for his previous higher education institution and for a number of other organizations. He has served as a Higher Learning Commission (HLC) consultant-evaluator, and is currently the UAM Accreditation Liaison Officer to the HLC, UAM’s accrediting agency. In addition, Boice is also the chair of the Monticello Planning Commission. 

“A successful strategic plan will involve input from all levels,” he said. “We have such talented faculty and staff who are experts in their areas – they know what is attainable as we align our goals.” The development of the plan will include guidance from administration as well as extensive input from faculty and staff as to how to attain university-wide goals. Overarching goals for the university will in turn inform goal setting within and among divisions.

“I really am excited about this,” he said. “Planning is something I enjoy a great deal, and I especially look forward to the working with colleagues from all of the university’s three campuses.” Through his other work on campus, Boice considers the willingness of staff and faculty at all levels to contribute constructive input to be a hallmark of UAM. “This will be a steady, fairly long process, but it will be a very enjoyable one because of my colleagues,” he said.

Boice quotes Yogi Berra in saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.” In other words, he explains, plans not only help the university pinpoint its ultimate goals, but also unite all university areas around them, making goal-achievement a cohesive effort. A strategic plan also enables a university body to identify successes when objectives are reached, and react when conditions change along the way. “Our plan will help us to maintain our focus, and not lose our way when we need to adjust course.

Boice and Chancellor Doss will continue to work closely with the university community in the next stages of the strategic planning process. Revisions to the strategic plan will ultimately be released to the public upon review and approval by the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees.

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 5th, 2020 at 12:43 am and is filed under UAM News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.