Chancellor Shares Strategic Plan Outcomes at Town Hall

Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

UC San Diego is embarking on an era of transformation – one that will improve our campus and increase our societal impact – thanks to the collective creation of our first-ever Strategic Plan.

That was the message Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla shared at the April 24 Town Hall at the Faculty Club, where he outlined the five goals and 13 strategies that emerged in the Strategic Plan and talked about the investments that have already been made to support our new vision.

“Our goals are ambitious and they will guide us as we redefine what it means to be a public research university,” said Khosla. “As we evolve, we must continue to rethink how we do things, how we teach and how we research, so we can continue to break boundaries, advance knowledge and benefit our world.”

The Chancellor explained that numerous actions have already been taken to support the plan’s goals. These include:

• A commitment to hire 80 net new full-time faculty over three years, including 20 joint positions to spur multi-disciplinary research;
• Investing in 100 seed grants for interdisciplinary projects that pair faculty with students;
• Strengthening the partnership between Career Services Center and Alumni and Community Engagement;
• Identifying four grand research themes that define the direction of UC San Diego research;
• Establishing Graduate Student Growth and Excellence Initiative to increase support for Ph.D. students and collaborative research and enhance the quality of our graduate programs;
• Creating and expanding the Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship program;
• Reviewing and reorganizing administrative structure;
• Evaluating existing revenue sources, and reviewing current budget and resource allocation model.

You can read more about the early actions taken in the Strategic Plan Executive Summary and the Chancellor’s Town Hall PowerPoint presentation.

Town Hall attendees were optimistic about the Strategic Plan. LaWana Richmond, senior business analyst, Business and Financial Services, said, “I am excited about the vision the Chancellor shared with us as well as the steps already taken in support of that vision.” The past chair, ex-officio of the Staff Association added, “I appreciate his prioritization of diversity for students and faculty and I am hopeful that this will also favorably impact staff.”

Kelly Aranaz, senior administrative analyst, Office of the Controller, said, “I like how the Chancellor tied the university’s connection to the community together. He really showed the direct impact that the campus can have on our local and global communities.”

Judith Dolan, professor of costume design in the UC San Diego department of theatre and dance, said, “This was a big challenge for the Chancellor … considering all views, a variety of conversations and more to come up with one plan. He had a holistic sensibility to get on board with the many avenues that are open. I hope that the creative approach and focus on multidisciplinary research will take hold. I come away very positive, and it made me think of opportunities I hadn’t thought of before.”

Khosla concluded the Town Hall with an assurance that the strategic plan commitment doesn’t end now that the outcomes have been revealed – it is a living document that will guide UC San Diego’s future decisions and priorities. He noted that open dialogue will continue and success will be measured by our accomplishments and the resulting impacts as we achieve our stated goals.