University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, who was officially inaugurated Friday, has formed a Strategic Planning Committee to solicit input and generate ideas for a new strategic plan for the University’s future. 

The president and University leadership will submit a draft strategic plan to the Board of Visitors in June. If approved, that plan will be operational for a minimum of five years and outline a vision for the University over 10 to 15 years.

The Strategic Planning Committee will solicit ideas from across UVA and draw upon extensive public feedback collected through the ongoing “Ours to Shape” campaign. Ryan launched the campaign when he took office in August, inviting members of the University and surrounding communities to share their thoughts and hopes for UVA’s future. It includes both public events and a website where individuals can submit comments and ideas around key themes of community, discovery and service.

“For the past year, since my announcement, my goal has been to speak to as many people as I can about their hopes for the future of UVA,” Ryan said. “On my first day in office, we also launched the ‘Ours to Shape’ website, which invited members of our community to share their ideas online. 

“The next step is to begin to turn those ideas into a strategic plan that will guide our decisions going forward, and I’m grateful to the members of this committee for helping us begin that process.”

In addition to collecting public comments from the Ours to Shape website, the committee is inviting community members to submit short essays addressing their hopes and aspirations for the University. The committee will also host a number of events, the first being a town hall-style event on Monday at 3 p.m. in Garrett Hall, home of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. More information about essay opportunities and events is available on the Ours to Shape homepage.

Read the full UVA Today article.