Blue Sky Strategic Plan Assessment Forums begin Sept. 27

A series of Blue Sky Strategic Plan Assessment Forums are scheduled this fall seeking input from members of the University of Maine community about UMaine’s five-year strategic plan.

The series begins Sept. 27 with a town hall-style event at 3:30 p.m. in Hauck Auditorium. Leading the kickoff forum will be UMaine President Susan J. Hunter and Provost Jeffrey E. Hecker. They will present an overview of the assessment process and its importance in helping lay the foundation for UMaine’s next strategic plan.

The initial forum will be followed by five others, each focused on the five pathways of the Blue Sky Strategic Plan. The forums are designed to create a venue for meaningful sharing of ideas about the progress we have made and lessons learned along the way. All of the forums in October and November will be held from 9–10 a.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union:

  • Pathway 1 — Serving Our State: Catalyzing Maine’s Revitalization, Oct. 4, led by Vice President Jake Ward;
  • Pathway 3 — Embracing a Culture of Excellence: Promoting Spirit, Community and Collaboration, Oct. 11, led by Associate Provost Monique LaRocque;
  • Pathway 2 — Securing Our Future: Ensuring Financial Sustainability, Oct. 19, led by University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery Mills;
  • Pathway 4 — Transforming Lives: Strengthening the UMaine Undergraduate and Graduate Student Experience, Oct. 25, led by Assistant Vice President Kenda Scheele;
  • Pathway 5 — Restoring the Dream: Renewing Pride and Stewardship of Place, Nov. 8, led by Executive Director Stewart Harvey.

Videos of each of the forums and a feedback form will be available online.

“Sharing what the pathway teams have learned with the campus community, and gathering feedback from the community about where we are and where we should be headed, are critical to the success of the assessment process,” said Provost Hecker. “President Hunter and I encourage our faculty, staff and interested students to attend the Sept. 27 forum as well as one or more of the pathway forums.”

In the spring of 2017, President Hunter directed Provost Hecker to develop a plan to assess the 2012–17 Blue Sky Strategic Plan. A steering committee and five pathway teams were formed to oversee the assessment process, designed to evaluate what UMaine has and has not done, and what needs to done as the UMaine community collectively moves forward.

As President Hunter noted in her Sept. 20 community letter, the strength of the Blue Sky plan came from the hundreds of UMaine community members who provided input and aided in its implementation. That same community engagement is needed now in the assessment forums, she said.

“Just as we did at the start of the strategic plan process, it’s critical to hear any and all feedback and reflections on the past five years at UMaine,” President Hunter said. “At the start of our strategic planning process, input from the many members of the UMaine community mattered. Now, it’s important that everyone engage again, also to help shape the next chapter in UMaine’s history.”

Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745