Board hears draft mission, vision and core values for 2026–31 strategic plan; campus feedback continues

Radford University’s strategic-plan co-chairs presented a midterm update on the 2026–31 strategic plan, sharing draft mission and vision statements, proposed core values and a timeline for finalizing the plan.

"We kicked off the project in September, and we are about midway through the project," said Dr. Angela Joyner, a co-chair of the planning committee. Dr. Joyner and co-chair Dr. Sharon Roger Hepburn told the Board of Visitors the planning process has collected more than 2,500 responses through surveys and town halls and that committee subgroups have identified recurring themes such as inclusive excellence, evidence-based decision-making, enhanced academic programs and a "culture of care."

The committee presented a draft mission statement—"Radford University empowers lifelong success through inclusive education, innovation, and collaboration"—and two shorter taglines being considered for public-facing use. Two vision drafts presented emphasize personalized experiential learning, regional service and community connection. The co-chairs also proposed six core values including empowerment, culture of care, inclusiveness, community, intellectual freedom and innovation.

Board members responded with initial feedback in the meeting. The co-chairs said they will continue to revise mission, vision and values with input from faculty, students, alumni and staff and will bring a more complete draft to the board in September, with checkpoints at the June meeting and the July retreat.

Why it matters: The strategic plan will guide institutional priorities, budget requests and programmatic decisions over the next six years. The board heard process updates and initial language; no formal board vote on the plan was taken at this meeting.

Next steps: plan revisions informed by campus feedback, synthesis of committee strategies into prioritized objectives and development of metrics to accompany proposed initiatives.