MTSU committee adopts 2035 strategic plan, sets annual metrics and implementation cycle

The Executive Governance Committee of the Middle Tennessee State University Board of Trustees voted to adopt the university's 2035 strategic plan, with committee members agreeing the plan will be followed by an annual implementation cycle that brings specific metrics and initiatives back to the planning committee for approval.

MTSU's accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), requires an institutionwide planning process for reaffirmation of accreditation, a university presenter said. "Our current institutional plans end in May 2025. Thus it is essential that the university have a new strategic plan and demonstrate that it has begun implementing that plan for MTSU's reaffirmation of accreditation," the presenter said.

The plan framework before the committee was developed from prior plans, multiple surveys and campus listening sessions, the presenter said, and it has been reviewed and recommended for adoption by the university planning committee, the provost and the president. The committee approved the plan by voice vote; the transcript records unanimous approval but does not specify numerical vote counts.

Committee discussion focused on how the plan's broad priorities will translate into specific goals, metrics and program actions. Jeff Gibson, chair of the university planning committee, and Lane Bryant, co-chair, were identified as having led the implementation design; Amy Aldridge, vice provost for academic programs, was cited as the campus lead on program development. Committee members asked for an annual report that classifies prospective academic offerings by stage'for example, ideas under review, programs in development and programs at external review or approval stages'so the board can track which proposals are nascent and which are near implementation.

The committee was told an implementation committee has already been organized to prepare specific objectives and metrics. The presenter said the university will bring forward activity plans in the first year for planning committee review in April, followed by a midyear report and a final annual report before the next cycle.

Trustees also raised questions about resourcing new programs. The presenter said the university's typical approach is to reallocate existing faculty resources initially and add faculty lines only after a new program demonstrates sufficient enrollment and sustained success. "Most of them have costs; the first step is to reallocate existing faculty resources'then as the programs are approved and generate students, which generates revenue, then we add additional faculty as needed," the presenter said. Trustees noted this approach can frustrate departments seeking new lines up front and flagged concerns about overloading current faculty and staff.

Committee members asked for periodic updates from Amy Aldridge and the implementation committees that would include (1) specific enrollment and credential goals (degrees, certificates and badges), (2) a phased status report on prospective programs, and (3) resource implications and plans for right-sizing staffing and faculty support. The presenter and planning committee leaders agreed to provide those materials in future reports.

The committee approved the plan after a motion by Trustee Boyd; the transcript records a second and a unanimous voice vote but does not record the second's name or a numerical tally. No objections were recorded on the transcript.

The action completes committee-level approval of the 2035 strategic plan; the committee indicated it expects annual and midyear reports on metrics, and periodic program-status briefings tied to the plan's priority areas.