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Missouri Western Board unanimously approves 2026–2030 strategic plan focused on students, workforce and regional partnerships
Summary
The Board of Governors voted unanimously to adopt Missouri Western State University's 2026–2030 strategic plan, which centers on student success, investments in people and facilities, regional partnerships and a long‑term goal to raise educational attainment across the university’s service area.
The Missouri Western State University Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the university’s 2026–2030 strategic plan, President Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy told the board after a roll‑call vote that carried the motion.
The plan lays out four priorities: enhance a student‑centered, transformative learning experience; invest in faculty, staff and campus facilities; cultivate regional collaborations with employers and K–12 partners; and pursue a long‑term effort to improve educational attainment across the region. "Our goal is to build a premier regional public university," Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy said, adding that the plan will be supported by an interactive dashboard to track progress.
Why it matters: the board and administration framed the plan as the organizing framework for budget, program and fundraising decisions over the next five years. Process owners were named for each priority—Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing Dr. Andy Otto and Provost Jay Johnson will lead the student‑success priority, Vice President Daniel Holt will steward investments in people and processes, and the Division of Advancement and the Foundation will lead fundraising and external partnerships, according to the presentation.
The plan sets measurable early targets, including baselines for first‑year and transfer student retention, degree completion and increases in employer‑aligned programs. Dr. Andy Otto described recruitment gains he said the university is already seeing in the Kansas City and northern Missouri markets; Provost Jay Johnson described work to align academic programming, including exploring workforce‑focused 90‑credit bachelor’s pathways under HLC guidance.
Board members asked about implementation, data reporting and financing. Several governors praised the emphasis on a data dashboard and regular reporting: "We need the dashboard so we can see whether we are on track and act when we are off track," one governor said. President Kennedy said process owners will convene implementation teams, set benchmarks and report progress to the cabinet and the board.
Next steps: with board approval, the administration will finalize the interactive performance dashboard and establish the cross‑functional teams charged with benchmarks, reporting cadence and early action items. The board recorded the vote by roll call and moved on to other business after the unanimous approval.
