I am thrilled to share the Ottawa University strategic plan for 2022-2027. This roadmap forward for Ottawa University was created through a yearlong process of inclusive, broadly based conversation, study, reflection, debate, analysis, and collaboration involving faculty, staff, students, alums, Board of Trustees members, community friends, and key partners. Grassroots participation was absolutely critical to the making of this plan: the goals and objectives laid out here grew from the active contributions of a 19-member Steering Committee, the 47 members of six Working Groups, and the faculty and staff who joined in the three town halls (with 235-275 participants in each and 1500+ chat entries in all) and dozen focus groups, completed surveys, made submissions to the anonymous online feedback site, and emailed me directly. This was truly a communal effort and I hope that all members of our community will feel pride and ownership in this document and the vision of the future it lays out for Ottawa University.
A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed time, expertise, creativity, passion, and commitment to the long process of developing our strategic plan. Particular thanks to the co-facilitators of the Working Groups, who formed a kind of “kitchen cabinet” in the coordination of the planning effort; the Board of Trustees, who discussed the draft robustly before approving it unanimously at the June meeting; and to Karen Ohnesorge and Wynndee Lee, who joined me in the challenging work of distilling collective hopes and dreams into tidy paragraphs and bullet points.
After a year of talking and imagining and aspiring, now the real fun can begin: starting the process of translating plans into realities and making real the changes that will build a stronger OU, nourish the needs of our community, and further our student-centered mission. This strategic plan was born of collective commitment and input, and we will only achieve its goals through the ongoing engagement and participation of our entire community. I look forward to working with everyone who cares about this institution to achieve our ambitious vision for the future. Exciting days, lots of hard work, and an even better Ottawa University lay ahead.
William M. Tsutsui, PhD
Chancellor and Professor of History
Ottawa University
Strategic Plan 2022-27