On October 24, 2023, we ignited the strategic planning process with our SPEC (Strategic Planning Executive Committee) kick-off meeting. SPEC members got to know each other and met the team from KPMG that will be guiding us through the process.
Dean Chris Houser opened the session by explaining the importance of the strategic plan and how it will drive us forward into the Future of Science. The group talked about the roles and responsibilities of each SPEC member, followed by a great discussion on ways the group can engage the larger Faculty of Science community. KPMG provided the SPEC with four thought-provoking topics to think about before the first Leadership Retreat and encouraged everyone to come to the retreat ready to be reflective, open, and forward-looking.
A week after our inaugural meeting, we kicked off the first Leadership Retreat on Halloween (candy included!) with an excited group ready to get to work. The KPMG team walked the SPEC members through their five-phase approach to the strategic planning process and then the group identified the key stakeholders we need to connect with to create a successful strategic plan. Another important part of the discussion took place around how to meaningfully engage our stakeholders to ensure we have a diverse cross-section of feedback from those in the faculty of science community.
KPMG also shared the comparator organizations they were going to research to create an apples-to-apples analysis of what our competitors are doing in the marketplace. Our faculty reps in the room made some additional suggestions to round out the list giving KPMG some insight on a department-by-department basis. They will also be reviewing the “Waterloo at 100” report, along with other strategic plans from within Science and other faculties at UW.
At the end of an engaging session, KPMG took away everything they learned from the SPEC and jumped into the research and discovery phase with both feet. We are very excited to see what they bring back to us and present at Leadership Retreat 2.