The U of A’s 150 Forward strategic planning process is underway with a series of three campuswide town hall discussions scheduled in February and March. The town hall sessions will focus on advancing the university’s three strategic priority areas: student success, research excellence and the university’s status as an employer of choice. Other strategic planning activities are happening in parallel, designed to examine the state of the university and assist with setting goals and objectives. 

“The university is currently experiencing a great deal of momentum, and we must seize the moment to plan our future course and work to advance our land-grant mission to Arkansas in ways that we have only dreamed about until now,” Chancellor Charles Robinson said. “Our plan will be grounded in research and data insights and best practices as we determine the right fit for the University of Arkansas. The town halls will allow us to discuss our initial data review of our three strategic priority areas, focusing on where we are, where we want to be and how to get there, including overcoming potential challenges.”  

Chancellor Robinson, along with other university leaders and subject matter experts, will participate in each of the 150 Forward town hall sessions. Margaret Sova McCabe, interim vice chancellor for research and innovation, will moderate all three sessions. 

All of the town halls will be held at the School of Law’s E.J. Ball Courtroom and will also be accessible via the U of A YouTube channel. Suggestions for topics and/or questions can be submitted by email to feedback@uark.edu in advance and/or during each of the three sessions.  

Achieving Research Excellence – Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 1-2:30 p.m.   
In-person:  School of Law – E.J. Ball Courtroom 
Online: U of A YouTube channel 

The Achieving Research Excellence Town Hall is primarily designed for campus researchers and staff who support the university’s growing research enterprise.   

Advancing Student Success – Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 10:30 a.m. to noon
In-person:  School of Law – E.J. Ball Courtroom  
Online: U of A YouTube channel 

The Advancing Student Success Town Hall is designed for faculty, staff and students with a desire to improve support for students and successful outcomes in the areas of orientation, retention, graduation, career development and more.   

Enhancing University’s Status as an Employer of Choice – Friday, March 17, from 9-10:30 a.m. 
In-person:  School of Law – E.J. Ball Courtroom 
Online: U of A YouTube channel 

The Employer of Choice Town Hall is designed for faculty, staff, graduate assistants and other student employees with an interest in enhancing the overall employee experience at the U of A, including the ongoing class and compensation initiative, flexible work guidance, total benefits package and professional development.  

The university is partnering with EAB, a higher education research group, to help facilitate several activities supporting the 150 Forward strategic planning process including a goal-setting workshop for campus leaders and providing a “toolkit” with resources for benchmarking and best practices. During the next few months, the university will initiate the town hall series, multiple workshops and other activities related to developing the university’s strategic plan.  

“We have an ambitious schedule with the goal of defining our goals and objectives by the end of the school year, with strategies continuing to be developed by the colleges, schools and units over the summer and into the fall semester,” Robinson said. “I’m excited about beginning this important work with campuswide discussions.”  

Additional planned activities throughout the semester leading into April will include a goal-setting session and the development of strategies by the colleges, schools and units seeking direction to align their plans to the overarching goals.    

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.