One of the most important elements of the institutional life of Florida Atlantic University is ongoing strategic planning. As you know, a comprehensive strategic plan was put in place in 2006 to guide the University's development through 2013.  

This plan was carefully crafted over an 18-month period under the direction of Board of Trustees former Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Nancy Blosser, and then VP for Strategic Planning, Dr. Kristen Murtaugh, with input from every sector of the FAU community. The 2006-2013 Strategic Plan is published in full detail at http://www.fau.edu/strategicplan. Since it went into effect, a number of major developments have unfolded, including:

• Steadily increasing student enrollment, which exceeded 28,000 in Fall 2010
• Decreased state funding
• The creation of an independent medical education program at FAU
• The University's acquisition of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
• The construction of a 30, ODD-seat football stadium on the Boca Raton campus
• The construction of phase one of Innovation Village, which will provide top quality on-campus living accommodations for 1,216 upper division and graduate students
• The advent of a new presidential administration at FAU
• The development of the New Florida statewide initiative, which places increased emphasis on the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in order to redefine, modernize and revitalize Florida's economy.

These and other changes at both the University and statewide levels suggest that the time has come for us to re­engage the strategic planning process by establishing a new Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Its central charge will be to revisit the current plan in its entirety, retain all aspects of it that are serving the University well, revise and refine goals that require updating, and develop new goals to address the opportunities and challenges we face today. Once again, this will be a visionary process that will be undertaken without constraints or preconceptions. The future is filled with exciting possibilities for our University, and this is an opportunity for us to dream big dreams and make big plans.

Once again, the process through which this is accomplished must be truly comprehensive, transparent and inclusive, with active participation by representatives of all of the University's constituencies. Because of the central role the faculty plays in fulfilling the University's mission, faculty members will make up 50 percent of the steering committee's membership.

Here are some questions the committee will explore:

• How can the University reap maximum benefits from its new units and partners (such as the medical school, Max Plank, Scripps, Harbor Branch and the recently created Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center)?
• How can the University's relationships with its existing research partners, including Scripps Florida, the Max Planck Florida Institute and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, be developed to yield optimal mutual benefits?
• How shall we encourage and support the growth of the Honors College?
• What are the challenges and opportunities associated with continued growth?
• How can FAU continue to pursue and achieve academic excellence, and where should we seek to position FAU in the state system?
• Is it time to revisit the missions of each of the University's seven campuses and sites?