Column by UH Hilo Chancellor Donald O. Straney
UH Hilo Today
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Sept 2010
UH Hilo seeks public input for next strategic plan
The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is proud of the role we play in educating students and supporting economic development on Hawai‘i island. We have the potential to do more, however, and since becoming chancellor last July, I’ve been asking community members to tell me their thoughts about how UH Hilo could increase its contributions to the island and state.
The responses I’ve been hearing clearly show that the public expects UH Hilo to continue evolving, improving and extending its reach throughout the island in order to deliver a solid return on investment into the future.
It’s fortunate therefore that UH Hilo’s strategic plan expires this year. UH Hilo has a timely opportunity to revisit our mission, re-envision our future, and perhaps adjust our course. We’ve begun a new round of strategic planning and hope to have a completed plan by May 2011.
In the planning process, UH Hilo will take stock of our current situation and commit to our best guess for what our university could become and accomplish in the next five years. We will make sure our mission statement clearly conveys the unique benefits we offer to students and the community within the UH system, and we will publish clear goals toward which we can strive together.
Last April, the university started its “pre-planning” initiative to gather information from faculty, staff and students to use in developing the plan. Their views were solicited through a survey and a “listening tour.” Results are being made available at the strategic planning website.
We want to hear more from community members so that we can take into account your thoughts and opinions about UH Hilo. We would particularly value your feedback on what you think we currently do well, where you think we need to improve, and what our major priorities should be for the next five to ten years.
You can provide input by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/listening, by emailing uhhplan@hawaii.edu, or by writing to Siân Millard, Strategic Planning Coordinator, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI 96720-4091.
Work on developing the strategic plan begins this fall. We will ensure that the community has the opportunity to comment and provide feedback on the draft plan once it’s available.
I very much look forward to hearing your views as we work together on this important initiative.