UIUC 5 Year Plan

At a recent town hall event at the Illini Union, the University unveiled it's "The Next 150" vision going forward, including it's 5 year plan:

In UI's 'Next 150,' 'we are planning to tear down many academic walls'
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On the first day of Black History Month, University of Illinois Professor Ruby Mendenhall cited the civil-rights leader as she and a half dozen other UI faculty members explained Friday how they hope to fulfill the goals of the campus strategic plan, "The Next 150."

"We are planning to tear down many academic walls and engage the community in unprecedented ways that will transform Champaign-Urbana and hopefully the larger society," said Mendenhall, a professor of sociology and African-American studies and assistant dean at the new Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

A crowd of several hundred people gathered at the Illini Union for the launch of the five-year plan, which calls for an emphasis on diversity and public service in key areas such as the arts, data sciences, the humanities, globalization, food security, undergraduate education, health sciences and sustainability...

The plan includes two key principles:

— That the diversity of the campus is its most powerful asset, so removing any barriers that limit access to opportunity, financial or otherwise, is a priority.

— The UI's service mission, making a positive impact on the community, should be part of "everything we do," Cangellaris said. "As a public university, it should be the centerpiece of our mission."

Full article here, including some community response from local governments. There was also an article previewing the event with more details here in Friday's News-Gazette here. An excerpt:

"The Next 150" was developed over 18 months, with brainstorming sessions involving more than 700 people across campus. A dozen working groups were asked to flesh out priorities in specific areas and come up with detailed recommendations.

Some build on initiatives that emerged from the previous strategic plan — the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Initiative, for example, which will be elevated into full-fledged academic centers.

Other initiatives include: expanding cancer research and data-driven agriculture; seeking new partnerships with the Mayo Clinic and others; building on the new Discovery Partners Institute and Illinois Innovation Network; developing a campus center for academic student support; re-examining general education requirements; expanding online courses and continuing education; and encouraging every student to take a capstone course, internship, research project or study-abroad experience.

Full article here.