Strategic Plan 2024 was built on a foundation provided by the Board of Regents, who began this process in March 2019. Former Chancellor Dr. Stephen Portch led the board in discussions about the direction the system needs to go and how to focus its efforts. Furthermore, the College 2025 working group, led by Georgia College and State University president Steve Dorman, also laid the groundwork for this plan by envisioning the delivery of public higher education in a nimbler and more efficient fashion.

From this foundational work, Chancellor Steve Wrigley in June 2019 charged two working groups to carry out the plan’s creation. A system office working group, made up of leadership across the agency, met regularly over the summer to assess USG’s challenges and opportunities and to propose strategic goals about how to meet them. Similarly, a working group of campus presidents, representing each of the system’s four academic sectors, proposed goal areas with the input of presidents throughout the system. Together, the working groups recommended four draft goals for the strategic plan. A list of working group participants is provided in the appendix.

To ensure transparency and the plan’s vitality, the system office working group sought feedback on the draft goals from a range of stakeholders in September and October, discussed in more detail below. This helped revise the strategic plan’s goals, establish their scope and develop an operational plan. System metrics and targets were also identified to help USG be accountable in meeting the strategic plan’s goals. Strategic Plan 2024 was approved by the Board of Regents on November 12, 2019, and will go into effect in January 2020.

Stakeholder Feedback

USG conducted five regional forums across the state for campus and local communities to learn about its strategic plan efforts and provide input. The regional forums were hosted by Georgia State University, Dalton State College, Fort Valley State University, Valdosta State University, and the USG-sponsored InteractUSG conference in Savannah. Approximately 500 people attended the forums and 150 comments were provided. The opportunity to provide feedback was also available through an online feedback form, where nearly 500 comments were submitted.

Insight from students, faculty, staff and representatives from various campus functions such as academic and student affairs, chief information officers, chief budget officers and career services was also obtained. Additional feedback came from external groups with whom we work closely: state legislators, the Department of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. A complete list of meetings can be found in the appendix.

The Board of Regents thanks all those who participated in the regional forums, submitted feedback online and provided input in other ways. The feedback strengthened our efforts.

Vision Statement

Strategic Plan 2024 was developed under the guide of the following vision statement:

The University System of Georgia will excel in meeting the needs of our state and economy through universities and colleges that: provide an affordable, accessible and high-quality education; promote lifelong success of students; and create, disseminate and apply knowledge for the advancement of our state, nation and world.

This vision statement puts student success at the center of the plan and directs us to align our teaching, research and service mission toward improving our state and its economy. This is a lofty vision. As noted previously, we face challenges and opportunities in terms of demographic shifts, evolving business and industry needs and the imperative that we be good stewards with limited resources. These realities are why a cogent strategy, capitalizing on our strengths, is critical.