Main Content
In 2022, the Division of Student Affairs embarked on a strategic thinking and planning process. The resulting plan, developed with input from students, staff, and faculty, aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027, and will serve as the road map that ensures we focus on the most critical needs of current and future students.
Our success derives from the strengths of the relationships we build. Therefore, we endeavor to deliver high-impact programs and services and nurture those staff whose accomplishments contribute to this goal.
I appreciate the work of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, the UW Tacoma communities, and Dr. Toya Barnes-Teamer, Teamer Strategy LLC, for the generous engagement with the planning process. The Strategic Plan is a living document that will evolve to incorporate new opportunities as they emerge. I invite you to follow our progress.
Mentha Hynes-Wilson
Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs
The Goal Areas
The Steering Committee led multiple opportunities to engage with the Student Affairs Team and the campus and local communities to determine what areas would best help the Division of Student Affairs move forward in supporting our mission and vision. The following goal areas ascended to the top:
STUDENTS ENROLLMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS
Each goal area has four to five specific measurable objectives that will help us delve into these areas further.
Chair: Bernard Anderson
Key Performance Indicator 1: Retention – overall, Y1 to Y2, and Y2 to Y3
Key Performance Indicator 2: Full-time employment or continuing education within 6 months of graduation
1.1 Foster a vibrant student-centered campus.
1.1a Prioritize defined student populations (e.g., commuter, residential, evening/weekend) and offer co-curricular options that center student identities, interests and promote well-being.
1.1b Engage students in co-curricular opportunities that enhance their sense of purpose and belonging, particularly during key transition periods (e.g., first year).
1.2 Enhance infrastructure and resources that promote holistic well-being of all students.
1.3 Create and sustain Student Affairs high-impact practices, including Student Employment Programs, Living Learning Communities, and Husky Volunteers (community engaged learning).
Chair: Shannon Carr
Key Performance Indicator 3: Autumn headcount
2.1 Develop a five-year Strategic Enrollment Plan through a unified and collaborative University-wide process.
2.2 Achieve right-sized enrollment through the implementation of the Strategic Enrollment Plan.
2.2a Diversify the mix of students enrolled, e.g., increasing the proportion of non-resident students.
2.2b Implement a student information system to communicate critical student needs to support student persistence and retention.
2.2c Increase enrollment through the development and implementation of a program to re-engage stop-out and returning students.
2.3 Implement continuous improvement practices in communications that impact student enrollment and persistence.
2.4 Audit the business systems and processes in each unit of Student Affairs to identify and correct barriers to enrollment, particularly practices that prevent achieving campus equity and inclusion goals.
Chair: Sean Schmidt
Key Performance Indicator 4: Staff report access/use of professional development that supports/enhances professional growth
3.1 Create annual professional development plans in partnership with all staff (classified, professional, and student staff), including elements of supervisor support in terms of finance and time; development of specific goals and methods; and documentation.
3.2 Integrate growth in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism competencies into all staff professional development plans.
3.3 Contribute to a transparent and collaborative culture that supports a positive staff experience in every stage of their employment.
3.4 Create an annual series of in-house professional development opportunities.
3.5 Integrate growth of supervisory skills into all supervisors’ professional development plans.
Chair: Sean Schmidt
Key Performance Indicator 5: % of staff that provide specific examples of using data to inform decisions in their quarterly reports
4.1 Define and create a culture of assessment across the division that informs program and process improvements.
4.2 Create a set of metrics for each unit, including key performance indicators.
4.3 Coordinate ongoing training and support for developing, tracking, and acting upon metrics in a way that makes data tracking accessible to all constituents.
4.4 Embrace a continuous improvement approach to advance ongoing assessment, metrics tracking, and analysis.
Chair: Amanda Figueroa
Key Performance Indicator 6: Faculty & academic staff confidence in helping students navigate to Student Affairs resources
5.1 Document each department’s community-engaged work in Collaboratory annually.
5.2 Incorporate student voices into each department’s annual plans for continuous improvement practices.
5.3 Develop and implement an annual faculty-focused communication plan to improve awareness about Student Affairs resources.
5.4 Encourage and facilitate opportunities for bidirectional learning with faculty every quarter.
