Dear WMU community,
Congratulations, Western community. We did it! Through the Think Big Initiative, our University has developed a compelling strategy and shared vision to grow stronger in the face of unprecedented competition. Over the course of a year, through four dynamic phases, two design teams, eight town hall meetings, five design workshops, and countless emails, more than 5,300 participants shared fresh ideas, sincere guidance and candid feedback. We have been the facilitators, and you have been the designers. Thank you!
Our strategy is to differentiate Western by becoming more responsive to students’ and society’s needs. What will set us apart is to be not just a place go. Western is a place to become.
We promise students that we will help them grow stronger, better themselves and become empowered. Our graduates will be determined to overcome inevitable challenges and make a difference at work, at home and in the world.
The strategy is anchored around four key principles: career, well-being, purpose and flexibility. Visit the Think Big website to learn more about the strategy.
The strategy was presented at four Phase 4 town halls. During these, participants shared their feedback on more than 2,000 Post-It notes that were synthesized into three themes:
- This is the right strategy and WMU is pointed in the right direction. For those who saw our anthem video, it is important to note a significant change as the result of critical feedback. The original big idea, “Where students become masters of their fate and captains of their soul so they can change the world,” was too heavy. So, we changed it to, “College is a place to go; Western is a place to become.” This is the result of your engagement—thank you!
- The deep desire for culture change that emerged in Think Big, and was validated through the Employee Engagement Survey, was once again affirmed and reinforced in your feedback. As a campus, we are taking important strides forward.
- Your feedback clearly emphasized what we all know: there remains much to do and many hands are doing this work. We will be communicating more in the coming weeks—stay tuned!
Our process has resulted in a strategy that reflects the will and values of the Western community. We now move into the most arduous and most rewarding part of our journey, Phase 5: Implementation. Our strategy, which includes both Phase 4 feedback and reams of market research with eight key audiences, will inform the University’s major efforts going forward, including One WMU, Hilltop Village and how we think about the wellness journey on campus, among others.
One example of how the strategy is already moving forward is a campuswide Wellness Workgroup. It is inventorying all the ways Western already contributes to wellness. One of the group’s goals is to create an easily navigated student experience where the wealth of options that exist across campus are presented as a cohesive experience, rather than a disparate set of services.
There is so much more to come. We will continue to share information as we move forward. Please provide your thoughts and feedback any time.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Bott
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Tony Proudfoot
Vice President for Marketing and Strategic Communications
Diane Anderson
Vice President for Student Affairs