To the Temple community:

As we near the end of a very challenging year, I’m delighted to tell you more about the university’s strategic planning process. The process has been named Flying Further by our Steering Committee to signify how we will soar into the future, going beyond what we thought possible. In these times of transformative changes in higher education, accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, we must be mindful of what the future holds and be highly strategic in our vision for Temple University. 

The strategic planning process has four phases: assessment and research, during which we are taking stock of how we currently see ourselves and what we envision for our future; purpose and vision statements to describe why we do what we do at Temple and where we are going as an institution; strategic pillars, which will be our priorities for the future; and an action plan, to chart our course toward achieving our goals. These four phases will not result in the fixed strategic plan of the past, but they will launch an iterative process through which we will be better positioned to understand and adapt to the changing landscape of higher education. 

As we look to 2034—the university’s 150th anniversary—this planning process will allow us to more successfully develop strategies as we anticipate and respond to the challenges and opportunities that will face our institution in the years ahead. And, because we all know that the world of 2034 will be much different from the world we know today, we must start now to prepare together for the future. 

There will be opportunities when we return from winter break for you, our students, faculty and staff, to continue to be involved in the process through surveys, town halls and more. Until then, you can also stay up-to-date on the latest strategic planning process information at plan.temple.edu or read more about the process in an interview with Cindy Leavitt and Dan Berman, co-chairs of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. You may also email plan@temple.edu at any time to share your ideas or submit any questions you have about the strategic planning process.

I am confident that we will embrace this opportunity to reflect on our past and focus on our future. I know that together we can soar, and I look forward to seeing just how far we will go on this journey. 

Sincerely, 

JoAnne A. Epps
Executive Vice President and Provost