EHE Strategic Action Plan

Quick Guide - Year 1

Introduction

The EHE Strategic Action Plan is our shared roadmap for strengthening the college and advancing our mission. It identifies the priorities, actions, resources, and measures that will guide our work during the coming years. Every faculty and staff member plays a role in helping us achieve these goals. The plan is organized around six strategic domains that represent the areas where we will focus our efforts and investments.

Understanding the parts of the plan

Objectives

What are we trying to achieve. Objectives describe the desired outcomes or goals within each strategic domain.

Strategies

How we will achieve the objectives. Strategies are the specific actions, projects, or approaches we will implement to make progress.

Resources

What will support the work. Resources include funding, staffing, partnerships, technology, facilities, and other investments that help advance the strategies.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

How we will measure success. KPIs are the metrics, milestones, and targets used to track progress and determine whether our strategies are producing the intended results.

How you can use this plan

As you read the Strategic Action Plan, consider:

• How does my work contribute to one or more strategic domains?
• Which objectives and strategies align with my role or unit?
• What partnerships or opportunities can help advance these priorities?
• How can I support progress toward our shared goals?
• Together, these efforts will help EHE strengthen academic and research excellence, support student success, foster a thriving workplace culture, expand our impact through partnerships, and ensure long-term operational sustainability.

Academic Excellence

Ambition statement

Enhance high-impact and financially sustainable academic programs, elevate teaching quality and innovation.

Lead: Winston Thompson
Co-Lead: Sue Sutherland

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Objectives

1. Grow enrollment across the college by expanding high-impact, mission-aligned courses and programs while phasing out unsustainable offerings, moving toward balanced operating budgets at the program, department, and college levels.
2. Enhance collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to secure investments in academic programs.

Strategies

• 1.1) By the end of FY27, all undergraduate and graduate degree programs will develop and begin implementing a plan to increase enrollments, enhance the student experience, and improve student success, secure added resources from a diversity of sources (e.g., from gift funds), and enhance student experience.
• 1.2) Each degree program will establish a team to develop a 1-2 page plan that will outline the strategy and timeline to achieve the above objectives, providing justification for the strategy with available evidence. The plan will be due to the ADAA by Friday, January 29, 2027. Teams are encouraged to utilize the input from external stakeholders and industry boards in formulating their plans.
• 1.3) Under the leadership of the ADAA, plans will be reviewed by the college, and feedback will be provided by February 2027.
• 1.4) EHE resources will be allocated to teams based on the capacity of their plan to increase enrollment, enhance the student experience, and improve student success and their ongoing progress toward achieving their objectives.

Resources

1. Dean's strategic initiatives fund for seed grants to spur curriculum innovations
2. Allocation of instructional support resources (e.g., GTA, faculty lines, senior and part-time lecturers)
3. ADAA and reorganization of academic support units and teams
4. Realign development funds in keeping with gift agreements to support objectives and strategies and with a focus on supporting recruitment, student experience, and workforce outcomes.
5. Extramural funding from a diversity of sources to enhance academic programs and financially support students

Key Performance Indicators

• KPI 1.1) All (100%) academic programs will establish an active planning team led by area/program chairs and submit an initial 1-2 page implementation plan, using a common baseline data sheet supplied by the ADAA in partnership with Institutional Research, by January 29, 2027
• KPI 1.2) Establish the FY26 credit-hour baseline and set program level-targets.
• KPI 1.3) Meet the FY27 revenue and expense targets in the fiscal plan.
• KPI 2.1) By June 30, 2027, the college will adopt a program investment rubric built on the S2.1 criteria (student interest, mission impact, enrollment trend, progression and completion, extramural and workforce support, workforce need), apply it to all programs, and designate a priority tier.

Research and Innovation

Ambition Statement

Strengthen research eminence through increased high-impact scholarship, community-engaged and translational research, and increased external funding that advances practice, policy, and innovation across disciplines in the college.

Lead: Natasha Slesnick
Co-Lead: Kelly Purtell

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Objectives

1. Increase extramural funding for high-quality scholarship
2. Improve research support services
3. Identify and invest in research areas of distinction

Strategies

• 1.1) Expand strategic seed funding and provide professional development that supports interdisciplinary teams, community-engaged research, AI-related initiatives, and high-potential funding opportunities
• 2.1) Enhance ORIC service delivery, streamline research processes, and implement faculty and staff feedback mechanisms
• 3.1) Identify and align our strategic plan with EHE research strengths and areas of distinction, internal centers, resources and programs at the University level, other OSU colleges, OSU extension offices, workforce advisory boards, extramural funding partners, donors and other stakeholders to identify and cultivate new research opportunities.
• 3.1.1) The OSU "invest in strength" initiative (endowed chair matching program; game changer scholars) and AI fluency initiatives are examples at the University level.
• 3.1.2) EHE departments and centers will identify a small number of well-defined and focused research areas of distinction and especially those with a high capacity to secure extramural funding and achieve high mission impact. EHE will prioritize investments in these areas of distinction.
• 3.1.3) EHE will prioritize philanthropy efforts in the research strengths and areas of distinction of EHE departments and centers.

Resources

1. Flexible staff FTE for grant writing and management support
2. PBA-funded facutly lines to recruit and retain scholars in programs with high research potential and/or explore alignment with university projects to bring high-profile faculty to our programs
3. Increase funding for recruitment of top-ranked PhD students
4. Provide strategic seed funding to catalyze research collaborations and support the development of competitive extramural grant proposals, with particular emphasis on AI and other emerging institutional priorities.
5. Invest in equipment, AI utilization and/or research methods that innovate and position us as leaders in consumer and human behavior research.

Key Performance Indicators

Research Engagement

• KPI 1.1) Increase active faculty and staff serving as PI or co-PI by 3-5%
• KPI 1.1a) Support at least 15 faculty and staff through proposal development cohorts
• KPI 1.1b) Award strategic seed funding to at least 5 projects

Research Support

• KPI 2.1) Conduct annual faculty and staff satisfaction assessment
• KPI 2.2) Increase ORIC service utilization from FY2026 baseline
• KPI 2.3) Establish service standards and communication plan

Partnership and Funding

• KPI 3.1) Increase interdisciplinary and community-engaged proposal submissions
• KPI 3.2) Facilitate at least 5 new strategic research partnerships
• KPI 3.3) Achieve annual growth in external funding awards and expenditures including philanthropic investments by 5%

Areas of Distinction

• KPI 3.4) 100% of departments and centers identify priority research areas
• KPI 3.5) Complete research opportunity mapping exercise

Advancing Scholarship

• KPI 3.6) Determine faculty publication baseline
• KPI 3.7) 50% of facutly will publish one-peer reviewed article in a top journal or monograph by end of FY2027

Student Success

Ambition Statement

Support student well-being, belonging, and persistence.

Lead: Winston Thompson
Co-Lead: Bryan Warnick

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Objectives

1. Build the data foundation and early-intervention practices that improve retention and graduation, with particular attention to Pell-eligible students.
2. Strengthen coordinated advising, student support, and experiential learning.
3. Reduce student financial burden through scholarship growth and clearly defined academic paths.

Strategies

• 1.1) Partner with Institutional Research to build a program-level student success dashboard establishing baselines for retention, graduation, time-to-degree, and Pell equity gaps, and identify programs below college thresholds.
• 1.2) Pilot an early-alert identification and intervention protocol in a small set of high-enrollment courses and programs.
• 1.3) Ensure every 1-2 page academic program improvement plan (due late January 2027) includes a student success component addressing retention, progression, or student experience.
• 2.1) Establish baseline utilization of academic advising, carer advising, and mental health supports, and set utilization targets for AY 2027-28.
• 2.2) Map and improve the transition experience for transfer, campus-change, and major-changer students.
• 2.3) Grow internship and experiential learning opportunities through workforce advisory boards and industry partners, in coordination with program improvement plans.
• 2.4) Engage student organizations to support student success.
• 3.1) Launch a scholarship-focused philanthropic effort with the Office of Advancement, prioritizing retention and completion scholarships.

Resources

1. Reorganize Offices of UG and Graduate Education
2. Scholarships specifically. for students in high-need professions and communities (rural/urban)
3. Promotion of DLC and other EHE resources at Buckeye Bound and orientation events
4. Counselor Ed program for mental health services/student support
5. Targeted investment in programming to support the recruitment and transition of campus change and transfer students

Key Performance Indicators

• KPI 1.1) With IR, publish the program-level student success baseline dashboard (retention, 4- and 6-year graduation, time-to-degree, Pell equity gap) by the end of Autumn 2026; programs below college thresholds are identified and engaged. 
• KPI 1.2) Pilot the early-alert protocol in at least 5 high-enrollment courses or programs by Spring 2027 and document outcomes to inform a broader AY 2027-28 rollout.
• KPI 1.3) 100% of program improvement plans submitted by late January 2027 include a student success component.
• KPI 2.1) Establish AY 2026-27 baselines for advising, career services, and mental health support utilization; set AY 2027-28 targets from those baselines.
• KPI 2.2) Publish a redesigned transition pathway and checklist for transfer and campus-change students by spring 2027.
• KPI 2.3) Establish the internship participation baseline; each undergraduate program identifies at least one workforce or internship partner by the end of Spring 2027.
• KPI 2.4) Establish AY 2026-27 program-level placement baselines (employment or further education within six months of graduation) using the oSU First Destination Dashboard and set program-level placement targets for AY 2027-28, absorbing the graduate placement measures formerly under Academic Excellence.
• KPI 3.1) Increase the number of scholarship awardees and scholarship dollars awarded over the FY27 baseline and launch the donor campaign for retention and completion scholarships.
• KPI 3.2) Complete credit-hour threshold reviews for at least three degree programs by the end of FY27.

Talent and Culture

Ambition Statement

Be the University standard in retaining, recruiting, and developing high-quality faculty and staff and fostering an inclusive, satisfying, and healthy college culture.

Lead: Tasha Snyder
Co-Lead: Jackie Chambers

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Objectives

1. Foster a college culture that enhances employee satisfaction, retention, and success.
2. Assess and improve collaboration across employees with an emphasis on promoting civility, respect, and mutual support.
3. Strengthen a culture of belonging, support, and accountability by providing consistent onboarding and offboarding experiences that ensure employees are set up for success through their employment lifecycle.

Strategies

• 1.1) Hold monthly working group meetings to generate ideas and launch projects to promote a positive workplace culture for everyone.
• 1.2) Develop, communicate, and enact clear expectations for how we treat each other and effectively communicate these to everyone.
• 1.3) Implement a comprehensive onboarding and offboarding framework that promotes belonging, engagement, and accountability by ensuring employees are effectively welcomed, supported, developed, and transitioned throughout their employment journey. Leverage onboarding, stay, and exit feedback to continuously improve the employee experience, strengthen organization culture, and support workforce retention and knowledge transfer.

Resources

1. Provost's strategic funding for on-campus engagement and well-being.
2. Consultation services for assessing and enhancing workplace climate.
3. Funding for professional and leadership development (faculty/staff), including microgrants, and conference support.
4. Some helpful dashboards - current employee demographics, faculty/staff profile, faculty/staff trends and demographics, students, faculty, and staff overview; faculty/staff hires and separations.

Key Performance Indicators

• KPI 1.1) College focus groups in late spring 2027 assessing changes in college culture.
• KPI 1.2) EHE will deliver targeted professional development in spring 2027 on improving climate and culture with 50% participation among faculty and staff leaders in EHE.
• KPI 2.3) Attention to climate and culture will be a normative topic for all college committees by end of spring semester 2027.
• KPI 1:3) Completion of 30, 60, 90-day onboarding touchpoints; increased participation in exit interviews and stay interviews; improved employee perceptions of belonging, support, and organizational culture.

Outreach and External Engagement

Ambition Statement

Enhance mission-driven societal and global impact through integrated outreach, research and knowledge translation, and authentic partnerships. 

Lead: Noelle Arnold
Co-Lead: Stacey Dorr

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Objectives

1. Develop and align engagement and outreach activities with the college's mission and the existing strengths of our academic and research programs while meeting the needs of the external stakeholders and communities we serve.
2. Establish, strengthen, and leverage meaningful partnerships across local, national, and global communities to advance engagement, stakeholder experience, and societal impact.
3. Integrate research, teaching, service and extension to maximize impact, spark innovation, and encourage knowledge translation, content creation, and dissemination across engagement efforts.

Strategies

• 1.1) Identify initial mission-aligned engagement priorities and strategic investment, including seed funds and personnel, and partner with ORIC to identify priority areas and develop a process for community-engaged seed grants and partnership development.
• 1.2) Cultivate and leverage relationships with K-12 schools and districts, educator-development partners, workforce advisory boards, community-based organizations, government entities, professional associations, and other external stakeholders to advance EHE academic, research, professional learning, and community-impact priorities in alignment with partner needs.
• 1.3) Establish an initial college-wide partnership and engagement framework that supports partnership development and stewardship while creating a baseline inventory and streamlined means to document partner engagement, contributions, experience, and impact across EHE programs.
• 2.1) Pilot a partnership-development approach for a small set of priority external relationships, identifying opportunities to develop, sustain, and leverage partnerships that advance teaching, learning, research, professional learning, and community impact.
• 2.2) Collaborate with the Office of Academic Programs to inventory existing EDGE-supported high-impact student experiences and identify 1-2 opportunities to strengthen or expand field-based, clinical, community-engaged, global, or career-connected learning through external partnerships.
• 3.1) Identify and begin coordinating existing EDGE and college assets that support K-12 engagement, educator development, community-engaged programming, extension, and professional learning, and identify 1-2 opportunities for expanded or more coordinated delivery.

Resources

1. DHS extension faculty core and OSY extension network
2. Existing EHE centers
3. Existing industry advisory boards, professional associations and societies, and other key external partners
4. OSU Alumni Association
5. EHE Alumni Board
6. Distance Education and Learning Design team
7. EHE marketing and communications office
8. OSU canvas for continuing education
9. OSU Office of International Affairs
10. EHE Accreditation, Placement and Licensure office
11. OSU Office of Outreach and Engagement
12. OSU Career Center of Excellence

Key Performance Indicators

• KPI 1.1) Launch the EHE partnership database in AY26-27. Catalog and establish a baseline for active institutional partnerships (including college, center, and clinical placement agreements). Use the baseline to identify partnership gaps and opportunities for strategic development.
• KPI 1.2) Develop a streamlined partnership-development and stewardship process, including guidance for external advisory boards and a common approach for documenting partner priorities, recommendations, contributions, and follow-up.
• KPI 1.3) Pilot a concise partner-impact/experience assessment with a targeted subset of priority partnerships rather than implementing broad annual evaluations in Year 1; use findings to refine the partnership framework for Year 2.
• KPI 2.1) In partnership with ORIC and the OSU Office of Outreach and Engagement, establish the process, criteria, and partnership-development supports for community-engaged seed grants, with an inaugural funding round targeted for AY27.
• KPI 2.2) With the Office of Academic Programs and APL, complete an initial inventory of EDGE-supported or partnership-enabled high-impact student experiences and identify at least 1-2 opportunities for expansion or stronger coordination.
• KPI 3.1) Document the initial portfolio of EHE/EDGE engagement with K-12 schools and districts, educator development, extension, and community partners, and identify 1-2 priority opportunities for coordinated growth, professional learning, or partnership development.

Operations

Ambition Statement

Advance operational excellence through fiscal stability, responsive services, and increased revenue.

Co-Leads: Nicole Luthy, April Homolak

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Objectives

1. Achieve financial health through transparent, accountable fiscal management and constituent-informed practices that improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of college operations.
2. Advance operational excellence by improving the effectiveness and responsiveness of administrative units through systematic, constituent-informed feedback and engagement and adapt performance expectations of employees and teams to changing priorities and resources.

Strategies

• 1.1) Develop and implement standardized, multi-year financial planning and reporting systems that clarify and reinforce unit-level accountability and align budgeting with strategic and operational priorities to support responsible, sustainable decision-making.
• 2.2) Design and implement operational systems and processes to engage select administrative units in a self-study to enhance coordinated, consistent service delivery, strengthen information sharing and transparency, support effective internal and external communications, and enable successful change management (e.g., changing priorities and resources)

Resources

1. Dean's Innovation Fund for seed grants and professional development
2. Restructuring of funds distribution to align with teaching and research outputs
3. Funding to support website changes
4. Utilize facilities staff for support services in operational readiness

Key Performance Indicators

• KPI 1.1) Partner with the fiscal team to meet annual structural deficit-reduction milestones established by the EHE fiscal recovery plan to achieve a fully balanced operating budget at the college level by the end of FY28.
• KPI 2.1) Admin units completing the self-study will develop unit-level action plans to strengthen service delivery, communication, information sharing, transparency, and change management practices.