“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
- James Madison
How We Strategically Plan
At JMU, we use strategic planning to aspire for the future, set measurable goals, identify strategies to achieve these goals, allocate resources, and evaluate our progress. The strategic planning process is conceptualized here as three complementary processes, each of which plays a key role in helping JMU meet its mission and vision.
Sustained Excellence
This strategic process allows units across the university to identify, measure, and report progress on annual objectives that align with a comprehensive list of Core Qualities and University Goals.
Advancing Current Objectives
To align the management of fiscal, human, and material resources, the university establishes strategic priorities. These priorities provide a plan of focus over a particular period of time. They are supported by the establishment of the President’s Key Goals, which are shared and discussed with the Board of Visitors annually.
Long-Range Vision
The Long-Range Vision is where we look years ahead and plan for JMU’s place in higher education. This process is defined by emerging future themes (i.e., bold statements about the future direction of the university) and Big Ideas (i.e., major initiatives and strategies) we will employ to achieve this vision. University leadership has identified these emerging future themes and is currently soliciting Big Ideas from the campus community that will help us meet these themes. This process eventually forms the next Strategic Plan for JMU.
