WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY: A Strategic Planning Task Force Update: i. ast spring, the Strategic Planning Task Force, made up of faculty, staff and students from across campus, was organized to draft a strategic vision for the University. To date, members of the Task Force have met for three day-long workshops as well as meeting for several hours each week. At this point we need your input. Part of the assignment of the Task Force has been to discuss Weber State University's current position. A statement has been drafted which identifies the strengths and weaknesses as well as the challenges faced by the University. The strengths and weaknesses address what the University is today; the challenges relate more directly to the outside pressures on the institution. At this point the Task Force has "matched" these factors to identify strategic issues. The Task Force has also discussed the values STRENGTHS Genuine commitment to students Close interaction among students and faculty/staff Blend of applied and liberal education Collegial culture Community interaction Attractive campus Willingness to innovate Affordable quality education WEAKNESSES Image - Low self-confidence - Community perception Stretched resources - Inability to improve faculty/staff compensation - Overcommitted faculty/staff Addressing issues of a commuter campus Student retention Bureaucratic barriers which act as guiding principles for the University and administered a values survey to students, faculty and staff. A draft statement on values will be written as soon as results from the survey have been analyzed. Presented here are the draft statements on strengths, weaknesses, environmental challenges and clientele. The next part of the process is to develop a set of statements which help to define a vision for Weber State University. The Task Force will revise these statements based upon the input received from the campus community, as well as continue to work on other areas of the strategic plan. ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES Confronting increased demand for access by more students | Competing for steadily decreasing state and federal resources Satisfying increased demand for accountability in higher education , 4 Incorporating emerging technology into instructional and services delivery Meeting the needs of a growing diverse population, including minorities, women, older adults and the physically challenged Developing a comprehensive and integrated statewide education system that coordinates learning from kindergarten to graduate school Globalization