All members of the Miami University community are invited to nominate fellow Miamians to serve on working groups and committees for the MiamiTHRIVE strategic planning process.

In the upcoming weeks, university leadership teams will meet to recommend colleagues within their division to serve on these working groups and committees. Additionally, we will accept nominations and volunteers through the MiamiTHRIVE@MiamiOH.edu email.  

All opportunity area working groups and foundational strengths committees will be onboarded in April. All foundational strengths committees will begin their planning then. To manage pace and effort, the first set of working groups will begin their planning in April, a second set in July, and the final set in September.

During the most recent Board of Trustees meeting, Brent Shock, who is leading this effort, presented an update on the first phase of our MiamiTHRIVE initiative, which was based on input, feedback, and work from about 400 Miamians. Energized by the data, analysis, and opportunities produced during the preliminary phase, and with board approval, we will move forward to the second phase of the strategic planning process.

Faculty, staff, and students will serve as chairs and members of 10 working groups that will explore and develop strategies and actions for identified opportunity areas within five strategic pillars: Flexible, skills-focused curriculum; Leading programs within in-demand fields; Experiential learning for every student; Expansive partner ecosystem; Reinvigorated campus experience. Each opportunity area working group will be responsible for creating detailed strategic plans and initiatives within a specific opportunity area that supports the overall goals of MiamiTHRIVE.

The 10 opportunity area working groups will focus on:

• Building lifelong skills
• Expanding experiential learning
• Developing a partnership ecosystem and related urban bridges
• Marketing and communicating our differentiated value proposition
• Strategically leveraging the regional campuses
• Strengthening the student experience and supporting growing segments
• Increasing academic program flexibility and interdisciplinary pathways
• Growing programs in high-demand fields
• Developing ecosystems of excellence in research and scholarship
• Resetting the cost of attendance

In addition, faculty, staff, and students will serve as chairs and members of nine shorter-duration committees dedicated to defining Miami’s foundational strengths and providing input to the working groups to ensure these strengths are woven into our 10 strategic opportunity areas moving forward. Our foundational strengths committees will develop perspectives on how each strength is demonstrated at the university, how it differentiates us, and how we can reinforce that position moving forward.

The nine foundational strengths committees will focus on:

• Teacher-scholar model
• Writing
• Critical thinking skills
• Campus beauty and sustainability
• Student life
• Undergraduate excellence
• Student-athletes
• Inclusive Excellence
• Alumni Engagement