Miami University President Gregory Crawford detailed several upcoming initiatives stemming from MiamiTHRIVE, the university’s strategic plan, during his spring update April 2 at Hall Auditorium. 

The creation of the Miami University Polytechnic Campus, establishing collaborations for disruptive technologies, and building a presence in Columbus and Cleveland were among the topics discussed throughout the 90-minute presentation. 

First announced in fall 2023, MiamiTHRIVE has been an ambitious undertaking to transform and reinvigorate the university for generations to come. More than 1,500 faculty, staff, and students worked together to identify foundational strengths of the university and opportunity areas where Miami could distinguish itself. Through focus groups, feedback sessions, and presentations, these Miamians conducted research, strategized, and pulled from their own experiences as they brought passion and enthusiasm to the process.

“It was a large process that all came together,” President Crawford said during the spring update. “We were very happy with this outcome, how it all worked out, and with the collaboration that we saw between the opportunity areas and the foundational strengths committees.”

Wave 1 initiatives announced by President Crawford on April 2 included:

• The Miami University Polytechnic Campus. By building on an already existing partnership with Butler Tech in the area of advanced manufacturing, the Miami University Polytechnic Campus will provide access for every student on each campus to pursue an applied education, rooted in the liberal arts, to prepare them to solve current and emerging challenges through the use of technology.
• Office of Strategic Transformation. This university-wide partnership management framework will include partner categorization/tiering to establish a comprehensive understanding of how best to engage priority partners across divisions and departments.
• Expanded experiential learning. A new Experiential Learning Certificate program allows students to choose from one of four career readiness pathways.
• Disruption technology collaboration. Developing centers for artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, and coordinating their work with the existing Center for Analytics and Data Science (CADS), will establish Miami as a leader in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary education.
• Neighborhood “Quads.” Reimagining quads into neighborhoods and creating incentives will help faculty and staff partners increase engagement and community within the residence halls.
• Student hallmark experiences. Upgrading student engagement and communications tools will help undergraduate students identify a “hallmark” experience from their time at Miami.
• Arena district: To best support student experience and Oxford economic development, a proposed new multipurpose event district and arena would include more facilities than currently exist at Millett Hall, including two basketball practice courts and a volleyball arena. It is also expected to include additional revenue generation opportunities that Millett Hall cannot accommodate.
• Human Resources transformation: Miami University has conducted an extensive review of the university’s Human Resources (HR) structure and started consolidating services and operations previously housed within multiple university divisions. 
• Urban presence. By establishing a scaled physical presence in Columbus and Cleveland, students across a range of majors can participate in real-world experiences to engage in hands-on experiential learning to gain exposure to certain careers or sectors. Additionally, it will serve as a hub to connect with alumni in the city and partners.
• Hyper-personalization and segmentation. Using audience segmentation will help improve the user journey on the website.
• Student News Bureau: Empowering students to tell our story. Funding a student-staffed multimedia newsroom/news bureau housed in, and working alongside, University Communications and Marketing will provide professional experience and bylines to students, while also having the student experience accurately reflected in marketing materials.
• Operational efficiencies. Miami University has completed a comprehensive review of the efficiency of the university.
• Advanced Manufacturing Workforce and Innovation Hub. The Advanced Manufacturing Workforce and Innovation Hub is a cutting-edge partnership between Miami University and Butler Tech Career Technical Center that aims to develop an educated workforce and will serve as a catalyst for community economic growth. Students will have access to a variety of distinctive pathways to meet all levels of need in the manufacturing sector — from associate degrees, industry-recognized credentials and Microcredentials, to degrees in robotics, electro-mechanical engineering, and more.
• Bachelor Hall. Reshaped Hub for the Humanities. An overhaul of Bachelor Hall will create a modern Hub for Humanities, which will house Miami’s departments of English; History; Media, Journalism, and Film; and Philosophy, as well as the Humanities Center, the American Culture and English Program, and the Ohio Writing Project. The renovation, which will add square footage with a four-story indoor atrium, modernize classrooms, and consolidate existing space, is expected to be completed by summer 2026.

For more information, visit the MiamiTHRIVE initiatives webpage.

“We had so many people who put their heart and soul into MiamiTHRIVE,” President Crawford said.