Strategic Planning Continues at University School

A Strategic Plan update from Ward J. Ghory, Head of School

November 15, 2007

Life in schools has a cyclical quality.  A school year opens just before Labor Day, closes just after Memorial Day, and then gives way to summer program. The best schools are able to give full attention to each point in the life cycle of a school year.  Yet their competitive edge is gained by reserving quality effort for the pursuit of a strategic plan that looks beyond the day-to-day.  A strategic plan, genuinely undertaken, represents our most fundamental roadmap for ongoing improvement.

Approximately a year ago, University School rolled out its 2006-2010 Strategic Plan featuring five priorities and twenty initiatives.  In each initiative, faculty, staff, and trustees take a single aspect of school life under consideration, assessing current practice and seeking achievable ways to improve.  Today, I'd like to report on our progress toward our priorities.

Priority One:  Faculty and Staff

• The Faculty Evaluation Task Force is deep into the research and literature review stage, drawing on the expertise of outside consultants, and analyzing how our current evaluation system stacks up against best practices.

• Complementing faculty evaluation, we have formed a Professional Development Committee, whose first task is to allocate professional development funds generated by Phase I of the Next Generation Campaign.  Their second task is to orchestrate the school-wide Professional Development Day scheduled for late January.  Eventually, this group will propose ways to enhance the School's program for professional development.

• Recommendations made by a study group considering the addition of a Human Resources Director to our staff will be considered in next year's budget.

Priority Two:  Curriculum and Program

• Building on the introduction of several new courses including Mandarin Chinese in the Upper School curriculum this fall as well as our faculty study group's visit to China this past summer, the Globalization Task Force continues its work on curriculum changes related to global studies.

• Implementing the Curriculum Analysis and Review Plan (C.A.R.P.), we have begun PK-12 curriculum reviews of four disciplines (English/Language Arts, Computer Studies, PE/Health, and Science).

Priority Three:  Facilities

• At the September 2007 Board meeting, the Facilities Committee reported the results of the value engineering process and USM trustees authorized Uihlein-Wilson Architects to prepare construction documents for improvements to the Lower and Middle Schools. The facilities plan also received necessary approvals from the River Hills Village Board. In early 2008, the Board will decide the most prudent time to begin construction of new facilities, whether this spring or in the following year.

• We have commissioned an audit of current conditions and uses of our athletic fields, and are developing a long-range plan for athletic facilities.

Priority Four:  Communication of the School's Value Proposition

• We have premiered a new admissions video, designed to address some of the questions and concerns that are frequently raised by prospective parents.

• We continue to refine the ways in which USMnet, our password-protected portal, can serve as an effective and dynamic communications tool. 

• We are in the production stage for marketing communications materials in support of Phase II of the Next Generation Campaign.

Priority Five:  Sustainable Financial Plan

• In Phase II of the Next Generation Campaign, volunteers and staff began the solicitation of trustees and other major donors in the summer of 2007.

• The Board has established a sub-committee to examine issues of financial sustainability.  As a result of this work and with the understanding of the need to moderate tuition increases on an annual basis, USM trustees approved the lowest tuition increase in the last eleven years for 2007-2008.

Behind the scenes while another school year unfolds, our Strategic Plan continues to generate exciting progress.

USM Strategic Plan 2006-2010