Our Strategic Future

Students painting a wall with Welcome written on it in various languages Students painting a wall with Welcome written on it in various languages

As a dynamic division, the University of Miami Division of Students Affairs has taken a multi-pronged approach to continue to improve student retention and persistence. Student Affairs will provide proactive programming and engagement opportunities, support students facing academic or social challenges, and directly assist students in personal crisis. It is the out-of-the-classroom work of Student Affairs that contributes to students achieving their goals of degree completion and post-collegiate plans.

The strategic plan for the Division of Student Affairs was developed to build upon the strengths of the Division and to lead improvements for the future. The Division of Student Affairs contributes to the Roadmap to Our New Century by providing a transformational student experience on a foundation of administrative excellence. A transformational student experience includes exemplary learning opportunities and a proactive approach to student needs. With the continuing challenges of higher education, especially in the areas that support students outside of the classroom, it was time for the Division of Student Affairs to embark on its own strategic planning process.

It was an iterative process designed to clarify the Division’s vision, plan strategically for future opportunities, prioritize goals and outcomes, and find synergistic connections to improve the Division’s administrative excellence.

The Foundation: Administrative Excellence

To address the demands of the changing landscape of higher education and in support of the Roadmap to Our New Century, Student Affairs outlined three goals to enhance its Administrative Excellence.

To accomplish these goals, permanent committees composed of staff will be appointed annually by the Vice President to collaborate across Student Affairs to achieve the Division’s shared goals.

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Divisional Priorities

Through an extensive and iterative process, staff identified four Divisional Priorities that will contribute to and advance student success and learning.

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  • 1. Well-being & Resiliency

    Enabling students to be successful learners and engaged members of a global society by providing them with the necessary mental and physical health support as well as equipping students with the necessary dynamic resiliency, coping, and conflict management skills to address personal and interpersonal challenges in life

    Learning Outcomes:

    • Students will learn multiple pathways to mental and physical well-being by participating in intentional programs and services.
    • Students will learn skills directly related to dynamic resiliency, coping and conflict management.

    Initiatives:

    • Establish a centralized brand that unifies the well-being and resiliency efforts across the division.
    • Increase intentional collaboration with existing peer education groups to develop synergies to further well-being and resiliency education.
    • Overhaul Student Affairs UMX course content related to well-being and resiliency.
    • Develop a needs-based assessment or utilize existing data to determine the overall impact of initiatives on student well-being and resiliency.

  • 2. Diversity & Inclusion

    Preparing students to thrive in a diverse and global society by educating them on how to contribute to and benefit from an inclusive environment by providing intentional programming and physical spaces that support cultural competency and
    community-building

  • 3. Transition & Connections

    Educating students on how to navigate new and diverse environments while becoming lifelong productive and empathetic members of society by providing a holistic transitional experience that connects students to campus resources and helps students make connections to their campus community

  • 4. Student Engagement

    Helping students develop personal and professional skills in preparation for citizenship in a global community by providing meaningful programming and involvement opportunities that allow students to be an active part of campus life

Divisional Priority Work Teams

In order to sequentially address each priority, Divisional Priority Teams composed of staff from multiple departments in the Division will be appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs. These teams will provide recommendations for collaboration, consolidation, and opportunities for enhancement. Additionally, teams will identify assessment metrics to track the progress of divisional priorities and measure the impact of long-term goals as related to student learning, retention, and level of postgraduation preparedness.

These ad-hoc interdepartmental teams will work for a defined time period. Two co-leaders for each team will facilitate and guide the work of each Divisional Priority Team.