Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit has launched its strategic plan for 2022-2027 called “Our Moment in Time,” which will serve as a guide for future initiatives at the university for the next five years.
The plan, approved unanimously by the WSU Board of Governors, seeks to build on the school’s commitment to student success and its connection with Detroit and Michigan.
“Wayne State has been an anchor in Detroit for more than 150 years, and we’re not going anywhere. Our commitment to the community has provided opportunities for our university to have a positive impact on many people and in many ways — most importantly in providing a world-class education to students from all walks of life,” says Dr. M. Roy Wilson, president of WSU. “We remain steadfast in this commitment to our students, our community, and our state.”
Developed over 10 months with collaborative input from across the campus community and beyond, the plan outlines goals for the university around research and discovery; teaching, learning and student success; outreach and engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and financial sustainability and operational excellence. The complete plan is available online.
Key objectives include increasing undergraduate, masters, professional, and certificate enrollments, with an overall goal of 28,000 students. It will launch a campus-wide initiative to recruit, support, and further educational attainment of people with partial college educations.
Other goals include increasing the six-year graduation rate to 60 percent and the same rate among historically marginalized students to 50 percent. It will launch the university’s next comprehensive fundraising campaign and targets an advance in ranking for overall research expenditures.
Final key objectives include expanding the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement to include campus development of spaces and initiatives that support the wide diversity of races, cultures, creeds, and orientations; and developing new facilities to support leading-edge health sciences education and research.
“So many of the doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, business leaders, and other professionals serving the metro Detroit area are Wayne State graduates. We know that there can be even more,” says Wilson. “A college degree has the ability to change someone’s life, and an educated workforce is crucial to keeping Michigan thriving. Increasing access for those who may not be traditional students is beneficial to us all.”
