CWU's Strategic Plan, 2023-2028

Unifying Value: Student Success

Central Washington University creates pathways for students of all backgrounds to reach their academic and professional goals. Through providing a supportive learning environment, faculty and staff inspire students to become engaged professionals, active citizens, and lifelong learners.

Goal 1: Develop clear pathways into and through the university to ensure equitable access to higher education, enhance student engagement and success, and improve retention and graduation rates.

• Initiative 1.1: Increase enrollment through the development and implementation of a relational recruitment model integrated with clearly branded marketing.
• Initiative 1.2: Increase retention rates of new freshman students, closing equity gaps.
• Initiative 1.3: Analyze completion rates by course and overall graduation rates, using disaggregated data for different demographic groups, and close equity gaps in student success.
• Initiative 1.4: Working with high schools and community colleges, develop clear pathways into the university to provide equitable and inclusive enrollment practices and graduation attainment.
• Initiative 1.5: Map inclusive, evidence-based and pedagogically sound High-Impact Practices (HIPs) to our academic and student engagement programs in a developmental way throughout a student’s journey.

Goal 2: Elevate culturally sustaining practices so that the cultural wealth that historically excluded students, faculty, and staff bring to our university community is integrated into the learning environment.

• Initiative 2.1: Develop and implement a comprehensive faculty development program that focuses on inclusive pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching practices, and designing curricula that incorporate diverse perspectives and experiences.
• Initiative 2.2: Develop workshops and seminars for staff to advance culturally sustaining practices in student engagement and success programming.

Goal 3: Elevate the holistic well-being of our students.

• Initiative 3.1: Establish the Culture of Respect Leadership Council and implement the CWU Safe Committee recommendations.
• Initiative 3.2: Increase awareness and utilization of student health and wellness support services.
• Initiative 3.3: Support and expand access to basic needs, including establishing a resource coordinator dedicated to assisting students experiencing food and housing insecurity.
• Initiative 3.4: Expand access to financial literacy and financial coaching services for all students through a partnership between the Financial Wellness Center, the Center for Financial Planning and Well-Being, and academic programs.

Core Value 1: Engagement

Central Washington University nurtures authentic relationships built on mutual respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. Our various communities engage in a network of mutuality and interdependence to advance collective learning and growth.

Goal 1: Amplify and elevate the university’s relationship with local and regional communities.

• Initiative 1.1: Integrate our strategic planning and activities with the cities within Kittitas county and with the county as a whole, as well as with other cities and counties in our region.
• Initiative 1.2: Integrate our planning and activities at the Centers with the communities local to the Centers, and include the Centers with campus-wide initiatives.
• Initiative 1.3: Cultivate a partnership with the Yakama Nation and other regional tribal nations built on meaningful, ongoing consultation, collaboration, and cooperation.
• Initiative 1.4: Participate in the creation and implementation of an economic development plan that builds a partnership between CWU and the cities within Kittitas county and with the county as a whole, as well as with other cities and counties in our region.

Goal 2: Partner with businesses, nonprofits, governmental agencies, tribal agencies, and other entities, as well as with individuals, to increase opportunities for students.

• Initiative 2.1: Create an Institute for Civic and Community Engagement that partners with SLICE to expand community partnerships to provide experiential learning and civic engagement opportunities for students.
• Initiative 2.2: Working through the Campus Compact model, develop and implement a Civic Action Plan.
• Initiative 2.3: Strengthen the partnership between the Foundation, the Alumni Association, and the university community to enhance lifelong alumni and donor relationships that support our students, faculty, and staff.

Core Value 2: Belonging

Central Washington University believes that a diversity of peoples, cultures, and ideas are essential to learning, discovery, and creativity. Collectively, we take responsibility for welcoming and integrating diverse perspectives into our community to advance our vision and mission.

Goal 1: Establish hiring, onboarding, and evaluation processes that nurture a culture of inclusion for all employees with a focus on increasing the number of employees from historically excluded groups.

• Initiative 1.1: Make diversity and equity a priority in the hiring, onboarding, and retention of faculty and staff.
• Initiative 1.2: Create a process for ongoing consultation with historically excluded faculty and staff regarding the development of support mechanisms necessary for their success.
• Initiative 1.3: Facilitate and promote the work of faculty in advancing diversity and inclusion in teaching, scholarship, and service in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement to ensure that such work will be counted in professional records to meet tenure and promotion criteria.
• Initiative 1.4: Review and ensure that University criteria for reappointment, tenure and promotion, and post tenure review furthers diversity and inclusion in teaching, scholarship and service, and that the College criteria aligns with the University criteria.

Goal 2: Become a Hispanic Service Institution (HSI).

• Initiative 2.1: Develop Hispanic/Latinx Thriving Leadership Council of faculty, staff, students, and community members to chart the path towards becoming an HSI, with clear leadership and resources, including continued participation at United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institution Educators, and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and a dedicated staff position to coordinate these efforts.
• Initiative 2.2: Develop strategic partnerships with equity organizations, local community-based organizations, and HSIs for knowledge sharing and program development to better support underserved students.
• Initiative 2.3: Develop a plan for early outreach, targeted recruitment, retention, and graduation of Latinx students.
• Initiative 2.4: Develop a plan for hiring, retaining, mentoring, and promoting Latinx and bilingual faculty, staff, administrators.
• Initiative 2.5: Implement bilingual and culturally responsive practices across the institution, including translation of important materials and information into Spanish.

Goal 3: Cultivate an inclusive and welcoming campus culture that embraces diversity, that
fosters a sense of belonging for all students, faculty, and staff, and that nurtures pride in the
university.

• Initiative 3.1: Develop and implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training programs for faculty, staff, and students to raise awareness, build understanding, and promote inclusive practices across the university.
• Initiative 3.2: Establish, maintain, and resource affinity groups for historically excluded students, faculty, and staff, focused on marginalized identities such as racial/ethnic, LGBTQ+, disability, and internationals, to create a safe and supportive environment where they can connect and share experiences.
• Initiative 3.3: Build mechanisms for nurturing a strong sense of affiliation with and pride in Central Washington University.

Core Value 3: Stewardship

Central Washington University advances environmental, social, and economic sustainability in ways that support an ecologically and socially responsible world and that honor the Indigenous peoples who have resided here since time immemorial and who continue to reside here. We nurture our internal talent through professional development opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and accountability enacted with care and compassion.

Goal 1: Promote sustainable practices and responsible stewardship of land and resources to support an ecologically and socially responsible world, while respecting and honoring Indigenous peoples.

• Initiative 1.1: Develop and implement a comprehensive, university-wide Sustainability & Climate Change Action Plan, which incorporates environmental, social, and economic considerations into university operations, infrastructure, and academic programs in collaboration with the local community.
• Initiative 1.2: Integrate sustainability into university-wide curriculum to provide students with the knowledge, skills, competencies, and values necessary to shape an equitable and sustainable future.

Goal 2: Elevate shared governance and collaboration across the university and advance professional development and leadership opportunities that demonstrate the value of our human resources and that build a strong, united university community.

• Initiative 2.1: Create a university-wide committee consisting of representatives from faculty, staff, students, administrators, and trustees to study shared governance, review our shared governance practices, and create a national model for shared governance at CWU.
• Initiative 2.2: Elevate the application of emotional intelligence, equity-mindedness, collaboration, inclusion, and deep care through professional development and mentoring centered on building a model of leadership-in-place at CWU.
• Initiative 2.3: Develop a new performance management process and criteria for staff that advances the university’s vision and values.

Goal 3: Implement values-based budgeting to ensure the efficient and effective use of fiscal resources and the long-term fiscal sustainability of the university.

• Initiative 3.1: Right-size and fully fund instructional and non-instructional employee costs that meet or exceed the historical norms of the university and that support the vision, mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Initiative 3.2: Reduce redundancies and inefficiencies in goods and services costs and develop mechanisms to monitor and control spending in support of the vision, mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Initiative 3.3: Develop a values-based fund to incentivize, reward, and invest in the vision, mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Initiative 3.4: Build university reserves equivalent to a minimum of three years of bond payments.