A 10-year strategic plan for the University of Rhode Island, titled “FocusURI,” is a template vision for the next ten years at URI and what initiatives will be implemented in the community.
The plan was first announced by URI President Marc Parlange at the State of the University Address in February. Before Parlange stepped in as President, an academic strategic plan was developed by President Dooley titled “Innovation with Impact.”
FocusURI is a strategic plan with four main priorities titled, “Broaden Our Impact,” “Enhance Student Achievement,” “Foster an Inclusive Culture” and “Power the University of the Future,” according to the FocusURI Strategic Plan brochure.
The first priority, according to the brochure, will focus on URI’s flagship public research initiatives as land and sea grant university. The overall goal is to expand our partnerships and impact as a University.
“Enhance Student Achievement” encourages a focus on students’ overall achievement. This includes improving URI’s learning environment, diversity, health and well-being services, and opportunities for students. This will, in turn, help increase enrollment and degree completion rates.
The third, “Broaden Our Impact,” will work to create an inclusive culture at URI, according to the brochure. These initiatives will work to create a sense of community, a contemporary learning environment, as well as retaining excellent staff and faculty.
The last discipline focuses on the future of the University as a whole. According to the brochure, “the University of Rhode Island will invest in and implement administrative and financial practices that position URI for long-term success.” This includes improving the physical infrastructure, as well as maximizing assets. Overall, this pillar will work to generate more revenue.
According to Chelsea Berry, the Interim Senior Advisor to the President and Chief of Staff, Parlange wanted to form a vision for URI when he began his position in August of 2021.
Parlange wanted opinions from a variety of community members at URI on what the University can improve in, according to Berry.
“He wants to hear everyone’s voice,” Berry said. “He wants to ensure that everyone can see a part of themselves in this plan somehow, somewhere.”
In order to comprise a plan that community members can agree on, Parlange and his executive team formed a steering committee, according to Berry.
The steering committee was composed of students, deans, alumni, and faculty. The purpose, according to Berry, was to implement ideas coming from many sectors of the University.
Ellen Reynolds, Vice President of the Division of Student Affairs, served on the committee while she was in her interim position.
“It was an absolute pleasure to work alongside an amazing group of individuals who were committed to this development of a new strategic plan,” Reynolds said.
The steering committee met monthly with subcommittees that would meet in between the main sessions, according to Berry. The subcommittees focused on more specific initiatives.
Through the steering committee, community forums were created for staff, students, faculty, alumni in-state and out-of-state, and surrounding community members, according to Berry.
Berry said these forums were listening sessions, overseen by a moderator, where participants were asked open-ended questions.
Months of community forums and steering committee meetings created about 800 pages of feedback, according to Berry. After monitoring the needs of our community, the FocusURI 10-year strategic plan was created and subsequently announced in Feb. of 2023.
According to Berry, the fourth pillar’s plans have moved quickly towards improvement. After 50 years of decline, an increase in state appropriation of $14.1 million has allowed URI to improve facilities. Athletic facilities will be improved from 2023 state appropriations, and the URI Bay Campus will be improved from 2022 state appropriations, according to Berry.
“You need to have good facilities to be able to build up the rest of the university,” Berry said.
Before the 2023 state funding was announced, Parlange worked closely with elected officials and legislators to show our University’s needs, according to Berry.
Berry said these visits had a purpose of showing officials the success URI reaches, and how it could be improved with more funding.
“We want people to know the great things happening here,” Berry said. “But, we could be so much better.”
According to Reynolds, the University’s colleges and divisions plan to adapt an action plan that will align with initiatives of the Focus URI strategic plan.
“The exciting work that is being done right now is rolling up our sleeves and making sure that the priorities that we’re working on are in alignment and in support of that strategic plan,” Reynolds said.
For example, the Division of Student Affairs has developed their own action plan, according to Reynolds. As a part of this plan, DOSA will focus on the health and well-being of students.
One way this goal is taking action is through the implementation of epi-pens in URI’s main dining halls, and increasing first responder training for dining staff members willing to participate.
The Focus URI strategic plan spans over 10 years, so the initiatives are dynamic and could be changed, according to Reynolds.
In the near and long-term future, Reynolds said the University will continuously monitor progress through key performance indicators. KPI’s are various types of metrics that will be applied in order to measure success of specific University initiatives.
Berry called this plan a “multi-pronged effort,” meaning the long term and short term improvements will come about through collective initiatives from various departments of the University.