Strategic Plan
Our Vision
To be a student-centered division that is committed to inspiring growth, creating an inclusive environment, and preparing graduates to apply their Aggie experience to lead and serve in a dynamic global community.
Our Mission
The Division of Student Affairs is a community of dedicated professionals who provide exceptional programs, services, and facilities that create a supportive campus environment where students feel a sense of community and have the opportunity to develop as leaders. Through a student-centered approach to engagement, learning, leadership development, and wellbeing, we instill a commitment to critical thinking, lifelong learning, and the Aggie Core Values.
Our Priorities
We recognize our responsibility in cultivating a welcoming, supportive, and affirming environment that instills a sense of belonging for an ever-changing campus community. We create and foster meaningful interactions, inclusive experiences, and universal access.
Objectives:
1.1 Provide relevant opportunities for students to engage with staff, faculty, and each other that promotes a sense of belonging.
1.2 Ensure DSA programs, services, and facilities are welcoming and accessible for all.
Impact on Our Work:
1.1 Encourages our division to remain relevant with our approach to build a sense of belonging for all students.
1.2 Compels our division towards ensuring programs, services and facilities become/remain accessible and welcoming to all students.
Staff are vital to our mission. We invest in our people by providing appropriate resources and benefits, opportunities for mentorship and development, as well as environments allowing for innovation, creativity, authenticity and balance. Fostering capacity and adaptability assists in developing highly qualified, productive and responsive professionals.
Objectives:
2.1 Promote both autonomy and shared ownership of professional and personal growth.
2.2 Expand opportunities for staff to gain skills and competencies necessary for career advancement inside and outside of Texas A&M.
2.3 Implement creative approaches to recruit, reward, resource and retain staff.
Impact on Our Work:
2.1 Empowers staff, supervisors and departments to make conversations about professional development and growth a two-way conversation and commitment.
2.2 Encourages our departments and the division to provide more relevant and measurable career development opportunities for all staff.
2.3 Motivates department and division leaders to be innovative with their recruitment and retention practices.
We acknowledge that we must be innovative and responsible stewards of our financial, technical and human resources. We proactively foster a culture of dynamic improvement to advance our mission by identifying, building and enhancing relationships with partners. By removing barriers and thinking differently, we maximize efficiency and effectiveness in our work.
Objectives:
3.1 Utilize data to make informed decisions for continuous improvement and innovative approaches to new and existing challenges.
3.2 Create opportunities for stakeholders to invest in the Division of Student Affairs.
Impact on Our Work:
3.1 Encourages departments to use quantitative and qualitative data-based decisions in the determination of what programs/services maintain, get removed or get added.
3.2 Encourages departments and the division to look for ways to connect with internal and external stakeholders in order to advance our work for students.
We acknowledge each student’s unique developmental journey. We commit to student learning by providing a wide array of experiences that allow for varying levels of involvement resulting in student growth in personal and career-ready competencies.
Objectives:
4.1 Engage students with various levels of involvement that provides student learning opportunities.
4.2 Create high impact experiences that develop competencies necessary to live, work and have impact in a global society and economy.
Impact on Our Work:
4.1 Compels departments to consider making all levels of engagement contain some level of student learning, while also acknowledging that we need to maintain different intensities of engagement for our large student population.
4.2 Motivates both the division as a whole and individual departments to consider infusing existing and new engagement opportunities with elements of high impact practices. This also keeps us focused on our MGT WG #20 goals (High Impact Practices).
We acknowledge that we must be innovative and responsible stewards of our financial, technical and human resources. We proactively foster a culture of dynamic improvement to advance our mission by identifying, building and enhancing relationships with partners. By removing barriers and thinking differently, we maximize efficiency and effectiveness in our work.
Objectives:
3.1 Utilize data to make informed decisions for continuous improvement and innovative approaches to new and existing challenges.
3.2 Create opportunities for stakeholders to invest in the Division of Student Affairs.
Impact on Our Work:
3.1 Encourages departments to use quantitative and qualitative data-based decisions in the determination of what programs/services maintain, get removed or get added.
3.2 Encourages departments and the division to look for ways to connect with internal and external stakeholders in order to advance our work for students.
We acknowledge the importance of an academic and campus environment that allows all our community members to thrive. Helping individuals develop greater self-awareness and strategies for resilience, we create a culture of holistic development that promotes integrated programs and services fostering a healthy campus community.
Objectives:
6.1 Integrate holistic wellbeing practices in programs, services and facilities.
6.2 Increase competency and capacity for staff to support student well-being.
Impact on Our Work:
6.1 Encourages departments to infuse well-being practices in existing and new programs, services, and facilities. Ultimately, to ensure that the student experience – regardless of where students engage – is underpinned with a philosophy of well-being.
6.2 Compels both supervisors and staff to prioritize professional development that ensures that our division’s staff are appropriately equipped to support the evolving needs of our students in regards to well-being.
Strategic Actions, Projects and Tasks Recommendations
Strategic actions, projects, and tasks that impact the entire division and/or are multi-departmental efforts will be a critical element of our strategic plan. These actions, projects, and tasks will be revisited at the end of each semester to measure progress towards completion. As actions, projects and tasks are completed, we will continually seek out additional opportunities to focus on as a division.
Staff input in this process is crucial to ensure we are focusing on actions, projects and tasks that are relevant and impactful. DSA staff can use this form to suggest strategic actions, projects, and tasks for the division to invest resources in accomplishing in the future.