Strategic Pathway Commitments

Student conducting field work in long grass

UMD's strategic pathway commitments align with the University of Minnesota's Elevate Extraordinary roadmap and with our mission, vision and values. The five Elevate Extraordinary imperatives are:

  • Prepare students to be fully engaged and active in our state, nation and world. 
  • Innovate to transform the future of learning. 
  • Serve communities through knowledge creation and exchange in the arts, health, healthcare, and the economy. 
  • Advance our excellence to lead in the discovery and application of sustainable solutions, improving environmental, human, plant and animal health.
  • Secure our future as a world-class university by strategically investing in our talented workforce, operations and facilities.


 

Pathway Commitments

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Pathway Commitments

Commitment 1: Strengthen Our Identity as a Student-Centered Research University.

We advance high-impact teaching, learning, research, and curricular innovation to embed active inquiry in the student experience.

  • Expand undergraduate students’ participation in high-engagement experiential learning through research and creative activity, internships and student employment, and leadership opportunities, and/or community engagement.
  • Invest in interdisciplinary master’s and doctoral programs that embed active inquiry.
  • Support relational education across academic and non-academic experiences to promote learning through meaningful connections and participation in community-based, research, creative projects, and co-curricular opportunities.
  • Expand and deepen research, creative activities, and educational engagement with regional organizations to contribute to community problem-solving and support students’ career readiness and civic-mindedness.
  • Develop community-based partnerships to strengthen student learning and engagement through Humanities in Action.

Co-chairs: Wendy Reed and Jen Mencl

Commitment 2: Expand Research Partnerships and Community Impact.

We enrich regional and global communities through research and creative activities.

  • Expand institutional support for scholarly and creative activity in partnership and collaboration with the Research and Innovation Office.
  • Identify and address regional and global environmental challenges through new or expanded research, education, and public outreach, including through the Natural Resources Research Institute, Minnesota Sea Grant, and the Large Lakes Observatory.
  • Co-lead the development and implementation of a university-wide Fresh Water Research Initiative.
  • Guided by Native nation priorities, Indigenous knowledges, and the TRUTH Report, center relationships of trust and respect with Tribal nations to co-create research and institutional processes and promote the flourishing of all relatives in Anishinaabe aki and Dakhóta thamákhočhe.
  • Create partnerships with community entities to advance the responsible development and use of emerging technologies to promote sustainability and social wellbeing.

Co-chairs: Erik Brown, Lynne Williams, and Kim Zoder-Martell
 

Commitment 3: Cultivate an Inclusive and Thriving Culture.

We champion a culture that enables the university and broader community to thrive.

  • Build campus-wide capacity for deliberative inquiry by facilitating students’ learning about civic engagement, power, privilege, freedom of speech, and information literacy.
  • Provide development and growth opportunities to students, faculty, and staff to support their recruitment, retention, success, and belonging.
  • Adopt and align with the Okanagan Chart to promote the wellbeing of students, staff, and faculty.
  • Create and implement a holistic approach to advising and mentorship that integrates academic goals, career readiness, leadership, and civic-mindedness.

Co-chairs: Kay Robinson and Rebecca Ropers

Commitment 4: Build a Robust Community of Learners.

We recruit, retain, and support students to promote lifelong learning.

  • Meet and sustain enrollment goals through recruitment, retention, and graduation strategies that authentically represent our identity as a student-centered research university to potential students.
  • Develop and implement a process to continuously review and evolve our program offerings to meet the workforce needs of organizations and communities in Minnesota and beyond.
  • Enhance institutional reach and educational equity by developing and implementing new models and programs that offer flexible, inclusive, and accessible programs while prioritizing in-person programming.

Co-chairs: Trevor Eagle and Anne Stevens

Commitment 5: Invest in People, Systems, and Facilities to Elevate Our Mission

We invest in people and modernize systems and facilities.

  • Coordinate with other University of Minnesota campuses on curricula, calendars, resources, and policies to ensure equitable and seamless access for students, staff, and faculty.
  • Integrate and engage with University of Minnesota Online to ensure that UMD faculty and students contribute to and benefit from the University of Minnesota’s online offerings.
  • Align workload, compensation, and resources for faculty, staff, and student employees to promote university priorities, employee wellbeing, and fiscal sustainability.
  • Through a transparent and sustainable infrastructure vision, implement comprehensive facility and climate plans that sustainably manifest our identity as an accessible and student-centered research university on Anishinaabe aki.
  • Create campus gathering spaces and systems that foster a sense of welcome, connectedness, and belonging for our campus and broader communities.

Co-chairs: Matt Massman and Praveen Aggarwal