04/15/13

Dear colleagues and friends,

The Planning Committee that did such yeoman work in getting the University’s 2011-2016 strategic plan off the ground may have disbanded. But its contributions won’t be forgotten as the strategic plan continues to evolve into its implementation phase.

Led by co-chairs Pete Gilbert, chief operating officer and senior vice president, and Stephen Bartlett, MD, professor and chair, Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine, the Planning Committee built a strong, innovative plan that positions the University to be a leader in our missions and in our community.

The co-chairs were assisted by hundreds of members of our faculty, students, staff, and community partners, who offered input into the broadly inclusive process. I am indebted to all those who played a part in the creation of this overarching document that will direct our University for the next five years and shape it for the next 10.

I thought such a document was necessary when I came to this University as president in July 2010 and today I am more convinced than ever that it was the right decision.

From its beginnings in the spring of 2011, when we launched a broad, inclusive survey of the entire University to determine and shape its future direction, to its current implementation phase (which is expanded upon elsewhere on this website), the strategic plan has become a beacon for our mission, core values, collaborative vision, and so much more. In short, it’s making us greater than the sum of our parts.

Thanks to all of you who have been involved. Not that we are done, however. The strategic plan is proving to be a living and breathing document that continues to evolve. I fully expect it to outlive its initial five- and 10-year framework.

And who knows? Maybe some of those who helped us in the planning phase will be nice enough to lend their talents again farther down the strategic plan road. I can’t wait to see where that road takes us.

Jay A. Perman, MD
President, University of Maryland, Baltimore