In this meeting, the working group discussed feedback and insights from Art & Science Group’s campus visit and the lessons learned toward continual improvement. To this end, the group also discussed how they want to intake feedback on the process and communicate out to the steering committee and college as a whole about progress and improvements.

Meeting attendees:

• Shauna Morimoto (co-chair)
• Trish Starks (co-chair)
• Erika Almenara
• John Blakinger
• Autumn Spicher
• Ted Holland
• Kaleb Turner
• Romona West

In this meeting, Drs. Shauna Morimoto and Trish Starks, co-chairs, led a welcome and introduction for the working group. Specifically, they spoke with the group about the charge of the working group, which is to help carry out the logistical processes of the planning processes and serve as a liaison between the steering committee and Art & Science Group.

Kaleb Turner, chief of staff, also provided an update about the recruitment process for participants in the Discovery Phase, which included a campus visit by Art & Science Group, to conduct interviews and focus groups with more than 250 members of Fulbright College, visit college facilities, and learn more generally about Fulbright College.

Meeting attendees:

• Shauna Morimoto (co-chair)
• Trish Starks (co-chair)
• Erika Almenara
• John Blakinger
• Ana Bridges
• Ted Holland
• Autumn Spicher
• Shelby Stone
• Kaleb Turner
• Romona West

In this meeting, Dean Brian Raines spoke about the upcoming process, provided the committee’s charge, outlined expectations, and handed off the process to the co-chairs: Dr. Shauna Morimoto, associate dean for natural sciences and professor of sociology, and Dr. Trish Starks, director of the University of Arkansas Humanities Center and distinguished professor of history.

Drs. Morimoto and Starks provided more detail about the project timeline and the role the steering committee will play as an advisory group. They also tasked the steering committee with making faculty selections for the working group, which included Dr. Ana Bridges (PYSC), Dr. Ted Holland (GEOS), Dr. John Blakinger (ART), and Dr. Erika Almenara (WLLC).

Meeting attendees:

In this meeting, co-chairs Drs. Shauna Morimoto and Trish Starks opened the meeting with a discussion about the role of the Working Group and Steering Committee in representing, communicating with, and gathering feedback from college constituents. Kaleb Turner, chief of staff, provided an update on the success in-person focus groups, interviews, and facility tours; he also outlined next steps for virtual focus groups and interviews for those unable to participate in-person. Drs. Morimoto and Starks facilitated discussion about peer and aspirant institutions, thought leaders in academia and industry, and criteria for research excellence in the Steering Committee members’ respective fields and lines of work.

Meeting attendees:

In this meeting, co-chairs Drs. Shauna Morimoto and Trish provided updates on the work’s progress, notably that Art ’ Science Group continued through April conducting additional targeted interviews and focus groups with faculty regarding research advancement opportunity. In addition, they facilitated a significant brainstorming session to support the external research phase on the project. This brainstorming session included generated ideas for peer and aspirant institutions and local, regional, and nationwide thoughts leaders and organizations.

Meeting attendees:

Art & Science Group met with the Steering Committee to present findings about the Discovery Phase of strategic planning, which included interviews with more than 300 faculty, staff, and students in Fulbright College and a review of existing strategic plans and priorities for the college and university

The strategic planning co-chairs met with Art & Science Group (ASG) to discuss the plan for external research. The co-chairs and ASG generated first-, second-, and third-tier priority lists of peer and aspirant institutions and local, regional, and national thoughts leaders to engagement for the external research process – with a goal of at least 40 total engagements. This process also included comparable data collection across institutions.

The strategic planning co-chairs met with Art & Science Group (ASG) to discuss progress on external research, focus groups, and interviews with peer and aspirant institutions and local, regional, and national thought leaders. ASG reported positive progress to the goal of nearly 40 engagements with external leaders for their insights on the opportunities for Fulbright College.

The strategic planning working group met for their first meeting of AY25-26. In the discussion, the group discussed the year's timeline, planned for a presentation of findings from Art & Science Group, and discussed feedback to a new mission statement for Fulbright College. The group also discussed potential pillars and subcommittees to begin drafting the strategic plan.

The strategic planning working group met for their first meeting of AY25-26. In the discussion, the group discussed the year's timeline, planned for a presentation of findings from Art & Science Group, and discussed feedback to a new mission statement for Fulbright College. The group also discussed potential pillars and subcommittees to begin drafting the strategic plan.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee met for the academic year’s kick-off meeting for the strategic planning initiative. The Dean and co-chairs outlined the timeline expectations to complete a final draft of the plan near spring break of 2026. The co-chairs also facilitated a brainstorm session with the committee to identify the subgroup priorities that will be implemented to aid the plan drafting and writing process.

The Strategic Planning Working Group met to debrief the findings from the 8/27 steering committee meeting. In addition, the group discussed preparations for the upcoming visit by Art & Science Group to present their findings. Finally, the working group provided their feedback to the Dean and co-chairs on the college’s revitalized mission statement.

The Strategic Planning Working Group met with representatives from Art & Science Group (ASG) in a half-day meeting, discussion, and presentation. ASG presented their findings from the external research and benchmarking phase of the project. The research resulted in nearly 200 pages of rich data and findings to support the strategic planning process. ASG also discussed with the group their support for the plan drafting and writing process.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee met to hear a presentation of findings from the Dean and co-chairs on the key findings from Art & Science Group. The steering committee also collaborated on building a plan of action to begin drafting and writing the plan with drafts of the subgroup work to be completed by January 2026.