Strategic Planning

Dean Brian RainesI’m excited to announce that the first phase of our strategic planning process is officially underway! This process began informally this fall during the listening tour, which I enjoyed and found incredibly helpful. We learned a ton about all facets of Fulbright College, and what we learned will set a foundation for the work of strategic planning. Be assured, though, that we will have other avenues for input into the strategic plan throughout the spring and summer of 2025.

The goal of this process is to create a vision to guide us for the next decade in Fulbright College. This plan should be our plan, a shared vision for the future of our college. Our land-grant mission and role as the flagship university in the state of Arkansas must be central to our plan, and it should challenge us to do more, to be leaders in student success, research, creative expression, and community engagement in a way that is distinctive to Fulbright College.

We will be working with Art & Science Group, LLC, a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in market-informed strategic planning, institutional positioning, and advancement strategies for higher education institutions. Fulbright College’s Strategic Planning work is already underway, and we anticipate a fully drafted, shared, and supported plan will be ready for implementation by December 2025.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please do not hesitate to email me at fulbright@uark.edu.

Sincerely,

Brian E. Raines
Dean, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

 

Leading the Planning Process

A steering committee has been formed to lead the strategic planning process. The steering committee is co-chaired by Shauna Morimoto, associate dean for natural sciences and professor of sociology, and Trish Starks, director of the University of Arkansas Humanities Center and distinguished professor of history, and is made up of a representative body of faculty, staff, and students, including:

Shauna Morimoto

Shauna Morimoto
Associate Dean, Sociology
Co-Chair

Trish Starks

Trish Starks
Director of the Arkansas Humanities Center, History
Co-Chair

Jane Duke

Jane Duke
Alumnus

Kolade Olatunde

Kolade Olatunde
Graduate Student

Shelby Stone

Shelby Stone
Student

Erika Almenara

Erika Almenara
Associate Professor, World Languages, Literatures & Cultures

Andrew Alverson

Andy Alverson
Professor, Biological Sciences

Shane Barker

Shane Barker
Assistant Dean, Staff

Christa Bentley

Christa Bentley
Assistant Professor, Music

John Blakinger

John Blakinger
Associate Professor, Art

Scotti Branton

Scotti Branton
Assistant Professor, Communication

Ana Bridges

Ana Bridges
Professor, Psychological Sciences

Hugh Churchill

Hugh Churchill
Professor, Physics

Matt Clay

Matt Clay
Professor & Department Chair, Mathematical Sciences

Jenna Donohue

Jenna Donohue
Assistant Professor, Philosophy

John Gallagher

John Gallagher
Associate Professor, Social Work

Morgan Hicks

Morgan Hicks
Assistant Professor, Theatre

Edward Holland

Ted Holland
Associate Professor, Geosciences

Yajaira Padilla

Yajaira Padilla
Professor & Department Chair, English

William Schreckhise

Bill Schreckhise
Professor & Department Chair, Political Science

Gina Shelton

Gina Shelton
Advanced Instructor, Journalism & Strategic Media

Autumn Spicher

Autumn Spicher
Director of Development, Staff

Kaleb Turner

Kaleb Turner
Chief of Staff, Staff

Peter Ungar

Peter Ungar
Professor, Anthropology

Feng Wang

Feng Wang
Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Romona West

Romona West
Assistant Dean, Staff

 

All About the Planning Process

Key Goals

  1. Understand Fulbright College's strengths and challenges within the completive higher education landscape.
  2. Integrate the College’s initiatives with the U of A’s broader goals, including student success.
  3. Promote research excellence and institutional distinction.
  4. Incorporate perspectives from internal constituencies (faculty, staff, and students) and external thought leaders to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive planning process.

Methodology

  • Phase 1: Discovery and Internal Strategic Analysis (January–March 2025)

  • Phase 2: External Research (March–August 2025)

  • Phase 3: Analysis and Recommendations (June–August 2025)

  • Phase 4: Strategic Plan Facilitation (August–December 2025)

Proposed Deliverables

  • A detailed understanding of Fulbright College’s competitive environment and strategic opportunities.
  • Recommendations for new and existing programs to strengthen the college’s identity and impact.
  • Guidelines for aligning college initiatives with university-wide goals.
  • Communication strategies to ensure stakeholder buy-in and understanding of the strategic plan.

Meeting Notes

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:

Attendee

Category

Department/School/Unit

Shauna Morimoto, Co-Chair

Staff/Admin

ARSC

Trish Starks, Co-Chair

Staff/Admin

HIST

Brian Raines, Executive Sponsor

Staff/Admin

ARSC

Shelby Stone, Member

Student

Student

Erika Almenara, Member

Faculty

WLLC

Andy Alverson, Member

Faculty

BISC

Shane Barker, Member

Staff/Admin

ARSC

Christa Bentley, Member

Faculty

MUSC

Ana Bridges, Member

Faculty

PSYC

Hugh Churchill, Member

Faculty

PHYS

Matt Clay, Member

Faculty

MASC

Jenna Donohue, Member

Faculty

PHIL

Jane Duke, Member

Alumni

Alumni

John Gallagher, Member

Faculty

SCSW

Morgan Hicks, Member

Faculty

THTR

Ted Holland, Member

Faculty

GEOS

Yajaira Padilla, Member

Faculty

ENGL

Bill Schreckhise, Member

Faculty

PLSC

Gina Shelton, Member

Faculty

JOUR

Autumn Spicher, Member

Staff/Admin

ARSC

Kaleb Turner, Member

Staff/Admin

ARSC

Peter Ungar, Member

Faculty

ANTH

Feng Wang, Member

Faculty

CHBC

Romona West, Member

Staff/Admin

ARSC

Kolade Olatunde, Member

Student

Student