Strategic Plan
โThe participation and engagement of our strategic planning committee, along with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners, will be essential to developing a plan that reflects who we are, where we want to go and the opportunities ahead of us. I appreciate the leadership of our co-chairs and the commitment of everyone involved in this important work.โ
Five Phases of the Strategic Planning Process
Phase 1
Listening & Foundation
The co-chairs conduct an environmental scan and develop the strategic planning framework that will guide the entire process.
- Listening & Learning tour findings reviewed
- Environmental scan of higher-ed trends
Phase 2
Task Force Preparation & Training
The 41-member Planning Task Force completes a survey, participates in a one-day training session (September 16), and learns the collaborative engagement methods they will use to gather stakeholder input.
- Public website launch (Aug)
- Task Force Training Day (Sep 16)
Phase 3
Stakeholder Engagement
Planning Task Force members lead focus groups and conversations with students, faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, and other stakeholders across campus and beyond.
- Focus groups
- Student, faculty, & alumni conversations
Phase 4
Data Synthesis, Visioning & Priority Setting
All stakeholder feedback is analyzed and synthesized. PTF members participate in a vision conference (TBD) to identify strategic priorities and areas of focus for Murray State's future. Messaging is shared throughout the campus community.
- Draft strategic priorities emerge
- Vision Conference
Phase 5
Strategy Development, Operationalization & Launch
Strategic initiatives are developed, action plans are finalized, and the comprehensive strategic plan is launched to guide Murray State University's direction and decisions.
- Strategy finalization & approval
- Official Strategic Plan launch (July 2027)
Co-chairs' Notes
Get Involved โ From September through November, our task force is hosting focus group sessions across Racer Nation. Want to participate? Submit your contact information through the to connect with a task force member. For questions, contact Dr. Elise Kieffer at ekieffer@murraystate.edu
Feedback Reports โ Task force members should submit following focus group sessions.
Co-Chairs
Co-Chairs
- Elise Kieffer
ekieffer@murraystate.edu - Ben Littlepage
blittlepage@murraystate.edu - Chris Wooldridge
cwooldridge@murraystate.edu
Task Force Members
- Tina Bernot
cbernot@murraystate.edu - Michael Bordieri
mbordieri@murraystate.edu - Dedrick Brooks
dbrooks17@murraystate.edu - Wendy Cain
wcain@murraystate.edu - Kathy Callahan
kcallahan@murraystate.edu - S.G. Carthell
scarthell@murraystate.edu - Jennifer Cline
jcline9@murraystate.edu - Amelia Dodd
adodd@murraystate.edu - Cami Duffy
cduffy@murraystate.edu - Jessica Faust
jessica@casabythelakes.org - Renee Fister
kfister@murraystate.edu - Nikki Gaylord
jgaylord1@murraystate.edu - Kristie Guffey
kguffey@murraystate.edu - Katy Hancock
kkhancock11@murraystate.edu - Abigail Hensley
ahensley2@murraystate.edu - Heath Keller
rkeller@murraystate.edu - Matt Kelly
mkelly@murraystate.edu - Dan Lavit
dlavit@murraystate.edu - Carlin Morgan
cmorgan32@murraystate.edu - Shea Porr
cporr@murraystate.edu - Shawn Reynolds
sreynolds@themurraybank.com - Ruben Ricardo
rricardomonth@murraystate.edu - Don Robertson
drobertson@murraystate.edu - Jamie Rogers
jrogers@murraystate.edu - Lori Roe
lroe1@murraystate.edu - Heather Roy
hroy@murraystate.edu - Drew Seib
jseib@murraystate.edu - Shawn Smee
ssmee@murraystate.edu - Dana Thompson
dthompson29@murraystate.edu - Shawn Touney
stouney@murraystate.edu - Chris Trzepacz
ctrzepacz@murraystate.edu - Paul Twigg
twigg@murraystate.edu - Cesar Villeda
cvilleda@murraystate.edu - David Wilson
jwilson@murraystate.edu - Guangming Zou
gzou@murraystate.edu
Administration
- Jill Hunt
thunt@murraystate.edu - Robert Miller
rmiller47@murraystate.edu - Ron Patterson
rpatterson10@murraystate.edu