By Joseph Lyell —

With six months of leading the University of Louisville under her belt, President Neeli Bendapudi is beginning to build a long-term strategic plan for the university.

“In January, we will begin in earnest to develop a strategic plan to guide us into the future. This process will continue throughout the spring semester, with our formal strategic plan roll out in August, 2019,” Bendapudi said in an email to students, staff and faculty Nov. 19.

Right now, she says the university is in the “goal setting and steering committee” phase of the plan’s development, in which she is asking students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors for insight.

“Let’s ask: How can we better prepare our students for life after the university? Where do we want to make a difference?” Bendapudi said.

Bendapudi’s office set up a submission form on the school website that allows students, staff and faculty members to submit ideas for the strategic plan.

Also informing Bendapudi’s plan will be the strategic planning executive committee she created.

Over winter break, the executive committee will review feedback received through the website and identify strategic themes to use in creating the plan.

Bendapudi will also appoint a new strategic planning steering committee in the next month, with representatives from major constituency groups at U of L. She said she will solicit nominations from faculty and staff senates, SGA, the Commission for Diversity and Racial Equity and the Commission on the Status of Women.

Next semester, Bendapudi will create work groups organized around the strategic themes identified by the executive committee. These groups will meet throughout the spring semester to clarify specific strategies they can use to address key points of their assigned themes.

These groups will bring recommendations to the strategic planning and steering committee in April. The steering committee will evaluate the recommendations as they finalize the plan with the executive committee between May and July.

Bendapudi’s strategic plan will roll out in August along with a strategic implementation committee that will oversee its execution.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal