September 6, 2023

Strategic Plan 2023–28: Our Five-Year Journey Has Begun

Dear Baruch College Community,

Fall 2023 is in full swing—bringing our community together, returning vibrancy to our campus, and filling our spirits with renewed energy and purpose. That excitement and optimism are also reflected in our new five-year strategic plan, which launched to great fanfare last week. I would like to thank everyone who took time out from their busy day to join the launch event and celebrate our successful strategic planning effort. (If you were unable to attend or would like to relive the excitement, you can watch the video recording here.)

Last year, over 1,000 members of our community participated in town halls, summits, listening sessions, workshops, and surveys as part of the intense listening and community engagement activities integral to the planning process. In recognition of this significant, collective accomplishment, I would like to express my appreciation to the Strategic Planning Committee and to share some highlights of our new plan.

Highlights from Baruch’s New Strategic Plan, “Baruch 2028: Unstoppable”

Our plan, which we are appropriately calling Baruch 2028: Unstoppable, reflects Baruch’s brand and character: Undeniable. Unprecedented. Unstoppable. We are a vital nexus of ambition and opportunity—a place that attracts striving students and the most committed and talented faculty and staff. Our institutional mission, vision, and values, as articulated in the plan, underpin everything we do.

The Baruch Mission: Baruch College is a place of opportunity and exploration where students, faculty, and staff transform their futures, their professions, and their communities. In the heart of New York City, our diverse and inclusive community is driven by learning, innovative knowledge creation, and intellectual discovery for local and global impact.

The Baruch Vision: Baruch College will be a national model for access and excellence, where ambitions are realized. Leveraging the dynamism of New York City and our steadfast commitment to innovative teaching, research, and collaboration, we will create life-changing experiences for our students, faculty, and staff to make a transformative impact on our world.

Our Values: Five core values define our organizational character and our norms, behaviors, and mindset: Collaboration & Connection, Excellence, Impact, Inclusion, and Innovation. These values inform all we do and aspire to be.

Strategic Priorities to Get Us Where We Need to Go

What makes Baruch special is our people, which is very much the focus of our plan. The plan’s four strategic priority areas center, respectively, on students, faculty, staff, and the environment and infrastructure needed to help everyone reach their full potential. These priorities will serve as guideposts to set our annual College-Focused Goals—starting this year—so it is helpful to keep them in the foreground:

• Maximize students’ potential to succeed. We will increase access to excellence and empower all students to succeed.
• Promote excellence in research and impactful teaching. We will foster teaching and research symbiotically to achieve local and global impact.
• Strengthen our collaborative and engaged community. We will cultivate a thriving campus community where students, staff, and faculty feel a sense of belonging and experience opportunities for connection and growth.
• Optimize operations and infrastructure. We will enhance operational and fiscal effectiveness while improving physical and information infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the community.

Consulting these core elements—our mission, vision, values, and strategic priority areas—will help our community make smart and strategic decisions. The Strategic Planning Committee worked hard to create a one-page overview of the plan. I have posted this Strategic Plan Overview in my office and encourage you to keep it nearby as well.

As you may know, the University has recently announced the system-wide strategic plan: CUNY Lifting New York; 2023–2030 Strategic Roadmap. I can assure you that the Baruch Strategic Plan aligns perfectly well with the system-wide plan, which is not surprising as many members of the Baruch community—myself included—were directly involved in the development of the CUNY Strategic Roadmap.

What’s Next: Strategic Plan Events and More

It is time to harness our momentum as we launch this exciting plan created by our community. Starting this week, we will host a series of themed events spotlighting our values, hearing from students, faculty, staff, and alumni. In the coming months, we look forward to additional gatherings and sharing periodic updates, including my annual strategic plan report.

In the meantime, I encourage you to learn more about Baruch 2028: Unstoppable. Visit the updated strategic plan webpages, where you can watch a short video introduction and read the plan in its entirety. Upcoming events are also listed there.

This is an exciting time in Baruch’s history. Thank you for your dedication, your commitment, and your belief in this college. Because of you, we never stop looking for better, smarter ways forward. Together, we truly are unstoppable.

Regards,

S. David Wu

President, Baruch College