Strategic Plan

Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering has engaged in a strategic planning process to span the next several years and charts an intentional direction. With the planned expansion of the college that includes campus growth in Blacksburg and the Washington D.C., metro area, including the Innovation Campus, a new plan is imperative for the college.

Dean Julia M. Ross talking with two students in the Ware Lab.

In alignment with the university’s new strategic plan, The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries, the college’s strategic plan was developed in collaboration with faculty, staff, students, and alumni across the college, and informed by partners and employers.

Dean Julia M. Ross brought together strategic planning committees, representing leadership from the college who were responsible for executing multiple phases of the strategic planning process. Together, they performed an in-depth analysis of the current state of the college that includes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Throughout the process, the college’s strategic planning committees engaged with the college community of faculty, staff, students, advisory boards, alumni and friends, and asked for input. In all, 7,000 unique comments from 550 members of the college community were collected.

With that foundation, a mission, vision, core values, strategic priorities, and goals were shaped. To guide the implementation, tactics, metrics, milestones, and targets were also developed.

For each priority and goal, a set of tactics will define the action and shape decisions. Metrics for success, with milestones and targets defined, have been developed. In Fall 2019, the college began aligning the work of departments and units around the highest priority goals, which purposefully link planning to budgeting. This will ensure the highest priorities are resourced appropriately.

The strategic plan will guide our fundraising efforts in the capital campaign, hiring priorities, and how the college builds partnerships.

Mission

Anchored by our land-grant identity and the university’s motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), the College of Engineering educates and inspires students to be critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders. We create new knowledge, technologies, and sustainable solutions that address complex social and technical challenges.

Vision

We will be the college of choice for aspiring engineers because of our innovative, dynamic, and integrated approach to education, research, and service. Our students and alumni will be sought globally for their talent, creativity, and work ethic. The impact of our transdisciplinary research will advance the boundaries of engineering knowledge and practice. Our solutions will make a difference in the Commonwealth and the world.

Core Values

Inclusiveness
Our community supports equity and fosters respect for every individual, enabling collaboration and collegiality to permeate our classrooms, research facilities, and offices, and to extend to the broader university community. We recognize the importance of allowing every voice to be heard in a spirit of mutual respect.

Excellence
We are committed to excellence through continuous improvement in our teaching, research, service and day-to-day operations.

Integrity
Ethics, honesty and transparency are the foundation of all that we do. We believe in honor, discipline and a commitment to do the right thing.

Perseverance
We are tenacious and believe in the value of hard work. Through resilience, teamwork and a supportive community, we become stronger and more agile, enabling us to adapt to future challenges and opportunities.

Stewardship
As citizens, innovators, and leaders, we serve our communities, both local and global. We seek to be environmental stewards, believing that engineering for sustainability is critical for the future health of our world and its inhabitants.

Strategic Priorities

Strategic Plan Diagram showing that "Community" is nested inside of "Infrastructure" which is inside of "Impact".

Strengthen the Community

Goals:

Increase representational diversity of the college
Reduce differential graduation rates
Support practices that improve work-life balance for faculty and staff
Increase alumni engagement
Strengthen communications

Build the Infrastructure and Resources to Support the Vision

Goals:

Recruit and support high-potential students
Invest in faculty and staff recruitment and retention
Expand and improve physical infrastructure
Build advancement and additional revenue streams to meet strategic priorities

Align Education and Research for Impact in a Rapidly Changing World

Goals:

Leverage Tech-Talent Pipeline Initiative
Leverage university and statewide initiatives
Accelerate the integration of data-driven technologies across the college
Support engagement in transdisciplinary team science and engineering
Grow and leverage partnerships with industry
Increase flexibility in curricula to support student academic choice and progress to degree
Grow opportunities for experiential learning