Shape the Future: Phase II of the Strategic Plan

Students, faculty, staff and administrators have begun the process to define phase two of San Diego State University’s strategic plan, the 2025-2030 plan. Every university community member plays a crucial role in shaping our future priorities and outcomes, and input directly impacts how we serve students, faculty, staff, and the broader communities connected to our institution. Timelines will be added to the activities and will take into account campus priorities and resources.

How to Participate

All students faculty and staff are invited:

Review the 2020-2025 strategic report (PDF)
Review the Phase II activities below
Share input via the online form

Becoming a Premier Public Research University: A New Kind of MSI
Resilience. Designed to Thrive
We Are SDSU
Equity and Inclusion in Everything We Do
Students at Our Core

Becoming a Premier Public Research University: A New Kind of MSI

SDSU will embrace our mission as a public R1-MSI Doctoral University where excellence and access converge. To achieve this long-term institutional goal, SDSU will leverage its unique stature as a community-engaged, border-connected, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) located on Kumeyaay land. We are committed to developing infrastructure and resources that enable our research activity to grow while continuing to support excellence in teaching.

Goal 1

Cultivate a sustainable research enterprise that reinforces SDSU's historic role as a key provider of affordable, accessible education by increasing research infrastructure efficiencies, undergraduate participation in the SDSU research enterprise, and leveraging the interdisciplinary strengths of SDSU’s faculty.

Activities

Implement the highest priority and feasible recommendations of an external consultant (Maximus) with a framework based on SDSU’s stature as a community-engaged, border-connected, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) located on Kumeyaay land. These activities include: providing support and DRI collaboration with SDSU Core and Shared facilities; employing metrics to identify staffing gaps and expand a five-year staffing model for SDSURF and other research units within SDSU; implementing an annual faculty-focused research satisfaction survey; and developing an IT governance model for critical research IT infrastructure.
Leverage the Handshake job posting website to advertise to and recruit undergraduate students for faculty-led research, scholarship, and creative activities (RSCA) experiences with a goal of increasing undergraduate participation 10% each year for 5 years (approximately an increase of 1200 students).
Formally propose 2-3 new doctoral programs that leverage our unique strengths and meet an unmet workforce demand over the next 5 years.
Continue to develop and build upon previously funded proposals for at least three new interdisciplinary research proposals with more than $1.5 million each in annual external funding.

Goal 2

Leverage SDSU’s unique strengths to inform innovative research approaches to solving critical challenges facing the US/Mexico border region, such as climate change, air pollution, and housing instability.

Activities

Continue to explore new research partnerships with 3-5 universities in Latin America over the next five years
Conduct hires of faculty members (five to ten lines) clustered around areas of existing or emerging research excellence for SDSU (DRI to define areas in consultation with AA and Senate DEI).

Resilience. Designed to Thrive

SDSU is committed to building a resilient and sustainable university through innovative practices. We will continue to develop new revenue streams to meet our scholarly and teaching aspirations, our dedication to our community, and support the holistic well-being of all students, faculty and staff. We commit to using our resources with transparency, equity, efficiency, and accountability in alignment with the university's goals. As citizens of a larger global community, SDSU proudly embraces the principles of responsible environmental stewardship.

Goal 1

Diversify and expand revenue streams that support our mission and our scholarly and creative activities, teaching and co-curricular aspirations.

Activities

Develop a structure that promotes entrepreneurial aspirations, which includes a competitive net revenue generating proposal process for each college.
Establish badges / micro-credentials that address workforce needs and enhance our students’ competitiveness in the labor market.

Goal 2

Allocate resources with transparency, equity, efficiency and accountability.

Activities

Implement identified areas (Procure-to-Pay) for shared services across all colleges and divisions.
Develop and align a process for Multi-Year Strategic Objective Setting and Budget Planning for the university.
Enhance the visibility of campus Deferred Maintenance efforts.
Enhance the visibility of strategies to provide sustainable housing for students, faculty, and staff.

Goal 3

Invest in organizational practices that prioritize the responsible management of resources with a focus on global and environmental sustainability.

Activities

Reevaluate staffing recommendations for Office of Energy & Sustainability.
Implement updated climate action plan (CAP).

We are SDSU

SDSU will expand its global impact, unifying the university through a common mission and identity. Under a single name, the multi-campus university includes the San Diego campus, SDSU Imperial Valley, SDSU Global Campus, SDSU Mission Valley, regional microsites, and other programs around the globe and online. No matter SDSU’s campus or program location, the collective mission is to support the educational and economic development of communities while creating a sense of unified belonging for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We span the California-Mexico border, and serve the world.

Goal 1

Foster an inter-connected and equitable SDSU experience through implementing resource generation and allocation, communication and information-sharing, and systems of transportation.

Activities

Identify opportunities to streamline internal communication channels, create and implement a campus-wide framework to reduce fatigue and promote the use of diversified outreach channels. Include consideration of e-newsletters, outreach text messaging and alumni communications with cohesive guidance driving all campus email communications and outreach text messages. Ensure that large-scale, campus-wide messages maintain alignment with institutional priorities and voice. Provide ongoing support, training and feedback opportunities to facilitate adoption, address capacity concerns, and ensure continuous improvement of the communications process.
Establish a designated communications leads model, where each college/unit routes internal communications through a central point of contact for review, coordination and consistency.
Explore the use of AI algorithms to personalize campus communications and leverage data analytics to understand needs.
Create centralized dashboards to provide internal campus community members real-time updates on university data, policies, performance, decisions and other metrics.
Identify increased opportunities for community-building events that encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing by bringing together faculty and staff across divisions and across university locations.
Create a centrally-located unified portal where faculty and staff can locate timely news and university activities, relevant policies, Senate meeting information and minutes, and announcements.

Goal 2

Expand SDSU’s academic infrastructure and partnerships to meet the needs of broadly diverse learners in our region, across the nation, and the world, including reinforcing our commitment to universal access by enhancing all university efforts to ensure they are accessible, inclusive and designed to meet the needs of our campus community.

Activities

Identify opportunities to implement University Senate recommendations to improve collegiality, inclusivity and equity for SDSU Imperial Valley faculty.
Amplify promotion of the adoption of universal design for learning principles across all courses, ensuring instructional materials and teaching methods are accessible from the outset.
Implement and maintain accessibility standards across all digital and print communications, ensuring compliance with accessibility-related policies and guidelines.
Create additional clear messaging about campus accessibility services and accommodations for students, faculty, staff and visitors while contributing to enhanced training on specific accessibility roles and responsibilities for all university personnel.

Equity and Inclusion in Everything We Do

At SDSU, the principles of equity and inclusion are part of everything we do: research, teaching, professional development, student experiences in and outside the classroom, and community relationships. Our values compel us to foster such an environment, where community members of all identities can advance their educational goals and thrive.

Goal 1

Foster and sustain an environment where all students, faculty, staff and alumni feel welcomed, supported, and valued by the university.

Activities

Establish and provide institutional support for a centralized program for campus dialogue, to include both proactive learning programs and support for conflict resolution and repair.
Establish and provide institutional support for a sustainable unit responsible for managing campuswide services and support for the disabled community.
Establish protocol for on-going assessment and communication of diversity initiatives and resources.

Goal 2

Recruit, retain and advance graduate students, faculty and staff who can and will effectively support the diverse student body and communities served by SDSU.

Activities

Establish and provide institutional support for structured leadership development opportunities for all faculty and staff (regardless of classification) aligned with unit Diversity and Inclusion Plans.
Establish and provide institutional support for a sustainable unit to coordinate structured mentoring programs for faculty and staff.

Students at Our Core

SDSU commits to a future where all students are able to achieve their greatest potential. Our collective efforts will elevate SDSU as a national exemplar, providing education and training for the innovators and leaders our region and global society demand. SDSU will provide access to success through transformational experiences in and outside of the classroom for undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learners. With an enduring commitment to innovation, resilience and to our students, we will cultivate a university culture and infrastructure that facilitates an affordable, student-centered, wellness-focused, life-long educational journey, supported by every member of the SDSU community.

Goal 1

Ensure that all members of the campus community are prepared to advance student success by building accessible, sustainable and inclusive models of instruction and closing equity gaps

Activities

Continue focused and institutional investment in faculty development to maintain teaching quality, including better training and staffing for advising services, incentivizing evidence-based instructional practices and community engagement, and better integration of career readiness throughout the curriculum.
Ensure that all graduate programs develop a professional development plan for graduate students.
Expand training for students, staff and faculty around ethical applications of generative AI.
Create new campuswide accounting of experiential learning.

Goal 2

Expand access to affordable, high-quality, rigorous, and engaged university undergraduate and graduate education for the people of our region and beyond, increasing career-readiness and helping to meet workforce development needs.

Activities

Develop a repository of data on career outcomes of alumni to help students understand the connections between majors and careers, and the ROI of an SDSU education.
Implement a personalized tool that prepopulates degree requirements and course-taking options to offer students real-time, semester-by-semester planning for registration and degree completion.

Goal 3

To support student success and well-being both inside and outside the classroom, SDSU will strategically increase its programming, resources and capacity to provide mental health, wellness and basic needs support for all undergraduate and graduate students.

Activities

Develop a comprehensive plan and approach to support nutrition and wellness education for the campus community.
Continued focus, community education and investment in the mental health collaboration between UPD and Counseling and Psychological Services (PCAST).
Implement greater accessibility and expand educational opportunities regarding alcohol and other drugs (AOD) test strips for the campus community.
Expand the development of comprehensive housing resources, including proactive prevention, for students that address housing insecurity and homelessness.