The President’s Council identified three areas on which the strategic plan should focus and created committees that would develop plans to support those important areas:

• Academic Excellence
• Excellence in the Student Experience
• Alumni and Community Engagement

An Executive Committee, which included the Chairs of the Committees, integrated and coordinated the initiatives developed by the committee.

The President’s Council jointly selected the Chairs of the committees and worked with the Chairs to identify committee membership. The committees established subcommittees based on the critical areas they identified. More than 160 members of the University community participated in the committee process with 20 more submitting comments through a strategic planning website, which carried updates on the progress and substance of the planning process.

In developing initiatives, the committees first asked how the strategic goals would define the Philadelphia University experience. They also considered the physical, financial, fundraising, technological, and human resources needed to implement the plan; they also looked for ways to integrate the objectives with those of other committees and developed initiatives that can be measured.

Throughout the process, the subcommittee presented ideas from its deliberations to the relevant committee. Members of the primary committees then discussed these initiatives with the Executive Committee, which identified major themes for the committees to explore further and integrate with other committees.

After further discussion and refinement, the committees presented their recommendations to academic and administrative leadership; those leaders identified seven key initiatives, which University President shared with the Board of Trustees in June 2008. The Board of Trustees enthusiastically endorsed the strategic direction that the president presented and charged the University with developing a written plan for the future.