Frequently Asked Questions
The real essence and engine of Next Lives Here is getting the culture and conditions right for our change agents—students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners—to propel our forward-leaning vision of “Leading urban public universities into a new era of innovation and impact.”
From the start, we’ve aimed to be creative and disruptive in how we approached this entire endeavor. Shifting the paradigm from strategic plan to strategic direction was intentional and, we believe, inventive. In doing so, we’re claiming that our core responsibility is to prepare for the future, not predict it. A forward-leaning vision, activated by a nimble and flexible framework, will empower us to adapt to timely opportunities and challenges. Above all, our campus community deserves a clear strategic direction that guides our impact, not an unwieldy plan that sits on the shelf gathering dust.
Next Lives Here is comprised of three platforms and nine pathways—each of which is designed to enrich and reinforce the others. In fact, we believe the biggest breakthroughs are likely to occur at the intersections of these pathways. At the highest level, we’re striving to create a mature ecosystem for innovation, inclusion and impact.
Next Lives Here is a 10-year strategic direction purposefully designed to position the University for long-term, sustained success that sets us apart.
The development process was accelerated and inclusive. Whereas most institutions spend 15-24 months to develop a strategic plan, UC crafted a strategic direction within eight months. The process included nearly a dozen input sessions with various stakeholder groups. Additionally, we completed open town hall forums at each of our respective campuses. A website dedicated to the planning process collected real-time insights and input from the campus community. In the end, we believe the collaborative process produced a shared vision that will unify our campus community.
Although we’re still in the early stages of this effort, we expect the total investment to be greater than $150 million over the next several years.
It will take creative thinking and multiple strategies for us to build the necessary resource base. Some of these funding strategies will include administrative efficiencies, philanthropy, corporate partnerships and strategic sizing, among other things. It is worth underscoring that building the resource base and making these targeted investments will take place over multiple years.
Yes, as we determine the specific contours of each pathway, there will be a corresponding set of key performance indicators that measure progress and guide future investments.