Strategic Plan

College of Health and Human Development Strategic Plan

Background & Introduction

The College of Health and Human Development (HHD) developed this strategic plan to support the larger goals and objectives of the University in a manner that is consistent with the college’s standing mission and aspirational vision. The University plan was completed and made available to colleges prior to the start of their planning process. Consequently, HHD’s planning effort focused on developing strategies to support University goals and objectives. HHD used the “meet-in-the-middle” summarized below to create strategies to support the achievement of the ten objectives associated with four University goals.*

Each HHD academic unit offered one-to-two priority strategies that supported at least one objective related to that goal. College leadership also developed an initial list of overarching strategies. These unit- and college-derived strategies were then compiled and shared among college and academic unit leadership. College and academic unit-level leadership then consolidated these individually-submitted strategies into eleven broader strategies that form the basis of our plan. A preliminary version of the plan was shared with the larger HHD college community for comment. After comments were collected and considered, modifications were made, resulting in this version.

Strategies for Achieving University Strategic Plan Objectives

The links below will reveal the eleven strategies categorized by University Plan goal and objective. Also shown are some example action steps for each strategy to be undertaken at either the college and/or local academic unit level as well as targets for key selected University Plan metrics that are linked to each objective. Please note that the listed strategies, action steps, and metrics are not meant to comprise the totality of all strategies, actions, and measures the college and its component academic and research units and will attend to over the next five-years. These represent only priority strategies and select example actions that we hope will assist the University in achieving its goals. 

Goal: Enhancing Student Success

Goal: Grow (Inter)Disciplinary Research Excellence

Goal: Increase Land-Grant Impact

Goal: Fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging

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* A fifth University goal, “Transforming health care through academic and clinical synergy,” is on paper quite consistent with HHD’s mission and vision; however, the University intended this goal to apply specifically to the College of Medicine and the University’s health care system, Penn State Health. Consequently, this goal was not in-scope for University Park colleges’ strategic planning efforts. The sixth University goal, “Transforming internal operation,” is also critically important to HHD and the college will continue to work on both independently and in collaboration with the University on operational efficiency and effectiveness. However, the University was not expecting college plans to address this goal formally.