Last fall, the Division of Student Affairs proposed a new, three-year strategic plan to identify the University’s priorities and to define their main goals and values for the next three years.

Through the Strategic Plan, Student Affairs is hoping to achieve three overall goals: Unity, Wellness and Preparedness. While the report for the first year will not be completed until July, progress has been made since the plan was first proposed in September 2017.

Under the goal of Unity, programs such as Diversity 360 and Sustained Dialogue continue to bring the student body together through various departments, according to Associate Vice President for Operations and Planning Dennis Rupert.

There is also a new focus on unification through a shared awareness and availability of resources on campus. To accomplish this, Student Affairs will be hosting the first annual Student Success Summit on July 25 and 26.

At the event, attendees will be introduced to all of the resources, offices, programs and organizations that are available at Case Western Reserve University.

Additionally, OrgSync will be replaced by CampusGroups in the fall of 2018 as an effort to create a unified platform for school organizations and groups. This will be a major collaborative effort which will involve all undergraduate, graduate and professional schools.

University Health & Counseling Services are hoping to create an Associate Director of Wellness position specifically targeted to enhancing overall student wellbeing on campus. Additionally, Wellness is being incorporated into other areas of the University, whether through social media or through collaborative groups hoping to spread their impact on Wellness.

The goal is that with an increasing incorporation of Wellness groups into the University’s large variety of resources, students will have a greater knowledge of and easier access to resources that could increase their overall health.

The Athletics Department will be collaborating with Title IX to prepare an educational video concerning student-athlete centric sexual violence, as well other Wellness activities such as “flu vaccines, STI screening, QPR suicide prevention classes and programs on financial wellness and health insurance,” according to Rupert.

A large part of accomplishing the ultimate goal of Preparedness is carried out by the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning (CCEL), Student Activities and Leadership (SA&L), Greek and Residence Life and Athletics by preparing undergraduate students from their first steps on campus to their last.

The Orientation program has helped incoming first-year students settle into their college experiences, and more than 120 student-athletes have joined the program since its establishment last year, fulfilling the student-athlete leadership initiative.

In addition to enhancing the first-year and overall college experience, the Career Center has helped prepare students for future careers outside of college through the Career Connections program and Spartan Externship program. These organizations have been largely successful the past several years and will continue to play a significant role in achieving overall preparedness for the next three years.

In regards to student safety, Rupert said, “Through a new model, the CWRU EMS organization is now being advised by Student Affairs and University Police and Security Services to expand and enhance its capabilities.”

In addition to this new collaborative effort, student groups and clubs will continue to provide information related to risk management in any situation, which is also readily provided through Bystander Intervention training and the Green Dot program, a national bystander intervention strategy that informs individuals how to safely protect, prevent and intervene.

Ultimately, the University aims to strengthen the goals of Unity, Wellness and Preparedness to enhance the overall experience for all and to lead the university into a positive and productive direction for the future.