Two Playbooks, Seven Shared Objectives
Starting in FY26, Academic Affairs will intentionally align with the University’s long-term strategic objectives. This shift strengthens institutional coherence and reinforces our shared purpose. We recognize that this change requires more coordination to ensure that academic priorities are clearly visible within institution-wide planning. To address this, we have taken care to identify where Academic Affairs projects align directly with the University Playbook, and where additional explanation is needed to show the relevance of institutionally sponsored efforts to the academic mission.
The section that follows uses the exact language of the FY26 University Playbook to show how projects directly support the goals of Academic Affairs. Projects are categorized in three ways:
- University projects that are led or sponsored by members of Academic Affairs are labeled and bolded.
- Academic Affairs projects unique to this playbook are labeled and bolded.
- UM Playbook Projects that are not directly under the leadership or sponsorship of Academic Affairs but are deeply connected to our work are noted and contextualized.
Annual Playbook Objectives
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- Enhance Native American student success and Tribal partnerships by acknowledging and implementing the tenets of Tribal sovereignty (Executive sponsor: Adrea Lawrence)
- Cultivate excellence in general education by developing a collaborative, cross-disciplinary assessment (Executive sponsor: Adrea Lawrence)
- Refine our strategic approach to graduate and professional enrollment, including exceeding the doctoral completer requirement to maintain R1 status (Executive sponsor: Paul Lukacs)
- Establish a representative academic AI Working Group to provide academic direction, develop shared principles, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend guardrails that align AI use with UM's academic mission and shared decision-making traditions (Executive sponsor: Adrea Lawrence)
- Define reduced-credit baccalaureate models and alternatives, assess them against UM's mission, programs, enrollment strategy, and post-graduate outcomes, and identify promising opportunities for UM leadership and faculty (Executive sponsor: John DeBoer)
- AA Project | Implement the redesigned Student Learning Assessment (SLA)
- AA Project | Prepare for BOR Ongoing Program Review and federal earnings measures
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- Establish UM as the regional leader in online education through a focus on academic quality and innovation, support for teaching excellence, and expanded access for a wider range of learners (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
- Develop a comprehensive and financially sustainable noncredit training portfolio (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
- Establish a coordinated, institution-wide dual enrollment strategy that expands access, strengthens K-12 partnerships, and improves high school student engagement with UM (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
- Adapt our systems and processes to support a wider range of learners (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
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- Develop a strategy with state, federal, and private partners to grow UM research and creative activities in response to changing federal and state priorities and to remain a top-tier R1 research university (Executive sponsor: Paul Lukacs)
- Improve research support systems, processes, and services (Executive sponsor: Paul Lukacs)
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- AA Project | Operationalize the Academic Unit Operating Policy through college-level procedures
Annual Playbook Objectives
-
- Enhance Native American student success and Tribal partnerships by acknowledging and implementing the tenets of Tribal sovereignty (Executive sponsor: Adrea Lawrence)
- Cultivate excellence in general education by developing a collaborative, cross-disciplinary assessment (Executive sponsor: Adrea Lawrence)
- Refine our strategic approach to graduate and professional enrollment, including exceeding the doctoral completer requirement to maintain R1 status (Executive sponsor: Paul Lukacs)
- Establish a representative academic AI Working Group to provide academic direction, develop shared principles, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend guardrails that align AI use with UM's academic mission and shared decision-making traditions (Executive sponsor: Adrea Lawrence)
- Define reduced-credit baccalaureate models and alternatives, assess them against UM's mission, programs, enrollment strategy, and post-graduate outcomes, and identify promising opportunities for UM leadership and faculty (Executive sponsor: John DeBoer)
- AA Project | Implement the redesigned Student Learning Assessment (SLA)
- AA Project | Prepare for BOR Ongoing Program Review and federal earnings measures
-
- Establish UM as the regional leader in online education through a focus on academic quality and innovation, support for teaching excellence, and expanded access for a wider range of learners (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
- Develop a comprehensive and financially sustainable noncredit training portfolio (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
- Establish a coordinated, institution-wide dual enrollment strategy that expands access, strengthens K-12 partnerships, and improves high school student engagement with UM (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
- Adapt our systems and processes to support a wider range of learners (Executive sponsor: Shara Tscheulin)
-
- Develop a strategy with state, federal, and private partners to grow UM research and creative activities in response to changing federal and state priorities and to remain a top-tier R1 research university (Executive sponsor: Paul Lukacs)
- Improve research support systems, processes, and services (Executive sponsor: Paul Lukacs)
-
- AA Project | Operationalize the Academic Unit Operating Policy through college-level procedures