Strategic Plan Development and Structure

This strategic plan was developed in alignment with the University’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan. In coordination with Dean Wiisanen, three strategic priorities were identified:

1. Excellence in Education, Scholarship, and Practice
2. Sustainability and Growth
3. Diversity and Inclusivity

A draft of goals and objectives for each strategic priority was developed by the Dean’s Council. This draft was shared with faculty, staff, students, alumni, preceptors, and University administration with a request for feedback. Feedback was de-identified, aggregated, and reviewed. As appropriate, changes were made based on this feedback. A final version of the strategic plan was approved by the All Faculty Council (AFC) on September 24, 2024.

An implementation plan will be developed to identify champions and key performance indicators for each goal as well as responsible parties, timeframes, and measures of success for each objective.

The strategic plan and its implementation plan are considered “living documents” and may be updated as needed to meet the needs of the College.

Strategic Priority #1: Excellence in Education, Scholarship, and Practice

The College achieves excellence in educational outcomes for students by implementing best pedagogical practices in the curriculum and incorporating content related to emerging technologies relevant to the future pharmacist. Research and scholarship efforts are maximized for both faculty and students, and patient care activities are promoted to elevate pharmacy practice.

• Goal 1.1 Ensure students progress through the program on schedule and graduates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for licensure and excellence in pharmacy practice.
  • Objective 1.1.1: Implement curricular revisions to enhance and streamline student learning.
  • Objective 1.1.2: Implement a continuous quality improvement process and appropriate outcome measures for student success programs.
  • Objective 1.1.3: Continuously monitor and enhance preparation and assessment strategies for licensure examinations to ensure student preparedness and success.
  • Objective 1.1.4: Explore variable program lengths and delivery methods for the curriculum to provide greater flexibility and adaptability to learners’ needs.
• Goal 1.2 Equip students with knowledge and skills to successfully adopt and implement emerging science and technologies.
  • Objective 1.2.1: Establish new curricular content or courses with a focus on emerging trends in pharmacy, which may include precision medicine, artificial intelligence, informatics, digital health, data analytics, and climate change.
  • Objective 1.2.2: Optimize the quality, format, and use of formative and summative hands-on simulation experiences utilizing emerging science and technologies
  • Objective 1.2.3: Provide faculty development to support teaching and adoption of content related to emerging technologies.
• Goal 1.3 Develop curricular and assessment processes that utilize pedagogical best practices.
  • Objective 1.3.1: Optimize the course review process to ensure faculty lectures and assessment methods align with pedagogical and assessment best practices.
  • Objective 1.3.2: Provide faculty development to support best teaching and assessment practices and explore alternative content delivery methods such as remote/online learning.
• Goal 1.4 Enhance research and scholarship activities in the College.
  • Objective 1.4.1: Continue to provide faculty development related to improving scholarship collaboration and integrating scholarship into practice.
  • Objective 1.4.2: Establish a process to promote recognition of faculty and staff achievements of excellence in research and scholarship.
  • Objective 1.4.3: Promote diverse faculty and student engagement in the summer research program.
  • Objective 1.4.4: Explore opportunities for residential or non-residential graduate programs within the College
  • Objective 1.4.5: Explore mechanisms to promote additional research collaboration within RFUMS and facilitate seed funding for pilot research.
• Goal 1.5 Promote high-quality patient care activities.
  • Objective 1.5.1: Establish a process to promote recognition of faculty achievements of excellence in clinical practice.
  • Objective 1.5.2: Develop a systematic approach to document and disseminate pharmacy practice faculty members’ clinical interventions and impact on patient care.
  • Objective 1.3.3: Develop and maintain a curricular mapping process that aligns and documents content and assessment methods to ensure student mastery of required competencies.
  • Objective 1.3.4: Establish a process to promote recognition of faculty, staff and student pharmacist achievements.

Strategic Priority #2: Sustainability and Growth

The sustainability of the College is ensured by optimizing student enrollment, ensuring that faculty and staff sizes meet the needs of the College, and exploring non-tuition sources of revenue.

• Goal 2.1 Consistently achieve PharmD student enrollment that supports ongoing sustainability and growth.
  • Objective 2.1.1: Optimize interview process including on-campus visits and post-interview touch points to attract and retain highly qualified applicants.
  • Objective 2.1.2: Promote enrollment in distinction pathways.
  • Objective 2.1.3: Increase alumni outreach to support alumni engagement in the College including interactions between alumni and applicants.
  • Objective 2.1.4: Develop new partnerships and nurture existing partnerships with undergraduate pipeline programs.
• Goal 2.2 Maintain sufficient faculty and staff to meet curricular and workload needs in a balanced manner.
  • Objective 2.2.1: Foster an environment of community, wellbeing, and belonging for faculty and staff by seeking input from faculty and staff, promoting collegiality and interdepartmental collaboration, and continuing to support flexible work options.
  • Objective 2.2.2: Evaluate and revise the faculty productivity/annual reporting model to accurately document faculty workload, annual reporting and equity of work assignments.
• Goal 2.3 Establish non-tuition sources of revenue for the college with an emphasis on lifelong learning and professional development programs for healthcare professionals, leveraging an online, asynchronous educational model and philanthropic support.
  • Objective 2.3.1: Prioritize, develop, and implement online educational programs, which may include continuing education, certificate programs, asynchronous online courses or professional development programs, and partnerships with external stakeholders.
  • Objective 2.3.2: Support university efforts to implement educational programs that yield non-tuition revenue streams.
  • Objective 2.3.3: Increase collaboration among RFUMS colleges to leverage existing online technology and experiences to provide educational offerings in an online format.
  • Objective 2.3.4: Provide faculty development and support regarding technical aspects and best practices of new program development and online, asynchronous learning.
• Goal 2.4 Identify novel sources of funding and implement innovative strategies to increase philanthropic support for the College.
  • Objective 2.4.1: Increase strategies for ongoing alumni engagement with the College.
  • Objective 2.4.2: Collaborate with the Office of Institutional Advancement to identify novel philanthropic sources.

Strategic Priority #3: Diversity and Inclusivity

The College fosters a supportive and inclusive environment for faculty, staff, and students while actively advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion principles to attract and retain diverse talent across the institution.

• Goal 3.1 Foster a culture of collegiality, inclusiveness, and professional growth among our faculty, staff, and students.
  • Objective 3.1.1: Develop statements of Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that are readily available and prominently displayed in the College.
  • Objective 3.1.2: Provide educational, professional and personal development for faculty, staff, and students to enhance knowledge, understanding and application of diversity, equity and inclusion principles.
  • Objective 3.1.3: Integrate diversity, equity and inclusion-related principles into the curriculum, particularly as related to healthcare.
  • Objective 3.1.4: Promote opportunities for faculty, staff and students to establish feelings of inclusion, comradery and wellbeing in the College.
• Goal 3.2 Support diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in recruitment of talent for faculty, staff, and students.
  • Objective 3.2.1: Increase involvement in and/or establish new programs focusing on applicant pipelines from communities experiencing disadvantages and from populations underrepresented in pharmacy workforces (e.g., NM Discovery, INSPIRE, PMP).
  • Objective 3.2.2: Expand the training of the designated diversity advocates on faculty and staff search committees to support integration of diversity, equity and inclusion principles in recruitment and retention.