Becoming Our UD
The University of Delaware is developing its next strategic plan. Building on the Delaware Declarations — nine commitments that emerged from University-wide conversations — the plan will establish clear priorities, measurable outcomes, and a shared direction for UD through 2032.
Roadmap
The University of Delaware is developing its next strategic plan. Building on the Delaware Declarations — nine commitments that emerged from University-wide conversations — the plan will establish clear priorities, measurable outcomes, and a shared direction for UD through 2032.
Delaware Declarations
The Delaware Declarations are the foundation of UD's strategic plan. They describe not just what we do, but how and why we do it.
At the University of Delaware we…
Inquire with impact by starting with the needs of the state, the nation, and the world, and then generating, translating and refining knowledge and solutions.
Create with connections by leveraging our unique assets, our nimbleness and our partnerships to strengthen our community.
Innovate with intention by infusing entrepreneurial thinking into our cross-disciplinary research, scholarship, teaching and learning.
Grow with purpose by sustaining the advances of the past while building excellence within new frontiers.
Welcome with promise by fulfilling our obligation to enable a transformative education for all students, taking them from where they are to where they need to be.
Educate with outcomes by opening doors for Blue Hens to thrive and succeed throughout their whole life's journey.
Work with trust by assuming good intent, encouraging diverse viewpoints, and respecting and valuing everyone's contributions.
Belong with joy by living out our conviction that our community is worthy of our attention and our intention.
Stand with pride by being confident to define ourselves and stand in an image of our own creation.
How the Plan Is Being Built
Each Declaration Working Group is working through four questions.
Who We Are
What does this Declaration mean for UD, and what should distinguish our contributions?
How We Work
What principles, relationships, and practices are necessary for success?
What We Do
What should UD prioritize, and what outcomes and strategies will move us forward?
When We Make Progress
What will success look like, and how will we measure it?
Who Is Involved
Alignment Committee
This committee reviews recommendations from all nine Declaration Working Groups and ensures that the final strategic plan reflects a coherent, University-wide direction. This group also incorporates insights from all conversations along our Roadmap (see above).
| Angie Downin | Kami Silk |
| Bill Farquhar | Kawkab Rasheed |
| Ellen Herbst | Kim Isett |
| Fabrice Veron | Laura Carlson |
| John Cohill | Matt Kinservik |
| José-Luis Riera | Rick Deadwyler |
Declaration Working Groups
We are forming nine working groups, one for each of the Delaware Declarations. Each group will have faculty, staff, and students who will work together to develop priorities, strategies, and define what success looks like.
| Aimee Turner | Lucas Beidler |
| Chris Williams | Maria Purciello |
| Fabrice Veron | Patrick Dempsey |
| Hazel Helm | Rebecca Klaper |
| Jen Volk | Tracey DeLiberty |
| Kate Riera | Victoria Daniels |
| Kawkab Rasheed | William Repetto |
| Kelvin Lee |
| Akiko Matrisciano | Joe Kempista |
| Alison Travers | Kevin Brinson |
| Brian Pan | Michael Vaughan |
| Dawn Jory | Nigel Caplan |
| Helen Lawless | Ojooluwa Ibiloye |
| Jeffrey Summerhays | Oliver Yao |
| Jenn Trivedi | Rick Deadwyler |
| TJ Coumoyer |
| Andrea Stevens | Keith Walter |
| Daniel Harris | Laura Carlson |
| Greg Walters | Lauren Hammeral |
| Helen Stimson | Loretta Troxell |
| Iryna Snahoshchenko | Mona Batish |
| Jeffrey Frey | Pam Norris |
| Jess Smith | Sheng Lu |
| Jonathan Bell |
| Amanda Steele-Middleton | Kelly O'Rourke |
| Brian Farkas | Leilani Johnson |
| Ellen Herbst | Maureen Martin |
| Freda Patterson | Minda Watson |
| James Kendra | Monique Head |
| Julie McGee | Mourya Pediredla |
| Kellie Melba | Yaseen Chaudhury |
| Zorana Mijic |
| Adam Cantley | Katy O’Connell |
| Ava Cavolo | Kelli Murray |
| Azia Knox | Melanie Collier |
| Cheryl Ernst | Melissa Bard |
| Dawn Berk | Monica Moriak |
| Jillian Trabulsi | Naomi Nash |
| José-Luis Riera | Oyenike Olabisi |
| Ravi Ammigan |
| Anthony Fiore | Lindsay Hoffman |
| Bill Farquhar | Marci Hutton |
| Christopher King | Martha Buell |
| Jamie Bailey | Maya Josiam |
| Jennifer Nauen | Rena Hallam |
| Johann Ducharme | Shelly McCoy |
| Joshua Enszer | Stephanie Kuntz-McAllister |
| Lindsay Hoffman | Tracey Mulveny |
| Andre McMillan | Lauren Bailes |
| Brandon Calitree | Maria Poole |
| Brianna Sherman-Blanding | Maxwell Bobbin |
| Chris Roberts | Oliver Stockman |
| Heather Jackson | Patrick Ogden |
| Kami Silk | Sue Villermaux |
| Kyle Martin | Zachary Gurock |
| Laura Schmidt |
| Abby Phillips | Jordan Skolnick |
| Adam Foley | Kim Isett |
| Beth Mineo | Lori Hans |
| Charles Whittaker | Marilyn Luster |
| Darrell Emmonds | Mark Seifert |
| David Satran | Mark Serva |
| Heidi El-Abbadi | Michael Chajes |
| Victoria Coons |
| Ben Smith | Gloriano More |
| Beth Brand | Joe Trainor |
| Caleb Everett | John Groth |
| Dave Keen | Katalin Takacs-Haynes |
| Debbie Hess Norris | Krishna Thakkar |
| Emelia Crown | Mandy Minner |
| Gina Kinderman | Matt Kinservik |
| Patricia Jenkins Barnard |
Integrative Focus Groups
Integrative focus groups bring together faculty, staff, and students who expressed interest in the strategic planning process but were not selected for a Declaration Working Group. At key points throughout the fall semester, participants will review emerging ideas and recommendations from across the nine working groups, identify connections, and offer feedback as the plan develops.
If you expressed interest in participating and are not yet listed below, or if you have questions, please contact John Cohill at jcohill@udel.edu. This list will be updated as the semester progresses.
| Adam Helgeson | Lynda Pagan |
| Alexis Lacks | MariaJosé Riera |
| Alicia Downer | Matt Coyle |
| Alisha Fletcher | Maureen Kimani |
| Amanda Wroten | Megan Argoe |
| Amy Lane | Megan DiGiovanni (Cinquegrani) |
| Amy Richardson | Melanie Rogalski |
| Andrew Jenks | Melissa Bartley |
| Anna Beck | Michele Kane |
| Annie Johnson | Michele Savage |
| Art Trembanis | Millicent Sullivan |
| Austin Lewis | Nathan Acevedo |
| Beth Cartwright | Nathan Elton |
| Brandon Toole | Noelle-Erin Romero |
| Caitlin Gallagher | Phil Badaszewski |
| Carolyn Quinci | R. Lynn Sydnor Epps |
| Cathy Fromen | Rachel Coppola |
| Chelsea Cohen | Rachel Garcia |
| Christina Johnston | Randi Homola |
| Christine Cucciarre | Rose Muravchick |
| Christine Jehu | Salvatore Ciro |
| Christine Schultz | Sara Lowery |
| Cindy O’Donnell | Sarah Dobe-Hund |
| Cristina Ennis | Sarah Mallory |
| Cynthia Diefenbeck | Sarah Trembanis |
| Denise Bierlein | Scott Mangieri |
| Denise Murphy | Sean Diffendall |
| Elizabeth Speakman | Seth Turner |
| Evan Arnold | Simchah Hollenbach |
| Gavin Scarantine | Sinead Horan |
| Heather Jones | Sofia Vanterpool |
| Heather Kovanic | Sophie Tullier |
| Heather Tansley | Stacey Moyers |
| Jenna Bradley | Steph Helgeson |
| Jennifer Nauen | Sudha Aravindan |
| Jennifer Ruggiero-Patel | Sunita Walter |
| Jennifer Saylor | Susan Conaty-Buck |
| Jessica Ryan | Thamar Kassey Senatus |
| Jim Saylor | Tiffany Harrison |
| Kaci Telford | Tiffany Heiger |
| Karen Cline | Tim Danos |
| Katie Bekkeli | Tony Doody |
| Katie Holden | Trevor Gulledge |
| Katie Meier | Tricia Wachtendorf |
| Kelly Cobb | Trish Hermance |
| Kevin McSweeney | Vinny Jackson |
| Khaled Mahdi Alrabieah | William Greenhalgh |
| Laurie Prysock | Xiaopeng Wu |
| Lawrence Cunningham | Xinfeng Liang |
| Leann Moore | Yadeira Adams Burnett |
| Lois Stoehr | Zachary Harris |
| Lori Geckle |
Attain Partners
UD’s strategic plan is being shaped by the people who know the University best: its students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, and leaders. Attain Partners, a consulting firm with extensive higher education experience, is supporting that work by facilitating conversations, synthesizing community input, and helping translate the University’s ideas into an actionable plan.
Get Involved
Students, faculty, and staff will have opportunities throughout the process - through working groups, community conversations, surveys, and review sessions. Working groups are forming now and space is limited. Additional opportunities to share ideas and provide feedback will be available as the process unfolds.
Updates
We’re committed to keeping you informed along the way. This page will serve as a central hub for strategic planning updates. We’ll also share progress through campus announcements, the Prez Beat, and other University communications.
Please check back here regularly for:
- Engagement opportunities
- Working group milestones
- Planning updates
- Implementation and progress reports
Frequently Asked Questions
With new University leadership and extensive campus conversations over the past year, this is an important moment to define UD’s path forward. The strategic plan will build on the University community’s input, establish a shared direction through 2032, and align UD’s priorities, decisions, and resources with its mission.
The Delaware Declarations are nine commitments that describe how UD will pursue its mission, work together, and define progress. They provide the foundation for the strategic plan and will help shape its priorities, actions, and measures of success.
Forward and Forever (2016-2026) was designed as a living document that would evolve alongside the University. The new strategic plan builds on its progress and lessons while updating UD’s priorities and direction to reflect the opportunities and challenges ahead. Once the new plan is approved, Forward and Forever will be archived as part of UD’s strategic history, and the new plan will become the University’s primary framework through 2032.
The Listening phase included University-wide conversations, surveys, and engagement conducted over the past year. That input now informs the Building phase, with the strategic plan expected to be finalized in 2027. The Delivering phase will then continue through 2032.
The Declaration Working Groups build on input gathered through University-wide conversations, town halls, surveys, and reports. Members will help translate that input into proposed priorities, outcomes, strategies, and measures of progress. Additional opportunities for the broader UD community to share ideas and provide feedback will be available throughout the process.
Students, faculty, and staff can express interest in joining a Declaration Working Group using the form above. Working group seats are limited, but we will do our best to accommodate those who express interest. Throughout the working group process, the broader UD community will have additional opportunities to review emerging recommendations and provide feedback.
Nine working groups, one for each Delaware Declaration, bring together students, faculty, staff, deans, and University leaders from across UD. Each group will use existing University input to develop proposed priorities, outcomes, strategies, measures of progress, and implementation considerations for its Declaration.
The Declaration Working Groups develop recommendations, which the Alignment Committee reviews to ensure coherence across the plan. University leadership will shape the final recommendations, and the completed strategic plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval at the end of the process.
The strategic plan will define clear outcomes, measures of progress, and accountability for implementation. UD will regularly assess results, adjust its approach as needed, and share progress with the University community through an up-to-date, public-facing dashboard that tracks progress toward key goals and outcomes.