Simmons Strategic Plan

Academic Years 2023/24 - 2027/28

Simmons Vision: Catalyzing Discovery and Innovation

Through excellence in research, teaching, and community collaboration, Simmons is a catalyst for discovery and innovation that transforms social conditions and advances human potential.

Download the Simmons Strategic Plan

Goals & Strategies for Success:  Summary

The western entrance to Harold Clark Simmons Hall

GOAL: Deliver relevant educational experiences.

Strategies
  • Lead an effort to understand the changing education landscape and advance new innovations.  
  • Develop evidence-based approaches that engage students and stakeholders in equitable and accessible ways.
  • Invest in department and center efforts to pilot and scale new offerings.

GOAL: Lead interdisciplinary integration of research and practice.

Strategies
  • Pioneer the exploration of the ethics, accessibility, equity, and inclusion of AI and other new technologies.
  • Drive interdisciplinary research that explores new ways of approaching learning.
  • Consider how we organize our school to support interdisciplinary and collaborative practice.

GOAL: Grow Community Impact.

Strategies
  • Scale research to practice and practice into research efforts across the school.
  • Grow our community-focused collaborations and partnerships.
  • Create opportunities to learn, grow from, and share the strengths and assess of diverse leaders and communities.

GOAL: Amplify Simmons' role as a top school of education and human development.

Strategies
  • Leverage and celebrate the college's interdisciplinary uniqueness and diversity as well as its accomplishments as a research institution.
  • Grow grant funding and continue to advance the University's pursuit of R1.
  • Create school-wide systems to share accessible research in order to influence policy and practice.
  • Advocate and be a leading voice for higher education's role in advancing equitable outcomes for students.

GOAL: Strengthen Simmons' capacity.

Strategies

  • Align hiring to advance our relevant offerings while continuing to recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff.
  • Strengthen capabilities to successfully engage the next level of major donors.
  • Improve collaboration by investing in existing and developing new technological and operational systems.

Departments, Centers, Institutes, and Labs contributing to the success of the Strategic Plan

Department of Counseling

Department of Applied Physiology & Sport Management

Department of Teaching & Learning

Department of Education Policy & Leadership

Department of Human-Centered Interdisciplinary Studies

Center on Research in Mathematics Education

Center on Research and Evaluation

Center for VR Learning Innovation

The Budd Center: Involving Communities in Education 

Institute for Leadership Impact

College Access