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Strategic Plan

2023-24 Strategic Plan Highlights

As we reach the one-year mark of our five-year strategic plan, we are pleased to share that we have made significant measurable progress toward our ambitious goals. Still, much work remains ahead of us, and achieving our vision will require the continued dedication and collaboration of our entire campus community. By staying focused and working together, we can fulfill the common goals we have outlined and create a brighter future for Fresno State. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our shared and meaningful mission of empowering our region, California, and the world with more Fresno State graduates!  

Goal One: Enhance Personal Well-Being and Professional Fulfillment 

A: Students 

This year, we focused on growing our pipeline of Fresno State students, through strategic partnerships with the K-12 districts as well as the community colleges. This work focuses on recruitment and retention (strategies 1 and 2). In addition, we made significant progress on our returning student enrollment efforts through multiple initiatives and programs. Our student support services played a critical role in ensuring student well-being (strategy 3), with Case Manager visits totaling 548 in Fall 2023, 521 in Spring 2024, and 137 over the summer. Additionally, 101 students received emergency housing assistance, totaling $306,400, covering extended hotel stays, deposit assistance, rent, and eviction avoidance. Through the Good Samaritan Grant and GI2025 funding, 251 students were awarded emergency grants, totaling $202,290.

  1. Expanded our Bulldog Bound program: 40+ districts and 82 high schools;
  2. Signed an MOU with Fresno City College to launch a “city-to-state” pipeline program;
  3. Focused initiatives on returning student enrollment, which resulted in a projected 32% increase in students who have left the university for more than a year returning to complete their degree. 

  1. Implement a centralized Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM) for Enrollment Management departments;
  2. Increase the financial aid application completion rate and reduce the time it takes for students to receive their financial aid award;
  3. Enhance our academic support services by centralizing our advising units under a unified leadership. With the support of a nearly $8 million grant from the Department of Education, we will explore innovative approaches that ensure students receive a comprehensive, streamlined advising experience, helping them achieve academic success;
  4. Improve the rate of students who register and file for graduation.
B: Faculty and Staff

The focus of year one was to establish the internal infrastructure to support ongoing staff and faculty fulfillment efforts. Hiring an organizational development manager and revitalizing STAR Day were exciting milestones to continue strengthening a positive institutional culture (strategies 1 and 2).

  1. Rebuilt the Office of Organizational Development and hired the Organizational Development Manager in Feb. 2024;
  2. Successfully restored the Staff Training and Recognition (STAR) Day to its original schedule and location at the Save Mart Center, featuring a full program with personal well-being and professional fulfillment workshops.

  1. Refresh the employee wellness challenge program, expand its reach and opportunities that foster cross-departmental/division connection;
  2. Establish a process for conducting and launching a well-being opportunities needs assessment;
  3. Develop and implement a communication plan that promotes well-being opportunities across campus, engages leadership and encourages staff and faculty participation, and incorporates strategies that balance operational needs.

Goal Two: Bridge Campus and Community  

From record-breaking athletic event attendance to ending the fiscal year with the second-largest fundraising total in the university's history, the Central Valley community is the heartbeat of Fresno State. Year one focused on meaningful alumni and community engagement, and spreading awareness of the Fresno Brand, branding efforts, and how the university is perceived, which will inform our work moving forward (strategies 1, 2 and 5).  

  1. Executed an institutional brand perception research study;
  2. Developed a centralized process to capture alumni engagement efforts across campus;
  3. Raised nearly $39M last fiscal year (second-highest fundraising year in the university’s history), including $9.9M in donations to The Bulldog Foundation, the highest total in the history of Fresno State Athletics.

  1. Launch the public phase of the comprehensive campaign, with a total campaign goal of $250M;
  2. Finalize and publish the 2024 economic impact report for Fresno State;
  3. Implement a unified marketing and communications strategy, rooted in the brand study data.

Goal Three: Be an Innovative Driver of Regional Progress with a Global Impact

A. Instruction

The focus in year one has been on experiential learning and high impact practices, establishing a baseline inventory of courses currently available and identifying opportunities for growth (strategy 1). In addition, through cross-collaborative efforts across multiple divisions, Fresno State is developing new programs that target career readiness, experiential learning and understanding employment needs for the Valley (strategy 2).

  1. Completed a review of the 10-year employment projections for the San Joaquin Regional Planning Area, comparing the data to Fresno State’s graduating students;
  2. Worked with OIE to establish a baseline metric on the number of students engaged in high-impact practices;
  3. Established INTD 194i, an internship course that offers students, who do not have an internship course available in their program curriculum the opportunity to receive academic credit for internship experiences;
  4. Created the Career Readiness Digital Badging Program, which will award badges to students who complete career readiness skills as outlined by the National Association of Career Readiness Skills.

  1. Assess employer needs for skills in new employees by conducting focus groups for multiple industries;
  2. Review the 10-year Employment Projections for the San Joaquin Regional Planning Area using the 2020-2030 data from the California Employment Development Department;
  3. Explore the feasibility of Industry Advisory Boards for each academic program, researching best practices, challenges and inventorying existing boards.

B. Research

This past fiscal year, Fresno State secured significant research grants totalling $78 million, reflecting our status as an R2 designation and securing funds for meaningful research experiences for faculty and staff (strategy 1). We conducted industry-focused research in agriculture, semiconductors, water, artificial intelligence, and urban transportation.

 

  1. Completed a 2.5-day in-person National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) peer review. Generated a report with recommendations for the research enterprise/structure;
  2. Established a baseline of leadership, training and development programs designed to enhance research productivity;
  3. Conducted several impactful research studies on topics including water demand, semiconductors, citrus harvesting, and AI;
  4. Completed over 831 oral and poster presentations by faculty and students, with 414 undergraduate presenters.

  1. Review and implement NCURA recommendations on the state of research structure/practice as appropriate.

Goal Four: Modernize Facilities, Infrastructure, and Technology 

This year we made improvements to our infrastructure, including teaching areas (Strategy 4). We are also making significant progress on standardizing our digital infrastructure and implementing our central utility plant project (CUPR) (strategy 1 and 2).  

  1. Completed Phase I of the ADA master plan (15 buildings);
  2. Renovated our general Chemistry high impact labs in McLane Hall;
  3. Upgraded our technology infrastructure with new Dell hardware and software, enabling us to transition to a hyper-converged infrastructure. 

  1. Secure financing approval from the CSU Board of Trustees to develop a new Affordable Student Housing project (228 beds including units for students with children);
  2. Launching the AI Initiative to better integrate artificial intelligence opportunities across campus while prioritizing training and resources for faculty, staff, and students.

Goal Five: Embody Full Inclusivity and Belongingness 

In year one, we focused on fostering an inclusive culture by establishing an organizational framework for the university, with a dedicated division leading this important work (strategy 1). In addition, the university focused on implementing recommendations related to Title IX and DHR care and compliance in an effort to secure a campus culture of trust and safety (strategy 1). We deepened campus relationships. Along with consistent training and workshops, we have established a foundation for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (strategies 2 and 3).

  1. Created the Division of Equity and Engagement;
  2. Restructured the Title IX and DHR offices to create the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance; hired a new AVP and a second full time Deputy position;
  3. Established the Black Student Success Initiative, the Southeast Asian Student Initiative, the new Student Equity Advisory Council (SEAC), and re-established the President’s Council on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CEDI);
  4. Increased campus-wide tailored education and training, including the reconvened National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) training team.

  1. Increase attendance and engagement in campus-wide education and training programs;
  2. Develop a strategic plan for the Division of Equity and Engagement, in partnership with the newly developed or re-established advisory councils.

"The first year anniversary of our five-year strategic plan gives us the opportunity to celebrate the hard work of our students, staff, and faculty in reaching significant milestones. With our first year, we have already begun to see the great fruits of our labor, and we look forward to our next years of great growth."

- President Jiménez-Sandoval