USU Announces New Strategic Plan, Four Pillars to Guide Decision Making

LOGAN — Utah State University has unveiled the four pillars of the president’s new strategic plan, which aims to better align people, resources and decisions.

“Our goal with this plan is to match that commitment by being thoughtful about where we invest, clear about what matters most, and steady in moving USU forward for our students, our employees and the communities we serve across the state,” said Brad Mortensen, USU president.

The four strategic pillars of the plan will guide USU in several ways:

• Statewide impact — aimed at expanding the reach across the state by strengthening educational access, supporting economic mobility, and ensuring Extension remains strong and relevant for every community.
• Student success and value — focused on degree completion and on delivering a meaningful return on investment for every student.
• Discovery with purpose — the advancement of research and innovation to address real-world challenges across land and water, air and energy, space and defense, agriculture and AI, education and extension, and the intersection of technology and human well-being.
• Civic-mindedness — leading with authenticity and integrity while fostering civic-minded graduates and championing thoughtful dialogue and the pursuit of peace.

“Utah State University’s strategic plan provides an actionable way for USU to develop impactful goals and initiatives that advance USU in the core areas, and how we will achieve them in an intentional, coordinated and mutually reinforcing way,” said Associate Vice President & Chief Process Improvement Officer Christine Down Cisneros.

“This strategic plan is our shared roadmap and the foundation for what we can accomplish together,” Downs Cisneros added. “It honors USU’s land-grant legacy while providing clear direction for our future. This plan is about aligning our efforts and empowering every member of the Aggie community to contribute in meaningful ways and see how their work influences our collective impact.”

The plan will be implemented on an annual cycle consisting of four primary components of design summits, launch events, strategic design events and an impact showcase. Within each annual cycle, executive teams will establish what the strategic initiatives for their pillar are. This process will begin each March, with initiatives launching in October and November. From there individual design teams will develop how the initiatives will happen, showcasing the impact in April.