New plan will guide institution’s goals and priorities over the next decade

Following a year of planning, Auburn University unveiled its new Strategic Plan 2035: Grounded & Groundbreaking, providing the institution’s course of action for the next decade and outlining the priorities and goals that will advance its standing as an exemplary public university.

“As we embark on the next chapter in our institution’s history, it is crucial that we are guided by a strategic roadmap that embodies our aspirations for the future and leverages our role as a leader in higher education,” President Christopher B. Roberts said in a letter to the campus community. “Our plan is a profoundly ambitious vision that recognizes and celebrates the strengths of our institution.”

Grounded & Groundbreaking sets forth bold aspirations and key actions to continue and to further elevate Auburn’s status as a premier destination for higher education. With five signature goals, 25 sub-goals, 85 action items and 84 key performance indicators, the plan aims to provide exceptional experiences for students, faculty, staff and alumni while strengthening the university’s research and scholarship thereby advancing its influence within Alabama and beyond. Additionally, Auburn aims to advance critical areas through partnerships and collaborations and expand its engagement with communities to reinforce its role as the state’s largest land-grant university.

Approved by the Auburn University Board of Trustees in September, the 36-page plan builds upon the foundational goals set by Roberts during his 2023 Presidential Installation. Those goals include delivering an exceptional student experience, doubling the institution’s research and creative scholarship and promoting a culture of excellence and innovation. Additional priorities include advancing the institution’s role as a leading resource for impactful solutions through its extension and outreach resources to help shape Alabama’s workforce and drive economic development. It also lays the foundation for the university’s next comprehensive campaign, aligning future fundraising efforts with identified priorities and strengthening alumni connections to Auburn University.

While the plan encompasses goals related to student success, recruitment and affordability, it also calls for the university to recruit faculty scholars of national and international renown, elevate the university’s standing and increase scholarly output across disciplines. The plan outlines actions to build internal pipelines designed to prepare the university’s future workforce by fostering a campus culture that celebrates employee excellence. Additionally, it focuses on enhancing the university’s overall efficiency, performance and financial capabilities through business modernization and branding plans that are set to launch in the coming months.

The plan was crafted through a year-long planning process that involved thousands of members of the Auburn Family. It reflects the collective input and aspirations of the university’s stakeholders and was co-led by Vini Nathan, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Kerry Inger, Harbert College Advisory Council Professor in the Harbert College of Business and Hari Narayanan, chair of the Department of Computer Science & Software Engineering and Watson Professor in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Collaborating with a 27-member Strategic Planning Steering Committee — which included faculty, students, staff, administrators, alumni and the Board of Trustees — the co-chairs led a structured process to thoroughly assess Auburn’s key strengths, opportunities and areas for advancement to ensure Auburn’s goals aligned with its future aspirations.

Following its official launch, the university will transition to implementation, including developing aligned plans at the college and unit levels. The university will update Grounded & Groundbreaking annually on the Strategic Plan website.

“Achieving these goals requires every member of the Auburn Family to dream bigger, be bolder and pursue excellence,” Roberts said. “Our quest to be an engine of prosperity is backed by extraordinary institutional dedication and unlimited potential to catalyze positive change.”