Strategic Plan Process
The 2019-2024 UFCD strategic planning process launched in April 2017, seeking to designate key priorities and actions to advance the work of UFCD as one of the nation’s premier graduate and post-graduate schools of dentistry.
The strategic plan provides a framework for identifying key institutional needs, opportunities and priorities; for evaluating relevant trends in dental education, research and patient care; and for supporting future decision-making related to programs, facilities, outreach, services and finances.
Five Goals – This strategic plan articulates five goals that promote excellence.
Goal One: Dental education
Goal Two: Compassionate, patient-centered care
Goal Three: Innovative basic, translational and clinical research
Goal Four: Strategic and efficient operations
Goal Five: An inclusive and supportive environment
These goals, which are highly integrated, will guide UFCD’s decision-making for the next five years toward achieving global eminence in dentistry and oral health.
Key features of the strategic planning process included:
- An analysis of significant trends confronting schools of dentistry, dental practitioners and academicians, and research investigators.
- Formation of a 16-member Steering Committee composed of department chairs, college administrators, researchers, clinicians, students and residents. The Steering Committee provided input and advice to the dean on all phases of the process and played a pivotal role in the review of the plan.
- Establishment of four area-specific working groups: Education; Research; Patient Care; and Institutional Growth, Support and Advancement. After extensive review and discussion, each working group developed specific programmatic recommendations that were incorporated into the strategic plan.
- Town hall meetings and focus groups were held to encourage and secure input from key stakeholder audiences. These groups included students, residents, and advanced education participants; faculty and staff; practicing clinicians; alumni and industry representatives.
After it was approved and adopted, implementation of this strategic plan is managed by the standing UFCD Strategic Planning Committee, whose members consider and recommend to the dean timelines and other specific deliverables.