In the first year of my tenure as chancellor I initiated UC San Diego’s strategic plan and since then, we have embarked on a journey of educational excellence and unprecedented growth. In redefining the public research university, we have undergone a physical, cultural and intellectual transformation that has generated far-reaching impact. UC San Diego has increased college access for underserved students and diversified our faculty, prioritized campuswide interdisciplinary research to solve societal challenges, launched the country’s largest on-campus residential housing expansion and bolstered global partnerships to drive progress.

Over the last decade, we have witnessed dramatic global change. Yet, the goals, strategies and research priorities we set in 2014 are as applicable today as they were then. Our updated 2025 plan, accordingly, refreshes rather than redefines that original framework, balancing our need to both sustain momentum and embrace evolving areas of focus. And, it re-energizes our university around new initiatives that build from our strengths and ongoing activity to drive success in an increasingly complex world.

Just as our inaugural plan was created with input from stakeholders across the UC San Diego community, so too was this refreshed plan. Through a blend of student, faculty and staff engagement; area-specific and cross-university conversations; and wide-ranging leadership dialogue, we listened to and challenged one another, and learned from partner perspectives and existing institutional endeavors where relevant. I am grateful for the time and wisdom contributed by so many to inform our renewed direction and priorities.

Central to the plan — and to UC San Diego — is the concept of destination. We aim to be a welcoming campus hub for our binational region and a destination for the most brilliant minds of our time. Alongside our enduring focus on knowledge, engagement and public service, it is clear that three priorities must be reflected in our refreshed plan:

People

Recognizing the competing pressures on each of us in a dynamic world, we must encourage, empower and enable all members of our university community in what they do.

Collaboration

Recognizing the extraordinary individuals who comprise UC San Diego, we must actively harness the shared genius of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, philanthropic supporters and community partners in all we do.

Efficiency

Recognizing our responsibility as stewards of state resources, we must remove barriers and embrace effective processes and use of technology to make it easier for each of us to be successful in what we do.

Strategy is about choice, and the plan articulates the choices we are making to fulfill these aims. It describes the principles and ideas that will shape our work, while preserving the agility, resilience and autonomy crucial to our success as a leading public university. As importantly, our plan serves as a beacon and foundation for alignment across the array of plans, projects and initiatives that together advance UC San Diego.

I look forward to working with each of you as we strive to connect this plan with action through our next decade of distinction and service.

Sincerely,

Pradeep K. Khosla

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor, UC San Diego