2024 Plan Update
UC San Diego has embarked on an important effort to refresh our 10-Year Strategic Plan. This refresh is important to ensure that we remain focused on the priorities that support our continued growth and transformation as a public university.
Our first-ever strategic plan was implemented in 2014 by Chancellor Khosla with input from more than 10,000 members of our campus community. It has served as a framework and guide for campus growth and been highly successful. The plan has driven UC San Diego to achieve unprecedented results, continued growth and wide-ranging impact and physical, cultural and intellectual transformation as a top-10 public research university. For a comprehensive look at our university growth and transformation, check out our By the Numbers page.
We are excited to continue the momentum we have established into the next decade. For our plan to represent the diverse voices and needs of our university, the input of our students, faculty, staff and community is critical. We are not starting from scratch but are seeking your input to help fine tune this plan for the next 10 years.
Update: Many of you contributed your bold ideas to our IdeaWave and Research Themes Qualtrics survey earlier this year. We look forward to sharing how your input is helping inform overarching plan themes and activations later this fall.
Updated Mission
UC San Diego will transform California and a diverse global society by educating, generating and disseminating knowledge and creative works, providing high-quality health care and engaging in public service.
Updated Vision
To be a destination public university that is student centered, research driven, patient dedicated and service oriented.
Updated Goals
Through the pursuit of seven distinct yet interrelated goals, we will collectively push boundaries in all we do, striving always to make a meaningful positive difference in our world and the world around us.
Student experience. Transforming the educational experience to develop learners who lead and innovate in a complex world.
High-impact research. Enabling a collaborative culture of scholarship and discovery that extends the frontiers of knowledge and improves lives.
Health care excellence. Expanding a world-class academic health system to deliver innovative, accessible and compassionate care.
Diversity and access. Building a university that embeds diversity, equity and inclusion; encourages open dialogue; and provides affordable access.
People and purpose. Creating an experience that attracts and develops academics and staff who work together in the continuous pursuit of excellence.
Community partnership. Forging two-way connections that promote social equity and shared prosperity regionally and globally.
Research Themes
The following research themes will help us shape and prioritize the types of future research we will want to explore. We are continuing to evolve and refine these research themes and priorities based on input we’ve heard from you during brainstorms, ideation sessions and through the Research Themes Qualtrics survey that was opened to all faculty, students and staff earlier this year. Ultimately, we are developing a strategy focused on guiding, nurturing and expanding this critical and world-renowned function at UC San Diego.
Advancing fundamental knowledge
Lead the conceptual, theoretical and experimental research that provides the foundation for furthering scientific, societal and creative discovery.
Understanding cultures and addressing disparities in society
Improve our understanding of diverse cultures, perspectives and belief systems; examine how organizing structures, policies and practices contribute to historical and current inequalities; facilitate collaborative approaches and respectful engagement to tackle societal problems; and amplify the voices of marginalized populations.
Shaping and engaging with technology
Build the future of digital work, life and education; advance technological systems and materials to secure the power of computational solutions like artificial intelligence; translate computing progress to provide solutions to pressing social problems; and prevent negative consequences of new technologies while ensuring equitable access.
Conserving the planet and exploring the universe
Understand the evolving causes and impacts of climate change; develop solutions that improve environmental conditions to sustain our world and enhance environmental justice; and better understand the larger universe.
Studying human knowledge, learning and creativity.
Investigate the human brain; study the impact of history, arts, culture and technology on how we think and act; and advance new models of education, knowledge and creativity.
Producing breakthroughs in human health
Improve human health; reduce health disparities; and advance affordable health systems that promote physical and mental health at the individual, interpersonal and community levels.
Planning Process
Our four-phase process is designed to enable and empower the UC San Diego community with a refreshed plan that is not prescriptive but inspires, guides and connects all of us. It also will help identify efficiencies and lead us to ways that we can streamline and advance our increasing ambitions, despite constrained resources. Ultimately, it will ensure that all of us understand the myriad ways that our work contributes to UC San Diego’s success as a student-centered, research-driven, patient-dedicated and service-oriented public university.
Phase One: Reflection Fall 2023
We began the first of a four-phase planning process in late 2023 by engaging members of the Chancellor’s leadership cabinet, vice chancellors, deans and Academic Senate leadership to reflect on accomplishments over the past 10 years and to consider new opportunities over the next 10 years. As an outcome of these discussions, the mission, vision and goals were updated to provide a framework for the plan refresh.
Phase Two: Ideation January – May 2024
The second phase of the process focused on ideation. Our university community had several opportunities to contribute to the plan during this phase through meetings convened by vice chancellors, deans and academic leaders in their constituent departments, units and sections. These meetings facilitated open, respectful conversations and opportunities for faculty, staff and students to brainstorm bold, creative ideas that align with our updated mission and vision and advance our goals and research themes.
The greatest ideas and innovations emerge from collaboration, diverse perspectives and a vision for what is possible. In February, we also launched a Strategic Plan Refresh IdeaWave campaign and Research Themes Qualtrics survey to crowdsource ideas and provide additional mechanisms for everyone in our community to contribute to this important process.
The Strategic Plan Refresh IdeaWave campaign asked for ideas from all faculty, students and staff at UC San Diego around three key questions, and what steps we can take to achieve our ambitious mission and vision across seven goals. The Research Themes Qualtrics survey provided an opportunity for everyone in our university community to share input and ideas on how we can advance our four research themes and priorities, and grow and expand this critical and world-renowned function at UC San Diego.
Many of you contributed your bold ideas through these online mechanisms earlier this year, and we look forward to sharing how your input is helping inform the plan later this fall.
Phase Three: Convergence, June - September 2024
In Phase 3, we are compiling the input collected earlier in the year and converging the ideas under broad themes. Vice chancellors, deans and academic leaders have convened cross-functional workgroups to further build upon and expand on these converging themes and proposed activations as foundational elements of the plan. These themes and activations will be presented to Chancellor Khosla, his Cabinet and a larger strategic planning group of university leaders in October and November, as well as faculty, students and staff, before the plan elements are finalized in early December.
Stay tuned for more information on upcoming Town Hall meetings and school/department/organization meetings this fall when the themes, activations and expanded framework will be shared.
Phase Four: Articulation, Late Fall 2024 - January 2025
During the final phase of the plan refresh process, we will align on ideas, activations, programs and initiatives under the goals and research themes and in support of our mission and vision.
In December 2024 and through early January 2025 , we will draft the refreshed 2024 Strategic Plan, informed and shaped by the input of our university community and key external partners. The plan will be launched in January to help shape the ongoing future transformation and growth of UC San Diego.
Thank you very much for participating in this process and for your ongoing commitment to UC San Diego. We look forward to sharing our updated university strategic plan with you soon!