ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´

Five Year Strategic Plan

Pillar 1: Student Access, Engagement, and Success

Download Pillar 1 PDF

At ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, we are driven by a passion and commitment to empower our students to grow, lead, and achieve their full potential. We are resolute in our pursuit of student success, offering comprehensive support services that cater to their individual needs.

Fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus culture is integral to our success as we strive to create an environment where every student feels valued and supported. By providing limitless opportunities for personal and professional advancement both during and in the years following their time on campus, we ensure that the next generation of change-makers gets their start right here at the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ – Fort Smith.

• Strategy 1: Drive interest in ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ as a first-choice institution and invest in innovative recruiting practices to ensure continued enrollment growth. 
• Strategy 2: Enhance support structures that drive equity, inclusion and success among underrepresented student populations including Hispanic students, active-military members, veterans, and adult learners. 
• Strategy 3: Expand high-impact practices and student engagement initiatives across the institution to provide holistic support, connect students’ academic programs and career pathways, and increase retention and graduation rates.
• Strategy 4: Optimize comprehensive institutional and private aid practices to ensure a ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ education is accessible to all. 
• Strategy 5: Promote the health, safety, and personal development of students by incorporating mental, physical, and financial health initiatives into student support services.
• Strategy 6: Continue to invest in and promote the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ brand, while developing new ways to tell the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ story across constituent groups.
• Strategy 7: Enhance focus on career coaching within curricular and co-curricular support structures while creating systems for continued career and individual support post-graduation.
• Strategy 8: Strengthen the university’s Division II athletic program to be nationally competitive and provide mutually beneficial events and opportunities.