Dean's Letter
EdUcation is UTAH
Dear College of Education Community,
At the beginning of 2024, we embarked on a journey to develop a robust strategic plan for our college. Our goals in this process were to create a unique and visionary plan tailored to the strengths and opportunities of our college, as well as to further university goals through the Strategy 2030 planning process.
With the foundation that EdUcation is Utah, we took inspiration from four pillars that would set the framework for this strategic planning process. From the dedication of our college community to the consistent guidance of our steering committee, I have had the pleasure of watching our four chosen pillars come to life in a multitude of ways that make me more excited than ever for the future of the college and the path this strategic plan has laid out:
EdUcation is
IMPACT
It is the foundation of learning and serves as a pillar of the University of Utah and the College of Education. The diverse voices of our participants in this strategic planning process and the impact of our past and future work, directed this ambitious, yet grounded plan.
EdUcation is
PROGRESS
Necessary for change and transformation, this process highlighted the steps our college can take to improve how we shape future educators.
EdUcation is
COMMUNITY
It is the backbone of this process that informs our mission of teaching, research, and service at both the university and college. By collaborating with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other interested parties, this process served to unify our college community.
EdUcation is YOU
Reaching alumni, K-12 districts and schools, colleges and universities, and even into educating youth, this process prepares the leaders and professionals who will become the future of Utah. Innovation in education begins with YOU! Your dedication and commitment to participating in this strategic planning process was essential to its success and will have a significant impact on educators and educational leaders well into the future.
I can’t begin to express how proud it has made me to see how you – our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners – have come together to collectively lay the foundation of our college’s future. From the start, it has been our goal to further develop our strengths as we worked to create a plan that supports the innovation and growth of education in our state, across the country, and around the globe. As we continued building out this plan it became apparent that some our greatest strengths are the voices of our community, our commitment to one another, and our passion for the future of education. This was most evident in how each of you showed up and found significant and unique ways to participate in this process.
I feel empowered by our college’s mission, vision, and values, that were refined in this process to better communicate our goals as a college and to express the values that guide the work of our faculty, staff, and students every day.
Thank you to everyone in our community for your hard work over the past year, your willingness to share ideas, and your dedication to both our college and university.
I encourage you to view this plan as both the culmination of your hard work and as a roadmap of the entire planning process, both of which brought life to our ambitious goal that we set for the college at the start.
I look forward to the future of our college and the opportunity to work alongside you as we grow with this strategic plan.
Frankie Santos Laanan, DEAN
