2023-2025 Strategic Direction Plan Overview

Bemidji State University and NTC: Bemidji’s Technical College formally aligned their work and initiated shared services in 2004. As BSU and NTC approached the 20-year anniversary of their innovative partnership, we launched our first joint strategic planning process, which culminated in the 2023-2025 strategic direction plan. While serving in part to address immediate enrollment and budgetary challenges, this plan also cements institutional collaboration as a foundation for innovation and growth in service to student learning, development and success as well as the workforce needs of Northern Minnesota.

The 2023-2025 strategic plan envisions a shared future marked by Student Success enhanced by exemplary instruction, an unmistakable adherence to the spirit of Nisidotaading (Ojibwe for “having mutual understanding”) and a renewed commitment to Northern Distinction in partnership with the City of Bemidji and a region spanning 200 miles to the north, 140 miles to the east and south and 100 miles to the west. Capping off the plan is the call to Tell Our Story in ways that highlight the enduring value of BSU’s and NTC’s educational experiences and outcomes.

As compelling evidence and testament to this value, the strategic plan culminates with the introduction of the BEAVERS framework of key institutional performance indicators.

Development of the 2023-2025 Strategic Direction Plan

At the beginning of his presidency in July, 2022, Dr. John Hoffman shared his intent to develop an inaugural joint strategic plan for BSU and NTC grounded in the common cornerstone values of advancing holistic student learning and success and diversity, equity and inclusion. President Hoffman also lifted up the Postsecondary Value Commission as a framework for demonstrating the relevance and value of BSU and NTC. Given significant enrollment declines between 2018 and 2022 and the accompanying financial consequences, President Hoffman proposed the development of a two-year plan to address immediate enrollment and budgetary challenges and to establish a foundation for a long-term strategic planning process to be initiated during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Leading up to the strategic direction development process, President Hoffman conducted more than 40 listening sessions and interviews with internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, the BSU and NTC cabinets convened in November 2022 to engage in environmental scanning processes and to stress test the preliminary themes of people, place and programs shared during the president’s inaugural address.

In July 2023, President Hoffman convened a strategic direction planning group for two full-day planning sessions to refine, vet and expand upon prior environmental scanning and preliminary plan priorities. The planning group consisted of faculty and staff, representatives from all bargaining units, students, alumni and community leaders. The work of this group was shared at Fall 2023 semester opening breakfast meetings for employees at BSU and NTC. The framework also informed the content of a Strategic Direction survey administered at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester. Campus-wide input informed revisions, which President Hoffman presented to students and campus bargaining units for formal consultation in September 2023. These consultations informed final plan refinement.

In October 2023, President Hoffman presented the final plan to campus and launched efforts to put the plan to practice. As a two-year plan, the vision for the planning process is to be dynamic, not static. Work related to some of the strategic priorities began prior to the finalization of the plan and it is expected that the plan will evolve through 2023-2025 and ultimately inform a more comprehensive future plan.