About Continuous University Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is most effective when it is an ongoing collaborative process that continuously examines and responds to an institution’s changing internal and external environments.

In the four years since the launch of CUSP, a culture of collaborative strategic thinking has emerged at Fordham, as hundreds of faculty and staff have engaged in both institutional and local planning and embraced the priorities articulated in the Strategic Framework, using them as catalysts for reflection, planning, and change.

2018-2019 Continuous Strategic Planning

The 2018-2019 CUSP Committee is charged with developing a set of initiatives to advance our strategic priorities, accompanied by budgets and timelines, for review by the Board of Trustees at its meeting in December 2019. These initiatives will be faithful to the CUSP Strategic Framework, responsive to the forces at work in the higher education landscape, and reflective of the local planning work that has been underway.

Strategic Reserve Fund

The University has established a reserve fund of $8.1 million to support strategic initiatives (with provision for carry-over into future budget cycles). The criteria we will use to select strategic initiatives for funding include: feasibility, congruence with the University Strategic Framework and Fordham’s mission, contribution to Fordham's distinctiveness in higher education, the probable return on investment (tangible and/or intangible), the extent to which a proposal invites collaboration and partnerships, and support for the proposal among the faculty and/or staff of the units involved.

The application and selection process will involve CUSP, the President’s Advisory Council, and the Budget Planning Committee in making recommendations to President Joseph M. McShane, S.J. and members of the cabinet, who will put forward a proposal for action by the Board of Trustees.