St. Mary’s University has commenced the development of its 4th Strategic Plan with a briefing

session held for the Steering Committee members on February 22, 2024 at the Syndicate Room, Main Campus. The session was opened by Desalegn Berie, Vice President for Business

Administration and Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee for Resource and Planning

Development.

 

The event featured presentations from Misganaw Solomon, PhD, Vice President for Research

and International Relations, and Shegaw G/Medhin, Director of the Center for Educational

Improvement and Quality Assurance. The presentation outlined the University’s strategic direction, emphasizing the goal to prepare a well-articulated plan that embodies SMU’s motto –

“Committed to Excellence!”


 

During the presentation, it was disclosed that three strategic plans have been developed, and

Currently, the third is being implemented. The session underscored the strategic planning process as a critical tool for mapping the Institution’s growth trajectory, informing decisions, and defining long-term objectives.

 

It was explained that the 4th Strategic Plan process includes a comprehensive review of the

existing plan, identification of key steps and resources, and clarification of expected outputs

within set deadlines. The plan’s focus areas include SWOT Analysis, Stakeholders’ Analysis,

Environment Scanning, and Basic Data Compilation.


 

The process will proceed with the development of an action plan, assignment of responsibilities, understanding of tasks and outcomes, re-planning and resource identification, and creation of data collection instruments. This will be followed by information gathering, drafting of committee reports, compilation of findings, and presentation of drafts for feedback. The final stages involve revising, editing, and finalizing the document, submitting it to the Senate Standing Committee for Resource and Planning Development, and presenting the final Strategic Plan to the Senate for approval.


 

Finally, opinions and comments to enrich the process were forwarded by participants, and the

session came to an end.