Leadership Institute Strategic Plan (May 2025-August 2027)

Year 1: May 2025-Aug 2026

Year 2: September 2026-Aug 2027

Mission, Vision, & Values

 

Intentional Areas of Focus: 

  • Building capacity and creating culture
  • Delivering transformational leadership development programs
  • Outreach and marketing
  • Data collection and evaluation

 

Intentional Focus 1: Building capacity and creating culture

The MSU Leadership Institute must invest in robust onboarding and staff development processes, hiring and training student and professional staff that are prepared to lead and inspire their peers. 

 

Goal 1.1: Build a team of exceptional student and professional staff that are equipped with clear expectations and the tools to succeed. 

 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. The Leadership Institute will hire and onboard a Training and Development Coordinator By fall of 2025.
  2. The Leadership Institute Director will attend the Leadership Education Academy Conference (July 2025) and the Director and Training and Development Coordinator will attend the NASPA conference (spring 2026) to seek out other programs that are peer institutions and for benchmarking purposes. 
  3. The Leadership Institute will hire and train a cohort of 8-12 student staff by the end of fall 2025.
  4. All professional and student staff will participate in a shared off-campus teambuilding retreat by the end of fall 2025. 
  5. The Leadership Institute student staff will begin facilitating leadership development workshops to their peers by the end of the spring 2026. 
  6. Leadership Institute student staff will begin facilitating off-campus leadership retreats by the end of summer 2026. 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. The Leadership Institute will hire and train a cohort of 4-6 student staff (to keep a total student staff number of 10-12) by the end of fall 2026.
  2. All professional and student staff will participate in a shared off-campus teambuilding retreat by the end of fall 2026. 
  3. The Leadership Institute will promote 2-4 student staff to be lead facilitators by the end of Spring 2026. 

 

Goal 1.2: Model leadership development best practices within our organization.

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. An onboarding packet for student staff will be prepared including a job description, existing program descriptions, policies, and processes by the end of summer 2025. 
  2. Curriculum will be finalized for weekly staff development training for the cohort of new student staff by the end of summer 2025. 
  3. A core leadership development curriculum will be finalized for staff to use while facilitating existing LI workshops by the end of fall 2025. 
  4. Student employees will be evaluated using a rubric tied to the 60 student leadership competencies at the end of each semester starting in fall 2025.  

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Structure and curriculum for staff development training will be assessed and reviewed with changes being put into place by the end of fall 2026.  
  2. Student employee evaluation rubrics will be shared with select campus partners (along with training and support on their use) by the end of fall 2026.

 

Goal 1.3: Build processes and systems that support experiential learning and institutional knowledge building. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Update the LI website to reflect our new programmatic mission, vision, and values by the end of summer 2025. 
  2. Update the LI office space and promotional materials to reflect our new programmatic mission, vision, and values by the end of fall 2025. 
  3. Implement a simple and efficient signup process for groups to request training by spring 2026. 
  4. Work with a campus photographer and videographer to update photos and videos of signature programs by the end of summer 2026. 
  5. Produce an annual report to highlight impact by the end of summer 2026. 

 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Work to integrate leadership competencies (using baseline data from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership survey) into the MSU campus-wide strategic planning initiative by the spring of 2027. 

 

Goal 1.4: Diversify revenue streams for long-term growth and sustainability

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Increase revenue-generating training programs for faculty and staff groups to generate $2500/year by the end of Spring 2026. 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Present to ASMSU about an increased student fee to support higher level of programming and increased value for students by Spring of 2027. 
  2. Increase revenue-generating training programs for faculty and staff groups to generate $5000/year by the end of Spring 2027. 
  3. Begin marketing strategic planning consulting services to on-campus offices and departments by the end of Spring 2027. 

 

Intentional Focus 2: Delivering transformational leadership development programs

Offer leadership development training, mentorship and experiential leadership opportunities that serve the diverse needs of MSU students and the faculty and staff that support them.

 

Goal 2.1: Establish partnerships across campus and in our community to help our staff focus on facilitating exceptional programs. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Deepen the relationship between the advisor team (which includes the LI Director) and ASMSU executive leadership through a more formal internship process by the end of summer 2025. 
  2. Expand the depth of partnerships with local nonprofits who participate in the Boardroom Bobcats program ensuring that formal mentorship relationships are in place between board members and student participants by the end of summer 2025. 
  3. Reinforce strong partnership with Leadership Fellows Certificate Program administrator and faculty through attendance at Faculty planning and bi-weekly meetings with program Director by the end of summer 2025. 
  4. Reinforce strong partnership with Outdoor Recreation Program Assistant Director to ensure continued rentals of program vehicles and contracting of student staff to support outdoor recreation elements of Leadership Summits by end of Fall 2025. 
  5. Map all existing leadership development opportunities on campus by the end of fall 2025. 
  6. Explore a variety of regional off-campus leadership retreat venues by the Spring of 2026.

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Build a network of Intermountain West institutions that are part of the MSL data collection cohort and set up a regular check-in to build capacity and share successes by the end of fall 2026
  2. Reserve dates at a preferred retreat venue for Summer 2027 by the end of fall 2026.

 

Goal 2.2: Create diverse programming opportunities driven by student needs, interests and best practices.

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Facilitate a 3-day retreat for ASMSU Admin team members and advisors by the end of summer 2025. 
  2. Pilot a 4-day Leadership Retreat for residents of the Emerging Leaders Living and Learning Community floor (co-facilitated along with Residence Life) by the end of summer 2025. 
  3. Market and select 10 additional nonprofit partners for the Boardroom Bobcats program so that 10 additional students can participate by the end of summer 2025.
  4. Support the creation of a 1-day leadership conference for ASMSU senators and staff by the Fall of 2025. 
  5. Offer two dinner and discussion events with local leaders to be piloted by the end of Fall 2025.
  6. Offer a 2-day leadership conference for students in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement by the Spring of 2026. 
  7. Continue to offer a 3-day, 2-night off-campus leadership summit open to 25 students each semester. 
  8. Offer a series of two 5-day Leadership Retreats for 25 incoming Freshman in alignment with the summer orientation schedule in the summer of 2026. 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Offer a 2-day leadership conference for Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) students in conjunction with the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils by the Spring of 2027. 
  2. Offer a series of four 5-day Leadership Retreats for 25 incoming Freshman in alignment with the summer orientation schedule in the summer of 2027. 

 

Goal 2.3: Deepen the relationship with the LI Advisory Board and LI staff alumni network. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Formalize National Advisory Board roles and expectations, including an expectation of participation in LI events, recruitment, donorship, strategic program advising, and student staff mentorship by the end of summer 2025. 
  2. Recruit new advisory board members to fill any open advisory board seats (including recruiting LI staff alumni) by fall 2025. 
  3. Integrate advisory board members into regular LI operations through a student staff mentoring program and in speaking at least one of our key programs: Boardroom Bobcats, local leader dinners, and/or at a Leadership Conference by Spring of 2026.
  4. In conjunction with the Leadership Fellows Certificate Program Director, assess the need and potential for creating a campus-wide leadership advisory board that advises all leadership efforts on campus by the end of Fall 2025. 
  5. Host a LI mixer for advisory board members, staff alumni, and current staff by early summer 2026. 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Recruit new advisory board members to fill any open spots by fall 2026. 
  2. Assess advisory board involvement and explore additional ways to deepen the impact of the advisory board on MSU students by fall 2026. 

 

Intentional Focus 3: Outreach and marketing

The MSU Leadership Institute will promote leadership development training and opportunities to students through a variety of methodologies, with a particular focus towards emerging leaders and students who may not already see themselves as leaders.  

Goal 3.1: Establish a standardized communications plan for marketing all LI programs. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Implement a tiered marketing and communications plan for all LI events for different program duration and complexity (2-hour, 1-day, 2-day) by the end of Fall 2025.
  2. Map out all available communication networks through campus partners with a specific focus on reaching students who may not already see themselves as leaders by the end of Fall 2025. 

 

Goal 3.2: Grow the reach of our communication and outreach mechanisms. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

 

  1. Grow our “Leadership Insights” newsletter subscriber pool through tabling, social media, and email campaigns from 207 (as of May 28, 2025) to 500 subscribers by the end of Spring 2026. 
  2. Grow our social media follower pool through tabling and regular social media campaigns from 1112 (as of May 28, 2025) to 2000 followers by the end of Spring 2026.
  3. Ensure summer leadership retreats are included in the Admissions Department orientation mailers by the end of Spring 2026.

 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Assess our marketing reach and explore additional outreach mechanisms (dorm talks, classroom visits, campus mall tabling, etc) and choose two additional mechanisms to try out by the end of Fall 2026. 

 

Goal 3.3: Create intentional marketing targeting students who may not already see themselves as leaders. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Build in specific language to existing print and digital marketing focused on leadership skill building and/or building your leadership confidence by the end of Spring 2026. 

 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Create a series of short videos, posters, and tabling resources that directly target students who may not already see themselves as leaders by the end of Spring 2027. 

 

Intentional Focus 4: Data collection and evaluation

The MSU Leadership Institute will use data and best practices to inform and evaluate programming to ensure continued growth and impact.  

 

Goal 4.1: Establish standardized evaluation tools for all LI programming.

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. Implement a common program evaluation tool for determining program efficacy for different program durations (2-hour, 1-day, 2-day) by the end of Fall 2025. 
  2. Implement a formalized annual review process and re-evaluation of strategic goals by the end of spring 2026. 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Begin sharing the LI program evaluation tool for determining program efficacy across Student Success program areas by the end of fall 2026. 
  2. Begin sharing the LI formalized annual review process by the end of fall 2026.

 

Goal 4.2: Benchmark leadership development data compared to peer institutions. 

Metrics and Actions: 

Year 1: 2025-2026

  1. For each existing program offering, develop 3 core goals to assess upon by the end of summer 2025. 
  2. Develop 10 open-ended questions for the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership in collaboration with campus partners by the end of Fall 2025. 
  3. Work with the MSU office of Data and Analytics to deliver the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership survey to 4000 MSU students in Spring 2026. 

Year 2: 2026-2027

  1. Present data from the MSL survey to campus leadership by Fall of 2026.