The Virginia Tech Difference: An Inclusive Process

• Achieve 25% representation of underrepresented minority students in the entering class (freshmen and transfers) by 2022
• Achieve 40% representation of underrepresented minority or underserved students (Pell-eligible, first generation, and veterans) in the entering class (freshmen and transfers) by 2022
• Increase the total enrollment in the Corps of Cadets to 1400 by 2022
• Achieve 20% representation of underrepresented minority graduate and minority professional students by 2024
• Increase underrepresented minority faculty to 15% (which is equal to or greater than the mean Research (R1) Public Land-Grant Universities) by 2024
• Increase female faculty representation to 50% (which is equal to or greater than the mean Research (R1) Public Land-Grant Universities) by 2024
• Increase underrepresented minority faculty new hires to 25% annually by 2022
• Increase female faculty new hires to 50% annually by 2022
• Ensure 100% of graduate programs of study include a required cultural competency component by 2022 
• Increase undergraduate students graduating with at least two Pathways courses that satisfy the Critical Analysis of Equity and Identity in the United States core concept to 25% by 2024 
• Increase undergraduate students graduating with at least two Pathways courses that satisfy the Intercultural and Global Awareness integrative concept to 25% by 2024
• Increase representation of underrepresented minority staff and administrative and professional faculty to 25% by 2024

• Optimize strategies to increase the representational diversity of underrepresented minority students and underserved students through recruitment, retention, and success
• Review financial aid, and funding for co-curricular and experiential learning experiences of underrepresented minority and underserved students
• Enhance and expand programs such as the Target of Talent, the Future Faculty Development Program, and the Faculty Community of Scholars Program
• Develop strategies to increase enrollment in undergraduate courses and co-curricular opportunities that include diversity and inclusion competencies and capacities 
• Ensure integration of Graduate School diversity education requirement
• Explore strategies to increase the development and incorporation of inclusive pedagogy practices into academic courses
• Review Campus Climate Survey response results and develop approaches to address trends
• Develop and build upon current efforts for global engagement to create positive change in a world without boundaries
• Develop international outreach and engagement strategies for increasing diversity of international students and faculty
• Continue oversight of college and administrative unit-level diversity strategic plans
• Develop a process for tracking engagement in social issues in curricular and co-curricular programming
• Determine appropriate metrics for employee veterans and persons with disabilities 

Beyond Boundaries Scholarship Program

Virginia Tech values access and affordability for students. The Beyond Boundaries Scholarship program was announced in 2016 in order to put the university’s access and affordability values into practice. Beyond Boundaries advances the university’s goals related to Project 2022 to increase the number of underrepresented minority students and underserved students at Virginia Tech. The program reduces unmet need for underrepresented students and underserved students through qualifying gifts, each of which are matched by the university. The scholarship program also helps to advance and attract talented students from within the commonwealth and across the country.

InclusiveVT

InclusiveVT is the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. The InclusiveVT Framework has been developed to help advance four institutional goals: 

• Institutionalizing structures to promote sustainable transformation;
• Increasing faculty, staff, and student diversity;
• Ensuring a welcoming, affirming, safe, and accessible campus climate; and 
• Advancing equity through the academic mission

A decentralized, but centrally coordinated, commitment to advancing equity and diversity is managed through the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, the President’s InclusiveVT Executive Council, unit-level Diversity Committees, Diversity Directors, the InclusiveVT Faculty Diversity Committee, caucuses and alliances, and the Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity. The Office of Inclusion and Diversity leads, manages, and coordinates the institution’s diversity and inclusion portfolio. Approximately 100 InclusiveVT representatives promote inclusive climates, share information and resources, and highlight events with their units, working collaboratively with unit-level Diversity Directors. The Diversity Summit, which explores critical objectives and new strategic initiatives, and the Advancing Diversity Program, which showcases successful initiatives and offers professional development opportunities are annual programs that support InclusiveVT. Additionally, unit-level community-building programming occurs during InclusiveVT Week to welcome new employees and students, and Principles of Community Week promotes inclusion and reaffirms Virginia Tech’s commitment to the Principles of Community.

As Virginia Tech moves beyond boundaries to advance diverse communities of learning equipped for a 21st century education, it will be critical for each college, unit, and department to hold themselves accountable for their diversity strategic plans. The unit plans are essential to achieving the university’s goals of an increasingly diverse faculty, staff, and student population, and preparing students to address issues facing a global and interconnected world. Each college and unit has a plan based on the template in Appendix C. In addition, the new Partnership for an Incentive Based Budget model incorporates diversity metrics as it asks colleges and units to formulate multi-year goals with an emphasis on national benchmarking (see Appendix B for more information on the Partnership for an Incentive Based Budget Model).

Faculty Diversity

Since 2017, Virginia Tech has accelerated its faculty diversity efforts. Through the leadership of a new position, Director of Faculty Diversity, the Office for Inclusion and Diversity coordinates college and campus-wide efforts in partnerships with the InclusiveVT Faculty Diversity Committee and Diversity Advocates on search committees. In addition, all search committee members must complete an unconscious bias online course.

The Future Faculty Development Program is a two-day program open to doctoral candidates and post-doctoral scholars from underrepresented backgrounds interested in a career in academia. Each year, approximately 40 selected participants are matched to Virginia Tech academic departments and introduced to university facilities, faculty peers, and key aspects of a faculty position. Participants are selected based on academic and research potential as well as their alignment to Virginia Tech’s institutional commitment to service and diversity. 

Inviting prospective faculty to Virginia Tech builds professional relationships, expands peer networks, and maintains institutional visibility as a premier career destination. Since the program’s inception in 2011, a number of participants have accepted faculty positions at Virginia Tech in response to university wide growth in student enrollment, research initiatives, and community impact.  

Target of Talent

Virginia Tech’s faculty diversity commitment follows two guiding principles: 1) the imperative of faculty identifying talented scholars through different strategies, recruiting candidates, and mentoring for success, and 2) an expectation of a shared commitment between the campus administration, departments, and colleges as a partnership model to advance faculty diversity. The Target of Talent program provides an incentive for hiring strategic priority candidates into academic faculty positions. 

Funding for ten permanent recurring faculty lines was budgeted in support of this program in the 2018 fiscal year, following successful strategic priority candidate recruitments by colleges the previous year. The program was again funded in fiscal year 2019 to reward successful strategic priority recruitments of up to ten faculty in fiscal year 2018. To date, all 20 of the available Target of Talent lines for the first and second rounds have been awarded to colleges with participation in the program benefiting eight of the Blacksburg campus colleges. 

As Virginia Tech pledges to grow the underrepresented student body and underserved student body, it will need employees that mirror and reflect the student population. Virginia Tech must ensure that students have the opportunity to learn from faculty and staff that are intellectually and culturally diverse. 

Native American Engagement

Since 2016, Virginia Tech has been very active in engaging the eleven federally recognized tribal communities. It hosted the Native American Tribal Summit with all the tribal nations, and as a follow up to the summit, has developed tribal-focused engagement strategies. Engagement has focused on attending tribal nation pow-wows, but also hosting an annual pow-wow at Virginia Tech. In 2019, Virginia Tech hosted its third annual pow-wow. Specific engagement efforts include student recruitment, student retention, and tribal leadership partnerships. In addition, in 2019, Virginia Tech approved a resolution to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the day that has been historically recognized as Columbus Day. These efforts are complemented by the programming in the Native American and Indigenous Community Center.

Inclusion and Diversity Resolution for Graduate Education

Seeking to build and support communities of diverse cultures and ideas, Virginia Tech ensures students learn, experience, and value inclusion and diversity. As a result, university leadership approved the 2018 resolution mandating all graduate students participate in an inclusion and diversity education component. This education will be iterative and adaptable across each academic unit and will complement the needs of each discipline. Graduate students will meet the inclusion and diversity educational requirement via workshops, training modules, lectures and discourse, and/or existing courses documented in students’ Plans of Study, approved by unit leadership, and verified by the Graduate School. Implementation of this resolution will begin in fall 2019 with 100 percent participation across all graduate programs no later than spring 2022. 

Student Diversity

In 2017, Project 2022 was launched to encourage the university to accelerate its diversity and inclusion goals. Project 2022 set an ambitious goal that 25% of the entering class (freshmen and transfer) should be underrepresented minorities and 40% should be underrepresented minorities or underserved (first generation, Pell-eligible, and veterans). To advance this goal, the Office for Inclusion and Diversity has coordinated, sponsored, supported, and collaborated with several programs and campus units. In addition to the Hispanic College Institute which has been in place since 2014 with almost 100 students, the Black College Institute attracted 50 students in its first year in 2017, over 150 in 2018, and 300 in 2019. These institutes are residential summer pre-college programs for rising high school juniors and seniors. The Office for Inclusion and Diversity partners with the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and the College Access Collaborative (CAC) to support student recruitment, outreach, and engagement efforts. The College Access Collaborative is an organizational unit dedicated to increasing college access, which focuses on building collaborative partnerships throughout the commonwealth.  

Another distinctive outreach, recruitment, and engagement office is the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED). Since 1992, the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity has provided encouragement and support to engineering students, with a focus on the underrepresented population. The Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity sponsors several summer camps and outreach initiatives for women and underrepresented students. 

As a parallel effort with recruitment, the campus supports several programs and units related to retention. The Black Cultural Center was created in 1991, and for some time, the Black Cultural Center and Multicultural Center were the only centers available for underrepresented minority students. In 2016, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, El Centro, the Native American and Indigenous Center, and the Asian and Asian American Engagement Center were added. The centers offer several programs for students, develop programming during cultural heritage months, and sponsor cultural celebrations during graduation week.  

In 2018, the Student Opportunity and Achievement Resources program (SOAR) program was created to work with entities across the university to help students who are underrepresented and underserved. The program works with University Advising and the Student Success Center to enhance outreach and support for underrepresented minority students. The Student Success Center offers tutoring and mentoring to students across campus.

Another related mentoring program is the Life Sciences Mentoring Program. The program supports underrepresented minority, underserved, and female students majoring in the life sciences with a peer-to-peer mentoring program offered with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Science, and College of Natural Resources and Environment. This program offers a research component to explore performance in math, chemistry, and biology. 

Finally, to ensure a welcoming, affirming, safe, and accessible campus climate, all incoming students are required to complete DiversityEdu, an online course on InclusiveVT and the Principles of Community. This course, along with other pre-enrollment online courses, has been required of enrolled undergraduate and graduate students since 2017. 

Advancing the Academic Mission through Inclusion and Diversity

To advance the academic mission through inclusion and diversity, a transdisciplinary community of Equity and Social Disparity in the Human Condition was developed. This research and learning community cuts across other transdisciplinary communities to advance issues impacting the human condition. The community was instrumental in leading the approval of a new Pathways General Education core concept of Critical Analysis of Equity and Social Disparity in the United States. Students are required to take at least one class in this area during their time enrolled at Virginia Tech. 

In addition to curricular efforts, there are also co-curricular programming. The Advancing the Human Condition Symposium, held since 2017, engages scholars, academics, and practitioners in transdisciplinary inquiry around the critical questions of our age, with a primary emphasis on equity as the driving force of discussions. Other co-curricular programming includes the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy conference (hosted at Virginia Tech since 2017), in order to offer women of color faculty, university administrators, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates a unique educational and professional opportunity to network, engage, and learn with peers from around the country. Each year, the conference attracts over 350 attendees.

• Achieve progress in competitive faculty salaries towards 50th percentile of top 20 Research (R1) Public Land-Grant Universities by 2024
• Achieve progress in competitive administrative and professional and staff salaries towards the 50th percentile of relevant market range by 2024
• Increase the four-year graduation rates for all undergraduate (entering freshmen) students to 70%
• Increase the three-year graduation rates for all undergraduate transfer students to 75%
• Reduce the average student loan debt per graduating senior to $25k by 2024
• Increase faculty and staff satisfaction with career advancement opportunities to at least 75% as reported in Employee Climate Survey by 2022
• Increase faculty and staff satisfaction with work-life balance to at least 75% as reported in the Employee Climate Survey by 2022
• Increase students participating in Hokie Mentorship Connect Program to 25% by 2022
• Increase on-campus students living in Living Learning Programs to 67% by 2024

• Identify funding opportunities for new and existing endowed professorships
• Review student-to-faculty ratio
• Develop staff recruitment and retention programs
• Increase access and affordability for first-generation and low-income students 
• Improve the educational return on investment for students by evaluating student debt at the college level as compared to salaries after graduation 
• Enhance comprehensive professional development and professional opportunities for academic professionals, staff, and teaching and research faculty
• Develop programming to promote well-being for faculty and staff
• Identify strategies and develop partnerships to offer extramural and institutional funding for graduate students
• Develop a process to support alumni engagement and lifelong learning
• Enhance and expand curricular and co-curricular programs and student services that support the social, financial, community, and physical well-being of students
• Increase the number of graduates in high-demand, transdisciplinary areas 
• Increase percentage of new graduates employed or continuing education 

Human Resources Transformation

As Virginia Tech expands in Blacksburg, advances the Virginia Tech Carilion partnership and presence in Roanoke, and significantly increases its presence in the greater Washington, D.C., area at the Innovation Campus, the Division of Human Resources must transform operations to attract and retain needed talent. The Division of Human Resources actively works to deploy and enable proactive recruitment expertise through upgraded technology and investment in resources, targeted professional development, and positive work-climate through wellness and employee relations. Operational excellence throughout the division such as readily available resources, improved web presence and information, service teams, improved tools and processes, and a culture of process improvement will underscore a commitment to transformation. 

The Division of Human Resources has already achieved significant progress towards developing a new work-place culture. In mid-2017, new senior management for human resources established three division areas: administrative, strategic, and consultative, and implemented a new division mission and vision. A newly hired Vice President for Human Resources has re-established governance within the division. Several goals include implementing a new recruitment and onboarding system in 2019 and clarifying compensation priorities to build a work culture at Virginia Tech prepared to serve each other and the community.

University Climate Survey 

Virginia Tech is committed to creating and supporting a climate that fosters inclusion and diversity and allows all students and employees to be productive and engaged members of our campus communities. To understand progress toward these goals, a university-wide climate survey was administered during the 2018-2019 academic year. Feedback from the survey helps the university to understand the perceptions of employees and students in relation to diversity, inclusion, leadership, work and learning environment, job satisfaction, and the student experience. Feedback provides a better understanding of the campus experience and enables the university to develop strategies and make informed decisions that inspire positive change in the campus climate over time.

Faculty and Staff Compensation

Inspired by ongoing initiatives to enhance human resources processes, the Division of Human Resources continues to prioritize suitable compensation for Virginia Tech faculty and staff as well as respond to recommendations elevated by such university groups as Faculty and Staff Senates. One such example includes the university’s July 2019 increase of minimum starting pay for full-time benefits-eligible staff as well as financial supplements to offset the cost of childcare and other work-related expenses for employees making a certain salary to help offset expenses. These efforts, in addition to ongoing review of faculty salaries, will help bring university salaries closer to market, increase the university’s competitiveness, and help Virginia Tech be a destination for talent.

Enhanced Admissions

Led by the Office for Enrollment Management, the undergraduate application process underwent an extensive evaluation, review, and refinement in the 2019-2020 academic year. The enhanced admissions process seeks to eliminate barriers and improve access for students, particularly those from underserved, first-generation, or low-income backgrounds. Using the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success model, Virginia Tech’s admissions process utilizes readjusted decision timelines and automated application fee waivers for new types of qualifying applicants. Driven by the university’s land-grant identity to serve the needs of the commonwealth, Virginia Tech is the first Virginia university to accept self-reported transcripts in the application process to improve processing time and decrease the financial burden of college applications. 

The enhanced application process generated immediate success as demonstrated by an increase in applications. These gains advance Virginia Tech’s commitment to building student talent and reimagining the boundaries of higher education admissions. The refined application process includes opportunities for prospective students to share experiences in leadership, service, and integrity, resulting in a more holistic, comprehensive application beyond a successful academic record. As a result, the application process ensures Virginia Tech attracts prospective students most aligned with our mission for knowledge, discovery, and creativity.

Alumni Engagement

Alumni play a vital role in achieving our Beyond Boundaries vision through their continued relationship with Virginia Tech. As we work towards developing living-learning communities of positive impact throughout the world, we rely on an extensive network of alumni who can share experiential learning opportunities, connect future employers, and develop industry partnerships with the university. To strengthen these alumni networks, Alumni Relations continues to encourage alumni ambassador opportunities, alumni mentorship with current students, and alumni participation in local alumni chapters. Virginia Tech will be a resource for alumni who seek lifelong learning opportunities to energize their dedication to service and ultimately implement that energy within their communities beyond Virginia Tech. We recognize the power in a strong alumni network and witness the strengthening of that network during events such as the recently reimagined Reunion Weekend that encourages alumni from all classes to convene and celebrate their Virginia Tech experiences. Continued efforts towards building and sustaining opportunities for alumni to connect with the university preserves and amplifies the bonds of the Hokie Nation. The Hokie Mentoring Connect Program will provide a core point of contact for alumni and students to connect.

Living-Learning Communities 

Living-learning communities embody Virginia Tech’s dedication to offering VT-shaped, flexible, and personalized education for all students. These communities offer students transdisciplinary engagement across their academic and personal lives and promote broad interaction with peers.

• Achieve 100% completion of college and unit-level strategic plans by May 2020 
• Achieve maintenance reserve funding in the range of 1- 1.5% of facility values for auxiliaries 
• Maintain Debt Rating in the AA or Aa Range
• Maintain =or<5% University debt ratio
• Increase the University's unrestricted net assets by $20 million annually by 2024
• Achieve an increase of at least 10% in total SWaM expenditures for each of the SWaM categories annually by FY22
• Increase the endowment to $1.6B by FY22
• Increase alumni giving to 22% by FY22
• Increase funds raised annually to $175 million by FY23

• Provide, enhance, and maintain quality research, living, and learning spaces
• Ensure safety and security of the campus 
• Implement universal design and accessibility of facilities
• Continue to improve energy efficiency and sustainable use of resources
• Develop consistent technology, universal design principles, and connectivity across locations
• Advance and align financial management, resource management, and transparent budget models
• Implement best-in-class customer service in all aspects of university operations
• Develop and support unit-level strategic plans and related initiatives
• Develop a process to identify and incubate new innovative ideas
• Facilitate decision-making transparency and efficiency throughout the institution
• Implement new workflows that increase efficiency and effectiveness of university policies and procedures
• Continue to grow the endowment held and managed by Virginia Tech Foundation
• Continue to grow alumni giving participation and annual fundraising

Partnership for an Incentive-Based Budget (PIBB) Model

Beyond Boundaries imagined a university with greater financial resilience, funded by a diverse resource base and supported by budget models that enable adaptability and innovation in an increasingly dynamic academic financial landscape. As the main funding model for Virginia Tech’s academic programs, the Partnership for an Incentive Based Budget model is strategic, inclusive, predictable, and responsive; designed to ensure resources are allocated in a manner that supports the university’s mission and vision.

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost continues to work with degree-granting colleges to develop a model that sufficiently resources the academic enterprise, while incenting strategic activities. To accomplish this, the Partnership for an Incentive Based Budget model has been developed to reflect a broader array of outcomes and activities that are expected from a comprehensive university, with emphases on incentivizing growth in revenue generating activities, faculty success, student success, and administrative effectiveness (among other activities). The goal-based nature of the Partnership for an Incentive Based Budget model and the intentional connections to university strategic priorities differentiates it from the pure revenue-sharing budget models currently being established at many peer institutions (see Appendix B for more information on the Partnership for an Incentive-Based Budget model).

Master Plan Development

Preparing Virginia Tech for the next generation of higher education requires appropriate capacity in facilities and infrastructure. Inspired by Beyond Boundaries, the entire university community contributed to a multi-phased Campus Master Plan approved by the Board of Visitors in November 2018. Aligned with President Sands’ Beyond Boundaries charge, the Campus Master Plan relied on six core drivers: the VT experience, sense of place, connections, growth, access for all, and sustainability. These drivers shape the Campus Master Plan’s vision for living-learning communities anchored by flexible learning spaces; continued respect and emphasis for Virginia Tech’s tradition and distinct character; cohesion across all Virginia Tech locations as the university expands to scale; spaces designed for all members of the community; and policy and practice in environmental awareness. 

Climate Action Commitment

Approved by the Board of Visitors on June 1, 2009, the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment envisions Virginia Tech as a model community for a sustainable society. The Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment affirms that Virginia Tech will be a leader in campus sustainability and outlines several goals and milestones for improving sustainability. Areas of focus include reducing emissions, improving sustainability of the built environment, minimizing waste, and improving electricity, heating, and transportation efficiency. Virginia Tech engages and involves the university community in these efforts through multiple activities including the development and implementation of sustainability-related academic programs and innovative strategies for efficient and sustainable use of energy, water, and materials in all university-owned facilities. 

Organizational Excellence 

As Virginia Tech strives for global distinction, organizational and operational excellence is imperative and foundational to the long-term success of the university’s vision and aspirations. Organizational Excellence will expand long-standing excellence in academics and research to include administration and operations. Initial pilot projects launched focus on accessibility, total compensation, and administrative and operations transformation. Organizational Excellence will be guided by a culture of service excellence that values continuous improvement, responsible stewardship of resources (financial, physical, technological, and human), efficiency and effectiveness, transparency, real change, and program assessment. 

Traditional organizational models and departmental silos will move towards collaboration and high performing work teams (representing multiple units), seeking university-wide partnerships and valuing diversity of thoughts. Duplication of administrative programs and services will be identified and alternatives for coordinated services and cost savings will be implemented, reducing bureaucracy and maximizing flexibility through governance, policies, processes, and systems.

Technological advancements will create opportunities to provide 24/7 access and on-demand services, enhancing community engagement. Constraints around physical locations will be minimized. Investments in infrastructure, at all campus locations, will ensure facilities, technology, and services provide inclusive and accessible experiences and support academic and research priorities. While respecting the university’s shared governance system, decentralized operating environment, and geographic locations, Virginia Tech will strive for excellence throughout its organization and operations.  

Infrastructure Technology

The Division of Information Technology will undertake important planning and deployment actions to meet connectivity needs across Virginia Tech locations including the Innovation Campus and other locations in the greater Washington, D.C., area and Roanoke. This process will include developing and supporting a vision for distance learning, as well as lifelong learning and living-learning programs.

To further improve universal accessibility to technological interfaces, the Division of Information Technology plans to advance accessibility of information services, striving for a common experience for all Virginia Tech users regardless of location. This effort includes rearchitecting wide area network connections between key university locations, national networks, and public cloud and other service providers; deploying common services and technologies for device connectivity and classrooms; providing ease of access to Information Technology support through online and on-site resources; ensuring effective and timely identity and access management to appropriate university resources; and continuing to explore new technologies that improve services for the university community.

In collaboration with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Division of Information Technology will support planning and operational effectiveness through data governance, improve access to disparate data sources through a “data lake” approach as an addition to the data warehouse, provide support for data analytics tools, and enable a community of practice. 

Continuous Planning 

A core component of Beyond Boundaries seeks to grow a culture of “continuous planning” at Virginia Tech. Continuous strategic planning involves monitoring goals, metrics, and milestones for existing priorities; identifying, developing, and advancing new strategic priorities; and ensuring a culture of self-evaluation, innovation, agility, and adaptability. Continuous planning is an institutional ability to set priorities and goals; develop paths to achieving milestones; create opportunities to assess progress using robust data; flexibly invest in priorities and goals; and adapt or revise approaches, priorities, and goals if needed.  

Strategies are guides for organizations, visions with narratives, and templates for resource allocation decisions. In short, they provide guidance for where the organization wants to be to realize priorities and goals. Large institutions must connect what the strategy is with how the organization can implement the strategy in the most effective and efficacious way that allows for an ongoing and transparent dialogue. 

On-going challenges and opportunities include university governance; resource management and prioritization; curriculum innovation and implementation; research collaboration; and initiatives that cross jurisdictions, campus locations, or disciplinary boundaries. The ability to determine budgets, innovate practices, and quickly implement and adapt through strategic planning are affected by long standing, often intermittently developed practices. 

The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries identifies values and pursuits that guide and inform Virginia Tech’s strategic direction, which include the concept of continuous planning. Through continuous planning, Virginia Tech will create and support the infrastructure to connect initiatives to strategic priorities; to measure, assess and adapt so that priorities can be evaluated, achieved, or adjusted; and pursue new priorities altogether. 

An opportunity exists for incremental and pilot efforts to maximize opportunities for institutional experimentation and learning while also minimizing the resources that would be required for comprehensive implementation. The smaller initiative approach allows for learning in an embedded context, and the opportunity to scale. Most likely, the smaller scale might foster learning across boundaries within the university as one unit works with another, learns, and practices it elsewhere.