This is what we have done so far to develop a new strategic plan together.

One of the aims in our strategic planning process is to get as many students, staff and external stakeholders as possible to discuss which topics and ambitions should be included in our new strategic plan. We are doing this in various ways. This is a recap of the initiatives so far.

November 2021

Refining phase and consultations completed. Thank you for your contribution!

Over 2,600 staff and students shared their ideas about the direction of Leiden University and its Strategic Plan for the coming years under the banner of LDN FWD. What will be the guiding principle for decision making? Where do we place the emphasis? The final consultations are now completed, in December the plan will be discussed with the University Council and the Board of Governors. We looked back in November with colleague Regina Stoutjesdijk, policy advisor for Strategy and Academic Affairs.

Read: A call about the Strategic Plan

 

September and October 2021

Drawing a 'rough sketch'

During the summer, the input we had gathered up until then has been distilled into a first draft of the new Strategic Plan: our so-called ‘rough sketch’. In September and October, we distributed the rough sketch among our colleagues and students, in order to ask them: do you recognise the angle of the plan and the ambitions described? Are we on the right track? The rough sketch has been discussed with many different bodies within the university. We organised discussion meetings for students and staff, spoke with early-career researchers, presented the rough sketch to a sounding board of people in positions of leadership, talked with programme directors and exchanged views with external partners. These discussions showed a broad recognition of and support for the direction described in the plan in general terms. They also led to a further sharpening of the text. The definitive plan will be determined by the Executive Board early November, after which it will be officially presented to the University Council for consent and to the Board of Governors for approval.

June 2021

Online meetings

In the first weeks of June, the results of the dialogue sessions were sent to the work groups and project teams that are preparing advice for the strategic plan. We held online meetings at the end of June where students and staff explored several themes in more depth. These interactive sessions were led by the same work groups and project teams. This kept the lines of communication short because the work groups and project teams brought the results of the dialogue sessions to the meetings and were able to incorporate the input from the meetings in their advice. During these meetings on the education, research and organisation of the future, those present discussed topics such as blended learning, sustainability on the curriculum, open science and leadership.

May 2021

Online dialogues

In May you could join in various online dialogues. The results of these will be forwarded to the work groups and project teams that are working on various topics for the strategic plan. In the first series of dialogues, we asked students and staff which topics are important for the university’s future. Over 1,000 participants prioritised the suggested topics, suggested additional ones and responded to the input of other students and staff. 

The second series of dialogues involved five simultaneous dialogues about topics relating to the university’s future. We asked our students and staff to respond to three to five questions and statements about these topics, and then to view and evaluate other people’s responses. The number of participants differed per topic: the lowest was 92 and the highest 253.

Academic directors, deans and Executive Board meet

The deans, academic directors and Executive Board met at the end of May. They split into small groups to discuss the main topics in more detail. The month ended with a meeting for the deans and the Board, where the project teams’ provisional results and advice was presented. Those present also discussed which topics should be further explored and the main theme of the strategic plan.

March - June 2021

Executive Board on Tour

In March the Executive Board began a virtual tour of groups of staff they wouldn’t usually encounter in their everyday work. These online meetings were all about getting to know one another and exchanging ideas about Leiden University. This gave the Board the chance to find out what’s going on at the university, which will be of great help in the strategic planning process.Around 200 staff members have chatted with one another and the Board.

February 2020

Student conference

On 21 February 2020, 120 students took part in Mission2026, an interactive conference where, in a single afternoon, they produced a strategic plan from a student perspective.
Read: Students get the strategic-plan ball rolling (in Dutch)