Student Affairs to Launch New Strategic Plan
May 19, 2025 - Dorene DiNaro
Grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy and guided by an ambitious vision for student success at The University of New Mexico, the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) is proud to unveil its new Innovating the Student Experience strategic plan. Following a robust and collaborative visioning process that began with a fall 2023 strategic directions survey administered to all division staff—the plan serves as a roadmap for advancing the future of Student Affairs. It affirms the collective dedication of the division and campus partners to engage in evidence-based practices that create opportunities for academic achievement and personal flourishing for all students.
The campus community is invited by Dr. Eric Scott, vice president for Student Affairs, and DSA staff for the Innovating the Student Experience launch to formally introduce the new plan, vision, mission, and values on Thursday, May 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Mesa Vista Courtyard.
The Innovating the Student Experience strategic plan aligns with the UNM 2040: Opportunity Defined strategic framework, including six specific action-oriented goals centered on enhancing both the UNM student and staff experience.
The plan was developed during an 18-month process that included a careful review of survey data by the Student Affairs Leadership Team and the creation of the Strategic Planning Workgroup, which hosted 13 working sessions with over 140 DSA staff, students, and campus partner representatives.
Student Affairs leaders drafted new vision, mission, and values statements based on the collective recommendations and findings of working groups and presented them for review, assessment, and recommendations, with the final document representative of a collective and innovative roadmap for the future.
“The plan affirms our commitment to leading practices in student success and culturally responsive pedagogy, while remaining rooted in the unique traditions and sense of place that define UNM,” said Scott. “As a community, when we take shared responsibility for student success and commit to the continuous enhancement of our learning environment, we advance New Mexico, both honoring our past and embracing our bright future.”
DSA is comprised of 18 unique units that play a critical role in UNM’s student success infrastructure.
“Students have always been at the heart of our service, and they remain the driving force behind our new strategic plan,” Scott said.
