Realizing Health Futures

Strategic Goal 1: Increase Undergraduate and Graduate Enrollment Through Strong Recruitment and Retention

Objective: Grow and sustain enrollment by clearly communicating COH’s value, strengthening academic quality, and expanding pipeline pathways.

Key Action Items

• Promote the 4+1 accelerated degree program across the University.
• Establish and sustain a COH Ambassador program for undergraduate and graduate recruitment. 
• Use coordinated marketing and social media to highlight alumni success and student experiences.
• Clearly articulate the distinct value proposition of each major in all communications.
• Develop targeted pipeline initiatives, including high school immersion programs and community college weekend retreats.--summer 2027 with OIA/Iacocca
• Achieve and maintain CEPH accreditation for the MPH program.
• Redesign the first-year seminar to improve engagement, belonging, and academic success. 
• Establish and support effective team-teaching models to enhance student learning.

Intended Outcomes

• Increased UG and GR enrollment
• Improved first-year retention and student satisfaction
• Stronger brand recognition and program differentiation

KPIs

Recruitment Metrics

• UG and GR applications (total and % change year-over-year)
• Yield rate (offers accepted / offers made)
• Enrollment in 4+1 programs
• Number of active COH Ambassadors and recruitment events supported
• Pipeline program participation (high school immersion, community college retreats)

Retention & Success KPIs

• First-to-second year retention (as well as second to third, and third to fourth) (UG)
• Term-to-term persistence (GR)
• Time-to-degree (UG and MASTERS)
• First-year seminar completion and student satisfaction scores
• MPH CEPH accreditation achieved (milestone KPI)

Strategic Goal 2: Clarify Educational Pathways to Careers, Including Pre-Health

Objective: Ensure students clearly understand how COH programs connect to meaningful careers.

Key Action Items

• Develop comprehensive career-pathway program and resources (e.g., videos, advising tools).
• Expand and integrate experiential learning across all majors and minors.
• Refine major requirements to clearly communicate pathways, concentrations, and sequencing.
• Establish a flexible, achievable Pre-Health pathway compatible with any major.
• Integrate guidance on the impact of AI on careers in healthcare, public health, and biostatistics.

Intended Outcomes

• Improved student clarity and confidence in career planning
• Stronger alignment between curriculum and workforce needs
• Increased participation in experiential learning

KPIs

Career Pathway Clarity

• % of majors with documented pathways/concentrations
• Student awareness of career options (survey data)
• Advising satisfaction scores related to career guidance

Experiential Learning

• % of students completing at least one experiential learning activity
• Number of experiential partnerships (internal/external)
• Placement rate into internships, practicum, or applied experiences

Pre-Health & Emerging Careers

• Enrollment in Pre-Health pathway
• Acceptance rates into health professional programs
• AI-related content embedded in curriculum (% of programs)

Strategic Goal 3: Expand Distinctive Degree Programs, Credentials, and Professional Education

Objective: Strengthen COH’s academic portfolio to meet emerging workforce, research, and lifelong learning demands.

Key Action Items

• Strengthen curricular scaffolding through development of 200-level courses.
• Finalize and launch the intercollegiate undergraduate degree IC Health + Engineering.
• Develop stackable graduate certificates, beginning with Healthcare Management, that apply toward master’s degrees.--pathways for intl students with OIA
• Support student credentialing (e.g., CHES exam preparation).
• Incentivize faculty teams to develop micro-credentials.
• Launch new graduate programs:
  • MS in Biostatistics & Health Data Science
  • PhD in Biostatistics & Health Data Science
  • Part-time PhD pathway
• Address course rigor and grade inflation to enhance academic reputation.
• Embed time management, self-care, and professional readiness into curricula.

Intended Outcomes

• New enrollment streams
• Enhanced academic reputation
• Flexible learning options for students and professionals

KPIs

Program Development

• New programs launched (UG, GR, certificates, micro-credentials)
• Enrollment in new or revised programs
• Completion rates for certificates and micro-credentials

Academic Quality & Rigor

• GPA distribution trends (monitoring grade inflation)
• Student performance in upper-division courses
• External credential pass rates (e.g., CHES exam)

Advanced Degrees

• MS and PhD program approvals achieved (milestone KPIs)
• PhD student enrollment and persistence (full- and part-time)

Strategic Goal 4: Identify and Grow Strategic Research Areas

Objective: Focus research investments where COH can lead and scale impact.

Key Action Items

• Identify priority research areas aligned with college strengths and societal needs.
• Hire faculty in strategically identified research areas.

Intended Outcomes

• Concentrated research excellence
• Increased competitiveness for external funding

KPIs

Faculty & Capacity

• Strategic research areas formally identified and approved
• Faculty hires aligned with strategic research priorities
• % of faculty research aligned with identified growth areas

Strategic Goal 5: Strengthen Faculty Research Capacity and External Funding

Objective: Increase research productivity through mentorship, collaboration, and targeted proposal development.--figure out how to leverage the UN partnership and new status (check on CDAT collaborating academic center progress); take the pieces and create a strategy for enhanding research opportunities and visibilty).

Key Action Items

• Increase external proposal submissions, emphasizing non-federal funding.
• Implement a structured research mentorship program led by senior faculty.
• Promote interdisciplinary and team-based grant submissions.

Intended Outcomes

• Growth in external research funding
• Expanded interdisciplinary collaboration
• Stronger research culture

KPIs

Proposal Activity

• Number of external proposals submitted
• Total dollars requested
• % of proposals submitted collaboratively or interdisciplinarily

Funding Outcomes

• Total external funding awarded
• Average award size
• Number of new investigators funded

Research Development

• Participation in mentorship programs
• Faculty reporting increased research productivity (survey)

Strategic Goal 6: Clarify and Align Tenure and Promotion Expectations

Objective: Ensure faculty evaluation systems reflect the full range of COH scholarship.

Key Action Items

• Develop department-level guidelines for:
  • Promotion & Tenure (tenure-track)
  • Promotion & Reappointment (term faculty)
• Revise College-level guidelines to align expectations and value community-engaged, applied, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

Intended Outcomes

• Increased transparency and equity
• Stronger faculty morale and retention
• Alignment between mission and evaluation

KPIs

Policy & Process Metrics

• Department-level P&T and Reappointment guidelines completed
• College-level guideline revisions approved
• Faculty awareness and clarity (survey results)

Equity & Alignment

• Successful P&T and reappointment cases citing community-engaged or applied scholarship
• Reduction in appeals or clarification requests related to P&T

Strategic Goal 7: Strengthen Teaching Distinctiveness

Objective: Position COH as a leader in innovative, ethical, and experiential teaching.

Key Action Items

• Identify priorities for new teaching faculty hires. 
• Integrate AI across the curriculum, with a focus on practical use cases, ethics, and social determinants of health.
• Establish college-wide guidelines for ethical AI use in teaching.
• Define "experiential learning" and provide staffing, funding, and instructional support for experiential learning
• Establish and support effective team-teaching models to enhance student learning

Intended Outcomes

• High-quality, distinctive learning experiences
• Faculty confidence and consistency in experiential education
• Stronger student outcomes

KPIs

Curriculum & Pedagogy

• % of courses integrating experiential learning
• % of courses integrating Ethics/AI content
• Number of team-taught courses supported

Faculty Support

• Faculty participation in teaching development activities
• Satisfaction with instructional support and resources (survey)

Student Outcomes

• Student evaluations tied to experiential and applied learning
• Student self-reported gains in applied skills

Strategic Goal 8: Strengthen COH Culture and Community

Objective: Foster a supportive, connected, and sustainable college environment.

Key Action Items

• Promote self-care and mental wellness.
• Improve internal communication and reduce unnecessary email volume.
• Expand opportunities for informal and formal community-building activities. (COH/Departments)

Intended Outcomes

• Stronger sense of belonging
• Improved faculty and staff well-being
• Healthier organizational culture

KPIs

Engagement & Wellbeing

• Faculty and staff engagement survey scores
• Participation in wellness and community events
• Perceived workload manageability (survey)

Communication

• Reduction in broadcast emails (baseline vs. current)
• Satisfaction with internal communication norms

Strategic Goal 9: Increase COH Visibility and Reputation

Objective: Build national recognition for COH’s strengths in data, technology, and community-engaged health research. (UN Fellows; WHO collaborating centers)

Key Action Items

• Launch an annual signature conference highlighting COH strengths and community partnerships.
• Actively recognize and celebrate community-based and experiential scholarship.
• Conduct a comprehensive perception study with internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop a targeted marketing strategy aimed at senior academic leadership nationally.
• Publish a regular external newsletter.(marcom)
• Promote COH’s commitment to workforce development.
• Provide media training (marcom/faculty)
• Proactively place faculty/staff  in leadership roles within professional, civic, and community organizations.

Intended Outcomes

• Increased national visibility
• Stronger external partnerships
• Enhanced institutional reputation

KPIs

Reputation & Reach

• Perception study results (baseline and follow-up)
• National or regional rankings movement (where applicable)
• Invitations to faculty for keynote talks, panels, or advisory roles

Visibility & Communications

• Newsletter distribution and engagement metrics
• Media mentions and expert quotes
• Faculty participation in media training

Leadership & Partnerships

• Faculty serving on external boards or committees
• Number of active community and institutional partnerships

Health Data Science and Technology
The College of Health will lead in technology-enhanced, data-driven health solutions. We will integrate data science and technology into research and education, graduate students with generative AI fluency, and ensure technology and data are used ethically, humanely, and in partnership with communities.

Health Equity and Community Partnership
The College of Health will place equity, justice, and determinants of health at the center of our work. We will prioritize the health of underserved and minoritized populations, strengthen community partnerships from the Lehigh Valley to the global stage, and build trust through reciprocity, advocacy, and co-creation with communities.

Student Experience and Workforce Preparation
The College of Health will foster belonging, resilience, and connection while expanding experiential learning, mentorship, and community-based opportunities. We will balance technology-driven education with human connection and compassionate practice, preparing adaptable, interprofessional leaders to thrive in a rapidly evolving health landscape.

• UG & GR enrollment growth
• Retention and time-to-degree
• Experiential learning participation rate
• New programs launched
• External funding awarded
• Collaborative grant submissions
• Faculty hires in strategic research areas
• CEPH accreditation status
• Perception study trend
• Faculty engagement score

The strategic plan focuses on comprehensively advancing the college through several core initiatives. These include increasing the college's visibility and reputation, boosting undergraduate and graduate enrollment through strong recruitment and retention, and clarifying educational pathways to careers. Additionally, the college is focused on expanding distinctive degree programs, growing strategic research areas, strengthening teaching distinctiveness, and building a stronger COH culture and community.

Following a structured analysis of faculty expertise and funding potential, the COH has identified three primary research clusters: Infectious Disease, Mental Health, Wellness, and Addiction, and Environmental Health. To support these areas, the college plans to hire new research faculty—including 3 new faculty members specifically in Infectious Disease—and establish formal agreements with at least 3 new strategic research partners.

Yes, the strategic plan outlines a robust expansion of academic offerings. The college plans to develop one new undergraduate major, a Master's in Healthcare Administration, and a new online MS program. Furthermore, students and professionals can look forward to three new graduate certificates and targeted professional education programs for healthcare industry leader.

The COH is deeply committed to experiential learning and career readiness. The college aims for 75% of rising seniors to complete a paid or funded internship experience. There are also specific goals to ensure that 50% of pre-health students and 25% of non-pre-health students participate in professional shadowing experiences. Ultimately, the college is striving to increase undergraduate first-destination career outcomes to 96% for the graduating class of 2028.

Strengthening culture is a major pillar of the strategic plan. The COH will promote self-care and mental wellness for students, staff, and faculty through dedicated activities and engagement. Other community-focused initiatives include redesigning the first-year seminar to increase student engagement, increasing participation in informal and formal community-building events, and charging the Student Advisory Council (SAC) with developing a new COH tradition for graduating students.