Strategic plan rolled out in MSU’s State of the University report 

Missouri State University’s annual State of the University report, offered at noon yesterday in the Plaster Student Union theater, was the setting for the official rollout of “Igniting Opportunity,” the name given to the higher education institution’s strategic plan. 

President Richard “Biff” Williams outlined the university’s revised mission and vision and its goals for the five-year period that runs through 2030. 

There are five goals in the plan, each articulated below, and Williams identified desired outcomes to be reached within five years. 

• Goal 1 – Academic opportunities and innovation. Advance academic excellence and innovation by embedding the public affairs mission across MSU’s curriculum, promoting experiential, interdisciplinary and relevant learning opportunities and expanding access to high-quality educational programs.

Williams said targets include enhancing student experiential learning opportunities, increasing interdisciplinary scholarship programs and connecting curriculum to career success. 

Additionally, targets are to add online offerings, to integrate the public affairs focus into curricula and to earn the R2 Carnegie classification designation, for which the Carnegie ranking system requires universities to offer 20 doctorates and have research and development expenditures of more than $5 million per year.  

• Goal 2 – Community partnerships and economic development. Advance a systematic, universitywide culture that supports MSU’s public affairs mission through intentional collaboration among university, industry and community partners connecting students’ real-world learning with employers and organizations seeking talent and expertise.

Williams called for strengthened university-industry-community partnerships, customized public-private professional development programs and increased high-impact student educational experiences. 

• Goal 3 – Institution of choice for students and employees: Position MSU as the institution of choice for students and employees.

Targets include enrollment topping 30,000 students, as well as attainment of “Great Colleges to Work For” honor roll status, Williams said. 

• Goal 4 – Student and alumni experience: Build a culture of enduring engagement by connecting students and alumni to the university through shared experiences and meaningful community.

Some financial targets were named by Williams, including increasing alumni giving to 6% and donor retention by 5% while establishing 200 new endowed funds and doubling Bears Fund donors to support athletics. 

Other targets are improved post-graduation employment rates, elevated student participation in university events and a strengthened sense of community among students. Alumni-based mentoring and career guidance in each college is also a focus, as is record-breaking athletic attendance, Williams said. 

• Goal 5 – Branding and identity: Energize every student to be MSU’s biggest fan with branding that grows affinity with and promotes recognition of the university.

Williams called for the university to build a strong, widely recognized brand identity and sentiment with the public affairs mission embedded across the brand. He also called for the football team to participate in its first-ever bowl game. 

The targets for the fifth goal also include publicizing and celebrating strong community partnerships and off-campus connections, he said. 

 Current state 
For the most part, the presentation lacked metrics to reflect the current state of the university, but Jamie Birch, the president’s chief of staff, said that was by design. 

“That’s how we structured this year’s event – focusing on the strategic plan,” she said. 

The event included a highlight reel of recent developments for the university that is celebrating its 120th anniversary year in 2025. 

Some details included the following: 

• Total system enrollment set a new record at 26,874 students for the recently completed academic year.
• Missouri House Bill 419, signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe, offers the ability for the university to offer doctoral programs in response to workforce needs.
• MSU was among the first 216 universities to receive the Carnegie Classification system designation of Research Colleges and Universities, introduced this year to recognize institutions that conduct significant research but do not primarily offer doctoral degrees.
• The first doctor of physical therapy class received their white coats, marking a transition from academic learning to clinical practice, in October 2024.
• Bernard Kitheka, associate professor in the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability, was named a 2024 Carnegie Fellow – one of only 28 nationwide.
• The university raised nearly $31 million in fiscal 2025, its eighth consecutive year of topping $20 million in annual financial support – more than $9 million of that from private donors.
• A record for external funding support was struck for the second consecutive year, with $63.2 million in grants and contracts last year.