Adopted in 1995 to position Rutgers to attain even higher levels of academic distinction in the 21st century, the university’s strategic plan, A New Vision for Excellence, was developed through a multistage process involving Rutgers faculty, administration, and staff. Widely hailed as a model of long-range institutional planning, the plan reaffirms the university’s role as a generator of new knowledge and recognizes the importance of diversity, access, and affordability. It focuses on the growth of interdisciplinary areas of existing strength, places a high value on the identification of and response to emerging needs in the state and the nation, and recognizes the value of international perspectives. It fosters an increased sense of community and cooperation as one university across disciplines and campuses. To achieve productive growth, the plan calls for the establishment of partnerships with the state’s schools, with other colleges and universities, with business and industry, and with government on every level. To jump-start proposals that advance the goals of the plan, the university reallocated funds from the administrative budget to the academic budget, creating a revolving fund to award annually to seed projects. Over a seven year period, a total of $26 million was awarded to more than 125 projects. Over $365 million in external funding is associated with these initiatives.

The university strategic plan articulates a planning process for Rutgers. The commitments, goals, and strategies set forth in the original plan indicate the direction the university will take in order to maintain and enhance excellence in instruction, research, and service. The plan posits an approach that will help Rutgers meet its commitments and realize its goals by stressing excellence, recognizing the importance of diversity and innovation, and building a more profound sense of community within the university and beyond.

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This report, titled .Partnerships,. reviews the successes of Rutgers. strategic planning activities since the plan's approval in 1995. It places the outcomes of the university's efforts in the context of the partnerships Rutgers has developed to foster progress, help it set higher goals, and achieve greater successes.

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Through its guidelines, Rutgers targets a number of broad interdisciplinary academic subject areas in which the university has particular strengths for growth and development. Particular efforts are focused on identifying and evaluating new initiatives — research projects, academic centers, instructional programs — in these areas. This web site outlines these areas and provides links to related sites.

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