Background Information

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development and Coordinating Board for Higher Education approved a new strategic plan in December 2021.

The primary focus of the strategic planning process was to develop a mission statement, big goals, and strategies for the department. The work included identifying a small number of big impact best practices to begin implementing in January 2022.

Missouri's previous plan, Preparing Missourians to Succeed: A Blueprint for Higher Education, was adopted in 2015. Part of the strategic planning process in 2021 was be to review Missouri's Big Goal for higher education and set new goals and direction.

Strategic planning officially kicked off with the Coordinating Board for Higher Education meeting on June 15, 2021. Staff and stakeholders explored an environmental scan of Missouri, an analysis of strengths, weaknesses and threats, and a conversation about opportunities and next steps. Read more in the press release.

At the Sept. 15, 2021 meeting, CBHE members showed support for a new mission statement and set of principles. The new department mission statement is "To put Missourians on a path to learn, work and prosper." Principles guiding future work will include: people-centered, equity-focused, workforce-aligned, and impact-driven. See more information about these in the Sept. 15 presentation below.