2026—2030 Strategic Plan
Mission
The Eberly College of Science is a dynamic and inclusive community advancing scientific discovery through world-class research and student-centered, engaged education. We advance the frontiers of knowledge in the biological, physical, mathematical, and interdisciplinary sciences. We prepare students and researchers with the resilience and skills to lead tomorrow’s workforce in an environment defined by curiosity, innovation, and impact. Through the dedication of our people rooted in a commitment to excellence, we advance science in service of Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world.
Vision
The Eberly College of Science will lead through discovery and education, preparing and supporting students and scientists who ask hard questions, pursue bold ideas, and translate their work in service to both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our interconnected world.
Goal 1: Transform Undergraduate Education for Impact Beyond the Classroom
The Eberly College of Science will provide an interdisciplinary education that equips undergraduate students with scientific knowledge, adaptable skills, and equitable support that connects science with opportunity, fosters lifelong learning, and prepares them to drive positive change in communities and society through relevant careers.
| What we want to achieve (objectives) | How we will measure progress (KPIs) |
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| Objective 1. Modernize undergraduate curricula to create transformative learning experiences that cultivate scientific thinking, inspire curiosity, and equip undergraduate students with the transferable skills demanded by today’s workforce. |
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| Objective 2. Integrate and expand experiential learning across curricula so all undergraduate students actively apply scientific knowledge learned in the classroom, develop relevant professional skills, and explicitly connect learning to real-world impact leading to successful career paths. |
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| Objective 3. Promote teaching practices and learning environments that are inclusive in order to support undergraduate student academic success across all populations. |
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| Objective 4. Strengthen student support services, including advising, to bolster holistic success so our undergraduate students thrive in and out of the classroom. |
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Goal 2: Elevate Graduate Education and Postdoc Training
The Eberly College of Science will position our graduate educational programs and postdoctoral training experiences as globally competitive by developing teaching and mentoring skills, fostering research excellence, and preparing trainees for an AI-infused research and professional environment.
| What we want to achieve (objectives) | How we will measure progress (KPIs) |
|---|---|
| Objective 1: Recruit top graduate and postdoctoral talent and engage them through successful degree or training completion to prepare them for their academic and professional futures. |
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| Objective 2: Strengthen the academic, teaching, and mentoring frameworks that support outstanding graduate and postdoctoral training, ensuring all trainees can thrive, adapt, and lead in their fields. |
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| Objective 3: Expose graduate students and postdocs to forefront research areas and [inter]disciplinary collaboration to cultivate scientific thinking, inspire curiosity, and strengthen research-informed skills. |
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Goal 3: Advance Scientific Research and Innovation
The Eberly College of Science will foster foundational and interdisciplinary research excellence to advance scientific discovery and amplify land-grant and global impact by attracting and supporting talent, modernizing infrastructure, expanding funding opportunities, and facilitating strategic partnerships.
| What we want to achieve (objectives) | How we will measure progress (KPIs) |
|---|---|
| Objective 1: Advance foundational and interdisciplinary research excellence by leveraging existing strengths and promoting emerging research areas. |
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| Objective 2: Modernize research infrastructure, facilities, and data ecosystems to enhance research capacity and enable high-impact discoveries. |
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| Objective 3: Grow research capacity and competitiveness through enhanced proposal success and researcher recognition and visibility. |
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| Objective 4: Amplify impact beyond our labs by facilitating strategic partnerships, translational research, and land-grant engagement. |
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Goal 4: Cultivate an Inclusive Community
The Eberly College of Science will nurture an environment where respect, equity, access, and belonging fuel our educational and research endeavors and are embedded in our culture and systems, enabling all members of the college to thrive.
| What we want to achieve (objectives) | How we will measure progress (KPIs) |
|---|---|
| Objective 1. Cultivate a culture of respect and collaboration to foster productive, constructive, and inclusive engagement across the college. |
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| Objective 2. Integrate inclusive excellence into core college functions to ensure transparent, accessible, and equitable systems that empower and enable all members of the college to reach their full potential. |
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| Objective 3. Celebrate and reward our college community to reinforce shared values, elevate inclusive excellence, and cultivate a culture of appreciation. |
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Planning Process and Stakeholders
Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean
Jennelle Malcos, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Heather Robbins, Director of Communications
Scott Showalter, Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
David Simpson, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
Aleksandra Slavkovic, Associate Dean for Research
Mary Beth Williams, Acting Dean (initial planning)
Pre-College-Level Planning Phase:
- Departments submitted information about the impact of their previous plans and their updated goals.
- Departments created draft strategic plans through a process of retreats, town halls, and electronic input.
- Dean’s leadership staff and a roundtable of faculty, staff and students reviewed and updated a draft of the college mission, vision and goals.
Planning Phase 1: The leadership team worked with smaller groups to develop an initial draft informed by departmental plans and aligned with the institutional plan and priorities (deadline: mid-November).
- Initial framework developed by using AI to identify common threads in departmental draft plans, informed by the college mission and vision, and the University strategic plan.
- Initial framework was evaluated by team leads, in consultation with disciplinary experts and stakeholders (e.g. departmental leadership, college committees, and student representatives), and the dean’s broad goals.
- Each goal, led by a college leader, was discussed in separate surveys and group discussions, with more than 160 feedback engagements.
Planning Phase 2: This draft was then shared broadly across the college for feedback and suggestions through surveys, town halls, and email feedback (late fall 2025 and early spring 2026).
- Resulting draft was circulated to all members of the college (faculty, staff, postdocs, students) as well as alumni and supporters of the college for review. Feedback was collected via survey (n=173 responses) and email feedback (n=15 emails).
- Met with COACHE and ModernThink college committees to discuss and integrate their action plans into the college strategic plan.
- Held five open town halls to gain input and facilitative discussion: one per goal and one open-topic (n=68 participants).
- Vision and mission statements circulated for college feedback via survey (n=87 responses)
Planning Phase 3: The leadership planning team incorporated the collegewide input to produce a polished plan with the mission, vision, goals, objectives and early metrics for submission in early spring (due January 31).
The Eberly strategic plan planning team has taken a transparent, community-informed approach for the planning process, and will continue to do so for plan implementation. Our communication strategy includes housing key information on a central college webpage and then creating a regular drumbeat of communication updates via our college communications channels, including newsletters and digital screens.
Website: In early February, we will launch the 2025-30 Eberly College of Science Strategic Plan webpage at https://science.psu.edu/strategic-plan. The page will include the tagline, mission, vision, goals, objectives, KPIs and metrics. There will be a link to previous communications about the plan, a glossary of terms, clarification of audiences and plan intentions, and a feedback link. The website will continue to be maintained with updates, progress, and visual representations of measures.
Listening Sessions: There was valuable engagement in listening sessions during the development of this strategic plan. We will continue this avenue to get feedback on how the plan implementation is going, share progress and updates, and review and refine our strategies.
Newsletters: We will share progress and updates, and stories to celebrate those doing the work of the plan, through the college-wide newsletter and newsletters sent to alumni and supporters of the college.
Faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate students (departmental plans).
Faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students, alumni, supporters of the college, college leadership (draft college plan, mission and vision).
Oct. 27—Email about Strategic Planning Process from Dean Langkilde to college community members.
Dec. 1—Strategic Plan updates and request for feedback in Eberly Pulse
Jan. 7—Email reminder to share feedback from Dean Langkilde to college community members.
Jan. 23—Email to request feedback on the college mission, vision, tagline from Dean Langkilde to college community members.
View our Previous Strategic Plan
