Being an increasingly important academic and educational institution, a university is expected to play a significant role in the development of society to an extent that the development of any society largely depends on the quality and impact of its universities. To achieve their mission, and especially to play their role in areas of education, teaching, academic research and innovation, technological development, and economic growth in society, universities must develop a strategic plan that reflects local educational and financial needs and socio-political reality.
Undoubtedly having a strategic plan is crucial because it serves as a roadmap to achieve the university’s goals and that includes developing and implementing sound strategies to achieve the university’s mission. Developing an effective plan requires several steps and processes including collecting data on the university’s strengths, weaknesses, and needs, analyzing the data, and developing the best strategies to achieve the university’s objectives. Once the final version of the strategic plan is available, we all need to cooperate to execute the plan and achieve the university’s goals.
Based on what has been mentioned above, soon after I assumed the position of the President of Koya University, we formed the Koya University Strategic Planning Committee according to the university decree No 7-2-3306 issued on July 5, 2022. This is in addition to several other relevant subcommittees. Those committees worked hard for more than six months. During that time, they held many meetings and met and consulted with a number of experts from our university, and other national and international institutions to develop the Koya University strategic plan for the next five years that aligns with our university motto “A university for a Stronger society.”
The next step is to start the university strategic plan implementation process which is as important as developing the strategic plan itself because the operational plans will enable the university to achieve its strategic objectives. I know that our university community, including the faculty, staff, and students, have been waiting to have a strategic plan and I am sure that they will actively participate in implementing the plan. We should also not forget the role of governmental institutions, and local and international NGOs and the need to collaborate with them to implement this strategic plan. Certainly, developing such a strategic plan would have been impossible without the tireless work of every member of the Strategic Planning Committee and its subcommittees.
Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all the members and reiterate that completing the strategic plan is not the end goal but the beginning of our mission that we have set out to accomplish. I am also sincerely appreciative of all our university staff and local and international reviewers for their valuable feedback and insights that have contributed to strengthening the quality of our strategic plan. Let us serve our local and international communities better than ever before.
Dr. Mohammed H. S. Zangana
Koya University President