Call for Nominations - Academic Master Plan Task Force

Sent: January 22, 2026

From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back to the Spring 2026 semester! Today, I am writing to seek faculty and staff nominations for a Task Force to help guide an Academic Master Plan process in the Division of Academic Affairs. The goal of this Task Force is twofold. First, the group will collect and curate the already existing plans, strategies, and approaches to academic program development in the colleges and library. Second, the group will help develop and guide a new framework for the future direction of the academic enterprise at SJSU. In any such process, we have to value what SJSU already does well as a comprehensive urban public research university even as we project out toward the future. Put differently, we are not trying to cover “everything” we do in the division with this plan, but rather focus on the future academic direction. There are other efforts in development covering other subjects, including student success equity and enrollment growth that are covered in more detail in other plans in support of Transformation 2030 and the new CSU Forward Systemwide Strategic Plan. 

For the purposes of this plan, the division must focus on the following areas: (1) the future of academic program development and the “mix” of new programs (e.g., graduate, including doctoral education, and undergraduate, credit and non-credit) that SJSU may support; (2) the areas of key foci for faculty hiring with attention paid to how we might adjust our current “hiring strengths” approach; (3) the needs of the teaching and learning support and professional development infrastructure, particularly as artificial intelligence disrupts our collective work; (4) the growing support needed to maintain (and advance) our efforts as a research institution; and (5) the staff hiring and professional development plans to enhance the overall effectiveness of the division."

I was recently reflecting on the last COACHE survey of the tenured/tenure track faculty that was completed in the Spring of 2019 and the main takeaways from that study. In it, faculty had strong interest in advancing the research enterprise, desired a commitment to strengthen interdisciplinarity opportunities, and hoped for an institution that advanced more collaboration. I think we have done some of this work but more needs to be done and this planning process can help us frame the next steps in our collective academic mission. As announced to the Academic Senate in the fall, after consultation with the Executive Committee of the Senate, we plan to conduct another COACHE survey this spring with the goal of broadening the participation beyond the tenured/track faculty. I hope that we will further reflect on our strengths and learn about the challenges we still face in helping advance SJSU, our community, and the faculty, staff, and students that constitute this amazing institution. 

What emerges from this process is both a “framework” and a “living strategic approach” that should continue to evolve with the institution. I don’t think I could have imagined how much SJSU would have to change when I began in 2019. Through pandemic, the rise of new generative and agentic AI systems, and social and political turbulence, SJSU has continued to work as a community to support its students and find ways to address some of our world’s most wicked challenges. It is a remarkable institution and there are many amazing programs and projects already in development. Moving forward, we need to harness that momentum and find ways to invest in that future. 

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

Vin