2022 Strategic Plan for Social Impact Innovation 

What is our current vision related to social impact projects in the community?

Pulling resources together from across campus, the PLU Social Impact Group is focused on the following strategic projects and milestones:

  • Common data model. In Fall 2021, we built a common data model for our campus and community to facilitate data gathering, organization, updates, and searchability related to new and planned projects.
  • Focus on community needs. In Spring 2021, we have planned a series of listening and design sessions held with faculty and staff at all levels of the university to ensure that we can use this tool to incorporate new datasets including community needs and impact opportunities.  
  • Rich data opportunities. Faculty and staff will be able to use our social impact dataset for student research, capstone discovery, curriculum enrichment opportunities, research and publishing topics, inspiration and engagement through case studies, an invigorated sense of purpose, upskilling and real-life experiential learning, additional compensation opportunities, access to pooled resources and greater recognition of the impact that they are having. 
  • Pilot programs. By listening to staff and faculty describe their pain points, assets, interests and needs, we will be developing a pilot program which can then be tested and iterated upon, in service to PLU and then the greater community and eventually, other universities. By using a lab model, we will develop a core set of documentation and deliverables to ensure best practice sharing and the ability to scale. 
  • Community projects. While the needs of the university are being met, we can begin to listen to the needs of the broader community and implement an action network to address shared pain points. In the future, PLU will be seen as a leader not only in the local community, but among higher education institutions. Once this model is tested and implemented with PLU as its first customer, it can be shared with other universities and communities of practice.

PLU’s Parkland Literacy Center, May 2019. (Photo/John Froschauer)