NW Missouri Times

Northwest Missouri State University President Dr. Lance Tatum addressed faculty, staff, students, and community members on Thursday at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts to launch the University's next strategic planning process.

Tatum, now in his third year as president, emphasized the importance of this new phase for Northwest Missouri State University. “It’s the beginning of what I consider to be a very important chapter in the life of Northwest Missouri State University,” he said.

The upcoming strategic plan will build upon “Adventure 2030,” which was developed under former President Dr. John Jasinski. The new plan, titled “Excellence: The Northwest Way,” is expected to guide decision-making through 2030 once it is approved and implemented next summer.

Tatum noted that while “Adventure 2030” has been effective, there is a need to prepare for future challenges and opportunities. He highlighted recent difficulties faced by the university and its peers, including shifts in enrollment and changes in state funding. Despite these issues, Tatum pointed out that Northwest has maintained its core values and achieved success in athletics, fundraising efforts, and academic innovation.

“In the past few years, Northwest has navigated challenges that a lot of our peers, as well as us, never imagined that we would have to navigate – significant shifts in enrollment, changes in state funding and the evolving expectation of higher ed by the American people,” Tatum said. “Yet through it all, we have stayed true to who we are. We have celebrated national championships in our athletic programs, record-breaking philanthropic activity in our development area and innovative academic programs across the University.”

The new strategic plan will focus on four main areas: enrollment growth and sustainability; enhancing the collegiate experience; investing in university personnel; and improving operations.

“Enhancing the holistic student experience inside and outside the classroom is critically important in keeping our students engaged while they’re at Northwest,” Tatum said. “Our students don’t just earn degrees here. They learn how to lead and how to be productive citizens within the communities they will go back to. They compete on the field, they perform on the stage, they serve the community and then they grow as global citizens.”

To support this process, an advisory group called Northwest Insights Advisory Group has been formed with representatives from faculty, staff, students, alumni, Board of Regents members and Maryville residents. This group will collect feedback from stakeholders throughout campus and beyond.

Tatum explained that this advisory group aims to ensure broad participation: “ensuring that every voice at the University, at every level, has at least a path into the conversation.”

In coming months there will be listening sessions and surveys distributed across campus as part of assessing current conditions and gathering input about institutional priorities for inclusion in strategic planning efforts.

In spring 2026 (the following semester), plans call for reaffirming institutional mission statements; confirming key themes; defining metrics needed for progress tracking; sharing draft plans with campus stakeholders; collecting further feedback before final presentation to Board of Regents for approval.

More information about these activities will be made available via a dedicated webpage hosted by Northwest Missouri State University.

“The process is more than just setting goals,” Tatum said. “It really is about shaping the future of Northwest together. Every voice is going to be important in this process. Every idea matters because ‘Excellence: The Northwest Way’ isn’t just a title. It is hopefully going to be a reflection of how we work every day, how we serve our students and our community,and how we will live out themissionofthisinstitution.”