Middle Georgia State University’s path to excellence continues with solid plans for championing student success, leading innovation and economic opportunity, building culture and identity, and sustaining fiscal resilience and brand value.

Those are the University’s top goals for the next five years, according to its newly released strategic plan – “Middle Georgia’s Path To Excellence.” The plan maps out a vision of where Middle Georgia State (MGA) wants to be by 2028 and how to get there.

"We are confident that as we approach MGA’s 10^th anniversary as a state university, this plan will reflect what we have done well and what we can do even better as we move forward,” said MGA President Christopher Blake, who reviewed the plan with faculty and staff at fall 2023 convocation, held Thursday, August 3.

“The University has already demonstrated that it is a change agent in the state of Georgia,” Blake said. “Our new strategic plan builds on that and helps us become an even greater force for progress and innovation in the communities we serve.”

The new plan includes four strategic essentials:

• Champion student success. MGA plans to accomplish this multifaceted goal by, among other things, achieving specialized accreditation in certain academic programs, most notably Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation for the School of Business. MGA will increase faculty scholarship outcomes and develop instructor expertise in A.I. and other emergent technologies. The University will also grow student engagement at all degree levels and boost enrollment (to 8,750 students by 2028) and numbers of graduates. The plan envisions growth in career-ready degree programs across all five campuses.

• Lead innovation and economic opportunity. Priorities include ensuring high-demand programs for workforce and career alignment, using the newly developed Center for Middle Georgia Studies to drive University outreach, and coordinate faculty scholarship and grant awards to build the institution’s reputation.

• Build culture and identify. MGA will refine the roles and strengths of each of its five campuses (Macon, Cochran, Dublin, Eastman, and Warner Robins) and emphasize the University as a destination workplace for employees. The University will pursue an official great-place/college-to-work designation and transition athletics to NCAA Division II and position teams to succeed at that level.

• Sustain fiscal resilience and brand value. Middle Georgia State will apply data-driven accountability to all operations and maintain access, affordability, and value for all students. The University will also grow and diversify streams of revenue.

Blake noted that the plan as a whole reflects Middle Georgia State’s institutional values of Stewardship, Engagement, Adaptability, and Learning. MGA’s updated mission statement is “Middle Georgia State University graduates inspired, lifelong learners whose knowledge and careers enhance the state.” The University’s updated vision statement is “We transform individuals and our communities through extraordinary higher learning.”

The strategic plan was developed, after input from all University constitutions, by an ad hoc committee of faculty, staff, Student Government Association representatives, administrators, and members of the MGA Foundation Board of Trustees. The complete "Middle Georgia’s Path To Excellence” strategic plan is at mga.edu/strategic-plan. Questions and comments are welcome and can be emailed to [email protected].