DeKALB | The NIU Faculty Senate met briefly Wednesday afternoon and discussed the new Strategic Planning Task Force, choosing two of the three candidates for the task force.

Faculty Senate President Paul Stoddard said the task force’s main purpose is to develop a strategic plan intended to set direction for the university’s limited resources and how the school presents itself to students and the public.

According to material found in the meeting agenda, “the members of the Strategic Planning Task Force will be responsible for drafting the preliminary version of a University Strategic Plan. Task force members will have the role of getting the initial ideas ‘on paper.'”

The task force calls for members throughout the university in predetermined divisions.

According to a letter issued to council leaders from Executive Vice President and Provost Raymond W. Alden III, “ideal participants should be individuals who are capable of not only ‘seeing the big picture,’ but willing to work hard in a diverse group of individuals representing the university community to create a road map for the next five to 10 years at NIU.”

Alden wrote that due to the massive amount of work required for the goal of the task force, he would like to commence work on the project ASAP.

Dan Stone is the Higher Education beat reporter for the Northern Star.