WIG (Wildly Important Goal) 2017-2022
Introduction to WIG
It all began when former Provost Stacey Robertson read a book - The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals - and then invited many of her direct reports to read the book. The book concepts in a nutshell are to
- Focus on the Wildly Important - prioritize above the "whirlwind"
- Act on Lead Measures - the most high-impact things that will help reach the goal
- Keep a Compelling Scoreboard - people play differently when they are keeping score
- Create a Cadence of Accountability - hold regular and frequent short meetings
The Provost and the newly formed team then met in December 2017 to choose a Wildly Important Goal (WIG) that would be beneficial to the College. The WIG they chose was to increase the first-year first-time-to-college student to second-year student retention rate from 86% to 88% by October 2019.
The WIG Team then expanded to include others outside Academic Affairs, and, in 2020, morphed the Wildly Important Goal to focus on three areas to ensure that every student has a comprehensive and individualized transition to college: 1) the comprehensive new student experience, 2) the coordination of care through EAB Navigate, and 3) the solving of obstacles.
In 2021, the WIG morphed again to respond to students’ COVID-19-related stresses. Major projects included 1) continue to develop and implement new student connections and success, 2) develop rejuvenation and wellness programming, and 3) respond to Navigate alerts.
Our WIG in 2021-22 focused on enhancing campus infrastructure to help students navigate the college and make connections with our community. WIG areas of focus included 1) streamlining student access to campus resources and opportunities to engage by developing the Navigate student app, 2) providing feedback and support to students by expanding campus familiarity with and usage of the Navigate Early Alert System, and 3) creating new opportunities for engagement and belonging.