Strategic Planning

Dear RISD Community,

As we look forward to a rejuvenating and restful summer, we write to share that the Strategic Planning Steering Committee met on May 12 to reflect on next steps in the strategic planning process. 

Throughout the process, RISD community members and stakeholders have helped RISD surface more than 3,000 comments, ideas, and recommendations to begin refining key areas of focus through surveys, interviews, focus groups, engagement sessions, alumni and family outreach, trustee and industry conversations, and recent institutional initiatives to help inform the new strategic plan. 

Having read each suggestion and through much discussion, several themes and areas of convergence have emerged, including: 

• The holistic health and well-being of our community
• Creative research and innovation
• Successful student and alumni outcomes
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Deepening engagement and partnerships beyond campus
• Finances, shared facilities, and spaces

We will update the Board of Trustees on these themes and ideas at the May board meeting, as the Strategic Planning Steering Committee continues to evolve them through ongoing engagement, synthesis, and refinement over the summer. In early Fall, we will partake in additional discussions with RISD leadership about feasibility, resourcing, and plan implementation. The entire RISD community will have opportunities to participate and provide feedback in the early Fall. We plan to present to the Board of Trustees in October 2026. In the meantime, you can find planning process updates at strategicplanning.risd.edu. 

Thank you again for your ongoing involvement and collective thinking as we plan for RISD’s future. We look forward to continued engagement this fall.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she / her)
President

Touba Ghadessi (she / her)
Provost

Dear RISD Community,

Thank you again to those who attended the Community Input and Feedback sessions as part of the strategic planning process. Dozens of community members joined us across seven sessions, and we were grateful for the thoughtfulness, energy, and ideas you brought in service of RISD's future.

As a reminder, RISD is developing a three-to-five-year strategic plan through a consultative process that began in Fall 2025. To date, this process has drawn on input from nearly 800 community voices, including students, staff, full- and part-time faculty, deans and other academic leaders, alums, families, trustees, and industry stakeholders. The current set of ideas reflects a synthesis of more than 400 recommendations, alongside feedback gathered through recent institutional initiatives (including the Campus Climate Assessment, Holistic Student Wellness, Preparedness for Life After RISD, and Financial Optimization) and various other forms of community engagement such as focus groups, facilitated discussions, surveys, and the recent input and feedback sessions. This phase of the process calls on us to refine priorities by analyzing what we are hearing and making adjustments based on ongoing community input.

To ensure we hear from a broad cross-section of the community and give every contribution careful consideration, we have adjusted and extended the planning timeline. Over the summer, we will conduct additional data analysis and refinement. In the fall, we will host a session for students, staff, and faculty to engage with the emerging priorities before we bring a proposed plan to the Board of Trustees in October for consideration and ratification. 

We will continue to update the community via email and strategicplanning.risd.edu. 

Thank you again for your continued engagement and collective thinking as we plan for RISD’s future.
 

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)                       Touba Ghadessi (she/her)
President                                                       Provost

ENGLISH

Dear RISD Community,

We invite you to sign up for upcoming in-person Community Feedback Sessions. These sessions are an opportunity to share your input and help shape RISD’s next strategic plan. Please click the button below to RSVP by April 3.

If you have not yet completed the community feedback survey, we encourage you to take 5 minutes to share your perspective by April 1.

Thank you for your time and participation. For more information, please visit strategicplanning.risd.edu or contact strategy@risd.edu.

PORTUGUÊS

Prezada Comunidade RISD,

Convidamos você a se inscrever nas próximas Sessões de Feedback da Comunidade presenciais. Essas sessões são uma oportunidade para compartilhar sua opinião e ajudar a orientar o próximo plano estratégico da RISD. Por favor, clique no botão abaixo para confirmar sua participação até 3 de abril.

Se você ainda não respondeu à pesquisa de feedback da comunidade, incentivamos que reserve 5 minutos para compartilhar sua opinião até 1º de abril.

Agradecemos seu tempo e sua participação. Para mais informações, visite strategicplanning.risd.edu ou entre em contato pelo e-mail strategy@risd.edu.

ESPAÑOL

Estimada comunidad de RISD, Le invitamos a inscribirse en las próximas Sesiones de Comentarios de la Comunidad en persona. Estas sesiones son una oportunidad para compartir su opinión y ayudar a dar forma al próximo plan estratégico de RISD. Por favor, haga clic en el botón a continuación para confirmar su asistencia antes del 3 de abril.

Si aún no ha completado la encuesta de opinión de la comunidad, le invitamos a tomar 5 minutos para compartir su perspectiva antes del 1 de abril.

Gracias por su tiempo y participación. Para más información, visite strategicplanning.risd.edu o comuníquese con strategy@risd.edu.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee guides RISD’s strategic planning process by supporting community engagement, reviewing emerging themes and priorities, and ensuring the process reflects a broad range of perspectives and experiences across the RISD community.

The Steering Committee supports the process through:

• community engagement and outreach
• data review and synthesis of feedback
• discussion of emerging priorities
• collaboration across institutional initiatives
• coordination with RISD leadership and planning partners

The committee also supports transparency, communication, and ongoing opportunities for community participation throughout the process.

Crystal Williams (co-chair) – President
Touba Ghadessi (co-chair) – Provost

Yukti Agarwal BRDD 24 TX – Alum
Ashleigh Axios 08 GD – Trustee
Roger Brooks P 09 – Trustee
Tyanna Buie – Associate Professor, Printmaking
John Caserta – Dean, Architecture & Design
Namita Vijay Dharia – Associate Professor, History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Adela Goldbard – Associate Professor, Experimental and Foundation Studies
Jess Harris – Student Support & CARE Network Program Manager, Student Life
David Rosati – Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration
Lisa Sacco MFA 23 FD – Alum
Eric Telfort 05 IL – Dean, Fine Arts

This work is supported in partnership with Credo, powered by Carnegie. Questions related to the strategic planning process can be directed to Westley T. Holiday, Senior Project Manager, President’s Office at strategy@risd.edu.