The Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery's 2018-2023 Strategic Institutional Plan is based upon consideration of the mission of the museum and the needs of the museum's primary constituents – the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS), as well as the university community as a whole, local K-12 students and teachers, and regional learners of all ages and backgrounds.
Within this document we have outlined five major goals comprised of incremental goals that we strive to fulfill during the five-year timeline. The work required, parties responsible, resources required, timeframes proposed, and evaluation criteria related to fulfilling these goals are detailed in the accompanying document (Appendix A). While the objectives of these goals are fixed, the methods and conditions to attain them may transition over time.
The goals of this strategic plan are aligned with the goals outlined in the college’s 2015-2019 strategic plan, "A Blueprint for Sustained Excellence in the Earth, Energy, and Material Sciences and Engineering.” The goals of the EMS strategic plan are aligned with the Penn State's overall leadership plans.
How Strategic Plan was Created
The creation of the EMS Museum strategic plan has been a joint effort between the EMS Museum staff and the EMS Museum Advisory Board. Members of the museum's advisory board are reflective of the museum's constituents. Board members are drawn from the faculty, staff, alumni, and students of the college and the University, as well as local and regional educators, learners, and entrepreneurs. An initial draft plan was developed by the director of the museum and subsequently reviewed by the advisory board and museum staff. A strategic plan task force comprised of three advisory board members and two museum staff was then established to develop a second draft. The second draft was presented to the entire board for discussion. Based on the discussion points and consequent suggestions for revisions, the museum director drafted a third version of the plan. After presentation to the Advisory Board, the third draft was accepted as the basis for this strategic plan. The strategic plan task force reconvened to develop action plans that will lead to the accomplishment of the goals outlined in the plan. These plans were reviewed by the entire board and museum staff and additional comments and suggestions
were incorporated into the current document. This current document was submitted to the EMS Museum Advisory Board for approval. The board voted unanimously to accept the strategic plan and work towards its implementation. The plan has also been approved by the Governing Authority, Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
The EMS Museum Strategic Plan document and appendix include:
- Goals that are aligned with the college goals
- Action steps (specific assignments to achieve these goals)
- Assignment of responsibility for accomplishing action steps
- Assessment of resources (human and financial) required for implement
- How the institution will obtain these resources
- Timeline
- Priorities (ranked I-V with I being the highest priority)
- Evaluation mechanisms and measures of success
The EMS Museum & Art Gallery strives to be a premiere "go to" institution providing informed educational and technical resources for science, art, and history of the earth and mineral sciences in the state of Pennsylvania. This strategic plan will facilitate achievement of this goal in many ways.
First, achievement will be, in part, the result of "preservation, utilization, and promotion of our diverse collections," as stated in the Mission Statement. The EMS Museum & Art Gallery has already made great strides in the preservation and conservation of our Steidle Collection of American Industrial Art by obtaining specialized art storage equipment and facilities and establishing a maintenance endowment for the art collection. This institutional strategic plan outlines how similar results will be achieved for upgrading the storage facilities, access, and management protocols for the museum's other key collections such as geological and historic mining artifacts.
Second, the long-range exhibit plan, as stated here, focuses on prescient issues (e.g., climate change, ground water resources, sustainability, natural hazards, etc.) facing our state as well as the rest of the world. EMS contains internationally recognized researchers in all of these areas. Presenting the research of the college in informal science education is one of the primary roles of the EMS Museum & Art Gallery. Furthermore, by informing the citizens of the communities we serve about these issues, we will enhance their ability to make more knowledgeable decisions about their future. Exhibits will be reinforced by information presented in differing program venues as described in this plan. A creative website design will make information available to anyone at any time world-wide. The museum has always been dedicated to continued learning and again many of the innovative ideas in this plan will move us to a higher platform. This plan also includes measures to increase the financial stability of the institution by primarily building endowments for the future.