Grambling State University President Willie Larkin joined a group of Morgan State University Choir supporters during a tour of Cuba, and released his first institutional strategic plan during his international trip.
Dr. Larkin’s tour of the country, which he described as a visit to build relationships with Cuban universities and to discover potential cultural connections with Grambling, coincided with Morgan’s goodwill tour and an HBCU presidential junket to the country spearheaded by the Tom Joyner Foundation, which Dr. Larkin did not formally join.
“It is important that all of our supporters know that I am constantly mining for unique advantages for our students, faculty and staff. I am looking for golden prospects, as they relate to higher education. Cuba is a goldmine just waiting to happen,” Dr. Larkin said in a statement.
His trip to Cuba overlapped with Grambling’s release of its five-year strategic plan, which emphasizes strategies for cultivating resources, increasing student diversity, and improving external relations for philanthropic and workforce development partnerships.
DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN HERE
The plan, the first issued under Dr. Larkin’s administration and completed after months of public discussion, reveals Grambling’s self-identified opportunities for, and challenges impeding, its growth.
According to the plan, stakeholders believe Grambling’s its academic and athletic brands and family environment among the school’s best cultural assets, while public funding, customer service and shortages in staff and campus infrastructure among its top threats and weaknesses.
