The PPOHA planning process included a comprehensive analysis of institutional strengths and weaknesses, including perspectives from across the institution aligned with the SRSU State University Plan (2017-202): Strategies for the Second Century. This plan is organized around five goals: 1) Promoting growth in academic, research and artistic excellence; 2) Targeting recruiting, maximizing retention, and increasing graduation rates; 3) Strengthening a sustainable and diversified financial base while ensuring affordable access; 4) Recruiting, retaining, and developing faculty, staff, and student employees; and 5) Unifying and enhancing the image and visibility of SRSU. Improvement of Graduate Programs is the focus of the institution’s plan to “Support, improve and recognize research and its impact on faculty development and student engagement and learning.” One of the key strategies under this Objective resulted in the creation of an annual Graduate Student Symposium and increased the availability of graduate fellowships and assistantships for students engaged in significant research across the institution’s education programs.