University-Wide Academic Priorities

The university-wide academic priorities—formalized with input from the Yale community—guide strategic investment in areas that advance the university’s mission and build on its unique strengths. They help ensure the university maximally contributes to producing knowledge and improving the world.

These priorities align with President Peter Salovey’s vision for Yale’s future and the pillars of strategic emphasis therein. To learn more about these pillars, please visit the Office of the President’s University Initiatives site.

Several key reports—for example, from the Humanities Doctoral Education Advisory Working Groupthe University-Wide Committee on Data-Intensive Social Science, and the University Science Strategy Committee (USSC)—chart clear paths forward for each of these areas. Compiled by teams of faculty and staff experts across campus, they provide important recommendations for elevating cross-disciplinary work at the university and producing an outsized impact on the world.

In addition to these and similar reports, there are a variety of historic and directive developments from around the university that embody Yale’s academic priorities. These are grouped below according to their respective disciplines:

Arts & Humanities

Multidisciplinary Social Science

Science & Engineering

Progress made on academic and university priorities is highlighted on the Office of the President’s website. In addition, from 2017 to 2021, President Salovey and Provost Strobel issued written updates to the community:

Update - New Commitments to Mitigating Climate Change from June 24, 2021

Update on Academic Priorities from December 10, 2019

Update - Educational Excellence from May 9, 2019

Update on Academic Priorities Faculty Excellence from December 14, 2018

Update on Academic Priorities from March 1, 2018

Update on Academic Priorities from September 15, 2017

Update on Academic Priorities from January 25, 2017