Strategic Planning 2025
The Planning Context: Our Current Environment
In today's dynamic higher education environment, The 草榴社区 remains committed to its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit institution. This mission, further informed by the and the provides the foundation for our future planning.
Following an , our planning is attentive to external issues, including changing student and public expectations, demographics, modes of delivery, and rising demand for experiential and practical learning, while navigating increasing costs, ever more scarce resources, and calls for accountability. These are just a few of the major issues facing colleges and universities today.
While considering these and other external challenges and opportunities, our planning must be responsive to needs and areas of improvement identified by our students, faculty and staff through outreach and conversation during the planning process and through institutional assessments, such as our recent Middle States accreditation self-study, AJCU Mission Priority Examen, and other evaluations.
The 草榴社区 Mission: The 草榴社区 is a Catholic and Jesuit university animated by the spiritual vision and the tradition of excellence characteristic of the Society of Jesus and those who share its way of proceeding. The University is a community dedicated to the freedom of inquiry and personal development fundamental to the growth in wisdom and integrity of all who share its life.
The Planning Process
The next strategic plan will have its roots in analysis, reflection, and discussion about how we may best leverage our strengths to respond to external challenges and opportunities, coupled with detailed analysis of internal assessments and resulting recommendations and opportunities for improvement and growth. Our practice also incorporates findings and recommendations from similar conversations that occur across the the University community, as well as the direction and potential impact of new and emerging institutional initiatives.
Input from faculty, staff, students and other members of the University community will be sought at key points throughout the planning process, as we work together to develop the initial scope and structure of the plan, and through its continued revision and refinement.
The University's describes our approach and detailed timetable of work.
Leadership
The University Planning Committee (UPC), which includes representation from our Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Student Government, and staff and leadership from a variety of administrative areas, serves as the steering committee for the development and implementation of the strategic plan. The UPC is chaired by the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and is supported by the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. The UPC is tasked with the development and recommendation of the final strategic plan document for approval by the University's President and Board of Trustees.
The UPC may also seek assistance from existing committees or establish ad hoc working groups to engage in more detailed analysis of selected topics.
Spring & Summer 2024 Activities
During the spring and summer of 2024, the Planning Office engaged with a variety of campus constituencies to gain initial input to inform the planning process. In addition to reaffirmation and discussion of the fundamental linkages between our strategic planning and our Catholic, Jesuit mission by the University Planning Committee (UPC) in the spring, input milestones included discussions with the Faculty Senate, the Student Senate, and the Staff Senate; a survey of faculty and staff; additional faculty input during a Faculty Forum on Strategic Planning in late May; and a survey of the Board of Trustees in July. In addition to other input, each of these activities helped to identify issues that are important to these groups to address in our planning, including aspects of the current strategic plan that may remain of strategic importance to be reaffirmed, or reimagined, in the next plan.
Fall 2024 Activities
Findings and themes from input gathered during the spring and summer of 2024 are currently being being reviewed by the UPC, as it continues its work to gather, collate, and analyze community input and suggestions in drafting our next strategic plan.
- In addition to potential topical areas of focus for the next plan, members of the University community reinforced the need to establish a fresh, shared vision for our University to guide our planning efforts. This fall, students, faculty, and staff will be invited to share their ideas as part of several conversations about our shared vision. A revised vision statement will be prepared as part of our strategic plan documents for campus review in the spring.
- Also this fall, members of the UPC and other related committees will be joining together to take a new look at recent assessment data and results, to recommend areas of potential improvement and/or focus for the new plan.
Readings and Resources
Selected resources, readings, and materials:
: a brief primer developed via discussion with the University Planning Committee (spring 2024)
Fall 2023 University Fact Sheet: Enrollment and Other Statistics
This section will be updated with additional materials during throughout the planning process.
Submit Suggestions & Ideas
Members of the University community will have many opportunities to be involved in the planning process and add their input as the new plan develops. Watch for information about upcoming meetings, events, and listening sessions in the spring, summer, and fall of 2024 and beyond.
You may also to submit your ideas, comments, and suggestions at any time.