Arizona Christian University UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN

Transcription

1 Arizona Christian University UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN

2 ABOUT ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY In June 1960, a new institution of higher learning was officially founded under the leadership of pastors from the Sun Valley Conservative Baptist Association in Phoenix, Arizona. They called it Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College. Today, reflecting the growth of the college and the expansion of its mission, it has become Arizona Christian University (ACU). Over the 50-plus years since its founding, ACU has grown its academic programs, facilities and extra-curricular opportunities in order to accommodate a growing student population, while continuing to accomplish its original mission of preparing Christian leaders to be a force for good in our community and the world. VISION STATEMENT Arizona Christian University exists to educate and equip followers of Christ to transform culture with the truth. MISSION STATEMENT Arizona Christian University provides a biblically-integrated education that prepares its graduates to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in ministries and professional occupations. 1

3 CORE COMMITMENTS Arizona Christian University shall: Before all else, be committed to Jesus Christ accomplishing His will and advancing His kingdom on earth as in heaven. Teach students to read, understand and trust the Bible, grounding them firmly in the truth through a biblical worldview. Be devoted to evangelism and to prayer without ceasing. Be committed to loving God with all our heart and soul, mind and strength, by pursuing excellence in spiritual formation, academics, athletics and extracurricular activities, doing all for the glory of God. Teach students to think critically, speak and write clearly and effectively, use technology effectively, develop interpersonal skills, and pursue personal and professional ethics through biblical literacy and integration. Provide opportunities for students to serve locally and globally, and promote a culture of lifelong commitment to servant-leadership. Influence, engage and transform the culture with truth by promoting the biblically informed values that are foundational to Western civilization. Prepare students to be leaders of influence in their community, state, nation and world through the church, the family, business, government, education, health care, media, the arts and every area of society. Be a leading conservative Christian liberal arts university. 2

4 THE FOUR PILLARS OF OUR CORE VALUES FAITH Faith is first at ACU. The Bible is the foundation of faith and of an ACU education. ACU is committed to remaining a community of Christ followers, and faculty will effectively integrate faith and learning in all classes. All students will take at least 18 hours of Bible, learn to apply a biblical worldview, and be challenged to discern God s calling on their life. Spiritual formation through discipleship, worship, service, prayer, and accountability is vital for ACU students. ACU will remain true to its conservative evangelical heritage while establishing a national identity as a leading Christian university. INFLUENCE ACU will grow in influence by graduating an increasing number of motivated, well-equipped students in an expanded group of professions on multiple campuses with enhanced facilities. ACU will use strategic partnerships and alliances, recruit a more diverse student population, and promote global influence by attracting international students and offering missions and study-abroad opportunities. Students will be encouraged to engage the culture and the world with biblical truth. RELATIONSHIP Real classrooms, real classmates, and professors who know your name is the traditional, relational model at the core of the ACU community. Undergraduates are taught, mentored, and inspired by faculty who love them for who they are in Christ. Students sign a community covenant signifying their willingness to be accountable, authentic, and transparent. Service opportunities in the neighborhood enhance relationship with the community. ACU builds relationship by taking care of its faculty, employees, and staff through excellent pay, health, and retirement benefits; opportunities for personal and professional growth; and a nurturing, supportive, team-oriented workplace. EXCELLENCE ACU will glorify God by pursuing excellence in spiritual formation, academics, the performing arts, and athletics. We will prepare well-rounded servant-leaders who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. ACU s administration, faculty, staff, coaches, and volunteers will bring glory to God by using their gifts and striving to do all things with excellence as unto the Lord while demonstrating excellent stewardship through a commitment to fiscal sustainability and operational efficiency. 3

5 PROCESS AND TIMELINE October 2010 Newly appointed president, Len Munsil, evaluated all aspects of the college, conducting hours of interviews with dozens of key administrators, faculty, staff, board, and constituents. On October 22, he produced for the Board of Trustees a short-term strategic plan draft of action items to raise the school s visibility as a distinctively Christian institution, increase financial support, and grow student population through improving facilities and attracting new faculty while seeking permission to offer new majors. Spring 2011 The HLC completed a comprehensive visit and one of the recommendations was for the university to develop a comprehensive strategic plan. Spring 2012 The planning process began for the University Strategic Plan (USP). January 2012 Full- and part-time faculty gave initial input in developing academic strategic priorities consistent with the core values of the university during Staff Development Week the first week of January. Core values of Faith, Influence, Relationship, and Excellence are branded as FIRE. January-February 2012 Core values (FIRE) were presented to the broader community, including donors and supporting churches. Internally, ACU administrators, faculty, and staff worked to produce strategic objectives and goals within each element of the core values, aligning them with the current Academic Strategic Plan (ASP) and financial planning processes. March 2012 The Board of Trustees evaluated and provided guidance on the strategic plan, including strategic objectives and goals produced by administration and staff. April-May 2012 President Munsil and administration worked with internal constituencies of the campus community to finalize details of strategic objectives and goals for presentation to the Board of Trustees. Fall 2012 The Senior Executive Cabinet began working with a consultant on Balance Scorecard implementation. Meetings continued throughout the semester involving the Board, the leadership team, and employees. This program enabled the Cabinet to monitor progress on the USP using the scorecard and report results using dashboard indicators. November 8, 2012 The BSC was sent to the Board of Trustees for review. The board approved the USP at this meeting. Spring/Fall 2013 Each objective was assigned to the appropriate department for the execution of steps to accomplish each objective. Metrics were determined for each objective and were used as the basis for dashboard indicators providing varying levels of details. Dashboards will be made accessible to constituencies when the BSC is fully operational. Intended deadline for full implementation of the scorecard is spring of 2014, although personnel were already at work on objectives beginning in the fall of

6 Transform Culture with Truth Faith Influence Relationships Excellence Increase Faith Development Grow Build Campus Community Improve Academic and Co-Curricular Performance Build Faith Brand and Identity Expand Engagement Develop Constituencies Improve Operational Functions Arizona Christian University provides a biblically-integrated education that prepares its graduates to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in ministries and professional occupations. 5

7 STRATEGIC PLAN AT-A-GLANCE FAITH Strategic Objectives 1. Build Faith Brand/Identity 1.1. Champion conservative evangelical Christian values/theology 1.2. Increase ACU events, publications, and media appearances 1.3. Increase University recognition 2. Increase Faith Development 2.1. Increase student faith engagement 2.2. Increase employee faith engagement 2.3. Strengthen faith and learning integration 2.4. Equip students with a biblical worldview and sense of Christian calling INFLUENCE Strategic Objectives 3. Continued Growth 3.1. Increase traditional student enrollment 3.2. Increase degree completion program enrollment 4. Expand Engagement 4.1. Increase community ministry and cultural engagement for students and alumni 4.2. Increase value of an ACU degree in the community/state/nation 4.3. Reflect regional demographics 4.4. Increase donor engagement 6

8 RELATIONSHIP Strategic Objectives 5. Build Campus Community 5.1. Increase student satisfaction 5.2. Increase employee participation in community events 6. Develop Constituencies 6.1. Increase ministry partnerships 6.2. Increase external value-added partnerships 6.3. Enhance teaching corps 6.4. Strengthen staff 6.5. Increase alumni involvement 6.6. Improve donor relationships EXCELLENCE Strategic Objectives 7. Improve Academic and Co-Curricular Performance 7.1. Improve academic performance 7.2. Improve co-curricular excellence 7.3. Recognize achievement 8. Improve operational functions 8.1. Improve financial sustainability 8.2. Enhance facilities 7

9 STRATEGIC PLAN DETAIL FAITH Strategic Objectives 1. Build Faith Brand/Identity 1.1. Champion conservative evangelical Christian values/theology Earn a place on the Young Americans for Freedom list of top 20 conservative colleges Provost Increase number of student interns placed in conservative evangelical Christian organizations 1.2. Increase ACU events, publications, and media appearances Increase participation in branding events by 10% VP for Marketing Increase number of faculty publications and presentations by 5% Increase allocation of marketing funds targeting our brand by 5% VP for Marketing, CFO 1.3. Increase University recognition Achieve recognition in three ranking publications Provost 8

10 2. Increase Faith Development 2.1. Increase student faith engagement Increase participation in spiritual formation credit 2.2. Increase employee faith engagement Increase faculty community service participation by 5% Increase staff community service participation by 5%, 2.3. Strengthen faith and learning integration Increase number of full-time faculty trained in integration of faith and learning by 2 each year 2.4. Equip students with a biblical worldview and sense of Christian calling Increase STI results by 5% in the lowest scores for traditional undergraduates % of all rising juniors have declared a major 9

11 INFLUENCE Strategic Objectives 3. Continued Growth 3.1. Increase traditional student enrollment Achieve traditional undergraduate enrollment goals Increase overall undergraduate persistence rate Increase freshman retention rate VP for Enrollment 3.2. Increase degree completion program enrollment Achieve degree completion program enrollment goals Increase degree completion program graduation rate Chair of Adult Studies Chair of Adult Studies 10

12 4. Expand Engagement 4.1. Increase community ministry and cultural engagement for students and alumni Increase number of ministry opportunities locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally by 5% Increase budget for short-term mission opportunities by 5% Increase number of participants in study-abroad programs, CFO 4.2. Increase value of an ACU degree in the community/state/nation Create system to measure job placement for graduates SVP for Advancement 4.3. Reflect regional demographics Increase Latino enrollment by 10% VP for Enrollment Increase outreach efforts to recruit minority employees by 5% CFO 4.4. Increase donor engagement Increase number of major gifts ($10k+) SVP for Advancement 11

13 RELATIONSHIP Strategic Objectives 5. Build Campus Community 5.1. Increase student satisfaction Decrease negative response rate on student life services survey 10% 5.2. Increase employee participation in community events Increase employee participation at all events by 10% CFO 12

14 6. Develop Constituencies 6.1. Increase ministry partnerships Increase number of formal ministry partnerships by 10% Provost 6.2. Increase external value-added partnerships Increase number of formal external partnerships and/or services by 10% CFO 6.3. Enhance teaching corps Decrease negative responses on faculty evaluations by 5% Increase number of full-time instructors by 10% 6.4. Strengthen staff Increase staff participation in development activities by 10% CFO Increase workforce voluntary retention rate by 5% CFO Increase Best Christian Workplace overall survey results by 10% CFO 6.5. Increase alumni involvement Increase number of alumni memberships SVP for Advancement 6.6. Improve donor relationships Increase donor involvement SVP for Advancement 13

15 EXCELLENCE Strategic Objectives 7. Improve Academic and Co-Curricular Performance 7.1. Improve academic performance GPA for new freshmen students meets or exceeds the established entrance standard VP for Enrollment Increase library resources by 5% Provost Increase number of graduates that achieve honors-level recognition by 10% 7.2. Improve co-curricular excellence Improve athletic regular season play winning percentage by 10% Increase music performance ratings through third-party adjudicators by 10% Decrease student satisfaction scores of student programming by 10% Director of Athletics 7.3. Recognize achievement Increase academic/athletic all-american honorees by 50% Increase NAIA Champions of Character score by 10% per year Create student achievement awards Director of Athletics Director of Athletics 14

16 8. Improve Operational Functions 8.1. Improve financial sustainability Strengthen CFI CFO Increase educational expenditures per student FTE by 3% CFO Meet or exceed established donor commitment goal Meet or exceed established donor revenue goal SVP for Advancement SVP for Advancement 8.2. Enhance facilities Increase net assignable square feet of space in use CFO Increase net assignable square feet of classroom space CFO Increase percentage of classrooms meeting university's established classroom standards CFO 15

17 BALANCED SCORECARD DASHBOARD INDICATORS OF PROGRESS TOWARD THE USP (March 31, 2014) 16