A Strategic Plan for Drew University (Draft) Report of the Strategic Planning Working Group September 2010 University Directions, the report of the Presidential Task Force on Strategic Planning, recommended promptly engaging all University groups in the development of a new strategic plan for Drew. The report reaffirmed the University s mission, acknowledged current challenges and identified engagement social, global, intellectual, experiential, professional and personal as the key theme defining our strategic direction. 1 Working over the summer with an outside facilitator, a broadly representative 24-member Strategic Planning Working Group translated that theme into institutional goals and objectives. These goals and objectives, subject to discussion by the Drew community and trustees, will become the guide for developing individual unit and school strategies that will move Drew into the future. The resulting five-year strategic plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval in May 2011. Drew s Challenges and Opportunities The Working Group carefully considered the changing landscape of higher education and the liberal arts. Drew faces increased competition for a shrinking college-going population, increased pressure on financial aid, increased focus on pricing and perceived value by students and their families, and a decline in returns on endowments. 2 Opportunities for Drew to respond to these challenges include creating new programs and courses of study, creating a distinctive identity and strengthening our brand, pursuing strategic partnerships, and, importantly, affirming and strengthening the quality of existing programs. Now, more than ever, is a time for strategic thinking. The challenges facing small private universities, and Drew in particular, require planning that provides both immediate improvement and longer term change. Our decisions must be guided by a clear and focused sense of mission; proposals must align with a larger plan for the University and its vision of the aims of a liberal education. Institutional sustainability for the long term will require creativity, innovation, and improved financial models. Strategic planning provides an opportunity for the Drew community to come together in charting our future course. The following goals, objectives and strategies are meant to stimulate and center the community s conversations and provide a framework for the planning process. Bulleted examples illustrate how strategies might be supported with unit- and school-specific initiatives and further clarify the intended focus of a particular objective. These are only examples of opportunities that might be explored. The next phase of planning will be done within individual 1 University Directions, Report of the Presidential Task Force on Strategic Planning, May 25, 2010 2 Stan Katz, The New Normal, Chronicle of Higher Education, March 5, 2009 (http://chronicle.com/blogpost/the-new-normal/6704)
schools and units, by faculty, staff, administrators and students who will develop specific supporting action steps. Our Mission 3 Drew University College, Theological School, and Graduate School is a diverse community committed to academic excellence, life-long cultivation of the whole person, and thoughtful engagement with the world beyond our campus. Founded in 1868 as a theological school for the training of Methodist ministers, Drew continues to graduate students who can respond to the urgent social challenges of our time with their capacity for rigorous, independent, and imaginative thought, and who add to the world s good by their personal integrity and self-understanding. The University s motto as inscribed upon its gateway arch, Freely have you received; freely give, emphasizes a reciprocity of learning and experiential service. Each generation at Drew must interpret this mission with regard to the present state of intellectual knowledge and the shape of our world. Our Vision Drew students will examine social challenges through the lenses of multiple disciplines, employ the world as their classroom, and transform knowledge into social impact. Four University-wide goals will support this mission and vision: Create a more a vibrant intellectual community Foster curricular and co-curricular opportunities that enhance students social, global and professional engagement Strengthen our brand and better position the university Ensure institutional sustainability Goal 1: Create a more vibrant intellectual community The transformation of knowledge into social impact that we believe defines Drew must spring out of intellectual engagement, inquiry and judgment. The dynamic intellectual community we mean to guarantee here produces graduates who are both creative and analytical; they are innovators who can articulate their ideas effectively to others and who can understand a full variety of perspectives. Drew graduates are lifelong learners, capable of acquiring new knowledge and using it to appreciate complexity and to respond intelligently to challenges. As students and as graduates, they experience the joy of discovery and can translate that joy into meaningful actions and fruitful lives. In their own work as teacher-scholars, faculty should model the intellectual commitments expected of Drew students; staff should exemplify characteristics of leadership and citizenship. Objectives and strategies 1.1 Ensure that all students achieve intellectual breadth and depth and experience the key components of a liberal education. 3 University Directions, p.3 2
A. Set standards that communicate high expectations for student work B. Expand opportunities for student research 1.2. Build connections across the curriculum, across disciplines, and across the schools. A. Offer incentives for teaching across schools, and for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary sharing of knowledge and expertise B. Identify missed program opportunities New interdisciplinary programs, majors (e.g., communications) or courses C. Expand opportunities for University-wide programming Better support and utilize University Centers Create theme semesters Host student-driven lunchtime discussions 1.3. Fully integrate academic life and campus life. A. Implement recommendations from the Life on Campus Task Force B. Provide intentional opportunities for learning to take place in the residence halls Develop living/learning communities that explicitly connect academic and residential contexts Link learning communities to College Seminars around a single theme through entire first year Develop opportunities for faculty to reside on campus or have office space in a residence hall 1.4. Enhance faculty and staff excellence in teaching, research and professional service. A. Expand resources for faculty to excel in the pedagogy needed for a dynamic learning environment Create a faculty leadership program Create a teaching/learning center B. Promulgate internal practices that guarantee high standards for the appointment and promotion of faculty and staff 1.5. Support incentives to encourage faculty and staff diversity in ethnic background, race, gender, sexual orientation and opinion. Create a two-year Post Doc for underrepresented minorities Expand the use of National Faculty appointments Goal 2: Foster curricular and co-curricular opportunities that enhance students social, global, and professional engagement Knowledge pursued for its own sake forms the basis of the joy of inquiry and reflection, while knowledge pursued for the leverage it offers on the world is the basis of any effort to address urgent social issues, the challenges of our increasingly global economy and culture, and the highly competitive environment of the professional marketplace. At Drew, both modes of learning are regarded as essential. A liberal education would be incomplete if it did not teach that to love learning is also to apply it to the challenges and opportunities that ultimately give purpose and direction to reflection and inquiry. 3
While many of our most distinctive programs reflect these values, we must articulate a comprehensive and consistent educational philosophy that ties them together and provides a clear and consistent map for future development. A Drew education should provide a rigorous grounding in the arts and sciences, through both the breadth and depth of learning to which students are exposed; it should at the same time ensure that this learning is applied to the most significant challenges and opportunities of our time. Students should explore urgent social issues and develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively address them; understand the world s different people and cultures and the social, cultural, and economic dynamics that characterize the global environment; and be exposed to challenging professional environments, especially to the skills required to thrive, and compete, in the contemporary workplace. Intensive pathways should connect students curricular and co-curricular activities to look at issues across boundaries, in multiple contexts, and over extended periods of time. This promotes the kind of high-impact educational experience that students often identify as transformational. Objectives and strategies 2.1. Enhance and expand social, global, and professional engagement opportunities. A. Develop a detailed plan to enhance and expand social, global and professional engagement opportunities B. Develop partnerships and other forms of collaboration that effectively leverage student opportunities on and off campus Increase internship support from alumni and friends Expand community-based learning course opportunities Develop comprehensive partnerships with universities abroad C. Explore new programming ideas curricular and co-curricular that would foster students social, global, and professional engagement New majors and programs across the three schools RISE-like programs in other disciplines Engagement with immigrant communities of northern and central New Jersey 2.2. Ensure that all activities fostering social, global, and professional engagement include a prominent intellectual component. A. Develop new courses that address issues related to students global, social, and professional experiences 1- or 2-credit courses offered in summer or January Term, and designed to serve multiple constituencies, that address critical skills for students entering the workforce A signature Drew course to prepare students participating in international relief work Re-entry programming for study abroad, international experiences and crosscultural reflection B. Include faculty work in support of students social, global, and professional engagement in consideration of tenure and promotion as well as merit pay C. Develop structures and mechanisms that foster collaboration and communication among faculty, professional staff and community partners 2.3. Develop intensive pathways designed to link diverse and otherwise isolated student experiences. A. Develop mechanisms that integrate curricular and co-curricular engagement activities and foster communication and collaboration among faculty and staff 4
Create certificate programs that complement existing majors and minors Develop linked courses that fulfill multiple General Education requirements while addressing particular issues in a progressively expansive way Examine the integrative exercise for Master of Divinity students and propose changes B. Challenge existing programs to articulate their relationship to students social, global, and professional engagement Retool existing courses and/or co-curricular activities to serve intensive pathways Develop new courses and/or co-curricular activities to serve intensive pathways C. Utilize existing degree requirements (in all programs) where possible to foster students social, global, and professional engagement D. Explore use of e-portfolios or co-curricular transcripts to document student engagement activities, provide formal recognition of integrated experiences, and support assessment E. Develop detailed assessment strategies and tools to measure success and foster further innovation and program development. Goal 3: Strengthen our brand and better position the University. Drew s educational mission is distinctive in its emphasis on thoughtful engagement with the world. How this is conveyed must take account of intense competition in higher education. Our ongoing ability to recruit top students and lower the discount rate while improving selectivity and yield depends in large part on raising visibility and differentiating Drew from other colleges and universities. The process of strengthening Drew s brand 4 and properly positioning the institution 5 is intended to help the University achieve these objectives. It is important that the brand both differentiate Drew from competitors and stay true to our mission and values. Our publications, website, and external recruitment materials currently reflect Drew s commitment to social impact; still, there is much to be done to advance the brand further. Implementation of the first two goals of the strategic plan will ensure Drew fulfills the promise made by its brand, fills in any gaps and deepens the educational experience. It takes, on average, five years for a brand to take root; therefore, it is essential that related programs and activities have sustained funding. Objectives and Strategies 3.1. Develop the positioning concept and articulate our brand as it relates to our core value of engagement, our strategic priorities and the relative strengths of our competitors. A. Engage an outside consultant to lead the community in a discussion of our values and determine how these can best be developed into a focused brand. Stakeholders especially faculty, staff, and trustees must shape the defining perception of the university. 4 A brand is defined as a trustmark, a warrant, a promise To be successful, a brand must consistently provide quality and satisfaction; it must meaningfully distinguish itself from the competition to create customer preference; it must be relevant; and it must appeal to individual lifestyles, attitudes and beliefs. Sevier, Robert A., Ph.D., Building a Brand That Matters, Strategy Publishing, 2002. p. 9. 5 Positioning is defined as differentiating your institution from competing institutions in ways that prospective students, donors and other audiences find meaningful, attractive and noteworthy. Building a Brand That Matters, p. 9. 5
B. Conduct in-depth research of Drew s competitors to ensure the brand provides the necessary differentiation. 3.2. Focus the University s communications efforts to advance the brand. A. Commission an outside research firm to benchmark the perception of Drew in the minds of its various constituencies; repeat the study every five years B. Create an integrated marketing communications plan including print, web, media, social media and an institutional advertising campaign C. Develop messaging (e.g. talking points, slogans) consistent with the communications plan D. Undertake an internal campaign aimed at creating awareness and understanding of the brand E. Implement a uniform visual identity system for the University F. Raise Drew s profile through participation in national conferences and related professional organizations G. Find creative ways to generate publicity related to the brand 3.3. Identify sufficient, sustainable funding to support the academic and marketing components of the plan. Goal 4: Ensure institutional sustainability. Long-term institutional sustainability demands the effective stewardship of our human, financial and physical resources so Drew can fully accomplish its mission and fulfill the vision for the future. This includes optimizing current support for programs and services, coupled with long-term program and financial planning that is aligned with institutional goals and priorities. We must simultaneously be responsive to the evolving higher education environment and changing economic conditions. The current climate requires a detailed roadmap toward financial stability that addresses key drivers and how they can be managed to achieve financial equilibrium. Ongoing planning, monitoring and revision will drive the annual budget process and other key policy decisions. Objectives and Strategies 4.1. Achieve financially sustainable operations. A. Adopt a formal financial framework to include a five-year balanced projection as well as cash, compensation, capital and IT budgets B. Establish multi-year enrollment targets and develop strategies to improve recruitment and retention to achieve those goals C. Determine and fund investments needed to support Goals 1, 2, and 3 of the plan D. Communicate with the University community about financial strategy, and obtain input E. Determine areas for collaboration with other schools and institutions 4.2. Ensure a workplace where a motivated and engaged workforce can thrive and develop. A. Improve constituent services Establish and publicize a customer service vision along with a University-wide training program 6
Simplify business processes and provide web-based services Explore opportunities for internal collaboration B. Develop an ongoing training and development program for staff Improve targeted skills such as customer service, technology, communications and subject matter expertise C. Conduct regular assessments of employee morale, and work to improve employee perception and satisfaction D. Enhance employee recognition programs and promote community-building activities 4.3. Increase endowment, unrestricted, restricted and capital support to the University. A. Build a stronger culture of philanthropy among alumni, faculty, staff, students, and parents to increase outright and planned gifts B. Design and implement a comprehensive advancement program linking the student experience to life after Drew to generate support that enriches and strengthens current programs 4.4. Explore the viability and impact of major changes in organizational structure. Creating a four-year BA/MA or three-year BA program Streamlining the number of administrative units 4.5. Preserve the long-term viability of our physical infrastructure. A. Formalize projects to be completed under the master plan, including the UC and Hall of Sciences addition B. Continue our commitment to environmental sustainability and support for the Presidents Climate Commitment Develop an energy master plan that will reduce energy consumption and our carbon footprint C. Update the deferred maintenance analysis, re-prioritize and determine the ongoing annual need for funding D. Review and plan for IT infrastructure 7