Strategic Plan
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Strategy #1: Build Upon the Christian Foundation
Vision: Gardner-Webb University will be widely regarded as one of the preeminent Christian universities in the southeastern United States. Integrating scholarship and Christian life, the University will foster faith, service, and leadership, sending forth graduates who are prepared for lives of meaning and purpose, being inspired and prepared to make a positive and significant difference in the world.
Initiatives:
| 1.1 |
Emphasize the University's strong Christian identity and mission. Maintain the University's Baptist heritage, and serve North Carolina Baptists. |
| 1.2 |
Provide for students and the entire University community an environment conducive to and supportive of spiritual growth. |
| 1.3 |
Work toward greater integration of Christian commitment and academic excellence. |
| 1.4 |
Confirm the University's mission and values, and clarify the University's identity with focus upon Faith, Service and Leadership. |
| 1.4.1 |
Make the University and its environment more intentionally Christian in character. |
| 1.4.2 |
Continue to provide leadership in the larger community in appropriate socially conscious ways. |
| 1.4.3 |
Continue to strengthen Campus Ministries and programs in volunteerism, service-learning, and leadership. |
| 1.4.4 |
Develop and begin implementation of a plan to move the University toward sustainability and greater environmental responsibility. |
Strategy #2: Strengthen the Academic Program
Vision: Gardner-Webb University will be widely respected for the excellence of its academic program and will be known as a place where free and open search for truth, inside and outside the classroom, occurs in a community committed to quality academics, grounded in the liberal arts, and dedicated to the service of God and humanity.
Initiatives:
| 2.1 |
Continue to employ and support Christian faculty members who are: committed to the mission and values of the University; committed to the well-being and success of students; outstanding teachers; productive scholars; and who contribute to the diversity offered by varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds. |
| 2.1.1 |
Raise average faculty salaries at each rank to at least the top twenty-five percent of North Carolina independent colleges and universities as reported by NCICU. |
| 2.1.2 |
Increase percentage of terminal degrees of full-time faculty to at least ninety percent by 2011. |
| 2.1.3 |
Increase faculty development funding by 15% annually at least until faculty development support compares favorably to benchmarks of institutions which Gardner-Webb aspires to emulate. |
| 2.1.4 |
Increase the diversity of the faculty. |
| 2.2 |
Increase funding for library holdings by 10% per year. |
| 2.3 |
Regularly evaluate each educational program-both undergraduate and graduate-to assure consistency with the University's Mission Statement and to determine how best to serve the needs of students in preparing them to succeed in a domestic or an international workplace. |
| 2.3.1 |
Based on the results of an in-depth evaluation of remote centers, adjust program offerings, graduate and undergraduate, as needed. |
| 2.3.2 |
Develop and implement effective Program Review. |
| 2.4 |
Add academic programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels appropriate to the University's mission. |
| 2.5 |
Acquire program-specific accreditation for any program that has appropriate, separate accreditation available. |
| 2.6 |
Fully implement the Interdisciplinary Studies Program as approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in the University's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). |
| 2.7 |
Expand the study abroad program to increase the number of students involved and provide a variety of program options to allow students to select the best fit for their academic goals. |
| 2.7.1 |
Develop and adopt graduation requirement for international experience or approved alternative. |
| 2.7.2 |
Steadily increase opportunities and financial support for international studies and other experiences. By 2010, thirty percent of the graduates of the Undergraduate Program will have had an international experience. |
| 2.7.3 |
Secure an endowment fund to support study abroad. |
| 2.8 |
Establish alternative delivery systems and advancing technology to provide education in multiple formats and locations for new and existing undergraduate and graduate programs. |
| 2.9 |
Offer additional general and discipline-specific development opportunities for faculty and staff. |
| 2.10 |
Construct a science facility that will meet safety and sustainability standards and furnish it with up-to-date equipment. |
| 2.11 |
Construct a fine arts center that will serve the artistic goals of our students and provide performance halls for student and community use. Position Gardner-Webb University as the cultural and performing arts center for western North Carolina. |
| 2.12 |
Increase student participation in mentored undergraduate research and steadily increase the endowment fund that supports the program in Undergraduate Research. |
Strategy #3: Uphold a Student-Centered University
Vision: Gardner-Webb University will be a student-centered university committed to educating students holistically in order to meet their changing needs. Gardner-Webb will promote opportunities for total growth and development and encourage individual learning in a caring community based upon Christian principles, while valuing the uniqueness of the individual student.
Initiatives:
| 3.1 |
Facilitate student and faculty interaction through an excellent student-professor ratio in the classroom. |
| 3.2 |
Provide venues for student and staff interaction and implement a program of learning communities. |
| 3.3 |
Provide a nurturing, safe, attractive, comfortable, well-maintained environment. Complete and implement the comprehensive safety and security plan. |
| 3.4 |
Provide buildings and outdoor space that will accommodate a comprehensive student center complex, a science facility, a fine arts center, intramural activities, NCAA Division I athletic requirements and other facilities as needed based on departmental and school growth. |
| 3.5 |
Provide quality student development programming and services which enable students to thrive spiritually, academically, mentally, and physically. |
| 3.6 |
Manage enrollment growth while preserving an intimate campus atmosphere, increasing admission standards, and providing appropriate financial assistance for those wishing to be part of Gardner-Webb's unique educational experience. |
Strategy #4: Promote a comprehensive, reputable athletic program.
Vision: Gardner-Webb University will promote an athletic program which attracts and prepares model student athletes to compete athletically and to be successful in their academic programs and in later life, and which unifies, promotes, and brings credit to the University and reflects its Christian values.
Initiatives:
Maintain compliance with NCAA regulations.
| 4.1 |
Maintain compliance with NCAA regulations. |
| 4.2 |
Recruit, support, and retain student-athletes who embody the ideal of the true Student-Athlete-who embody and represent the values of Gardner-Webb University, are good citizens, are good students, and are competitive athletes. |
| 4.3 |
Compete successfully within our conferences as well as regionally and nationally within NCAA Division I. |
| 4.4 |
Provide facilities and outdoor space that will accommodate and meet NCAA Division I athletic requirements and regulations. |
| 4.5 |
Provide financial support, including salaries, that enables the athletic program to be highly competitive while maintaining the mission, values, and priorities of the University. |
Strategy #5: Embrace and Nurture a Culture of Service
Vision: Gardner-Webb University will fulfill its motto "Pro Deo et Humanitate"-For God and Humanity-by strengthening its commitment to a culture of benevolent service to others in the University, local, regional, national, and global communities.
Initiatives:
| 5.1 |
Provide opportunities for personal discipleship and ministry. |
| 5.2 |
Provide opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to impact positively local, national, and global communities through civic engagement, continuing education, ministry outreach, research, service learning, and volunteerism. |
| 5.3 |
Cultivate and strengthen the University's relationship with surrounding communities by assisting local businesses and being an active participant or leader in the various Chambers of Commerce, community oriented events, and YMCA programs. |
| 5.4 |
Provide a variety of ministry opportunities to diverse communities. |
| 5.5 |
Promote student and faculty academic research. |
| 5.6 |
Increase student participation in service leadership opportunities. |
| 5.7 |
Increase the University's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. |
| 5.8 |
Significantly increase the number of designated service learning courses. |
| 5.9 |
Increase the number of continuing professional education offerings. |
Strategy #6: Plan for Growth and Cultivate Supportive Relationships.
Vision: Gardner-Webb University will plan growth effectively, knowing that this growth inherently includes excellence in programs and is dependent on successfully marketing our university and cultivating relationships with people who truly value and support higher education within a Christian environment.
Initiatives:
| 6.1 |
Enhance Institutional Effectiveness. |
| 6.1.1 |
Develop within each division a five-year plan documenting anticipated needs (personnel, equipment, facilities, finances) based on anticipated growth, contingencies and natural obsolescence of equipment. |
| 6.1.2 |
Implement and continuously update procedures that insure a safe learning and work environment. |
| 6.1.3 |
Develop the expertise of academic and institutional support staff across campus through opportunities for training and professional enrichment. |
| 6.2 |
Promote the University through enhanced relationships, marketing, and preservation of the University's heritage and history. |
| 6.2.1 |
Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan. |
| 6.2.2 |
Improve the website for content, ease of use, and effectiveness. |
| 6.2.3 |
Market the University's status as a member of NCAA Division I. |
| 6.2.4 |
Promote the University by continuously publicizing the positive successes and accomplishments of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff. |
| 6.2.5 |
Market the value of a Christian, liberal arts based education. |
| 6.3 |
Significantly increase the University's financial strength and resources. |
| 6.3.1 |
Design and implement a three-year budget plan. |
| 6.3.2 |
Develop a long-range Financial Plan that will provide a basis for strategic planning. |
| 6.3.3 |
Increase enrollment until optimum enrollments are reached; strengthen enrollment management so as to maintain optimum enrollments; adjust financial planning to provide for steady (rather than increasing) enrollments. |
| 6.3.4 |
Conduct a capital campaign to build facilities, endowment, scholarships, and program support, all in accord with the Strategic Plan. |
| 6.3.5 |
Significantly increase alumni support to levels comparable to institutions Gardner-Webb aspires to emulate. |
| 6.4 |
Build needed facilities in accord with the Strategic Plan and maintain a functional and beautiful campus. |
| 6.4.1 |
Construct the Student Development Center, the Science Building, and the Fine Arts Center. |
| 6.4.2 |
Update and implement the Campus Master Plan. |
| 6.4.3 |
Develop and implement a plan for continuous campus improvement. |
| 6.5 |
Develop and implement a Technology Plan for the most useful-and cost-effective-applications of technology in programs and administration. |
