President

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The Strategic Plan for Juniata

A College of Uncommon Vision and Uncommon Commitment

April 21, 2001

Juniata has been a distinctive college from its inception. It began, as important things always do, with a vision and a commitment. The principal founders-the Brumbaughs, Jacob Zuck, and James Quinter-had an uncommon vision for a college founded not to copy the then common male-only models of Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard or Princeton, but rather to establish a coeducational institution based on the values of the Church of the Brethren-community, peace and service. These men, and many more generations of loyal members of the Juniata family, gave much of their lives and their wealth to sustain the College's uncommon vision. The values that they supported are perhaps even more important today than in 1876.

Now Juniata has entered a period of unprecedented opportunity to advance its uncommon vision and commitment as the College moves into the 21st Century and toward our 125th year. This Strategic Plan has been developed to seize these opportunities. Through it, we also expect to find or create, and then nurture, additional competitive advantages.

The Process

The Strategic Planning Committee1 actively encouraged input from alumni, students, faculty, staff, Trustees, and other friends of Juniata College. Information was collected from surveys, from campus forums, and open meetings, at a Board of Trustees retreat, and from many one-on-one and group meetings. Several drafts of the plan were widely circulated and discussion was invited throughout the process.

Input from the Juniata community and from external sources showed the Committee that our goal should be to strengthen Juniata's uncommon liberal arts approach rather than to change it. Indeed, the Committee reaffirms the primary mission of Juniata College as a learning community dedicated to provide the highest quality education in the liberal arts and sciences and to empower our graduates to lead fulfilling and useful lives in a global setting.

The Committee also recognized that no college can successfully plan for the 21st century without first identifying the major challenges and opportunities for which its students must be prepared. We, therefore, identified the dominant characteristics that will define our graduates' world.

The characteristics of this new and interdependent Global Community include:

The College demonstrates particular academic strengths directly related these dominant characteristics-strong programs in the sciences; a new program in information technology; emerging strength in business, communications and environmental studies; a long history of strength in teacher education, peace studies and international education.

The problems and opportunities presented by these characteristics can most successfully be addressed in a community of learners who:

A liberal arts education at Juniata is crafted to foster these attributes and is supported by a firmly held commitment to help our students achieve and express their full intellectual potential. In implementing the plan, consideration should be given to activities and processes that will help realize these outcomes for our students.

The Plan

With these characteristics and strengths in mind, the Committee identified three broad areas of strategic importance that will enhance the education of our students.

I. Develop new and innovative opportunities for active learning that challenge, support and mentor students.

A. Enhance and enrich the educational experience for Juniata students.

B. Expand international and multi-cultural experiences for Juniata students.

C. Provide advanced opportunities for student research and other experiential learning by creating new facilities and programs on and near the campus.

D. Strengthen existing relationships with other entities and aggressively seek new strategic alliances to increase opportunities for our students, faculty and staff.

E. Explore new and enhance existing co-curricular opportunities for student growth.

F. Explore options for enhancing art facilities.

II. Enroll at least 1300 full-time equivalent students who are diverse and academically select.

A. Develop a summer conference program that is synergistic with student recruitment.

B. Create and enhance program activities which will enable the College to generate 1500 or more applications annually.

C. Attract and retain students, faculty and staff consistent with the goals outlined in the Diversity Task Force Report 2001.

D. Establish special admission and retention programs and financial aid strategies which will enable the College to improve matriculation by African-American, Native-American, Hispanic-American, and Asian-American students.

E. Increase the number of four-year degree seeking international students by expanding and enhancing relationships with sources of international recruitment.

F. Explore the addition of new varsity teams, intramural sports, and outdoor recreational opportunities that attract additional students.

G. Institute enrollment initiatives to recruit students to achieve a better academic balance.

III. Provide the resources necessary to carry out the strategic plan.

A. Align the budget with strategic initiatives.

B. Increase the endowment by investing to produce a minimum return of 7% above inflation over a 10-year period.

C. Increase the endowment by obtaining new gifts at an annual rate exceeding the rate of inflation.

D. Complete the capital campaign objectives by 2005.

E. Improve energy conservation and implement a preventive maintenance program.

F. Develop and implement a plan to seek and involve alumni, parents and friends as volunteers in more campus activities.

G. Seek additional funds for annual and endowed scholarships, enabling the College to better serve a need-based population of approximately 70% (currently ranging from 76 to 82%) while at the same time decreasing the use of institutional discount.

H. Develop learning opportunities and an appraisal system for employees that reward continuous improvement and mutual respect.

I. Seek funding to expand community based projects.

J. Support faculty in seeking additional professional development funds.

K. Develop a strategy to improve publicity.

IV. Other important initiatives

A. Implement a competitive and equitable compensation plan for faculty and staff.

B. Enhance the appearance of the campus and the accessibility of college-operated facilities.

C. Consider the implications of enrollment growth beyond 1300 full-time equivalent students.

The Strategic Plan for Juniata is expected to set in motion a process that will enable Juniata to deal with the challenges and opportunities most likely to confront the College and its students during the dawn of the 21st century. Process is the key word. The Committee recognized that there will not be a "final" plan, but rather a series of strategic plans refocused every three years by community feedback, completed goals, and discovery of new opportunities. Completing the items within the plan require the work of numerous committees, departments and individuals responsible for finding the best alternatives and setting specific goals and objectives. Funding for these initiatives requires success in fund raising, increases in enrollment, reduction of tuition discounting, increases in tuition and fees, and reallocation of existing resources.

1. Strategic Planning Committee: