Shaping the Future. Redefinining Excellence.
As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, higher education is at a tipping point. Affordability and accessibility are threatened by rising costs, challenges to affirmative action and declining state support. At many institutions, deferred maintenance on aging buildings can no longer be overlooked—and the expense related to technology expansion continues to increase.
An increasing competitive enrollment climate has led to the development of sophisticated marketing operations at many colleges and universities. Recruiting and retaining key faculty has become more critical as institutions seek research funding to offset operational costs and bolster their reputations.
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Read more about NLU's strategic priorities.
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National-Louis University (NLU) is not alone among its peers in addressing these and other challenges. In order to remain a viable institution of higher education, however, it must also reaffirm what is basic to a university, specifically its mission and its eight core values. They are the foundation upon which a strategic plan can be built.
NLU’s strategic plan, “Shaping the Future. Redefining Excellence,” is built upon the mission and values that have defined the university since 1886. It is a plan that has excellence at its core—in academic quality, teaching, engagement, service and inquiry. It is a plan that re-examines how things have always been done—and charts course for how they will be done in order to be true to a university whose roots run deep in the communities it serves. It is a plan whose time has come.
By 2011, at the end of this five-year, strategic plan, National-Louis University will be:
- Nationally recognized for providing access to educational opportunities and for effective teaching, scholarship, and learning, which blend theory and practice in order to make each individual student successful;
- Known for excellence in serving students who bring academic, professional, and life experience to higher education. Specifically, the university will have a distinctive presence in the graduate preparation of educators, leaders and managers—and will be the premier undergraduate transfer institution in the communities in which it operates;
- Distinctive for going beyond the traditional classroom to forge long-term relationships with adult students in the communities where they live, work, and learn;
- Widely known for its service excellence and culture of quality that exceed national benchmark standards. It will be responsive to the changing needs of society through agility, innovation, and the involvement of all stakeholders in shared data-driven decision-making;
- Known for alumni who are fully engaged in the university community and the pursuit of its mission. Our alumni will participate in and benefit fully from opportunities in learning, career development, personal enrichment, and community leadership through a lifelong association with NLU;
- A model for the innovative use of technology to enhance teaching and learning, to increase student access, and to provide excellent service to all stakeholders;
- Recognized by all its stakeholders as a collegial, supportive, and flourishing institution, which attracts, retains, and recognizes exceptional people.
Collaboration is one of NLU’s core values and this five-year strategic plan is a reflection of that value. Faculty, students, staff, alumni, administrators and members of the Board of Trustees engaged in thoughtful, often spirited discussions, about their university during its development. The result is a map to guide NLU through the next five years.
Our thanks to all of the members of the NLU community who contributed to this process. The plan is all the better for your insights, queries and reflections. We look forward to working with you as we move down this new path—and redefine what it means to be excellent at National-Louis University.
Richard J. Pappas
NLU President, 2005-2009
Tom Heaney, Co-Chair
Strategic Planning Committee
George Litman, Co-Chair
Strategic Planning Committee
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