Presidential Vision and Strategic Principles
Since joining Xavier as President, I have been inspired by our identity, unique as the only Black, Catholic institution among all American colleges and universities. Our rich heritage as historically Black and our Catholic mission to promote a just and humane society, these define our history and also our future and purpose.
I am committed to our founding mission and honoring our African American tradition and Catholic values; and for this reason to sustaining our academic rigor, standards of excellence and outcomes, and to promoting an inclusive learning community for all Xavierites.
Shared Values of Xavier's Mission
Xavier University of Louisiana will be celebrated for the quality of its educational experience, where students learn at the highest level in order to be of service, wherever they are called. Grounded in the history and experience of descendants of slaves, Xavier will educate its students and contribute to scholarship and knowledge so as to achieve a just and equitable society. This is realized primarily by formation of talented women and men in an inclusive educational environment, with the highest expectation and dedicated staff and faculty.
Thus, the university will innovate in it academic programs, campus culture, partnerships and engagements, both local and afar. To continue our march to tomorrow, aware of our yesterdays, we embrace the following strategic principles:
Strategic Principles
- Sustain our mission and honor our African American tradition and Catholic values
- Maintain academic rigor, standards of excellence, and outcomes
- Promote an inclusive learning community, welcoming to all
- Elevate Xavier’s reputation and recognition
- Contribute to equity and societal resilience in our region, especially by advancing high quality pre-collegiate education for all.
- Balance enrollment to increase non-STEM and health majors
- Build programmatic breadth
- Sustain and support environment of research and inquiry that addresses matters of import to the larger society as Church and to the African diaspora
- Grow enrollment by attracting more adult learners especially through graduate programs
Planning Retreats
February 2013 | May 2014 |
Michael Wilkinson Bio | Retreat Summary |
Presentation on Current Situation | Members of the Strategic Planning Committee |
January 2014 | June 2015 |
Agenda | Strategy Layout |
Retreat Summary | Strategy Prioritization |
Strategic Planning Briefing Book |
Planning Goals
Student Success
Maximize graduation and post-graduate success and overall student satisfaction.
Faculty and Staff
Maximize the development and engagement of faculty and staff.
Programs
Provide mission-driven programs that respond to changing needs of students,
Campus
Strengthen the infrastructure to support a comprehensive range of campus and community activities.
Financial Stability
Maximize the financial stability of the university.
Reputation and Community
Be recognized globally for our mission effectiveness, educational excellence, and community engagement.
Planning Positioning
We believe there will be continued declines in our traditional pool of prospects. Therefore we must:
- Expand our recruiting efforts to other student pools and major cities
- Intensify our marketing to our traditional pools
- Integrate academic programs that attract non-traditional students
- Increase retention efforts
- Increase financial aid in strategically targeted areas
- Implement strategies to improve yield
We believe there is increased pressure from the goverment and general public for improved graduation rates and demonstrable post graduate success. Therefore we must:
- Improve collection and analysis of data
- Improve our models of student risk for both colleges
- Monitor and continously improve our academic support programs and activities
- Increase internships, research opportunities, and global experience for all students that will enhance opportunities upon graduation
We believe Xavier is not as well known nationally as it deserves. Therefore we must:
- Enhance the marketing of our brand
- Enhance our overall marketing efforts
- Revisit our brand to ensure that it is current and relevant
We believe there are reduced opportunities from federal and other financial sources. Therefore we must:
- Diversify our revenue sources
- Increase our cost effectiveness
- Evaluate and advertise our current business model
We believe that our students have considerable choice, including schools
that have a superior campus environment. Therefore we must:
- Modernize our physical facilities and technology infrastructure
- Offer enriching and fulfilling activities
- Create an environment that fosters a sense of belonging and ownership of the University by every student
- Include students in decisions related to campus environment
- Continue to provide a robust educational experience