BW Strategic Pathways

Our Aspiration: BW will be a leading regional comprehensive university impacting learners, businesses, and communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Introduction

When BW is at its best, we make a real difference in people’s lives. Our 178 years of accumulated wisdom of how people best learn attracts those who seek to make a meaningful impact in their own lives and in their communities. The transformation evident in our graduates matters to them and to the work they will do for the betterment of all.

For decades, BW has been recognized as a leading university in our region, specifically for those striving to live a better life. This is a strong position from which to take our next meaningful steps and honor our history of excellence.

Our greatest assets are the committed and talented people who come together under the single mission to help those who seek to live a better life. These initiatives equip us to create the highest opportunity for success for the high-est number of learners. Our transformation as a university is to do what we do more broadly. This plan will help us be the best university we can be.

BW continues to evolve with the addition of new bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, new facilities to support those programs, and new initiatives to broaden the impact our people make on the region. Because of that work, BW is poised to thrive as we embark on an ambitious path that will stretch our historical footprints in numerous ways.

As we expand in new directions, BW will continue to hold the traditional four-year undergraduate degree as the core of our institution. These degrees will recognize the foundational value of the arts and sciences as resources for a personal life well lived as well as for the skills and competencies sought by graduate schools and by current and future employers. These same skills and competencies uniquely prepare BW graduates to become the leaders, influencers, and drivers of a better future for us all.

These are bold initiatives that require commitment, especially when higher education is in a time of unprecedented challenges. The rising cost of a quality education, diminishing funds, and changing markets make our differentiating promise more important than ever. Our founding mission calls to BW those who dream bigger with the eagerness and talent to work hard. We have a responsibility to help them gain access and succeed.

Research shows the return on investment in a college education is higher than ever before. The correlation between what we do as a university and the quality of people’s lives is universally important to every generation. It necessitates celebrating all that makes us distinctive and making decisions that build on our unique assets and strengths. Finally, it means being recognized consistently as one of the top private comprehensive universities in our region.

Pathway 1 — BW Experience

Our aspiration:

Provide a transformative BW experience for all members of the BW community.

Why is this important?

An extraordinary experience is the cornerstone of BW. Those seeking to make an impact with their education and work want to make every moment have meaningful impact toward their goals. Innovation is at the forefront of adopting and creating practices that improve our work and, in turn, student success which will elevate the value of BW.

What are our objectives?

1A. BW will be an exemplar of extraordinary learner experience.

Teaching will reflect academic excellence, increased rigor as well as best practices.
Degrees will reflect both deep discipline content and the ability to demonstrate relevance to graduate schools and the current and future needs of the workplace.
BW will develop and implement an innovative student-centered core curriculum that is outcomes-focused.
Undergraduate faculty-student research and collaboration will be distinguishing features of a learner’s academic life.
The co-curricular programming of BW will be intentional and measured and will make an impact that contributes to the goals of our learners.
BW will create and sustain a culture of holistic well-being through a strong supportive community.
BW will foster a diverse and inclusive environment - one that welcomes, values, and embraces diverse perspectives and promotes belonging.
BW will strive to graduate students with as little debt as possible
while offering extraordinary experiences and opportunities at BW.

1B. BW will be a leader in extraordinary employee experience.

BW will offer exceptional work environments for all employees, including opportunities for professional development.
BW will create and sustain a culture of well-being through strong community.
BW will offer attractive, competitive compensation and benefits packages to all employees.
BW will recognize the full range of professional contributions in retention and career advancement efforts.

1C. BW will excel in alumni engagement.

BW will be a lifelong source of learning, career guidance, and professional development for its alumni.
BW will meaningfully connect alumni and current learners, faculty, and staff in ways that benefit all.
BW will leverage its alumni as co-promoters of the University.

1D. BW will transform the campus environment.

BW will design and maintain a campus that is safe, secure, and engaging.
BW will develop and implement a campus master plan that will provide high-quality facilities to support its core values and new initiatives.
BW will develop strong partnerships with Berea and communities in Northeast Ohio to provide learning opportunities in a variety of settings.

Pathway 2 — BW Expansion

Our aspiration:

BW will be recognized as an essential university in the region, elevating our impact, awareness, and institutional reputation.

Why is this important?

BW’s history of providing inclusive access and an excellent and affordable education provides pathways to college for new markets of learners. Work-ing to broaden our regional impact and deepen our reach will strengthen a leadership position that supports growth.

What are our objectives?

2A. BW will be an integral leader in developing workforce strength, organizational capacity, leadership, and service.

BW’s academic programs will align with the needs of the region to promote building vibrant relationships with industry and community partners.
BW will excel as an entrepreneurial hub, developing new and innovative practices that contribute to industry, supplier diversity, and community growth.
BW will engage with the regional, national, and international community across academic and co-curricular programs to create connections and build students’ and partners’ capabilities.

2B. BW will build its brand presence in a larger geographic range than its current reach.

BW will significantly increase its competitive standing in a 300-mile radius of Cleveland.
BW will align its academic as well as its athletic affiliations with aspirational institutions.
BW will leverage its location for marketing opportunities.
BW will partner with the region’s educational, cultural, social services, business, and community workforce ecosystem to promote its core values of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

2C. BW will elevate the University’s regional and national reputation.

BW will increase its state and federal-level grant funding.
BW will increase its national ratings and rankings.

Pathway 3 — BW Resources

Our aspiration:

BW will strengthen the financial foundation of the University to secure its future vitality and affordability.

Why is this important?

Executing consistent and reliable strategies that improve operational excel-lence is key to the future stability of the University. Responsible stewardship of resources, focused on providing access for a greater number of learners of all ages while growing philanthropic support, builds confidence in BW.

What are our objectives?

3A. BW will grow the number of learners in our community.

BW will increase its undergraduate degree-seeking population by increasing yield, increasing retention, increasing current market share, and adding new markets.
BW will increase its graduate degree-seeking population by increasing the number of graduate offerings and increasing market penetration.
BW will increase its adult degree-seeking population by offering market-driven programs at competitive prices in a variety of formats, including online.
BW will regularly evaluate systems for barriers to access, retention, and success for all learners.

3B. BW will diversify revenue streams through vital partnerships.

BW will increase and expand contract work with regional businesses and municipalities.
BW will become the preferred provider of lifelong learning opportunities in the region.

3C. BW will strengthen alumni and donor engagement to support the goals of BW.

BW will foster a culture wherein all members of the BW community have a role in successful fundraising.
BW will implement a comprehensive Annual Giving plan that will result in a significant increase in Annual Fund giving.
BW will implement an Alumni Engagement plan that will increase the number of active alumni and the percentage who contribute to BW.
Key areas of the university will partner to secure donor funds to support the strategic initiatives, including new capital projects.

Our Purpose:

BW transforms lives for the betterment of all.

Our Mission:

BW strives to fulfill its enduring purpose by being a diverse, innovative, and caring educational community that empowers and accompanies each individual as they realize their potential for a life well-lived.

Values:

Intentional Excellence. In all that we do, we will strive for excellence, both in means and in outcomes.

Extraordinary Engagement. In all that we do, we will strive to engage our community both in and out of the classroom.

Holistic Support. In all that we do, we will strive to support our learners physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Innovative Culture. In all that we do, we will strive to innovate with regard to our knowledge, processes, and technologies.

Inclusion and Equity. In living out these values, it must be evident that BW has a historical enduring commitment to inclusion and equity.

The importance of a BW education has never been more relevant than it is to the communities, businesses and organizations that our graduates enter. At BW, integrated curriculum and co-curricular experiential learning in the arts, sciences, and service develop a deep and functional knowledge essential for work, citizenship, and life.

Realizing a life well lived could mean very different things to different people. At BW, we set learners on a life trajectory with all the competencies and skills needed to make a meaningful impact in their own lives and become compassionate, contributing citizens in their communities.

Learners include life-long students of all ages and help us think outside the traditional college-aged demographic to include adult, graduate, non-traditional, professional, retired, and K-12 learners who can look to BW for an extraordinary education.

Destination BW. Beyond our community of employees and learners, BW welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year to campus. We are a thriving environ-ment for arts and cultural events, athletic competitions, conferences, and community and service partnerships. Our annual economic impact is well over $30 million.

BW is closer to its 300th anniversary than its founding in 1845. Each step forward will prepare us for a future we cannot yet see. With consistent and intentional work, BW will not just transform the lives of our learners but also ourselves.

Our 50,000 alumni and our next 50,000 alumni will prove that BW plays a special role in uplifting those who know they have not yet realized their potential. We owe it to future learners, ourselves, and our community to be the best version of ourselves.