1. October 18, 2010
EXCELLENCE
OUR FOCUS, OUR FUTURE:
THE PATH TO
Positioning & Reputation Management

2. TODAY’S AGENDA
Recommit to our mission, vision and values
Celebrate our successes
Critique the current state of the University
Champion our strategic directions and goals
Questions
(And get excited about where we’re headed.)

3. MISSION
As the higher ed landscape continues to change, we
must grow and create the future we desire.We must
prepare to evolve in an ever-changing industry.
The 2009–2014 strategic plan was created to
identify a clear long-term plan for continued
growth and sustainability driven by our:
VISION
VALUES

4. OUR MISSION
TRANSFORMING LIVES
THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION

5. OUR VISION
TRANSFORMING LIVES
FOR THE COMMON GOOD

6. OUR VALUES

7. The strategic plan will allow us to:
Strengthen our reputation
Improve our long-term sustainability
Define private higher education in Central Ohio
AND CREATE OUR FUTURE AS
A LEADING INSTITUTION
OF LIBERAL EDUCATION.
A LEADING INSTITUTION

8. OUR PROGRESS
Think of how far we’ve come in just
4short years.

9. OUR PROGRESS
We’ve already made great strides...
Renewed fiscal stewardship
Reinvestment in mission
Strategic enrollment management
Unified College
Branding and strategic planning

10. OUR PROGRESS
And we’ve seen results...
Exceeded enrollment goals
Sharpened academic profile
Successful capital campaign
Focus on retention
Improved financial stability
Leadership
Infrastructure updated and campus beautified

11. WE’VE EXPERIENCED MUCH
SUCCESS, BUT ARE STILL
FRAGILE.

12. Turnaround contains a set of measures used
to test fragility at colleges and universities.
It provides a list of fragility measures
that indicate vulnerable institutions.
It uses data to determine when
institutions stray from founding vision.
It gives an objective benchmark to
measure the health of a university.
HOW WE MEASURE UP

13. SUCCESSES

14. MEASURE 1:
Average tuition increase greater
than 8% for five years
7% 5%
YESTERDAY TODAY

15. MEASURE 2:
Short-term bridge financing required
in the final quarter of each fiscal year
YES NO
TODAYYESTERDAY

16. MEASURE 3:
The institution suffers from
accreditation issues
YES NO
TODAYYESTERDAY

17. CHALLENGES

18. MEASURE 1:
Tuition dependency more than 85%
TODAY
71% 90%
YESTERDAY

19. MEASURE 2:
Fewer than 20% of alumni give annually
TODAY
27% 15%
YESTERDAY

20. MEASURE 3:
The majority of faculty do not hold
terminal degrees
YESTERDAY TODAY
69% 68%

21. We cannot settle for the status quo and
expect to withstand the challenges of:
Tuition dependency
Endowment and investment performance
Donor fatigue
Disproportionate spending ratios
Declining graduate enrollment
Instructional cost weakness
Growing competition
Shifting demographics

22. THE BOTTOM LINE:
WE MUST MAINTAIN
OUR MOMENTUM TO
CREATE OUR FUTURE.

23. Institutions like us have struggled.

25. “The loss of a college like Dana is a grim
event for higher education. Its closing
vaporizes the educational plans of hundreds
of students. It blocks the careers of dozens, if
not hundreds, of faculty and staff members.
And it eliminates a source of intellectual
energy and renewal in rural America.
Justifiably, we can say that it is tragic.”
—David Evans, Buena Vista University

26. Click here to watch video (opens in new window) >>

28. “The college tried blindly to extend its
mission beyond education to social reform.
But there were too many new programs and
too little cash reserved to deal with the
inevitable growing pains.”
—New York Times

29. Click here to watch video (opens in new window) >>

30. But many like us are flourishing, too.

32. “The impressive size of our incoming
class is a direct result of our community’s
extraordinary efforts. Staff and faculty
will work together to offer our new
freshmen, and returning students, the
best possible undergraduate experience.”
—Levester Johnson,VP for Student Affairs

33. Click here to watch video (opens in new window) >>

35. “It’s an exercise in determining what
business we’re in and refocusing our
mission—getting out of the rat race that
everybody else is in. The Ivy League
institutions will be fine because they have
their niche. It’s the rest of the schools that
are hoping to survive that need to adopt
marketing to be stronger later.”
—Thomas Hayes, Xavier University

36. Click here to watch video (opens in new window) >>

38. “Elon was named to the 2010 list of ‘Great
Colleges to Work For,’ honoring institutions for
best practices and policies, such as teaching
environment, respect and appreciation, and
confidence in senior leadership.”
—The Chronicle of Higher Education

39. Click here to watch video (opens in new window) >>

40. OTHERS HAVE SUCCEEDED.
We will meet the potential of our positioning
and improve our reputation.
(But we need your help.)
WE WILL TOO.

41. GROW TO BE 5,000
STUDENTS STRONG.
WE WILL

42. “Capital becomes largest
private liberal arts
school in the area.”
—Columbus Dispatch, May 2, 2015
“Enrollment surges at
Capital University.”
—Chronicle for Higher Education, May 15, 2020
“Student Recruitment 101:
How to draw students in
the 21st century.”
—Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2018

43. BECOME KNOWN FOR
OUR GRADUATE SCHOOL.
WE WILL

44. “New research launched by
Capital grad students could
change the face of medicine.”
—Science, October 2016
“Competition for advanced
degrees off the charts at
Capital University.”
—Chronicle of Higher Education, January 2017
“Thesis explores the
relationship between
cultural traditions and
performing arts.”
—New York Times, February 17, 2020

45. DRAMATICALLY OVERHAUL
OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE WILL

46. “New construction
dramatically expands local
university’s offer.”
—10TV, March 20, 2012
“Capital improvements
position university as a
leader in science, arts.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 2, 2015
“The classroom, redefined.”
—Chronicle for Higher Education, December 2017

47. MAKE OUR CURRICULUM
MORE RIGOROUS.
WE WILL

48. “Capital University topped
the list of institutions who
grade the most competitively.”
—US News and World Report, September 2014
“‘Easy A’ nonexistent
under challenging new
university policy.”
—Columbus Dispatch, April 22, 2017
“Put Through the Paces:
One university’s attempt
to better prepare students
for the real world.”
—NPR, October 5, 2018

49. EXPAND OUR IMPACT
ACROSS THE GLOBE.
WE WILL

50. “Clean Water—Students and
Faculty Sustain Public Health
Impact in Africa.”
—New York Times, November 8, 2015
“Bexley to Bangkok: Students
examine cultural differences to better
understand international business.”
—Fast Company, March 2019
“New research
revolutionizes
health practices in
Central America.”
—American Journal of Nursing, July 2020

51. CREATIVE
But to do all these things,
we need a board that’s:
ENTHUSIASTIC
COMMITTED
SUPPORTIVE
INFORMED

52. NOW, TIME FOR SOME
HOMEWORK.
Leadership takes vision. So today
we ask you to look ahead.
Your task:
1. Grab a booklet
2.Think ahead
3.Write a headline
(We’ll review answers at the February
board meeting.)

53. With your support, we can continue
to build momentum and realize the
vision of our strategic plan.
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD
OUR PATH TO EXCELLENCE.