Student Life Strategic Plan

Context for 2013-2020 Student Life Priorities

National Context:

  • Altering landscape of national higher education: Changes in student demographics, financial models, legal issues, and educational delivery systems.
  • On-going cost/recession issues: Challenges with availability of financial assistance for students, fiscal caution by parents, and articulating the value of a private residential college education.
  • Increased accountability for higher education: Heightened expectations for outcomes-based data demonstrating the value of a college education, and return on investment.
  • Changing business model for colleges/universities: Increased marketing to attract students, services, and financial support for the university.

PLU Context:

  • Leadership: President Thomas W. Krise began his tenure as the 13th President of PLU in June 2012. Donna Gibbs was appointed to the new position of Vice President for Marketing and Communication and joined the senior leadership team in September of 2013. Nancy Albers-Miller was appointed Dean of the School of Business in the summer of 2013. A new Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students will begin June 1, 2014. Searches are underway for a new Dean of the School of Nursing and an Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. Additional new leaders will assume roles as deans and chairs in the months and years ahead.
  • Partnerships: Student Life is recognized and valued as a partner with all areas of the university in the advancement of the PLU educational experience.
  • Facilities: Improvements continue across campus with renovated and expanded facilities and university policies.
  • Local/global: There is increased university attention and investment of resources into the local community: 208 Garfield, Garfield Station, Habitat for Humanity build project, “Puget Sound Gateway,” housing, and local school districts.
  • Entrepreneurial: There is increased interest to expand programs and endeavors beyond the traditional work of the university.
  • Efficiency: The Process Improvement Team: Six Sigma at PLU launched and over 45 staff and faculty have been trained and are working on increasing the efficiency of the university, as well as saving time and money where possible for redistribution.
  • Distributive Fundraising: The work of fundraising is envisioned more broadly across the university with a desire for increased participation by a broad group of campus leaders.
  • “The Box”: The PLU Board of Regents passed a resolution in May 2013 to commit the university to make significant improvements in faculty and staff compensation, facilities and university reserves by the year 2020.
  • PLU 2020: The long-range plan of the university was completed and work has begun on strategic planning and important priorities for the university in the decade ahead, e.g. Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM), Diversity Justice and Sustainability (DJS) Ad Hoc Committee, the Budget Working Group and the Master Plan Revision Committee.