THRIVE

The fourth theme of the strategic plan is THRIVE. Living out lives of faith and service, we thrive in our calling to serve in society. We strive to lead meaningful lives as individuals and work toward a better world in the communities and regions we impact. A thriving institution flourishes in its operations and finances and is a driving economic force in the region. To accomplish this, we are committed to caring and investing in the faculty and staff of the University who make the exceptional education of our students possible. To do this, we must be able to clearly define who we are to all of our constituencies. Ultimately, we must align the University to be the appropriate size given the current dynamics of the higher education market, work to better retain all students who are committed to learning, and better reflect the demographics of the regions we serve. Demographics show that Latinos are not heading off a cliff and therefore compel us to seek being a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). We also require the right facilities to optimize our ability to attract and retain the best students and athletes, particularly for the College of Nursing and Health Professions, our residential spaces, and athletics facilities. We must also organize and properly resource our operations and academics to ensure the best success of this plan and the future of the University. Finally, none of this is possible without operating within a sustainable budget model, using appropriate data to make well-informed mission-driven decisions that can transform our collective work.