2014–19 Strategic Plan

Vision

Westminster College will use the power of learning and mentoring relationships to create a transformational and accessible student experience, enabling more vibrant, just, and successful lives for our graduates.

Mission

Westminster College is a private, independent college dedicated to student learning. We are a community of learners with a long and honored tradition of caring deeply about students and their education. We offer liberal arts and professional education in courses of study for undergraduate, selected graduate, and other innovative degree and non-degree programs. Students are challenged to experiment with ideas, raise questions, critically examine alternatives, and make informed decisions. We encourage students to accept responsibility for their learning, to discover and pursue their passions, and to promote more equitable and sustainable communities.

Our purposes are to prepare students to lead lives of learning, accomplishment, and service and to help them develop skills and attributes critical for success in a diverse and interdependent world. We promote distinctive approaches to engaged learning that emphasize theory and practice in our academic and co-curricular programs. Grounded in a culture of creativity and innovation we work to pursue excellence while promoting inclusiveness and respect for differences.

Core Values

As members of the Westminster College community, we are committed to the following values:

• Impassioned teaching and active learning
• Respect for diverse people and perspectives
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Personal and social responsibility
• College-wide excellence
• High ethical standards

College-Wide Learning Goals

Our primary purpose is to prepare students to lead lives of learning, accomplishment, and service. To that end, every Westminster student graduates with the skills and abilities that are critical to success in a rapidly changing world and highly valued by employers and graduate programs:

• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Global Responsibility

The Westminster community will focus on three foundational strategic goals to create transformational and accessible student experiences that will enable vibrant, just, and successful lives for our graduates.

Building a Community of Learners

By 2019, Westminster will cultivate a truly extended and inclusive community of learners that reflects personalized relationships and the best attributes of a "small college".

Outcomes

• Westminster is a student-centered community of lifelong learners embodying an ethos that is respectful, inclusive, empowering, and accountable
• Westminster demonstrates equity, diversity, and global consciousness throughout its activities
• Westminster exemplifies a culture of collaboration, personal growth, and professional development
• Westminster delivers exceptional experiences to all members of Westminster's core and extended communities

Innovating to Support Student Success

By 2019, Westminster's culture of innovation and continuous improvement will place us at the forefront of high-quality, relationship-based, student-centered learning design.

Outcomes

• Westminster explores and disseminates the latest research on innovative learning practices, programs, and student support services and provides professional development in these areas
• Westminster students demonstrate mastery of the college-wide learning goals and program-specific goals
• Westminster provides programs, opportunities, and pathways for entry that meet the needs of a broader range of learners
• Westminster degrees integrate liberal education, professional programs, co-curricular activities, and community engagement

Assuring Affordability and Sustainability

By 2019, Westminster will build a sustainable, thriving institution that provides affordable, high-value student education.

Outcomes

• Westminster has implemented a transparent process of continuous improvement in all functional areas
• Westminster has processes in place to ensure student access is not limited by socioeconomic status and students graduate with as little debt as possible
• Westminster has diversified and expanded revenue sources that support the college mission and operations
• Westminster has cultivated and communicated a clear perception of value to students, parents, and stakeholders
• Westminster has identified an optimal enrollment plan grounded in consistent goals and measures

Three interdependent strategies will guide campus behaviors to enhance the success of Westminster's strategic goals. Priorities will be established, and these strategies will be implemented over time. 

Student Learning

• Internationalize our campus community and student experiences
• Create a center for innovative learning
• Provide every student with a high-impact learning experience
• Utilize integrative and community-based education to enhance student learning
• Assess student learning and hold all parties accountable for student outcomes
• Integrate liberal education and professional programs as a distinctive hallmark
• Improve retention and graduation rates

Community Culture

• Implement coaching and mentoring as fundamental experiences for everyone in the Westminster community.
• Complete and adopt a multi-year diversity plan
• Extend the Westminster network to include alumni and our external community as collaborators in student engagement
• Create a culture of respect and fairness through collaboration and transparency

College Economy

• Implement an ambitious enrollment management plan
• Commit to address the cost of undergraduate education and to graduate students with as little debt as possible
• Identify new revenue opportunities to support strategic priorities
• Implement a comprehensive capital campaign
• Implement a marketing and branding campaign that builds on our strategic initiatives and supports academic excellence and enrollment objectives
• Implement transparent processes for assessing spending priorities across campus
• Pursue accreditations and affiliations that reflect the quality of a Westminster education

Strategic Plan Report

1 FIRST STEPS PROGRESS

1.1 STRATEGIC PLANNING COUNCIL APPOINTED (QUALITY ASSURANCE/CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT) TO ANALYZE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON ALL PLANNING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES ANNUALLY.

STATUS: COMPLETED

NEXT STEPS:

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING COUNCIL WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INSTITUTION’S PROGRESS ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SENIOR TEAM.

1.2 BUDGETING PROCESSES AND PLANNING LINKED TO ANNUAL PRIORITIES DERIVED FROM THIS STRATEGIC PLAN.

STATUS: IN PROGRESS

NEXT STEPS:

• USE THE STRATEGIC PLAN AS A TEMPLATE FOR THE BUDGET PROCESS AND PRIORITIZING
• FRAMING DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE INSTITUTIONAL OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL HELP IDENTIFY THE MOST STRATEGIC USE OF LIMITED FUNDING

1.3 INSTITUTIONAL UNITS AND FUNCTIONS EVALUATED BASED ON QUALITY, COST, THREATS, AND OPPORTUNITIES.

STATUS: NOT YET STARTED

NEXT STEPS:

• COMPLETE IN THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR

1.4 PLANNING PROCESSES IMPLEMENTED TRANSPARENTLY.

STATUS: IN PROGRESS

NEXT STEPS:

• PLANNING AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE
• DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO COMMUNICATE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE IN THE CLEAREST POSSIBLE TERMS
• TIE THIS COMMUNICATION TO STRATEGY AND DIRECTION, TO PROVIDE AN ETHOS OF FORWARD MOMENTUM, EVEN DURING LEANER ECONOMIC TIMES AT THE COLLEGE

2 STRATEGIC GOALS

2.1 BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

STATUS: COMPLETED

NEXT STEPS:

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING COUNCIL WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INSTITUTION’S PROGRESS ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SENIOR TEAM.

2.2 INNOVATING TO SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS

SHORT TERM AREAS OF FOCUS:

• AACSB ACCREDITATION IN THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
• HYBRID DNP PROGRAM
• REIMAGINING WESTMINSTER SCHOLARS INTO WESTARCHES
• HIRING A CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER
• ADDRESS STUDENT CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.

LONG TERM AREAS OF FOCUS:

• WORKING WITH NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS
• CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE TO EXPAND FLEXIBLE CUSTOMIZED UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW PROGRAMS THAT REFLECT WORKFORCE NEEDS.
• WESTMINSTER NETWORK
• COACHING AND MENTORING CENTER

2.3 ASSURING AFFORDABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Short term areas of focus:

• Budget plans for multiple scenarios including under and over enrollment for the next year
• Capital Campaign Plan developed in concert with the goals of the Strategic Plan
• Develop innovative enrollment strategies
• Create long term, comprehensive enrollment plan with clear metrics for success.

Long term areas of focus:

• Staking out and claiming our distinctiveness in the marketplace
• Acknowledging and planning appropriately for demographic shifts and the affordability problem for many of our prospective students
• Consider new tuition pricing structures

WHY WESTMINSTER?

Goal 1: Because We Are Focused on Academic Excellence, Differentiation, and Co-Curricular Integration, Including:

Implementing W-Core and Honors lateral entry

Pursuing AACSB accreditation, a hybrid DNP program, and funding from HHMI

Reimagining Westminster Scholars

Working with non-traditional students and in our communities to change lives

Exploring “centers of excellence”, ways to expand flexible customized undergraduate education, and opportunities for new programs that reflect workforce needs

Goal 2: Because We Are Strengthening Our Community Through:

Developing and beginning to implement a multi-year Westminster culture initiative led by the newly appointed culture team

Improving campus communication through creating new email policies and procedures and being intentional about transparency

Completing and adopting a multi-year inclusion plan led by the diversity council

Undertaking a staff compensation study

Goal 3: Because We Support the Success of Each Individual Student By:

Launching the four year guarantee and the three year undergraduate education guarantee

Continuing to invest in the Westminster network, including this year’s launch of the coaching and mentoring center

Improving student employment opportunities and outcomes

Opening the veteran’s center

Year 1 Implementation

In the first year of implementation of the strategic plan, we have made remarkable strides toward meeting our 5 year strategic goals. Moreover, this was done during a time of leadership transition and campus uncertainty, highlighting the ability of the campus community to pull together to accomplish great things for our institution. You'll note that most of our implementation efforts are interrelated, just as we anticipated when developing the diagram of our three strategic goals. For purposes of this report, we have attempted to highlight high level areas of strategic goal achievement by listing our specific year one accomplishments within only one goal.

Goal 1: Building a Community of Learners

By 2019, Westminster will cultivate a truly extended and inclusive community of learners that reflects personalized relationships and the best attributes of a small college.

• The Center for Innovative Cultures was launched, bringing together business, community and academic leaders for several interactive seminars, including: public lectures, millennial corporate dialogue, tools and practices workshop, collaborative culture seminar, and evenings of cultural discussion. The center was also able to engage in a fundraising campaign that will continue.

• The Westminster Network idea was branded as the personal value-add to the outstanding academic education students receive. Through student, alumni, faculty, and staff engagement (as well as a grant from trustee emeritus Bob Frankenberg), a plan was developed, the website was created and progress was made in significant areas including social networks, business relations, traditions, and mentoring programs.

  We are an interconnected community of lifelong learners engaged in mentoring, learning, and personal and professional growth.

  ""Once you're in, you're in for life."

• South Salt Lake initiatives continued to progress and expand, with exciting additional efforts throughout campus, including the VITA student tax preparation program (which was honored by Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams)

• Competency based learning efforts continued to grow, with exciting new programs developed with Discover and Phillips Edison, as well as additional programming with Arnold Machinery and Mountain America Credit Union, all of which are generating revenue for the college. Dr. James Hedges was named Director of Innovative Learning and Ryan Lewis was named Director of Graduate and Low Residency Student Services.
• After several years of planning, the Center for Coaching and Mentoring at Westminster was recently provided seed funding from PIN, and will begin operations in summer 2015 under co-directors Richard Chapman.

• The planning process of the strategic plan produced our new staff council, and in year one the staff council provided professional and community development seminars free of charge to all staff members. Faculty and staff presented three different brown bags about stress management: one on mindfulness, one on time management; and one on the physical effects of stress. All three sessions were well-attended, and materials were posted on the staff council web site for anyone who couldn’t attend.
• This summer, more workshops will be presented. Staff council is teaming up with the Human Resources department to give presentations about supervising student workers. The first half of the workshop will be about the nuts and bolts of supervising students: hiring, compliance, forms, hours and other policies. The second half will be about using the coaching/mentoring model to align student employment with the college-wide strategic goals.
• The commission on women's success was developed to approach equality and access issues for women using the appreciative inquiry model.
• This year the entire campus community received Title IX training, and Westminster hosted a national symposium.

• Recently, campus leaders received diversity training from Dr. Roderic Land.
• The Center for Civic Engagement received a $1.5 million endowment from Kay Dumke for our community engagement efforts.

Goal 2: Innovating to Support Student Success

By 2019, Westminster's culture of innovation and continuous improvement will place us at the forefront of high-quality, relationship-based, student-centered learning design.

• Incredible progress has been made on liberal education reform, now known as W-Core. The liberal education program at Westminster College is designed to foster those values and intellectual skills that are necessary as a foundation for learning and to provide students with experience in the academic disciplines of the liberal arts. It is our belief that this reform will revitalize our liberal education program and will create a climate in which more critical questions are asked and answered by our students. A priority of the reform is to have more full time faculty and instructional staff teaching in the LE. This goal recognizes the importance of students interacting with faculty specifically in the first two years and throughout their tenure at Westminster. These courses will be learning centered. We will offer a wide range of challenging courses that expand the knowledge of our students and allow them to investigate and express their interests and abilities. The goals of Westminster LE program will be to acquire competencies, embrace contradictions, synthesize concepts, and communicate ideas.
• Outstanding efforts have been made to propel Westminster's ability to engage and recruit adult learners through the prior learning assessment pilot. This effort has engaged faculty and staff alike in redesigning our assessment instruments and processes to align achievement of our college wide learning goals with real world competencies that our adult learners often bring.
• Several full-scale curriculum redesign efforts were launched - and completed – this year; including the MBA curriculum redesign and nursing curriculum redesign.
• The school of education developed the three year undergraduate degree in education which is currently being marketed.
• The global studies minor and the Montessori minor were developed.
• The Honors program underwent a full reform process, predicated by the W-Core reform. Through this effort, a new lateral entry to honors was developed. Beginning in fall 2015, transfer students, non-traditional students, and current upper class students will be able to apply for entry into the honors program.
• The Myriad academic journal was reinstated, this time as the first electronic academic journal (as far as we can tell) in the country. It features student and alumni research in an engaging and interactive format, and is edited and managed by students (with an advisory committee).
• Several new online courses will be offered summer 2015, providing innovative online curriculum design to ensure the type of faculty and student engagement for which Westminster is known.
  
  

Goal 3: Assuring Affordability & Sustainability

By 2019, Westminster will build a sustainable, thriving institution that provides affordable, high-value student education.

• Institutional leaders began regular communication updates to campus to assist in transparency and continuous improvement efforts, including the Presidential post, the Weekly Enrollment Update, and the Strategic Planning Update.
  
  
• The budget for fiscal year 2015-2016 was developed through a series of difficult reductions in force, allowing expenses to more accurately align with anticipated revenue, and with the intent to eliminate ongoing mid-year budget reduction processes.
• The aviation program was reconfigured to allow new students to get an early start toward their flight hours, allowing students to learn more quickly, save money and time. It also helps them to complete their degree in four years. 14 students are enrolled for summer 2015.
• A retention analysis and report was performed by an outside consultant, the results of which will be used in continued retention planning.
• The admissions office completed and began to implement a new enrollment plan, including new programming in target cities around the country, as well as opportunities for admitted students to spend more time on campus in order to "see" themselves as part of the Westminster community.

• The financial aid office hosted a financial literacy fair for the entire campus community on February 19, 2015:

  • Financial Literacy Fair- February 19th 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.–SHAW CENTER
  • Attend the upcoming Financial Literacy Fair on Thursday February 19th 11:00-2:00 in the Shaw Center. Representatives from student loan repayment, college savings plans, investing, banks, credit union, debt counseling, inexpensive healthy food recipes and more!
  • All students, families and employees are invited to attend. If you want to learn more about money management or helpful personal finance tips, this is an excellent opportunity.
  • Did we mention free items?
  • There will be some fun giveaways!
  • Join us!
  • Office of Financial Aid & Financial Literacy Committee
• Student account services developed a new process to receive foreign payments, creating a much easier system for our international students and clearing up an inadvertent roadblock. Student account services also began to create student accounts as soon as a potential student is accepted, shortening the time needed to be prepared to accept payment when the student deposits/registers.
• The Gore School made structural changes to staff responsibilities to increase time spent on MBA enrollment-related activities.
• The administrative services department has decreased nighttime temperature settings in all buildings, resulting in funds saved.
• The registrar's office instituted an electronic transcript system, creating an automated, smooth system for Westminster graduates to apply to graduate school, etc.
• Opportunities for student employment on campus were increased.
• Intentional practices for decreasing printing throughout campus resulted in over 20,000 in budget savings.
• Automated retention alert program was implemented by the Information Services department.
• The college implemented the four year guarantee program.
• "Walkways to Westminster" program was initiated through the Center for Civic Engagement, with funding support from Grace Tanner. This program is aimed at low to middle income families in South Salt Lake (for the pilot) with students who will be in high school next year, and whose families do not have a college going tradition. These students will become Walkways Scholars, and will learn how to pay for college, navigate the college application, prepare academically, and manage a successful transition to college. This is done through workshops, mentoring programs, and more. This program is aimed at making a Westminster degree more accessible to even more families in our community.
• The college will complete an update to the economic and social impact statement in June, 2015.
• The endowment investments returned a 2.8% return for the most recent quarter, and a 4.3% year one return, significantly outperforming the benchmarks of 1.1% and 2.7%, respectively.
• The financial aid office underwent a lean process improvement plan, resulting in improved processes and efficiencies, creating a better service experience for students.
• Westminster was awarded over $600,000 from the National Science Foundation to implement a scholarship and support program for students pursuing majors in computer science, physics, or mathematics. Starting in fall 2016, the project will fund two six-student cohorts beginning in their first year, as well as two cohorts of three students each beginning in their second year.

• The college received scholarship funding for Venture students from the Daniels Fund and the Gillmor Foundation donated $1 million to focus on recruiting and support more music students at Westminster.

PUTTING OUR VISION TO ACTION

The Strategic Plan captures both immediate needs and long-term aspirations. The institutional priorities for 2014-15 address both the immediate needs while contributing to the aspirational (and inspirational) goals of this college and our college community.

The institutional priorities for 2014/2015 are:

1. Extending the Westminster Community
2. Accelerating Innovation
3. Balancing the College Economy
4. Tuning the Westminster Culture
5. Beginning a Capital Campaign Process
6. Developing Stronger Communication and Branding

BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS OVERALL CHAMPION: ANNALISA HOLCOMBE
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY:	AREA CHAMPION:
Westminster Network	Annalisa Holcombe
South Salt Lake Initiatives	Julie Tille
Competency-Based Learning Capacity Growth	Lucille Sansing
Coaching/Mentoring Initiatives	Dick Chapman, Annalisa Holcombe
Sustainable Organizational Culture Initiative	Michael Pacanowsky

INNOVATING TO SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS OVERALL CHAMPION: LUCILLE SANSING
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY:	AREA CHAMPION:
Curricular productivity, eliminate redundancy	Lucille Sansing
Continue progress on Liberal Education reform	Barb Smith, Lisa Gentile
Develop more alternative pathways to learning	Provosts, Deans, President

ASSURING AFFODABILITY & SUSTAINABILITY OVERALL CHAMPION: BRIAN LEVIN-STANKEVICH
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY:	AREA CHAMPION:
Manage tight revenue while maintaining quality	Brian Levin-Stankevich
Finalize and implement enrollment and affordability plan	John Bawarowsky
Begin process to institute individual department and campus-wide performance-based budgeting	Brian Levin-Stankevich, Lucille Sansing

TUNING THE WESTMINSTER CULTURE OVERALL CHAMPION: BRIAN LEVIN-STANKEVICH
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY:	AREA CHAMPION:
Gender & other concerns, conflict resolution, equity, Title IX enforcement	Julie Freestone
Expand outreach into diverse prospective student pools	John Bawarosky
Opportunities for professional development to support strategic directions	Staff Council, Julie Freestone
Pilot revision to performance evaluation for staff & incorporate use of coaching model in supervision	Julie Freestone, Dick Chapman
Review organizational structure & change as appropriate	Brian Levin-Stankevich
Apply "lean" process improvements & organization principles	Alysse Morton, Curtis Ryan

DEVELOP STRONGER COMMUNICATION & BRANDING OVERALL CHAMPION: SHEILA YORKIN
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY:	AREA CHAMPION:
Plan more frequent and effective communications regarding vision and accomplishments	Sheila Yorkin, Annalisa Holcombe, Brian Levin-Stankevich
Link marketing & recruiting to fundraising strategies and overall mission & vision	Sheila Yorkin, Steve Morgan, Lucille Sansing, Deans

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN OVERALL CHAMPION: STEVE MORGAN
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY:	AREA CHAMPION:
Redefine fundraising plans for next 5 years	Board Advancement Committee, Brian Levin-Stankevich, Steve Morgan
Determine appropriate infrastructure for success	Steve Morgan

2014 - 2015 QUICK WIN INITIATIVES

President Levin-Stankevich and the Strategic Planning Council are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014-2015 Quick Win Initiative funding. This year's quick win projects and champions are:

ALIGNMENT WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE