About the Strategic Plan

Introduction

Thinking Anew, Acting Anew: The Strategic Plan for Saint Joseph’s University reflects the context of our times, the commitment of our community and the reach of our aspirations. We are fortunate to approach this process and forward these initiatives from a position of strength — with an impressive academic portfolio, financial health, desirable alumni outcomes and loyalty, and significant faculty and student achievement.

Technology, politics, business and social issues are all very different than they were just a few years ago and all are testing new social norms, technological limits and ethical standards. The educational experience we provide must connect students to tomorrow’s world so they are not just prepared for life and career, but equipped to be change-makers, problem-solvers and innovators.

Combining our strong Jesuit intellectual heritage and mission, and harnessing the passionate spirit for which we are known and admired, we set an ambitious path for Saint Joseph’s. This plan for the next decade is a collective vision, constructed by the able minds and willing hearts of members at every level of the institution who share a desire to always do and be better.

This plan, in simplest terms, will challenge us to reimagine our academic enterprise, all aspects of our total student experience, advance our national recognition through reputation-defining programs and an integrated and proactive communication strategy, and build the endowment and resources needed to make an SJU education accessible to more students, always building on our quality, ensuring our success for the very long horizon.

As we move toward fully operationalizing a comprehensive University model, we will adapt to evolving student needs while faithfully delivering on our promise of a superior education rooted in the liberal arts. Our campus master plan will match our facilities to our growing academic quality and reputation. We will bolster our endowment and carefully steward our resources, all of this while striving to attract talented and diverse individuals, compelled by our Jesuit mission to study, teach and work at SJU.

Just as we challenged ourselves to imagine this plan, we must be challenged and hold ourselves accountable for its implementation. Jesuit education has not remained relevant for centuries by standing still, but rather by constant evolution. The world expects much from Jesuit-educated graduates because they have the right combination of intellect, heart, creativity and bravery to make meaningful contributions that reverberate through their own communities and across the globe.

Saint Joseph’s has strong roots, and our capacity for success is immense. So, too, is the commitment of our stakeholders who will carry out this strategic plan: faculty, staff, students and alumni connected by an implicit, yet palpable, understanding of what it means to be Hawks.