Lipscomb Impact 360 strategic plan to guide institution into the future
The Lipscomb community has been hard at work developing a strategic plan that will guide its priorities and work in the future.
Kim Chaudoin |
President Candice McQueen announces the rollout of the full Lipscomb Impact 360 strategic plan.
The Lipscomb community recently celebrated a significant milestone with the launch of Lipscomb Impact 360, a strategic plan that will boldly chart a bright future for the institution, the Lipscomb community and, most importantly, students.
Lipscomb Impact 360 is a new framework that establishes institutional priorities for the future. The finished plan includes a vision statement, mission statement, values, core tenets, goals and tactics.
More than 550 full time university faculty and staff participated in the Lipscomb Impact 360 rollout meetings on Aug. 11. Each attendee received a notebook that includes the plan as well as a framed document that features the plan’s vision, mission, core tenets, values and goals.
More than 550 full time faculty and staff gathered in the George Shinn Center on Aug. 11 to celebrate the rollout of the Lipscomb Impact 360 plan.
“The rollout of the complete Lipscomb Impact 360 plan is the result of many individuals from our community coming together for a common purpose,” President Candice McQueen. “Now, it is time to work together to accomplish our goals so that we can make a transformative impact on the lives of our students for generations to come.”
Last fall, the Lipscomb community embarked on a process to set forth a clear and unifying mission, vision and plan to engage the entire Lipscomb community. Since then, the Lipscomb community engaged in a strategic planning process to develop a far-reaching comprehensive strategic plan that sets our priorities for the coming years that will have an immediate and long-lasting positive impact on our Lipscomb community and beyond.
McQueen said the Lipscomb community “rolled up its sleeves and worked diligently and with great care for this institution and all those who claim it” while developing the plan. She also said that throughout the process it has been critical to listen and to gather feedback from all levels of the organization.
The listening phase included 1,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors surveyed; 200 one-on-one and small group listening sessions; seven-city Be A Light Tour meetings; roundtable discussions with more than 400 faculty and staff and 125 alumni as well as 100 individuals who served on ad hoc and steering committees.
Faculty and staff gathered on Aug. 11 to celebrate the rollout of the Lipscomb Impact 360 plan.
This feedback was collected and analyzed over about a six month period and structured around a SOAR analysis–an examination of the strengths upon which we could build, the opportunities inherent in those strengths, what the institution should aspire to accomplish, and the results those efforts might yield. This provided a foundation upon which key elements of the plan were built. In April Lipscomb’s board of trustees unanimously approved the Impact 360 vision, mission, values and goals.
“Since that time, hours of work have been invested in developing the tactics to bring Impact 360 to life,” said McQueen, “our goals, establishing an implementation timeline and thinking about ways this can be integrated into our culture.”
Elements of the Lipscomb Impact 360 plan
The plan includes a vision statement, mission statement, values, core tenets, goals and tactics.
Vision
Anchored in our Christ-centered mission, Lipscomb University will lead as a top-tier, nationally recognized university. We will excel in teaching, learning, and research; be ambitious in our service to others; and be driven by continuous improvement.
Mission
We are a Christ-centered community preparing learners for purposeful lives through rigorous academics and transformative experiences.
Members of the Department of English and Modern Languages discuss the Lipscomb Impact 360 plan.
Core Tenets
We are a community engaged with the life and teachings of Jesus. We are committed to an ongoing search for truth.
We provide excellent, whole-person learning experiences to shape lives of character, leadership, service and faith.
We equip people to succeed in their vocation and contribute to the common good by living out their faith in action.
Lipscomb Impact 360 is more than just a guiding framework. It is a plan of action that is designed to elevate the student experience, grow and expand the institution, improve overall organizational effectiveness and impact lives. The plan includes six high-level, big-picture goals along with a number of tactics, strategies and measures to help reach these goals.
McQueen said that Lipscomb Impact 360 is a bold plan that will not be accomplished overnight as there will be a number of short-term successes while other tactics will take much longer to accomplish. Several key initiatives have already been accomplished such as the launch of the Center for Vocational Discovery, the new Bison One Stop, the formation of the Office of Research & Grants, the new Office of Accessibility & Learning Supports.
In addition to goals and tactics, Lipscomb Impact 360 also defines eight core values that are expectations for members of the Lipscomb community. These values are: Love God, Serve Others, Respect All, Pursue Joy, Seek to Learn, Embrace Collaboration, Deliver Our Best and Create Solutions.
“How we walk out the Lipscomb Impact 360 plan is just as important as WHAT we do,” said McQueen. “We want these core values to reflect who we are and to become an expectation for all of us.”
The next step for the strategic planning process is for goal owners and implementation teams to develop plans for and to begin work on completing the tactics and strategies in the plan.