Starting this year, Moravian is trading a traditional planning model for one that embraces “strategic thinking.”
This plan gives the university more flexibility in an ever-changing society, rather than being stuck in a two-to-ten-year plan that no longer suits the needs of the institution. Typically, an institution cycles between planning and non-planning (implementation) stages.
With strategic thinking, Moravian is never in a non-planning phase.
President Bryon Grigsby explained that the institution has a concrete understanding of what the following year will look like. In May they have a somewhat strong idea of what two years from then will look like, and by the end of the year, they have a fair understanding of what the third year out will look like.
“I like to think about it as the next year is in stone, the second is sandstone, and the third is in the sand,” Grigsby said.
Grigsby reflected on the pivot that Moravian and other institutions had to make to their strategic plans when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. With a strategic thinking model, he said, the university could have better pivoted to address the changes that the pandemic posed.
“Think back on the past five years,” said Provost Traupman-Carr. “[Then] imagine that you had a strategic plan that was set in stone and did not account for a global pandemic, the failure of the FAFSA revision, the closure, consolidation, or acquisition of about 25 colleges, and universities a year, the decline in enrollment at community colleges after COVID, unexpected inflation in the wake of COVID, and more.”
With strategic thinking, she said, generating ideas for the following year begins in the fall, in the spring the university drafts themes and initiatives, and in the summer internal teams are established to develop and implement actions that align with the established goals.
There are three main pillars in the 2024-25 plan that stem from the previous 2021-24 plan: ‘United in Learning,’ ‘Together Toward Equity,” and ‘Aligning for Growth.’
‘United in Learning’ focuses on collaborative learning that connects students to opportunities in and outside of the classroom. To fulfill this goal, Moravian will rename and revamp the Teaching and Learning Center, evaluate and change the current curriculum, launch the School of Theology, and add two new majors.
Traumpan-Carr explained that this year, one of the initiatives under this pillar is to revise all student policies to make them easier to understand and inclusive of all students. She shared that many of Moravian’s policies are framed for undergraduate students, who may not fit for seminary, physical therapy (DPT), or non-traditional student populations.
‘Together Toward Equity’ works to create a sense of belonging for all individuals on campus by building an equitable and inclusive environment. Moravian will meet these goals by creating a climate action plan, increasing student retention, and taking steps toward receiving the Hispanic Serving Institution designation.
“I am on the ‘Together Towards Equity’ pillar because of how decisions about equity, diversity, and inclusion need to be considered in everything we do, including curriculum revision and development, hiring of faculty and staff, and in our policies,” Traupman-Carr said.
‘Aligning for Growth’ promotes academic programs and external partnerships to maintain relevant skills for the ever-changing society students will enter and work in. The university will work to strengthen philanthropic resources, focus on the Lighting the Way campaign, invest in enrollment, and advance infrastructure while paying attention to the development of the HUB and strengthening World Heritage connections.
Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, Scott Dames, discussed an initiative to assess the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) at Moravian. This assessment is focused on the efficiency of AI use, improvement of students’ experience, and organizing data using AI.
“Lighting the Way continues to exceed every expectation,” said Jill Anderson, vice president for Development and Alumni Engagement.
Anderson shared that for the 2023-24 fiscal year, the university exceeded its annual fundraising goal by 35%. The university raised over $8.7 million with a $6.5 million goal. The Moravian Theological Seminary surpassed its annual fundraising goal by 102%, raising $1.3 million with a $675,000 goal and the Seminary raised over $1 million.
These goals never change; instead, the initiatives to achieve these goals do.
After a strategic plan is developed, a campus community can often forget about the goals until they are addressed at the end of the plan, Grigsby explained.
“[Strategic thinking] gets the plan in everyone’s face from Dining, Facilities, staff, faculty, and anyone else,” he said.
Moravian has been working to keep the community informed about current initiatives and goals through emails and updates to web pages. Most recently, to engage alumni, a presentation about strategic thinking was given during Homecoming at the Alumni Association Annual Meeting.
“It’s interesting as an employee and alumni, to see the shifts that are continuing to happen at Moravian because it’s a very different institution than when I was here ten years ago,” said Kris Beutler, User Experience & Assessment Librarian at Moravian’s Reeves Library.
Beutler believes it is important for students to stay informed about the actions being implemented with the strategic plan because “you will always be a Greyhound.”
She said students will be impacted by these plans during their studies and, as alumni, they may want to donate or contribute to campaigns.
The downside that the Board of Trustees identified was difficulty in developing longer-term plans and goals.
Grigsby said this can be mitigated by making smaller steps with the vision of a longer-term goal.
“We are in the most volatile period in higher education that we have seen,” Traupman-Carr said. “We need to be able to be proactive, and not just reactive, when something emerges unexpectedly, and to be flexible.”
