The University of Saint Francis announced the creation of 'Renew 2028,' a strategic plan to guide the university over the next few years.

“This summer, our founders, the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, gave the university a renewed mission statement that reaffirms our work serving God by forming students for lives of virtue, service and joy,” Saint Francis President Dr. Lance Richey said in a Nov. 7 news release. “This emphasis on forming the whole person distinguishes a University of Saint Francis education and makes our work in the world uniquely valuable. Inspired by this mission, the university has crafted an exciting new strategic plan—Renew 2028—to guide us in the coming years.”

The five goals of Renew 2028 are:

• Become a Midwest destination for Catholic higher education
• Form graduates committed to professional excellence, spiritual growth and service to others
• Cultivate a vibrant and relational environment that supports learning and human development
• Create a thriving workplace and institutional excellence
• Generate new philanthropic resources

Each of the five goals contains strategies and actions to achieve the desired results. Renew 2028 was developed in light of not only the renewed mission but also the university’s strategic anchors and core values. The strategic anchors of Catholic Identity, the Common Good and Operational Excellence ensure that decision-making is grounded in our mission. The core values of Ceaseless Adoration, Generous Love and Franciscan Joy flow from the Franciscan charism of the university and its founding order and drive the behaviors and activities of university employees.

“The changes Renew 2028 calls us to will deeply inform our work and culture at the University of Saint Francis and prepare us to thrive in the decades to come,” Richey said.

Renew 2028 evolved from input obtained from a broad constituency base. With representation from faculty, staff, administration and the Board of Trustees, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee assessed three years of student surveys and coordinated employee feedback. From this data review, the committee was able to identify strengths, challenges, areas for improvement and opportunities for the university. This work laid the foundation of the five strategic goals.

Over a period of three months, these goals were presented to stakeholders. Through over 20 discussion groups with employees, trustees and donors, plus feedback from students and alumni through surveys, thousands of ideas and perceptions were consolidated into major themes that were the basis for the committee to develop the strategies and actions supporting the goals.

Visit Renew 2028 for a complete overview.