Inspire, Spring 2011

In February, Dr. Bill Brown addressed a meeting of faculty and staff to unveil Vision 2020 — an ambitious, yet measurable, strategic map that charts a course for Cedarville through the year 2020. Primary goals include increasing traditional undergraduate enrollment to 4,000; online enrollment to 6,000; graduate programs to accommodate 500; and alternative income, through annual giving and strategic partnerships, by $5 million. Doing so will generate a gross revenue increase of $25 million and reduce Cedarville’s current financial dependence on traditional tuition, room, and board revenues from 95 percent to 75 percent over the next nine years. In 2009–10, member schools of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities were made up of, on average, 53 percent traditional undergraduates, 21 percent other undergraduates (online), and 26 percent graduate students. Cedarville’s enrollment is disproportionately and unsustainably dependent upon traditional undergraduates at 96 percent. By 2018, the University expects a significant shift in traditional prospective students from Cedarville’s strongest markets: Ohio (-8 percent), Michigan (-10 percent), Pennsylvania (-7 percent), New York (-14 percent), Illinois (-4 percent), and Indiana (+1 percent). Students from these states represented 67 percent of enrollment in 2009. These figures point toward a strategic crossroad, motivating an initiative to position Cedarville as a strong, national competitor in Christ-centered education. In the coming months, Cedarville will launch a comprehensive plan to dramatically increase the University’s name recognition and reputation for academic excellence, actively recruiting national and global leaders to come to campus to address issues of high cultural relevance. The plan also calls for continued promotion of the school’s world-class faculty, known for great teaching, innovative research, and cultural engagement. Vision 2020 outlines opportunities for new academic programs that build on the University’s success in biblical studies and liberal arts as well as projected industry growth trends in areas such as engineering, health care, business, and technology. In addition, the plan calls for a campus infrastructure that directly supports new academic programs, including aggressive growth in online programs. “As this presentation was made to the trustees, the sense of excitement was palpable,” said Dr. William Rudd, chairman of the board. “We unanimously affirmed this vision for moving into the future in ways that can resource what we’re doing now and enhance the influence and impact of Cedarville around the world.” The driving force behind the strategy is the University’s vision “to be one of the most influential, Christ-centered universities in the 21st century — the model for biblical integration, liberal arts education, professional preparation, technological innovation, and cultural engagement. Our graduates will be known for their faithfulness to the authority of Scripture and the use of their influence to change the world for Christ.” campus news Vision 2020 “Cedarville will launch a comprehensive plan to dramatically increase the University’s name recognition and reputation for academic excellence.” It’s time to think big about Cedarville. This was the consensus following the January 2011 meeting of the board of trustees and the administrative council. Unprecedented opportunities for development and a sobering forecast for traditional prospective student enrollment informed the thinking and planning for the University’s next steps forward. Cedarville University 3