Go Beyond What’s Expected

Strategic Plan

Pivoting to a New Level of Excellence

Launched in 2019, the Lenoir-Rhyne University strategic plan is built on four themes:

  • Exceptional Experience
    Provide a transformational experience for our students by cultivating a culture of engagement and student success. We must create and reimagine campus spaces and programming through a campus-wide focus to attract, engage, retain, and graduate our students.
  • Academic Excellence
    Enhance our commitment to academic excellence and enrich our academic profile to increase the value of a Lenoir-Rhyne degree resulting in an increase in net tuition revenue. This requires enhancing existing programs and investing in new programs that align with our mission. We will use technology in innovative ways to teach our students more effectively and expand our programming to meet the needs for students and employers.
  • Distinctive Identity
    Create a compelling and research-informed value proposition that distinguishes Lenoir-Rhyne University and excites our university stakeholders. Lenoir-Rhyne is positioned well to become a focused, recognized leader in higher education in North Carolina and in our region.
  • Transformative Future
    Create new revenue streams and strong financial modeling to ensure sustainability that will facilitate enhancing our investment in students, employees and programs. Our focus will diversify enrollment pipelines and cultivate new strategic partnerships that will ensure a dynamic and vibrant future.
A student measures liquid in a beaker
Graduating students hug
A student sits outside and paints
Students working on a project in a science lab
Planning Process

Themes were presented to the LR community in Hickory, Asheville and Columbia that addressed academic excellence, student engagement, retention, brand identity, technology and financial strength.

The student experience is at the center of our new strategic plan, Pivoting to a New Level of Excellence. The four pillars of that plan will provide focus and drive what we do over the next few years.

Dr. Fred K. Whitt, President
  • Strategic Planning Process

    In May 2018, Lenoir-Rhyne President Dr. Fred Whitt invited the LR faculty and staff to engage in a campus community discussion that began the thought process for the University’s next strategic plan. Themes emerged around improving and enhancing multiple areas on campus, including academic excellence, student engagement, retention, brand identity, technology and financial strength.

    In an effort to provide a transparent process and leverage maximum participation from all three campuses, the University partnered with Credo Higher Education, a nationally known consulting firm whose focus is working with small private universities. In September 2018, members of the LR leadership team met for a two-day workshop with Credo to begin the strategic planning process.

    The workshop consisted of reviewing research and analyzing pillars common to thriving private universities. In addition, the leadership team discussed and identified key themes and goals that would be important to move LR to a higher level of excellence over the next five years.

    Four strategic themes emerged from the workshop, and these were presented to the LR community in Hickory, Asheville and Columbia. Faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the board of trustees engaged in additional workshops to continue to develop these themes and identify goals of the plan. A broader group of representatives from the campus community was appointed to both the strategic planning team and to theme teams to further refine and prioritize the goals and initiatives within each of four strategic themes.

  • Outcomes and Metrics
    • Grow graduate and undergraduate enrollment
    • Significantly improve retention and graduation rates
    • Increase net revenue to invest in infrastructure
    • Implement high impact practices
    • Significantly expand alumni giving †
    • Enhance market awareness by telling our story
    • Develop robust employment outcomes
  • Strategic Planning Establishment Team
    • President Fred Whitt, chair
    • Jeff Delbert, assistant professor of communication
    • Leah Beth Hubbard, assistant vice president for mission, engagement and innovation
    • Cat Niekro, vice president for institutional advancement
    • Jessica O’Brien, assistant librarian and coordinator of instructional technology
    • Kim Pate, vice president for athletics
    • Josh Ring, associate professor of chemistry
    • Tom Turner, assistant professor of business
    • Julie Voss, associate professor of English