A Foundation for Boundary Breaking Success
The Board of Trustees approved a new student-centric strategic plan for Bradley University in July 2021. This plan aligns with Bradley’s prevailing mission, while setting forth an exciting strategic vision and a complementary set of priorities designed to meet the dynamic landscape of higher education in an ever-changing world.
The plan was crafted over a seven-month period following a 14-step strategy development process involving 78 individuals who served on six key strategic planning groups. The broader university community was engaged through a faculty-staff survey, several information sessions and forums, and student focus groups designed to validate the results of an external market analysis of more than 1,600 current and prospective students.
The development of the new strategic plan was driven by Bradley’s situation, namely the challenging and competitive state of the higher education landscape. Particular attention was devoted to what today’s learners seek when selecting a university or college.
Based on this analysis, Bradley’s focus will be on two types of purposeful learners: aspirational and functional. Aspirational learners focus on the life they want to create for themselves and the person they want to become in the future. Functional learners focus on a specific result (typically job or career driven) and education is a necessary step to get them there.
Bradley’s new strategic vision captures what the university must be to appeal to and serve these learners.
Vision Statement
We deliver an engaging education that transcends traditional boundaries through scholarly and practical experiences in a diverse, caring and inclusive environment to prepare purpose-driven leaders who achieve success and build a better world. Bradley University: An investment in the life you want.
Coupled with the vision statement are five strategic imperatives that outline the university’s priorities:
Collectively, these five imperatives constitute the essence of the 2021 strategic plan. They will provide a framework for decision making, serve as operational platform, and drive the development of key strategic action items over the next three to five years.
Bradley faculty and staff are encouraged to visit the University Strategic Plan Resources page for further information.