A Future of Promise

Villanova University’s treasured traditions and enduring values have brought us to the forefront of higher education. As we look forward to the 21st century, it has been this rich heritage which has inspired the members of our community to seek new opportunities, realize new potentials, establish new goals and respond in fresh and innovative ways to an increasing number of challenges. The strategic planning process in which we are now fully engaged is a means of harnessing our energies, thoughts and visions into a comprehensive, coordinated and relevant plan of thinking, planning and acting.

Our planning efforts are planted firmly in the Mission Statement of the University, a strong and vital document that has served to inspire and guide our institution for many years. In December 1991, the Board of Trustees approved A Future of Promise, the strategic vision of the University, providing broad direction and purpose for our future planning efforts. Since that time, each of the colleges and administrative units has developed its own strategic plan, reflecting the specific needs of its operations within the overall context of A Future of Promise.

As the strategic planning process continues to unfold, the importance of integrating the global vision articulated in A Future of Promise with the specific needs expressed in the individual college and administrative strategic plans becomes obvious. This integration, presented herein as A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence, is by no means the culmination of our strategic planning efforts. Indeed, we must remain ever mindful that strategic planning is a dynamic, flexible process that calls for all of us to continually evaluate our efforts in light of the goals we strive to achieve and the challenges that we face. By its very nature, strategic planning attempts to help an institution not only survive but flourish in a changing environment. The publication of A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence is but one step in our continuing efforts to rise to new heights of academic and professional excellence.

A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence blends the traditions of our Catholic, Augustinian identity, the Mission Statement and the visions expressed in A Future of Promise with the specific goals and directions articulated by colleges and administrative units in their specific strategic plans. Using the goals outlined in A Future of Promise, this comprehensive plan is a further refinement of our strategic direction on a broad level, having considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and priorities of our campus community.

The essence of our strategic planning efforts has been the involvement of all members of the University community in using reliable and accurate data to make decisions and establish priorities. Our continuing planning efforts will emphasize the active participation of our whole community; participation in the development, discussion, review, critique and implementation of the strategic direction contained within this comprehensive plan.

Without question, the University is committed to intensifying its ongoing efforts to recruit scholarly faculty, provide undergraduate and graduate programs of the highest quality, attract bright and motivated students, improve instructional and living facilities, offer co-curricular programs to enhance student development on all-levels, beautify our environment, enhance our endowment and other financial resources, and meet the needs of our many constituents with the highest of quality and efficiency.

Our initiatives are dedicated to securing the future of Villanova University and enhancing its ability to meet the role of providing our students with the finest education available. It is only through our combined efforts, our combined commitment, and our combined dedication that these goals become realities. Strategic planning requires strategic thinking and strategic action. I encourage all members of the community to participate in shaping our future - A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence.

Villanova University is based on a tradition of excellence. As we enter what may well be one of the most challenging periods facing higher education, Villa- nova is confident of its ability to maintain its historic position as a premier academic institution.

This confidence in our ability to flourish in the decades ahead is rooted in the strategic planning process which has been initiated at all levels of the University. A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence: The Comprehensive Academic and Administrative Strategic Plan of Villanova University represents the integration of our traditions and our dreams at this stage in our history. You will find that this document is based firmly on the University’s Mission Statement blended with the strategic vision articulated in A Future of Promise, the Board approved strategic plan. This document further integrates the many goals and objectives developed through the specific college and administrative unit strategic plans created over the past few years.

As this document is firmly based on the Mission Statement of Villanova University, it is referenced, as appropriate, throughout the document. Citations of the Mission Statement are presented in bold type.

You will find the Mission Statement on page 5 of this document. A Future of Promise begins on page 7. The comprehensive academic and administrative strategic plan, A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence, begins on page 11. The ordering of these documents deliberately seeks to place our current strategic planning efforts in the perspective of our past activities. It speaks to the heritage of the University, the challenges we are facing today, and the future we strive to achieve. The final section of this document (beginning on page 29), The Commitment to Excellence articulates the leadership we will need to attain our potential, and calls for all members of the community to join together as we seek to enhance the excellence which has characterized Villanova University throughout the years.

A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence is neither a beginning nor an end to the strategic planning process. It is an essential continuation of this effort. Strategic planning is a dynamic process. This document will change over time just as our goals, objectives, challenges and opportunities will change. Strategic planning requires strategic thought and strategic action. We shall remain open to the flexibility required in this process.

A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence requires study and interpretation. It should become a well-worn reference to guide each of us, whatever our roles, as we seek to fulfill our responsibilities to the University, its academic mission and our students. Developed and disseminated to the entire University community as a draft in December 1994, it has under gone review and revision by many colleagues.

This review and revision process is also ongoing. The participation of each and every one of us is essential for the successful implementation of our strategic goals. As colleges and administrative units begin revisions to their individual strategic plans, great emphasis will be placed on involving our many constituents in the review process. And as these specific plans are revised, so too will they suggest new themes and directions for this comprehensive plan.

Flourishing in the times ahead - a complex and challenging endeavor - will require the finest each of us has to contribute. Together, we assure the promise of our future: a future of excellence.

Villanova University is an independent coeducational institution of higher learning founded by the Augustinian Order of the Roman Catholic Church. The University is a community of persons of diverse professional, academic and personal interests who, in a spirit of collegiality, cooperate to achieve their common goals and objectives in the transmission, the pursuit and the discovery of knowledge. This community serves society by developing and sustaining an academic environment in which the potentialities of its members may be realized. Villanova is committed to those same high goals and standards of academic integrity and excellence as well as personal and corporate achievement that characterize all worthy institutions of higher learning.

As a Catholic institution, Villanova both emphasizes the values of the Judaeo-Christian humanistic tradition and concerns itself with all value systems. The University attempts to develop an environment in which students, faculty and staff may experience a Christian intellectual and moral perspective, believing that the teachings of the Catholic faith are applicable in every area of human activity. Although Villanova functions as an independent institution in the conduct of its own affairs, in matters theological it recognizes its obligation to the Magisterium of the Church. Villanova looks to the Order of St. Augustine to preserve the University’s Augustinian character through its presence and influence and by providing personnel and financial support. In turn, the University recognizes its special relationship to the Order of St. Augustine by showing appropriate preference to Augustinians in the initial appointment of faculty and staff.

Given its character and resources, Villanova is committed to offering such undergraduate and graduate programs as will best serve the needs of its constituencies. As a medium-sized comprehensive university, it offers programs in the humanities, in the natural and social sciences and in professional areas such as business, education, engineering, law and nursing. The University emphasizes undergraduate instruction and is committed to a liberal arts component in each of its under graduate programs. hi all academic departments, it encourages such research and scholarly work as are compatible with the faculty’s other obligations to the University.

Villanova stresses the disciplines of philosophy and religious studies. Moreover, it seeks to add its influence to the search for world peace and justice by means of both its academic programs and the pastoral ministry it provides for the members of the University community. In like manner, the University has always encouraged and supported its faculty, students and staff in providing public service to the community. Ultimately, all these programs and support are seen as a means of developing the total person: intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, culturally, socially and physically.

Villanova attempts to enroll students with diverse social, geographic, economic and educational back grounds. Furthermore, in utilizing its financial aid re sources to help achieve this diverse student body, Villanova recognizes its responsibility to use part of those resources to assist the economically and educationally disadvantaged.

Villanova welcomes students who consider it desirable to study within the philosophical framework of Christian humanism. Similarly, the University seeks to employ on all levels those who are sympathetic to and supportive of its character and identity. Accordingly, Villanova confidently expects that all - students, faculty, administrators and staff - will so comport themselves as to assure the continuance and enhancement of the University’s high purposes, and its moral and religious traditions. In accomplishing its purposes, the University complies with all the requirements of federal and state legislation with respect to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination.

Villanova encourages communication among all the elements of the academic community and operates on a policy that promotes easy access of students to faculty and of students and faculty to administrators. Further more, it seeks to involve students, faculty and administrators in the development of University policy through appropriate structures of governance.

Finally, this community seeks to reflect the spirit of St. Augustine by the cultivation of knowledge, by respect for individual differences and by adherence to the principle that mutual love and respect should animate every aspect of University life.

The environment for institutions of higher learning is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. As the year 2000 approaches, competition for the most academically qualified students will become intense. In addition, many of these students will have needs that educational institutions will be hard-pressed to meet.

Villanova must strengthen its ability to attract and adapt to an ever-changing student pool, while emphasizing its rich Augustinian character and enhancing academic quality. The purpose of our strategic planning is to ensure a future that is founded on these vital principles.

Villanova University will be recognized as an out standing Catholic institution, fully prepared to meet the needs of its students. The Board of Trustees is dedicated to this goal and supports the objectives outlined in the University’s strategic plan. It is the Trustees’ hope that each member of the University community will be equally committed to ensuring Villanova’s bright future.

Social and technological changes are occurring at ever-increasing rates, and they present great challenges to higher education. As educators and administrators, we are responsible for understanding our evolving environment. Successful strategic planning - our ability to adapt and take advantage of change - enables Villanova to meet challenges and use them as opportunities to strengthen the University.

As a result of the changing complexion of the nation’s student pool, Villanova will face increased competition for the most academically qualified students. Only by preparing now to compete for the most academically talented students will the University be positioned to maintain and even augment the academic quality and diversity of its students in this changing environment.

The demographics of the student pool will continue to change substantially. The student Villanova will want to attract will have a greater need for higher levels of financial assistance. We cannot anticipate increases in the governmental levels of students assistance. In order to retain and strengthen academic quality and diversity, Villanova must offer financial assistance to meet the needs of those students who have academic credentials to enter the University.

Students’ preference for on-campus housing and true sense of community spirit promises to increase. Villanova will face a demand, among its students, for a greater availability of residential facilities and a healthy residential atmosphere. Villanova must significantly increase the availability of on-campus housing and enhance campus life.

Economic forecasts present many challenges and impact each of the University’s resources - both capital and human. While Villanova is not alone in facing these challenges, its endowment is exceptionally low. At its current level, the endowment cannot earn the monies that will be needed to ensure high quality students, faculties, programs and facilities. An inadequate endowment makes the University vulnerable to external and internal pressures. Villanova must strength en its resources to be able to weather economic uncertainties.

The issues indicate that Villanova must position itself to meet the demands of the future. A plan that addresses the changes and sets parameters for decision- making and action is necessary - a strategic plan.

The initial step in strategic planning is to fully understand and support the institutional mission. A university community must know what qualities are to be preserved as the objectives for the future are developed.

At the heart of Villanova’s plan for the future is its mission. Villanova is a comprehensive university, strong in the liberal arts and sciences, and excellent in undergraduate education. Villanova offers selected graduate programs of high quality. Its faculty is out standing in teaching. Its staff is committed to quality, caring service. Villanova is a community of people who share common values and whose culture reflects the true Augustinian spirit.

Moving forward, it is necessary for Villanova not only to preserve, but also to strengthen its mission.

Through the strategic planning process, Villanova’s most enduring qualities and characteristics were identified. In addition, strengths and weaknesses of programs and operations were evaluated against specific issues. The result of this process is Villanova’s strategic plan. The plan defines specific goals which give firm direction to the University.

It is important for members of the University community to be aware of those who took part in the planning process. Of equal importance is the under standing that the strategic planning process is one which grows and evolves.

The early stages of the planning began to take shape in the mid-1980s with the work of the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC). Members of PEC carefully evaluated each of the University’s academic and non- academic programs and recommended the allocation of resources affecting 122 programs.

A second phase of planning was initiated in the fall of 1989. The President’s Planning Committee provided overall coordination of the planning activities which were taking place concurrently. An Academic Planning Committee and an Administrative Planning Committee were established to review the PEC findings and coordinate its recommendations with an extensive sell-study in preparation for the visit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities accreditation team.

The various planning and self-evaluation efforts and activities were critical to the process because they provided faculty, staff and students with opportunities for participation in the work and discussion. These intensive efforts laid the foundation for the initial draft of Villanova’s institutional plan.

The University Senate and the Board of Trustees reviewed the initial strategic planning document during the 1990-1991 academic year. Indicative of the importance of the strategic planning process, the Board became actively involved and established an ad hoc committee whose members worked in concert with the president to address a variety of key external issues. The ad hoc committee included the Board’s chairman, chairman of the Board’s Finance Committee, secretary to the Board, other selected members of the Board, and the president of the University.

After months of planning and deliberating, a strategic plan was approved by the Board of Trustees on December 9, 1991.

The goals listed below describe the critical and enduring qualities of Villanova that will characterize the University in the next ten years. Meeting these goals will position the University as a leading Catholic institution possessing the resources to succeed in what it sets out to do.

1. Villanova University will be a Catholic university reflecting Augustinian traditions and nurturing the development of religious faith and practice.

2. Villanova University will be a community diverse in race, gender, religion, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic background.

3. Villanova University will be a comprehensive university, strong in the liberal arts and sciences, excellent in all undergraduate programs, and selective in its offering of graduate programs of high quality. It will maintain law school programs of the highest quality.

4. Villanova University will graduate students with a strong liberal arts and sciences education, including those in the professional programs in business, nursing and engineering, and with a strong sense of commitment to service.

5. Villanova University will retain and nurture a scholarly faculty, strongly committed to the primary function of instruction.

6. Villanova University will support the conditions for excellence in teaching.

7. Villanova University will ensure a strong residential environment on a safe and attractive campus and will provide state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

8. Villanova University will admit students of a progressively higher quality and will seek and encourage non-traditional students for degree programs.

9. Villanova University will have a balance of athletic programs in intercollegiate, intramural and club sports, and will, within the limits of its resources, continue to strive for nationally recognized excellence in selected athletic programs.

10. Villanova University will govern by principles of collegiality that include faculty, staff students, alumnae/i, administrators and trustees.

11. Villanova University will incorporate efficient principles of quality management in the services of its educational function.

12. Villanova University will organize and sustain systems that measure quality improvement and sign academic and values goals.

13. Villanova University will reexamine costs that do not contribute directly to the University’s primary goal to educate and increase human understanding.

14. Villanova University will strengthen relationships with alumnae/i, parents and friends.

Strategic goals set the direction for Villanova. A method or approach to determine the specific actions that need to be taken to achieve those goals was required. Several alternatives were considered. Due to the importance of a strong student body and the necessity of the University’s ability to compete for students in the educational marketplace, Villanova selected an approach based on the “overlap admissions group.”

The applications of Villanova’s prospective students were tracked to identify the various institutions that receive applications from these same students. The overlap admissions group represents select institutions to which our prospective students most frequently apply and are admitted. Research shows which institutions did or did not accept the students, as well as the college or university in which each student eventually enrolled.

The overlap admissions group consists of the colleges and universities to which students and their parents compare Villanova. It represents those institutions with which we compete for the very best students. Villanova’s ability to effectively compete with the overlap admissions group is crucial to the overall success and academic quality of the University as it prepares for the balance of this decade and on into the 21st century.

Members of the Trustee ad hoc committee and University leaders placed great effort in defining objectives that, when met, will position Villanova to achieve its goals within a ten year period. Strategic objectives, or actions, are based on the objective and measurable characteristics of the overlap admissions group.

Each institutions’ specific average SAT score, level of endowment, salaries and other factors are closely monitored. Villanova’s objectives are to focus on each category and position itself among the top half of the group in every category.

The strategic objectives identify where efforts are to be focused. They serve as a tool to measure progress, showing where movement needs to occur within the University. Strategic implementation is important be cause it stresses that success of this effort requires the support of all members of the University community.

Members of individual academic departments and administrative units will be asked to respond to the objectives that are most appropriate to their unit and to develop specific program plans. They will determine what activity needs to occur to successfully reach their target objectives.

Critical strategic objectives have been further developed by the University’s academic and administrative leaders. These objectives are recognized as having greatest importance to the University as it prepares for future challenges and opportunities.

In today’s complex environment, the colleges and universities that are pursuing a clearly defined plan will emerge as leaders in the 21st century. Others may fall victim to the winds of change. Villanova’s strategic plan was developed to provide a sense of direction and purpose and to ensure that, amid changes, Villanova’s rich traditions endure.

The implementation of Villanova’s strategic plan will be sequential and dynamic. The plan is intended to guide the direction of the University and the separate contributions each individual makes to Villanova in his or her work. As the implementation of strategic objectives moves throughout the University and is integrated into our everyday responsibilities, Villanova’s vision moves closer to realization.

This document has been prepared so that all members of the Villanova community may understand and support the goals and objectives of strategic planning. It is necessary that everyone’s efforts are devoted to the strategic objectives and committed to ensuring Villanova’s success. The general parameters have been set. It is time to move forward to provide Villanova with a future of promise.

Villanova University has enjoyed extraordinary development in recent years. A common theme running through A Future of Promise is one of partnership - the creation and enhancement of cooperative alliances which emphasize the connection of our mission, our traditions and our new directions, achievements and opportunities. The strengths offered by the leadership of the Board of Trustees, our outstanding faculty, staff and administration, distinguished academic programs, and excellent students, further strengthened by the continued support of alumnae/i and friends, makes tangible our commitment to providing the finest possible education for our students and compels our mission of excellence.

It is the commonality of purpose which makes practical our willingness to examine and reflect upon our direction. Through the comprehensive strategic planning process, we envision a renewal in our spirit of purpose, cooperation and responsibility as the ideas and plans are integrated into a unified context. It is this unity that prepares us for the decisions ahead.

The strategic direction that is presented expands upon the goals outlined in A Future of Promise and conceptualizes these goals through the integration of the academic and administrative strategic plans that were formulated by each college and administrative unit. As noted, we can now provide a more detailed reference point for subsequent tactical decision making. The decisions we make will be consonant with many of the goals outlined in the specific academic and administrative plans.

We anticipate and prepare for a rising level of excellence and distinction in teaching, research and scholarship. Likewise, we anticipate and prepare for rising levels of excellence in the administrative functions that serve the University. The decisions made today are done so with a confidence and assurance sown by our traditions and nourished by our dreams. As a Catholic Augustinian university, our model for excellence is the legacy of our traditions as they structure our renewal. We view the future with perspective and enthusiasm.

Catholic Identity and Augustinian Tradition (1)

Villanova University will be a Catholic university reflecting Augustinian traditions and nurturing the development of religious faith and practice.

We are deeply conscious of our Catholic heritage and of our responsibility to bring the Catholic tradition to bear upon the intellectual and cultural climate of our time. Within this context, Villanova has endeavored to nourish and strengthen the human spirit since opening its doors in 1842, ceaselessly pursuing the ideals of truth, unity and love that appear on the University seal. Particularly as a Catholic Augustinian university, we perceive a harmony between being Catholic and being a university. Augustine always used the word "catholic" with a strong suggestion of the universality it connotes. Our identity is who and what we are, have been and aspire to become. Our collective consciousness is embodied in the very fabric of the institution: its foundation, its symbols, its mission statement, its way of life, its lore and its people.

Villanova's identity as an Augustinian university consists of certain characteristics of Augustine's thought and legacy that have become the essentials of our identity and form of self-expression. The three essential characteristics of our Augustinian tradition - the relationship between mind and heart, the role of community, and the unity of knowledge - provide the key for interpreting Villanova University's mission statement.

The first of these Augustinian characteristics has to do with the relationship between the mind the heart, a reciprocity between love and knowledge. In an Augustinian university, values must provide the context as well as the object of our reasoning. These underlying values must include, in addition to the values that we hold by consensus as participants in the community of American higher education, the convictions mediated to us by our Catholic tradition. Among them, specifically in our time, are a concern for peace and justice and those matters most central to the University as a living community of faith, a community where faith and reason interact to foster the knowledge which will inform our world.

The second Augustinian characteristic is an emphasis on the role of community. Villanova has always prided itself on its sense of community - students, faculty, staff, and alumnae/i. We are challenged in these days to deepen and broaden this sense of community. Faculty interaction in and out of the classroom or laboratory, student life, opportunities for exchange, should reflect an openness to people and ideas, a sense of inquiry and dialogue, a community of discourse, all within a context of moral and loving concern for each other. It is our willingness to engage in these conversations that gives our mission life and character. Thus, education is imparted by the activity of a community which professes and proclaims certain values. This community has as its inspiration the bountiful wellspring of Augustine. In human community, unity and love lead to truth.

The third Augustinian characteristic of Villanova's identity is unity of knowledge. For Augustine, philosophy and theology were virtually identical, largely due to his sense of the public universal character of the Christian message. Philosophy and theology are partners in the human quest for knowledge and wisdom, probing vigorously with their own canons the broader questions of relevance to human life. The University's mission statement says: Villanova emphasizes the disciplines of philosophy and theology and religious studies. This is not intended to grant privileged status to specific academic disciplines but to recognize that those disciplines are especially concerned with the integration of knowledge in light of the Catholic religious and intellectual tradition: philosophical and theological reflection on religious expression and tradition is central and integrating for human life and culture.

As Villanova holds fast to this strong foundation with one hand, with wisdom it extends the other to the future. Precisely because of its historic affirmation of its Catholic Augustinian identity, the University strives to be inclusive and respectful of cultural and religious diversity, welcoming those who belong to other religious traditions. Every member of the academic community should be able to live comfortably in an atmosphere marked by Catholic practices and symbols. Whatever their background, it is important that each member of the University community respect Villanova=s Catholic identity ad engage it constructively.

The presence of varied traditions, cultures and beliefs within the community will ultimately assist our students to develop as world citizens. They will continue to be persons who are proud to belong to a University that has sought to add its influence in building a community of peace and justice within its own culture. As the value of diversity is respected and celebrated within the University, so too will it be valued and extended to those persons touched by the University.

Members of the Order of St. Augustine will continue to have significant roles in the life of the University as members of the faculty, administration and staff. They will have high visibility in the residence halls and the Office of Campus Ministry. By their presence, influence and service to the University community, members of the Order join in a partnership which invites all University members to participate and share in the dynamics of Augustine's vision.

As noted in the University mission statement: This community seeks to reflect the spirit of St. Augustine by the cultivation of knowledge, by respect for individual differences and by adherence to the principle that mutual love and respect should animate every aspect of University life. The mission and Augustinian character of Villanova are its greatest strengths and continue to shape our Catholic identity.

Strategic Direction:

Maintain a commitment to Augustinian scholarship by establishing the St. Augustine Endowed Chair, a chair interdisciplinary in nature and consonant with Augustine's view of the integration of knowledge in the quest for truth and wisdom.

Establish a Center for the Study of Applied and Professional Ethics and contribute to the national and international discussion of specific problems facing practitioners in business, education, engineering, law, medicine, nursing and other professions through research, public symposia and publication of scholarly journal articles, papers and monographs.

Develop and support orientation programs for new faculty, students and staff, the purpose of which is to introduce them to the mission of the University, its commitment to excellence and its cultivation of the intellectual life in harmony with Augustine=s legacy of a dynamic view of people living and working together in pursuit of wisdom

Support programs developed by the Office of Campus Ministry which include opportunities for all University members to participate in prayer, liturgy, community service, residence hall ministries and pastoral care.

Support programs developed by colleges and offices which promote student, faculty and staff involvement in community service and service learning opportunities.

Renew commitment to the special relationship between the Order of St. Augustine and Villanova University.

Support academic and co-curricular programs designed to improve cross-college collaboration which pay particular attention to the Catholic and Augustinian traditions and the centrality of the liberal arts and sciences.

Diversity (2)

Villanova University will be a community diverse in race, gender, ethnicity, religion, culture and socioeconomic background.

Villanova continually strives to create a sense of community in the best sense of the term, with all its members - faculty, staff, students, administrators, parents, alumnae/i and others - working together to foster the mission of the University: The University is a community of persons of diverse professional, academic, and personal interests who in a spirit of collegiality cooperate to achieve their common goals and objectives in the transmission, the pursuit and the discovery of knowledge.

This sense of community, of inclusion and belonging, is essential to meeting the ideals of excellence in any institution of higher education. For Villanova University, this sense of community is also essential in meeting the ideals which define us as a Catholic Augustinian university. The Catholic tradition is characterized by its breadth and its diversity. It focuses on inclusiveness, universality and continual reform.

To meet the needs of its students, the University must open a window to the world, and prepare students for both the challenges and the rewards of contemporary society. We strive to be a community of diversity: diversity of opinions, of beliefs, of cultural backgrounds. We strive to be a community wherein respectful debate, dialogue and the search for understanding and truth mark the foundations of our academic and interpersonal experiences.

In achieving the goals of attracting and retaining the most qualified students, faculty and staff, and maintaining our sense of community, diversity is not only encouraged, it is a desired goal. Ultimately, diversity becomes commonplace. It is precisely because of our differences that the search for unity and understanding allow us to create a community which best represents our collective enterprise of transmitting, pursuing and discovering knowledge.

As the pool of academically talented students changes over the next decade, Villanova is positioning itself to be a favorable academic and social environment for students from all backgrounds. There are pragmatic reasons for taking such a position, but these are not to be outweighed by the commitment to engage students and faculty in understanding the larger and changing society in which we live, thus actively educating for diversity. We should be heartened by the thoughtful ways in which we are searching out common ground while voicing a particular perspective. The difficulties of change cannot be ignored; genuine, respectful dialogue and discussion move us toward the necessary resolutions.

Encouraging such a community requires important changes -in our students, in our faculty, in our programs and in our ability to be flexible in meeting the needs of a more diverse population. Beyond the provisions of necessary support services, financial assistance and physical facilities, we seek to emphasize and expand the opportunities for exploration, dialogue and debate that such change offers.

As stated in A Future of Promise, the University is strengthening its ability to attract and adapt to an ever-changing student pool, while strengthening its academic quality. We need always to recognize with delight the myriad ways in which such large scale efforts manifest themselves.

To be passive in our efforts to create a more diverse culture will, in the long term, be counterproductive in light of our goals. To consider diversity a passing trend or a phenomenon of limited proportions and impact is to be shortsighted to the creativity, the opportunities and the growth that a diverse milieu offers. It is also to neglect the needs of our students: those who will seek a Villanova education and those who will apply their Villanova education in our larger and simultaneously more interdependent, diverse world.

Strategic Direction:

Enhance and expand student recruitment efforts, including increasing financial assistance and scholarship programs through endowment and other
sources, and by these activities attract the most academically talented students regardless of religion, race, gender or culture.
Provide necessary support services to academically talented yet under-prepared students through the expansion of innovative academic programs.
Encourage the development of academic programs, particularly those of an interdisciplinary nature, which are specifically focused on national and
international trends, addressing the commonalities and differences within our global society.
Continue to develop the core curriculum in each of the colleges as a means of promoting understanding of diversity in gender, religion, race, culture
and socioeconomic background.
Enhance existing academic, social and residential facilities to accommodate those members of the Villanova community with disabilities.
Recruit, support and retain a strong representation of international students.
Work actively to increase the representation of women and minorities in all areas of employment at Villanova University, including faculty, staff and administrators to levels consistent with their respective labor market area, to levels consistent with the changing needs and orientation of our student population and in compliance with affirmative action procedures.
Provide faculty and staff development programs which will enhance understanding of and responsiveness to the changing characteristics of the student body, the faculty and the staff.
Encourage and support efforts, particularly interdepartmental efforts, to engage and assist students from a variety of ethnic, racial, socioeconomic,
religious and cultural backgrounds.
Support the Office of Multicultural Affairs in its efforts to assure compliance with specific laws and programs, including all University hiring practices.
Support the Office of Multicultural Affairs in its efforts to provide a successful undergraduate education to those Pennsylvania residents meeting the
Act 101 (of 1971) economic and educational guidelines.

Academic Excellence (3)

Villanova will be a comprehensive university, strong in the liberal arts and sciences, excellent in all undergraduate programs, and selective in its offering of graduate programs of high quality. It will maintain law school programs of the highest quality.

A university is an intellectual community connected by a common sense of purpose. At Villanova, the liberal arts and sciences have shaped this purpose, seeking to develop those habits of the mind that promote intellectual curiosity, critical insight, mature judgment and independent thinking. The factual knowledge and conceptual understanding that are the basis of a Villanova education, strongly rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, provide each student with a firm foundation that gives one's life purpose and direction. Indeed, the culture of the community is one in which salient ideas and issues are central to the conversations which take place among all its constituents. The life of the mind and the world of ideas become the reinforcing images of institutional priorities.

Villanova recognizes the framework within which have flourished its Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Commerce and Finance, Engineer Nursing and the School of Law: This community serves society by developing and sustaining an academic environment in which the potentialities of its members may be realized. Villanova is committed to those high goals and standards of academic integrity and
excellence as well as personal and corporate achievement that characterize all worthy institutions of higher learning .

       Drawing upon the expertise and experience of the faculty, program directors, department chairpersons, deans and Vice Presidents for Academic
       Affairs, the colleges are charting courses for Villanova's academic programs, seeking ways to infuse its established curricula with new relevancy and
       vigor. Cultivating a variety of intellectual approaches enriches disciplines of inquiry.

The strategic planning process has established the structure and format for assessing instructional and research programs. This is accomplished not solely from an individual college perspective, but with a holistic view towards how the colleges can work together to continuously strengthen all academic programs and therefore the academic reputation of the University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Thus, the planning process has served as a catalyst for framing the direction of the academic programs, focusing on opportunities for more interdisciplinary study and collaboration. As we articulate our mission in today's society, academic initiatives should have their foundations in programs that prepare students for the global and technological environments of a new century. Throughout all academic areas, the University is establishing new technologies and focusing on our nation's growing international role in a changing global marketplace.

The inauguration of endowed chairs has been significant in promoting academic excellence. Through the success of the Villanova Campaign, eleven such chairs have been committed, with seven to date being fully funded. Not only do such chairs provide the University with financial resources, they allow us to recognize and reward the contributions of our faculty and the endeavors of our colleges to propel the University=s academic programs to new heights.

The importance of quality in all of Villanova=s academic programs, the scholarship and research interests of the faculty, and our commitment to students provide the impetus for intensifying the ongoing efforts to set standards of excellence that distinguish our academic programs. The intellectual life of the community must be the focus of our energies: faculty, staff and students working together, committed to learning.

Strategic Directions:

Continue to review, evaluate and review the under-graduate and graduate curricula through the strategic planning process, assuring academic quality and responsiveness to factors which have a significant impact on teaching, learning and research.
Offer a comprehensive core curriculum rooted in intellectual exploration and various approaches to pedagogy, building on the strengths of existing
programs whenever possible.
Maintain an average class size so as to encourage discussion, debate and personal interaction between faculty and students.
Support students academically as a means of maintaining and increasing high rates of retention.
Expand opportunities for retrieving, exchanging and processing information and enhance access to technology that promotes teaching, learning and
research.
Expand operational efficiency through the effective use of state-of-the-art technology tools that allow for timely access to information.
Maintain visibility within both the surrounding geographic and professional communities, involving faculty and students in a wide range of
opportunities which use classroom learning in applied settings.

Enrichment and Commitment to Service

Villanova University will graduate students with a strong liberal arts and sciences education - including those students in the professional programs of business, nursing and engineering - and with a strong sense of commitment to service.

The professional schools maintain curricula that provide not only the foundation for careers in business, engineering and nursing, but do so in the larger context of the liberal arts and sciences. Students are educated using a scope of well-defined, universal values and skills that equip them to be wise critics of the society in which they live. Through the curriculum they are exposed to and encouraged to maintain a social consciousness, openness to exploration and discovery, and a commitment to service.

Study in the liberal arts and sciences aims to advance culture in a broad sense, stressing the importance of understanding the interrelated patterns and genres which define a culture within a larger historical and intellectual framework. By their very nature, the liberal arts and sciences give students the venue to develop a sense of passage toward a more coherent view of knowledge and a more integrated life. We cannot afford to graduate students who fail to place their knowledge and lives in perspective. New academic alliances are encouraged which support an interdisciplinary focus that cross intellectual boundaries.

Across all disciplines, study at Villanova University strives to prepare students to become active participants within society, thus encouraging personal development in students to regard themselves as citizens living in a democratic society, belonging to a world community, therefore having communal responsibilities. Placing one=s self in a larger context is essential to working out one=s identity; an identity which includes a sense of citizenship and an affirmation of the positive social value of constant exploration, evaluation, and ultimately, service to others.

Strategic Direction:

Offer a rich and diverse core curriculum in all colleges, focusing on the essential elements of written and oral communication, critical and analytical
thinking, understanding of cultural differences, and the application of theory in practical settings.
Offer opportunities for personal growth and enrichment through academic and co-curricular activities, including participation in internships,
independent and international study programs, as well as involvement in programs of service to the University and those it serves.
Support and maintain active commitment to students, faculty and staff who participate in service projects both internally and in the external community.
Design and implement programs which offer opportunities to apply learning through service to the community in both formal academic programs and organized co-curricular activities.

Faculty Excellence

Villanova University will retain and nurture a scholarly faculty committed to the primary function of instruction.

At the heart of any academic community are the faculty - faculty actively engaged in teaching, scholarly and applied research, and creative exploration. The collective quality and commitment of the faculty shape the university so that the mission, goals and objectives may be accomplished.

Academic integrity and educational excellence are best achieved when the teaching/learning/research processes are continuously studied and the effects of educational programs are assessed by faculty on a regular basis. Hence, the teaching-learning environment can best be described as one in which students, through creative teaching, are intellectually engaged and challenged. The great teacher is challenged not only to transmit knowledge, but to enrich and inspire students to value the importance of a life-long learning process, thus transforming and extending knowledge.

A university where faculty can examine in depth and advance the theories of their discipline is essential for all forms of human inquiry: In all academic departments the University encourages such research and scholarly work as are compatible with the faculty=s other obligations to the University. Implicit in A Future of Promise is the importance of providing an environment in which faculty can pursue their respective research and sponsored project activities.

Members of the Villanova faculty are highly qualified, motivated and professionally prepared to offer students the best of their scholarship because of their strong commitment to teaching. The quality and vigor of the faculty have been essential in defining a Villanova education. In order to extend opportunities for the continued growth of the faculty, support for faculty development at this time in our history is a central goal running through the strategic plans of each college.

Clearly, faculty development programs must be flexible to meet the variety of needs of individual faculty. To be sure, faculty must receive support as researchers and contributors to their discipline, but faculty must also be introduced to the wider possibilities and responsibilities for renewal of themselves and their academic programs. This will require widespread faculty involvement and administrative leadership in program design and implementation of faculty development programs directed toward this end.

Faculty, should themselves, remain students. As scholars, faculty continue to learn as they engage in extending and advancing knowledge - through teaching and research. Teaching and scholarly research are inseparably linked together. The ultimate goal is to maintain an atmosphere at Villanova in which the academic enterprise is enriched by faculty who create a community of scholars, a community engaged in the discovery of truth, its preservation and advancement beyond the University.

Just as students are shaped and inspired by the intellectual challenges and concerns that become a part of the discourse of the University, so too are faculty shaped and inspired as professionals responsible for the intellectual vitality that defines faculty excellence. The faculty need to continue to meet the high standards for appointment, tenure and promotion. The quality and impact of their contributions must be high, emphasizing long-term productivity and continued involvement in the life of Villanova University.

Faculty are encouraged to use innovative technologies in the support of their educational functions. The current development of comprehensive information systems, state-of-the-art classroom facilities and communication systems are designed to facilitate greater interaction among all members of the University community. The introduction of a comprehensive fibre-optics network, the establishment of a prototype multi-media classroom, and extensive office automation and voice communication systems all speak to the commitment the University has made to the appropriate use of technology as it enhances the teaching/learning/research environment.

The University's commitment to technology is provided to faculty in support of teaching and research activities, to students in support of learning and development, and to staff as a means of increasing productivity, interpersonal communication and enhanced quality. Technology is viewed as a tool to support performance and improve human interactions, not as a replacement for personal interaction or responsiveness. Faculty are encouraged to be proficient in the technologies which can enhance their teaching and research, and are encouraged to participate in developing programs which enable them to make the best use of available technologies. Multi-media software, on-line data bases and the information super highway are technologies and innovations that already have made a major impact on our society and need to be incorporated into the college classroom.

Strategic Direction:

Support faculty development programs that enhance the quality of academic programs, support excellence in teaching and excellence in scholarship.
Create opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching and collaboration with faculty in other departments and colleges of the University.
Recruit and retain faculty of a diverse nature, both to reflect the changing composition of the student body and to bring new and challenging perspectives to the classroom and laboratory.
Encourage faculty to participate in co-curricular, external and community service programs as a means of bringing applied perspectives to theoretical issues.
Continue to support faculty development and participation in scholarly research projects as a means of expanding knowledge, contributing to our understanding of the world, and exploring new areas which enhance the teaching/learning environment.

Teaching Excellence

Villanova University will support the conditions for excellence in teaching.

Excellence in teaching is a central hallmark which has always distinguished Villanova University: Given its character and resources, Villanova is committed to offering such undergraduate and graduate programs as will best serve the needs of its constituencies... The University emphasizes undergraduate instruction and is committed to a liberal arts component in each of the undergraduate programs.

Superior teaching is at the heart of the academic experience, especially at the undergraduate level. All members of the faculty need to be committed to working toward continually improving the content of their courses and their methods of instruction as they contribute to student learning. Inspiring and substantive teaching, based on informed research and scholarships, are the fundamental prerequisites for educational excellence.

Faculty, precisely because they are professional educators, are encouraged to study and analyze different methods of instruction to determine their effectiveness in light of student learning. The research literature on teaching effectiveness provides rich data for enabling faculty to make significant changes in the content and delivery of the curriculum.

Because of their professional priorities and relationships with students, faculty maintain and strengthen the intellectual environment of the University. Villanova's identity as a place that treasures teaching excellence is one of its most significant characteristics. Hence, we need to continue the dialogue on what constitutes effective teaching. More importantly, we need to strengthen our own conviction that what we do in the classroom and the laboratory makes a significant difference in the intellectual development of our students from many perspectives.

Villanova recognizes its ongoing commitment to enhancing its library resources through the continued maintenance and enlargement of appropriate collections and the use of available technologies to improve information availability, access, retrieval and use. Advances in technology are bringing major changes to libraries. The challenge facing Falvey Memorial Library is to formulate programs and implement strategies that will transfer the library from a primarily print-based repository of information to an operation with responsibility for electronic access to and delivery of information.