A Letter from Robert K. Boozer, Assistant to the President for Long-Range Planning and Assessment

Dear Friends of the College:

The development of the 1996-2000 Long-range Plan for Huntington College has been a somewhat long, sometimes difficult, but always worthwhile effort. We began in September 1995 with a two day workshop facilitated by Dr. Robert Cope, a member of the International Society for Planning and Strategic Management and the author of numerous books and articles on organizational planning. At this workshop we began to identify the five strategic initiatives which ultimately became the core of the long-range plan contained in this document. From the outset our guiding principles have been:

1. A single-minded commitment to our institutional mission to educate men and women to impact our world for Christ. We are a student focused institution. Every activity on this campus is ultimately intended to enhance the learning process. We have been called to the stewardship of the Christian academic enterprise and are required to question any activity which consumes our resources and pursues any other aim.

2. A dedication to the value of broad-based involvement in the planning process.We are a body of believers. Every member contributes to the vitality of the body using the gifts uniquely entrusted to their care and use. Recognizing that every member of the College community has the ability and obligation to contribute to the accomplishment of the institutional mission, everyone's input to the planning process is highly valued.

3. An appreciation for the multidimensional nature of the College. We are a single institution with many parts. No single outcome such as enrollment, annual fund giving, fiscal bottom line, or faculty publications serves as the sole indicator of institutional success. It is the synergism resulting from the interplay of all of the College's varied functions which makes it possible to pursue the College's mission. Therefore, we must carefully attend to all elements of the College and appreciate their interdependence.

Following the September workshop, smaller groups met on numerous occasions to identify action steps which, when enacted, would accomplish the vision created by the initiatives. This portion of the planning process consumed the better portion of the academic year and continued into the summer. As a result, many individuals have had the opportunity to reflect on and contribute to the substance of the plan. This time for reflection has served to enhance the quality as well as our ownership of the plan and will ultimately assure its execution.

So now let us press on toward the goal to become a College of 1000 students dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and innovation in the preparation of students, to the encouragement and nurturing of spiritual maturity, to the effective use of technology in educational processes, and to the creation and maintenance of the endowment and physical assets. May God continue to bless the efforts of His servants at Huntington as we seek His will in Christian higher education and as we continue to acknowledge with Jeremiah that "man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps."

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."

Sincerely,

Robert Boozer
Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning and Assessment

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