Strategic Plan
Strive 2025: Pathways to Institutional Excellence, Accountability and Sustainability
Introductory Letter from President Joyner
I am pleased to share with you Strive 2025, the strategic plan for Saint Xavier University. This planning document is the culmination of thought from stakeholders across the SXU community, and I am immensely grateful for the ingenuity and dedication that informed its content.
We operate in a time of transition for higher education. Increased competition to attract students, new educational models and rising costs are forcing colleges and universities to make strategic decisions in order to continue their roles as changemakers and community assets. At the same time, industry demands are driving higher education to transform programs into pipelines for skill building and career attainment.
As a university on the rise, Saint Xavier is well-positioned to meet the intellectual, social and spiritual needs of the communities we serve. We are an educational anchor for Chicago's South Side and southwest suburbs, and take great pride in our charge to provide transformative, high-quality educational experiences to the underserved through our commitment to inclusive excellence. The time is now to fully leverage our Mercy mission to serve the needs of our students and our changing world.
Saint Xavier has educated its students for 175 years through the innovative efforts of its extraordinary faculty and staff. We have established a resilient, forward-thinking institution that will thrive for another 175 years.
Strive 2025, focusing on facilitating student success for institutional and community transformation, provides a roadmap for us to fulfill and expand upon our Mercy mission. I invite you to explore the five strategic pillars of Strive 2025 and to share your input on its strategic initiatives. Implementation teams are currently creating tangible action steps to make our shared vision a reality.
Sincerely,
Laurie M. Joyner, Ph.D.
President
Saint Xavier University's Mission
Saint Xavier University, a Catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, educates persons to search for truth, to think critically, to communicate effectively and to serve wisely and compassionately in support of human dignity and the common good.
Strategic Vision
Saint Xavier University, the affordable, Catholic Mercy institution, will become known for the strength of its relevant curricular and co-curricular offerings; accomplishments of its faculty, staff and students; robust community engagement; and the success of its graduates.
Our Realities
Building our strategic plan makes for an exciting time at Saint Xavier University. However, we must acknowledge some of the hardships that we face as an industry and an institution, the pivotal changes that drive the importance and urgency of our plan. Facing issues like demographic changes, stagnant family wages, the disruptive role of technology and increased competition, achieving marketplace relevance and financial stability has become more important than ever.
As the first Catholic university in the city of Chicago, Saint Xavier University has survived for nearly 175 years, and we're going to continue to directly face our realities so we can thrive for another 175 years and beyond. We strive for more.