Strategic Directions for Gettysburg

Planning for the future

Gettysburg College is about life-changing experiences and the people who inspire them. 

The College's founders were dedicated to the kind of liberal arts experience that Gettysburg is uniquely positioned to provide-an intense, engaging intellectual experience focused on preparing students for purposeful citizenship.

We remain committed to this vision of our founders, and we undertook a College-wide planning process to determine how to provide the best, most compelling liberal arts experience possible and how to build upon the College's deep roots in the American experience-the source of our distinctive strengths.

The sense of place at Gettysburg, which grows out of our connection to some of our nation's most defining moments- the Battle of Gettysburg and the delivery of the Gettysburg Address-is hard to find on any other campus.

Our unique character has been shaped by our history coupled with th impact of individuals who have given much to America and the world-our founder, theologian Samuel S. Schmucker; College trustee and abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens; President Abraham Lincoln who journeyed to Gettysburg to heal a torn nation, and the great warrior, College trustee, and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower whose perception of national service embraced broad engagement in public life.

Generations of Gettysburg alumni have been inspired by the leadership of these individuals and their impact on the challenges of their times. Our Strategic Directions document is our blueprint for creating a bolder, stronger Gettysburg that will prepare future generations of students for leadership roles in a world of unprecedented global complexity.