The Strategic Direction for Gettysburg College

Our world is changing. As an institution of higher education that is rooted in historical change and deeply committed to inspiring students to lead lives of consequence, we too must continue to be conduits of change—our students, and more profoundly, the world, calls on us to be. Because of this, we’re always imagining and reimagining what it means to offer our students A Consequential Education, an education that truly matters. Now is the moment to advance Gettysburg’s mission, teach our students how to make an impact, and—together—build a better world.

By aligning our strategic priorities with our promise of A Consequential Education, we are ensuring that we provide today’s students with an education in the liberal arts and sciences that is relevant, meaningful, and amplifies the most transformational aspects of Gettysburg’s undergraduate experience.

The Gettysburg Approach

Our Gettysburg Approach is A Consequential Education in practice: a renewed and intensive focus on how we deliver our undergraduate experience. Designed to benefit the whole student, throughout the entirety of their life and career, the Gettysburg Approach will build within every student a breadth and depth of knowledge and set of enduring skills—cultivated both inside and outside of the classroom—to prepare them to thrive in a world marked by change and adaptation.

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Our Strategic Direction

The work of our strategic planning committees has been situated within additional institutional priorities, recent research, and a comprehensive evaluation of what a contemporary education should deliver. The result is Four Areas of Focus that will provide the strategic direction for Gettysburg College over the next several years.

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Four Areas of Focus

1.

Academic Excellence

The bedrock of our experience lies in our commitment to academic excellence through a rigorous and contemporary education in the liberal arts and sciences. Our education exposes students to the world, provides critical thinking and communication skills, ensures a broad understanding of the human experience, creates disciplinary depth and expertise, expands intercultural understanding, and enhances capacities for empathy and action. Through exposure to the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, our education equips students with the capacity to make sense of and respond effectively to a world that has become ever more complex and interrelated. We are committed to providing:

  • A contemporary, integrated, and rigorous curriculum
  • A world-class faculty
  • A renewed focus on student advising

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2.

A Transformational and Integrated Student Experience

A key component of our education is to help students apply what they learn inside and outside of the classroom. This work is essential to ensure that our students are prepared to graduate into careers and communities in which they will be required to lead and adapt, and make sense of a rapidly changing world. We will do this by ensuring that a student’s co-curricular activities serve as impactful opportunities to practice and deepen essential and enduring skills. We will achieve this by:

  • Providing meaningful and coordinated experiential and high-impact opportunities
  • Improving student retention
  • Strengthening the value of the Gettysburg experience 
  • Strengthening civic mindedness, intercultural fluency, and place-based learning

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3.

A Culture of Belonging and Wellness

Our future success rests heavily on our ability to create a culture where every Gettysburgian—students and employees alike—can be full members of our community and be empowered to contribute in ways that strengthen our collective perspective and understanding. We are committed to:

  • Recruiting and retaining a talented and diverse student body
  • Recruiting and retaining a talented and diverse workforce
  • Providing a holistic approach to student wellness

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4.

Institutional Effectiveness

To respond responsibly and effectively to several challenges, including demographic changes resulting in increased competition for talented students and price sensitivity, we must take steps to balance innovation with careful stewardship of our resources to ensure continued institutional effectiveness. We remain committed to:

  • A culture of excellence
  • Enhancing our market position
  • Increasing and diversifying our revenue streams

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