The College of Wooster Strategic Plan:  2004-2008
(entire Strategic Plan as .pdf file)

Wooster in the New Century

The College of Wooster has always aspired to excellence. Since the College's founding, bold decisions and careful planning have determined the vision for Wooster that we hold: a residential liberal arts college of the highest caliber and national standing, with a special emphasis on independent learning. Now in the first decade of a new century, having made significant strides under its five-year plan for 1998 - 2003, Wooster is well positioned to embark on another phase of development and growth under a new plan for 2004 - 2008.

Fundamental Characteristics, Principles, and Assumptions

Wooster's Distinctiveness. Wooster's commitment to being a national residential college of the liberal arts and sciences continues to distinguish the College. Among the 3840 institutions of higher education in the United States, fewer than 5% are considered national liberal arts colleges, and only 2% award--as Wooster does--more than ninety percent of the total number of degrees in the traditional fields of the liberal arts.

Even among the nation's finest liberal arts colleges, Wooster is set apart by several other characteristics, particularly in the academic program. Most significant is the Independent Study Program, or I.S. Wooster believes that responsibility for one's own learning is essential for intellectual independence, and no other college can claim a 55-year history of success with such an effective program of one-to-one mentored learning. In 2002, a national survey by US News and World Report recognized I.S. as the number two senior capstone program in the country, second only to Princeton University. Only by having a faculty of true teacher-scholars can the full potential of Independent Study be realized, and essential to this objective is the faculty leave program, which provides faculty with regular opportunities to pursue their own scholarly interests. The leave program is unique in its generosity and in its integral relationship to the curriculum and excellent teaching.

Wooster is also distinguished by a spacious and attractive campus and by a religious dimension arising from its Presbyterian heritage. This heritage includes a strong commitment to social justice and to social service, as exemplified by the Volunteer Network. It also includes distinctive features of the Scottish tradition, as exemplified by the Scot Marching band.

Wooster will realize its promise as a great institution only by continuing the practices of careful planning: setting wisely our objectives for the College, and planning realistically to meet these objectives. In making plans for Wooster's future, it is important to re-state the principles that have guided the College for 138 years and the set of fundamental assumptions on which our vision for Wooster is based.

Guiding Principles. From its founding, Wooster has been guided by a set of principles that have informed the College's decisions about its academic and co-curricular programs and its physical resources. Many of these principles arose from the spirit of freedom and human dignity that accompanied the establishment of the College immediately following the Civil War:

• A commitment to "the habit of mastery" and to "put students in the way of great things," hallmarks of the early faculty which still characterize faculty expectations for student learning;
• A commitment to coeducation;
• A commitment to education for all, regardless of race or creed;
• A religious dimension, based on the belief that students should be informed by an awareness of how people from different religious traditions grapple with questions of meaning in life and the values and ethics by which they should live;
• An emphasis on international education, including language study and experiences abroad; and,
• A commitment to free inquiry and to follow truth wherever it might lead.

Fundamental Assumptions. Our confidence in liberal arts colleges such as Wooster, as well as Wooster's future as a leader among them, also rests upon a set of fundamental assumptions about higher education in general and about the characteristics of successful institutions:

Tradition and Innovation. Liberal arts colleges are America's oldest educational tradition and are invaluable in the development of a free society. Independent colleges have served as sources of innovation and as developers of standards in higher education, and they will continue to produce a significant proportion of the nation's leaders.

Twin Values. An education in the liberal arts and sciences has intrinsic worth in and of itself, offering those who pursue it the opportunity to increase their intellectual and moral capacities and to become responsible human beings. At the same time, it is practical, especially in preparing for a life of professional achievement and for the different jobs one may hold in a career.

Quality. Institutions of quality and with the reputation for quality will always be positioned most advantageously. Colleges with a distinguished faculty, talented students, and distinctive academic programs and facilities, as well as with reputations for the achievements of their students, faculty, and alumni, are more likely to continue to prosper on their own terms than institutions that lack such characteristics.

Fiscal Responsibility. Independent colleges, as institutions directly dependent upon fees paid by students and upon gifts from alumni, friends, and corporate and charitable sponsors, must remain fiscally sound. Colleges that demonstrate the wisest use of their resources and that have balanced budgets and a strong endowment base are most likely to retain the confidence of all their constituencies and to attract continuing financial support from many diverse sources.

These principles, commitments, and assumptions provide the basis for the College's mission and purpose and for the objectives adopted in this plan for the period 2004 - 2008.

A Quarter Century of Progress. Wooster has been strengthened over the past quarter century with advances made possible by two successfully completed campaigns (The Campaign for Wooster in the 1980's and The Campaign for the 1990's), by projects arising from the early years of the current campaign, Independent Minds: The Campaign for Wooster, and by the efforts of all of the College's constituencies:

• Renovation and construction of residence halls, of libraries, and of academic facilities in art, music, and the sciences;
• Recent completion of Longbrake Wellness Center, Gault Admissions Center, Morgan Hall, and a new campus mall, as well as current construction of Bornhuetter Residence Hall;
• Adoption of a new curriculum and general education requirements, with special focus on writing across the curriculum;
• Increased support for student research, for faculty development and research, and for institutional renewal;
• Expansion of capabilities for computing, networking and instructional technology, and reorganization of campus information technology administration;
• Rising indicators of admissions competitiveness, of retention, and of the academic potential of entering students;
• Expanded student support in academic work, career services, financial aid, and residential life; and
• Growth in endowment from $20 million to more than $210 million.

It is essential that we continue the commitments represented by these advances while at the same time focusing on plans for the first decade of the new century. Wooster's distinctive combination of basic characteristics, guiding principles, fundamental assumptions, and recent progress places the College in a strong position among the top rank of liberal arts colleges.

The Plan that follows is the result of a year of campus-wide discussions led by a Priorities Advisory Committee composed of faculty, staff, and students and also involving alumni and trustees. The Appendix presents a summary analysis of the environment in which the College will function.