• Message From President Nelson 
• Our Identity 
• Our Mission 
• Our Core Values 
• Our Seal 
• Our Ideal 

• Ten-Year Horizon 
• Our Strategic Aims 
• Our Strategic Priorities 
• Mapping Strategy To Action: Year 1 Execution Plan 
• Mapping Strategy To Action: Year 2 Execution Plan 
• Mapping Strategy To Action: Years 3-5 Execution Plan 

• Measurable Outcomes 
• Operational Definitions 

• Strategic Plan Workgroups 

In 1849, an idea was proposed in the St Matthew Arbor near Newton, North Carolina to have “a college of our own.” That idea came to fruition in 1851 when Catawba College was chartered. It is now our turn to imagine the future of Catawba. 

Our strategic plan is the culmination of months of work by faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members, and members of our various boards. It reflects our shared mission, values, aims, and aspirations. This plan represents the shared stewardship of Catawba that unifies us all.

We envision what Catawba College will be ten years from now. Our journey to that horizon begins with our five-year plan, headlined by five aims and accomplished through a set of priorities with supporting goals and action items. The plan is supported by cascading plans for each division and academic school.

More importantly, this isn’t merely a strategic plan.

This is a cultural plan framed in alignment with our identity, mission, and values. It is connected by our commitments to sustainability, to the ideal of well-being, equity, and belonging (WEB), and vocation.

It is said that Dr. Sandy Silverburg, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, used to offer some particular wisdom about life to his students — that if they would walk toward the horizon, they would then see their future more clearly. It is that kind of wisdom that inspires this plan.

Building on the rich legacy and traditions of Catawba College, we turn toward the horizon, with plans to achieve our goals and with hope the work of our hands will prosper. Now it is ours to work together to make Catawba even better.

Sit Lux,

David P. Nelson
President

Catawba College is a learning community rooted in an education that is rich in personal attention. At Catawba, students explore the world and discover their place in it, preparing for the demands and challenges of personal and professional life in the twenty-first century. Our Catawba education includes the acquisition of a broad range of knowledge about the world, a variety of intellectual and practical skills. Our approach to education focuses on the individual and social responsibility, preparing students to be citizens who take seriously their stewardship of the world with a zeal to enrich human life.

Founded by people of the Christian faith, the College embraces people of all beliefs and remains committed to the faith and values that ground our institution. Catawba students are offered an exceptional experience with rich opportunities for personal formation and the exploration of vocation. Catawba’s campus is a welcoming, sustainable, caring community, concerned with equitable practices and the well-being of every student and employee.

Catawba College is committed to providing students an education rich in personal attention that blends the knowledge and competencies of liberal studies with career preparation.

Catawba College draws strength from Judeo-Christian values, sustains a dynamic community of learners and seeks to unite a diverse population of students, faculty and staff as active co-participants in scholarship and service. Catawba College prepares students to reach their highest potential while becoming responsible citizens with a zeal to enrich human life.

We believe:

• All persons have inherent worth and dignity.
• Intellectual curiosity and reasoned learning inspires, transforms, and uplifts the human condition.
• Learning is best done in community, and our lives are enriched when we share experiences with people different than ourselves.
• An education, grounded in personal formation, generates self-knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that frees people to explore the world and discover their place within it.
• All persons share the responsibility and joy of ensuring a sustainable world where all can thrive.

Scholarship with Character and Culture for Service

• Priority 1.1 Support every student and employee as they explore what they are skilled to do, what they love to do, and where their skills and passions meet the world’s needs.
• Priority 1.2 Develop academic programs that equip students and lifelong learners to lead in the regional economy and beyond.
• Priority 1.3 Manage enrollment to optimize recruitment, retention, and completion.
• Priority 1.4 Think creatively about time to foster experiential learning, to enhance community engagement, and to inspire collaboration, creativity, and innovation.
• Priority 1.5 Enhance the College’s brand awareness and reputation by consistently telling our story clearly, authentically, and compellingly.

• Priority 2.1 Create a campus culture of excellence grounded in our Mission and Values with students at the center.
• Priority 2.2 Commit to supporting a more aligned culture of well-being, equity, and belonging (WEB).
• Priority 2.3 Provide robust, consistent professional development and community-building opportunities for employees.
• Priority 2.4 Position Catawba competitively by completing an employee compensation study and making appropriate adjustments.
• Priority 2.5 Become a Great Colleges to Work For® in higher education through focused organizational development, care, and employee appreciation, including best practices in recruitment and retention of employees.
• Priority 2.6 Refine organizational processes, practices, and policies to support a lasting legacy and culture.
• Priority 2.7 Change how we communicate to enhance management of time.

• Priority 3.1 Revise the academic Catawba Core, reflecting 21st-century skills and ideas through the breadth of our interdisciplinary education.
• Priority 3.2 Expand intentional High Impact Practices (HIPs) such as service, research, travel, and internships across the four-year student experience.
• Priority 3.3 Become the leading environmental small college in the Southeast and a national center of distinction for sustainability.
• Priority 3.4 Develop and implement a comprehensive student success philosophy and plan to further our commitment to being a student-ready campus.
• Priority 3.5 Establish a new center to promote civic engagement and good citizenship.
• Priority 3.6 Encourage students to engage in the Honors Program, The Pursuit, The Lilly Center, and Catawba Impact.
• Priority 3.7 Create a model and top-tier Division II college focused on high-achieving academics, service with impact, and a winning tradition by building on Catawba’s rich tradition of excellence in athletics.
• Priority 3.8 Elevate and develop signature experiences, such as the Graham Genomics Lab, that provide leading-edge experiences and opportunities.

• Priority 4.1 Revitalize our campus based on a master plan that optimizes our facilities and locale, positioning Catawba as a living-learning laboratory that is a national leader for sustainable operations.
• Priority 4.2 Modernize campus infrastructure in educational technology, systems, and security.
• Priority 4.3 Work with the city and surrounding community to develop the Innes Street corridor.
• Priority 4.4 Strengthen ties to Salisbury, Rowan County, and the surrounding regions through collaborative partnerships that complement our academic programs.
• Priority 4.5 Integrate Catawba Online into the campus’s co-curricular experiences and HIPs.
• Priority 4.6 Recognize and celebrate Catawba’s 100th anniversary in Salisbury in 2025 and 175th in 2026.

• Priority 5.1 Establish a data-forward culture to inform decision-making and strategic direction.
• Priority 5.2 Launch a new comprehensive campaign to fund strategic priorities.
• Priority 5.3 Cultivate a new generation of supporters of the College.
• Priority 5.4 Implement resourcing and decision-making processes that maximize financial sustainability.
• Priority 5.5 Collaborate with trustees and advisory boards to leverage their expertise and informed guidance effectively.
• Priority 5.6 Strengthen our alumni community and networks.
• Priority 5.7 Fund the annual budget through the annual resources of the institution.
• Priority 5.8 Build capacity to secure new resources through grants and foundations.

• Retention Target: Achieve first to second year Retention rate of 75% by 2025, 80% by 2028.
• Graduation Target: Four-year graduation rate of 60% by 2025, 62% by 2028. Six-year graduation rate of 65% by 2025.
• Diversify recruitment and new student enrollment strategies to achieve a consistent new freshman class of 355 by 2025. Increase undergraduate enrollment by 30% by 2028.
• Increase out-of-state new student enrollment to 40% by 2027.
• Increase on-campus residence hall capacity to 95% by 2024.
• Achieve optimum right size enrollment number of 1365 total students by 2028. 
• Develop plan with targets during year 1 (2024) of living-learning laboratory facility goals that align with campus master plan.
• Measure persistence rates of students utilizing living-learning laboratory experiences directed connected to a credit course.
• Implement Presence college-wide to map engagement with Catawba Time, student satisfaction, and persistence impact.
• Launch comprehensive ad campaign measured by engagement, visits, application activity, and conversions 
  (reputation).
• Graduate all undergraduate students with an industry-recognized credential by 2028.

• Establish new industry standard hiring, onboarding, compensation, and retention practices in HR by 2025.
• Increase professional development opportunities for faculty and staff by 30% by 2025 by Faculty Professional 
  Activities Report and created staff report.
• Establish campus proficiency on sustainability by 2026 (metrics to be created).
• Measurement of culture of excellence and WEB-supported culture (Faculty and staff bi-annual survey satisfaction rating)

• 100% of students will participate in at least two HIPs (one during first year and one as part of their academic major course work) by 2027 measured by NSSE (National Survey for Student Engagement).
• Measurable outcomes and milestones on sustainability. Achieve AAHSE Gold by 2025 and AASHE Platinum by 2030. First college in the country to be both carbon neutral and AASHE Platinum.
• Milestones: Host Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of NC Elections, Civic Education Workshop for Piedmont region HS teachers, creation of public webpages with NC political data visualized and accessible
• Highest ranked small college in the Southeast by the Princeton Review Green Schools.
• Elevate the prestige of Honors program, benchmarked against a national outcome instrument. 
• Increase student participation in Undergraduate Research to 50% across campus by 2027. 
• Athletics: Consistently ranked in the top 3 in Echols Cup and top 20 in the Learfield Cup.
• Measure persistence, satisfaction, and job placement of students enrolled in Graham Genomics Lab, The Pursuit, Artist Development Program, and other signature experiences. 
• Become the highest ranked Southeastern small college in either the AASHE Stars Report or the Princeton Review Green Schools lists.
• Enhanced reputation in American higher education for innovation & access

• Measure student involvement in Digital Learning Lab on course pass rate. 
• During Year 1 of plan execution, develop phased milestones for application of the “Catawba Village.” 
• Complete phased milestones for master campus plan by 2028 allowing us to minimize our impact on the global environment.
• Increase the number of travel-oriented experiences as determined by academic core revisions. 
• Support students in obtaining travel passports for all by 2027. 
• Increase internship experiences to 100% of student body by 2028. 

• Annual fundraising goals that align with campaign as established during campaign silent phase. 
• Increase percentage of alumni engagement opportunities through recruitment initiatives for new students and mentorship with current students.
• Optimize strategic planning “start-up” fund annually, monitoring pilot expenses over a two-year period and determining operationalizing, fundraising, or pausing/stopping.
• Develop metrics for advisory boards. Create growth score as an objective framework to measure impact.
• Implementation of treasury practices, rolling cash management, centralized procurement, and multi-year budgets by 2026.
• Grants: Determine targeted number of annual submissions and secured amount.
• Reduce annual technology subscription costs. Dollar amount or percentage to be determined after completion of inventory and contract review.