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Foundational Commitments

Saint Louis University's four initiatives will succeed only if we strengthen the foundations that support them: changing how we work, simplifying our organization, reducing unnecessary complexity and cost, modernizing systems and processes, improving data and decision-making, fully leveraging the University’s distinctive assets, and building a culture in which every student and employee can thrive.

Jesut priest having a conversation on the SLU Clocktower steps
 

More specifically:

  • We will reform and align budgeting and capital planning practices, incentives, leadership expectations, and accountability to support plan priorities.
  • We will strengthen internal collaboration in fundraising and development, setting clear expectations and providing guidance and support for leadership in the academic units and Athletics, committing to increased donor stewardship, and directing resources raised toward priorities most essential to our future.
  • We will shape and use technology in ways that serve human dignity and the common good, treating artificial intelligence not only as something students must understand, but as a capability that can improve how we teach, learn, discover, and operate when used ethically and intentionally.
  • We will leverage Billiken Athletics as an enterprise-wide strategic asset — modeling radical student-centeredness in practice and sharing what we learn across the University; enriching the student experience and campus spirit; amplifying SLU’s national visibility; strengthening connections among alumni, the St. Louis community, and the University; and building philanthropic momentum that benefits both Athletics and the broader University.
  • We will support and celebrate the faculty and staff whose work makes student-centeredness real, providing competitive compensation, appropriate and sustainable workloads, professional development, and, where feasible, career mobility. Delivering on those commitments requires a stronger financial position, which this plan is designed to build by sharpening SLU’s competitive advantage, expanding enrollment, and creating a more sustainable operating structure and scale.
  • We will set measurable goals for belonging among students and employees, strengthen practices that support belonging and participation of all, and regularly assess progress.
  • We will hold ourselves accountable for outcomes across schools, colleges, programs, and student populations, in both St. Louis and Madrid.

Together, these commitments will help us build a radically student-centered Jesuit research university that lives its mission in ways that are measurable, accountable and experienced by every person we welcome and every community we serve.

Beyond the Strategic Plan

This plan is selective by design. Rather than cataloging every major project already underway, it names the most critical initiatives the University must pursue over the next four years, considering today’s challenges and opportunities in higher education.

The work listed below continues in parallel. It is important and consistent with SLU’s mission, vision, and strategy.

In Implementation

  • Academic Strategic Plan, including Teaching Effectiveness Project
  • Mission Priority Examen Recommendations
  • Business Services Optimization
  • Enterprise-Wide Belonging
  • Enterprise Data Migration

In Development

  • Athletics Strategic Plan
  • Research Infrastructure Roadmap
  • Academic and Research Campus Master Plan
  • Student Housing Master Plan
  • Marketing and Communications Assessment and Reform

Ongoing Institutional Priorities

  • Truth, Healing and Reconciliation
  • SLU-Madrid Strategic Growth