Strategic Planning Process

The Lafayette College campus wide strategic planning process launched in January 2023 with the aim of building on the strong foundations of Lafayette’s liberal arts mission and accomplishments and moving the College forward into its third century with clarity and confidence.

The process began with a series of moderated discussions for faculty, students, staff, alumni, trustees, parents, and Easton community members. A presidentially appointed Strategic Planning Steering Committee used the data gathered from these sources to begin developing a new mission and values statement to guide the strategic planning process. During these discussions, participants were asked to provide their opinions on questions including:

• What are your top three priorities for Lafayette’s future?
• What qualities and strengths characterize and distinguish Lafayette College?
• What do you consider ambitious but realistic objectives for Lafayette in such areas as academics, the arts, athletics, regional and national standing, diversity and inclusion, retention, graduation rates, and more?
• What types of new or expanded student experiences should the College prioritize in the years ahead?

In addition to the qualitative data collected from the listening sessions, the College also collaborated with a consulting firm to conduct a marketplace analysis identifying industry trends, analyze Lafayette in comparison to its admissions peers and competitors, and survey relevant Lafayette stakeholder groups (students, faculty, staff, prospective students, alumni) about their experiences and perspectives on the College. More than 700 people, including members from each of the constituent groups named above, participated in the discussion forums, and over 2,000 people completed the online surveys, providing a vivid and diverse description of the Lafayette experience.

Five themes identified in the work above offered wide-ranging and suggestive areas for working groups as the plan coalesced. The corresponding working groups, consisting of faculty, staff, and students from divisions and departments across campus, as well as Easton community members, developed strategic priorities within their respective topic areas. These were undergirded by the updated institutional mission and values.

As the groups identified priorities, several rounds of feedback were collected from community stakeholders through discussion forums and online surveys. Each working group produced a narrative report outlining their recommended goals, objectives, and action items for the strategic plan, along with rationales and supporting documentation for their recommendations.

Using the narrative reports produced by the strategic planning working groups in Phase II, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee identified common themes that emerged across multiple topic areas. Those themes were shared with the community during a series of sessions led by the working group co-chairs and Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

Broad campus engagement during the strategic planning process resulted in a rich cross-section of ideas and possibilities, practical and visionary, for how best to “Become Lafayette.” Working groups identified a number of issues and strategies that have informed the President’s Senior Leadership Team as they prioritize action items both within and beyond the scope of this plan.

Additionally, the plan draft underwent a comprehensive review through a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) lens to ensure that the plan’s initiatives were in alignment with the College’s values of inclusivity and equity. This review process prompted some key revisions to the draft, which deliberately embedded DEIB principles across various aspects of the plan to promote a more inclusive Lafayette. These changes reflect the College’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and belonging throughout its strategic initiatives.