The Board of Trustees of Loyola College in Maryland has approved a new strategic plan for the university: “Grounded in Tradition, Educating for the Future,” a document which will guide the institution’s direction and initiatives through 2013.

The plan’s core goal asserts that Loyola will be the nation’s leading Catholic comprehensive university, a distinction that highlights Loyola’s focus on a strong balance of undergraduate and graduate programs, as opposed to baccalaureate colleges and research universities, which typically emphasize one category or the other.

“This goal is a natural extension of the extraordinary achievements Loyola has attained in its more than 155-year history. As such, the plan’s specific initiatives are bold demonstrations of the values and aspirations this university and the people who shape its character have long held, rather than a change in direction,” said Loyola’s President, Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J. “That being said, the plan also acknowledges clearly that today’s Loyola faces a considerably more complex and competitive environment than its founders could have anticipated. In order to continue to thrive in the years to come, we must become even more engaged with our students, their needs, and the demands made by civic and business communities.”

Representatives of a wide variety of Loyola divisions and departments participated in the development of the plan over the course of the past two years. The resulting initiatives are organized into five key areas: Undergraduate Education, Graduate Education, Faculty Development, Community Engagement and Athletics, and include spotlight endeavors ranging from the establishment of living-learning communities for all first-year students; augmenting support services for graduate students; adding tenure-track faculty positions; partnering with local agencies to create a plan for redeveloping the York Road corridor neighboring Loyola; to improving athletic facilities and marketing. 

Notably, “Grounded in Tradition, Educating for the Future” is presented as a strategic plan for Loyola University Maryland, which recognizes that Loyola will change its designation from “college” to “university” and adopt a new name on August 15, 2009. That decision was announced in August 2008.

Additional information about the plan and its initiatives, including a printer-friendly copy of the complete plan, is available online at www.loyola.edu/strategicplan. This site will be updated on a regular basis to reflect progress made on the plan’s initiatives.