Lindenwood Magazine - Spring 2022

6 7 SPRING 2022 EDITION SPRING 2022 EDITION THE LINDENWOOD THE LINDENWOOD RAINS Pouring One of the highlights of my career was presenting Lindenwood’s five-year strategic plan to the internationally renowned organizational change expert, Dr. J.P. Kotter. Dr. Kotter loved the plan. But this emeritus professor of leadership at Harvard School of Business also offered some advice. He said, “The world is moving faster with more disruption. Higher education leaders must think in transformative terms and resist the pull of tradition.” This is easier said than done, but in the fall of 2020, we embarked on a strategic planning process to set the foundation for transformational change at Lindenwood over the next five years. As we developed our strategic plan, we sought to balance two challenges: evolving our traditional offerings while creating the university of the future. To do this, we adopted Dr. Kotter’s “Dual-Operating System”. This model emphasizes mission- critical improvements to support current operations and identifies vision-critical innovations that enable disruptive change in the future. At the heart of the model is the “Big Opportunity,” which Kotter says is “the window into a winning future.” Innovative schools all have one thing in common – they anticipate the needs and expectations of today’s learners and deliver what they need when and how they need it. Unfortunately, traditional universities like ours are not designed to do this. But we see a big opportunity to redesign Lindenwood by seeing everything through the eyes of the learner. With this in mind, we put learner needs and expectations at the center of our strategy which is built on three strategic pillars: Adapt, Build, and Engage. We aim to Adapt our people, processes, and programs to meet learner needs and expectations, Build the missing speed, skills and affordability learners need and expect, and Engage their hearts to strengthen our relationships. We believe that our Adapt, Build, and Engage initiatives will enable us to capitalize on this big opportunity and create a compelling future state that Kotter calls the “Change Vision.” Our change vision is to become “The Next Great Learner- Centric University.” This vision will result in a top-of-mind brand, a 12,000-student enrollment, 100 new partnerships, and an annual budget of $165 million to expand our mission. We want Lindenwood to be known as one of the most relevant and beloved universities in the Midwest; a university that positively impacts thousands of lives and wins the hearts and minds of a new generation. In the following pages, you will learn more about some of the exciting new initiatives launched July 1, 2021 in support of our strategy. Strategy is a dynamic process, so expect to see us learn and adapt, build and engage as we work toward making Lindenwood The Next Great Learner-Centric University . BRAND VISION By Orrie Covert — Vice President, Advancement and Communications “Becoming a top-of-mind brand is one of the outcomes we are striving to achieve. Lindenwood seeks to distinguish itself amongst competitors through intentional marketing in a 100-mile radius surrounding campus. Focused on standing out from the crowd, the University is showing up in both expected and unexpected places and ways through the Brand Vision accelerator. Brand Vision sponsored a website reskin of the Lindenwood website, refreshing the design to match the Lindenwood of today, and clearly identifying the University’s focus on enrollment. The accelerator also supported the launch of the University’s integrated marketing plan, which placed Lindenwood on billboards, radio, and television. Since the beginning of the strategic plan’s execution, Lindenwood has engaged with several initiatives including the Mardi Gras Parade in Frenchtown, The Bev Roy Hope Foundation’s Forget-Me-Not Park on Main Street, and the Academy of the Sacred Heart’s Country Fair. In the larger metro, Brand Vision has taken Lions to LU Night at the Ballpark with more than 1,200 Lindenwood fans in attendance at the Cardinals game in October and brought Lions indoors for LU Night with the Blues, cheering on the area’s hockey team. Key media buys include KSDK segments, St. Louis Business Journal features, and advertising in the Chamber of Commerce’s annual publication.” FEATURE STORY FEATURE STORY LINDENWOOD 2026: OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN ADAPT. BUILD. ENGAGE. By Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, Rob Westervelt LEARNER ENGAGE NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS How will we engage them to win their hearts and strengthen the relationship? BUILD What’s missing that we need to build? ADAPT 1 3 2 How will we adapt to meet their needs and expectations? DR. J.P. KOTTER The world is moving faster with more disruption. Higher education leaders must think in transformative terms and resist the pull of tradition. WHAT HAPPENS AT LINDENWOOD... REAL EXPERIENCE. REAL SUCCESS. LINDENWOOD.EDU RETHINK WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ...STAYS WITH YOU FOREVER . SCHEDULE A VISIT OR APPLY TO DAY. With 90+ clubs and organizations, small class sizes for more personalized learning, and a diverse student population represented by all 50 states and over 75 countries – you’re going to want to tell everyone about it. Strategic Framework