Rise Together Strategic Plan 2019-2023

Introduction

Rochester Christian University (RU) will celebrate its 60th-Anniversary Year in 2019 and is an institution on the move. During the 2019-2020 academic year, the name change transition from Rochester College to Rochester Christian University will be complete. This change reflects the significant growth experienced by RU in the past several years. Rochester Christian University now offers over 25 baccalaureate degree programs, including vibrant professional training programs in Nursing, Teacher Education, Accounting, and Computer Information Systems. In addition, RU continues to lay the foundation for all of its undergraduate programs with a strong General Education curriculum emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences. Our Master of Religious Education degree in Missional Leadership has established a strong foothold for the institution in post-graduate education.

Rochester Christian University’s 80-acre campus is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, a thriving community in Oakland County, recently named the safest small city in America. Situated within walking distance of downtown Rochester, Michigan, the beautiful campus is bordered by the Clinton River and features fifteen buildings and the lovely Lake Norcentra Park.

Beginning in the spring and summer of 2018, the president of the university met with over 100 employees in a series of small group lunch discussions focused around the development of a new strategic plan and the construction of a new planning process. In a related development and in conjunction with the name change from Rochester College to Rochester Christian University, a committee representing faculty and staff from across the campus conducted a series of discussions throughout the fall semester oriented toward restating the mission, vision, and values of the institution – not to change the mission, but to state it more clearly and concisely and ensure that our vision and values are properly aligned with that mission. Finally, student focus groups and listening sessions were conducted as a part of this overall effort. The information gathered from all of these efforts, along with the data collected from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE,) and findings gathered from our programmed assessment of student learning have led to the development of the strategic initiatives presented and discussed in this document. The initiatives presented are designed to operationalize our mission and vision through our ongoing operations and strategic efforts. The Strategic Plan will be evaluated and revised annually, but will continue to project a basis for planning for the five succeeding years of the life of Rochester Christian University.