Lincoln University curators this week approved a new strategic plan for the 150-year-old Jefferson City institution.
They also OK'd changes to how LU awards honorary degrees.
"This is a (strategic) plan that was developed by consulting with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community stakeholders," Chief Financial Officer Sandy Koetting told the board Thursday afternoon.
"The overall initiatives include recruitment, enrollment, retention and graduation; enhancing campus infrastructure; and enhancing campus culture."
Each of the broad initiatives includes a number of strategies and goals for each strategy.
"There's a lot of information in here," Koetting explained, "but we tried to keep it small and concise - and for things that can be accomplished over the next (short) period of time."
LU President Kevin Rome added, "We had to come up with this plan for many reasons," including this year's accreditation visit from the Higher Learning Commission.
But the curators' approval is more of a beginning to the process than a final decision.
"The goal is that once this is approved, each individual unit will take this back, to determine how they can further ensure the implementation and success of each of these objectives," Koetting explained, including how much each goal might cost and making budget adjustments or seeking additional funds to pay for that work.
"There definitely will be costs associated with some of these," she said.
Koetting also said the new plan has "some of the same focuses" as the previous plan, "but this is maybe a little more narrowed focus. I think the other plan was a little broader - it has more objectives to it.
"And this kind of narrows that, so that we can focus on some primary things."
Strategic plans aren't meant to be permanent documents.
Instead, they usually set out goals to be attempted during a three- to five-year period.
Rome explained, "These are things that we want to focus on in the next two to three years. We didn't want to create a document that we couldn't accomplish now."
But, he added, "The next thing that we're going to do is develop a 2025 plan for the university ... to look at where we want to be in 2025. And that will be a more extensive aspirational document that will look at those things that we can't accomplish in a short term."
Curators President Don Cook, a 1967 and "68 LU graduate, said he hopes the plan's next version expands on the "programs that deal with engagement - some leadership programs and some other things" Lincoln already has.
"I don't see that as an emphasis (in this plan)," he explained, "and I think, in terms of (student) retention, that engagement is pretty important. ... We know they are good programs.
"We know that they get students involved. We know that we create leaders. And I think we need to say that."
Curators also approved changes to LU's honorary degrees policy.
"This is a little more detailed with regard to how this process ought to look," Provost Said Sewell told the board. "If you can remember, the previous policy was somewhat vague in regards to the process - anyone could give a name to the president, and the president could then review it."
The state already authorizes the curators to award honorary doctor of laws, humane letters and letters degrees to people who have:
• Achieved "records of distinction at the local, state, national or international level in education, public service, literature, business or other professions."
• Made "a significant financial contribution to Lincoln University, or have made some other extraordinary, widely recognized and noteworthy contribution to the enhancement of Lincoln University."
The proposal adopted this week expands the possible honors to include honorary doctorates of arts, arts and humane letters, business, divinity, fine arts, liberal arts, laws, science, mathematics and "the University."
The new criteria says for all honorary degree nominees, "scholarly, creative, professional, service or occupational achievements should be placed with the framework of making a substantial impact and the public good."
Nominees also "should have demonstrated in their life and their work high standards of excellence, as evidenced by ... scholarship, creative activity or public service."
Nominations are to be reviewed by the Honorary Degrees Committee - which currently has 14 members, but that can fluctuate - made up from all departments throughout the entire university.
After its review, the committee forwards names to the president for final consideration.
The new guidelines limit awarding honorary degrees to no more than seven people a year, and those selected must receive the award in person.