Stronger Together
Strategic Plan 2023-2029
91ֱwill be a welcoming and supportive community where faculty, staff, and students feel a sense of belonging and where we come together to build a strong foundation for a successful future while ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the institution.
Pillar 1: People
Declaration: At Ohio Northern University, students are prepared for success in their careers and life; faculty and staff have the support to fully achieve their vocational goals; alumni, employers, and stakeholders are enriched through their connections to ONU; and we share a sense of belonging, inclusion, and diversity.
Objective 1: 91ֱwill retain and graduate students by supporting their academic, professional, financial, and wellness needs, thereby creating a strong sense of belonging.
Objective 2: 91ֱwill support its faculty and staff, creating a strong culture of engagement and belonging.
Objective 3: 91ֱwill proactively engage alumni, stakeholders, and employers, particularly those in the surrounding region, and will build strong relationships in support of the long-term success of ONU.
Significant Outcomes: Develop a strategic plan and tactics to achieve first-year retention and six-year graduation goals, building the plan on strategies directed at student engagement, wellness, finances, and academic support.
Institute a schedule of benchmarking for employee benefits and surveys of campus culture to support a positive culture of belonging at ONU.
Establish goals for categories of diversity and underrepresented students, faculty, and staff and work with the Chief Belonging, Inclusion, and Diversity Officer to build a plan.
Establish strategies that enhance the affordability and value students experience while attending ONU.
Pillar 2: Teaching and Learning
Declaration: Ohio Northern University will be known for distinctive academic programs delivered by accomplished faculty that equip all students to succeed in their careers and meet the region’s growing workforce needs.
Objective 1: 91ֱwill support high-quality, accessible, and diverse learning environments for students, faculty, and staff.
Objective 2: 91ֱwill remain at the leading edge of curricular design, implementation, and evaluation to enhance learning and meet the needs of a diverse student body.
Objective 3: 91ֱwill work proactively to align and meet the needs of employers through a 21st-century focus on its foundational programs.
Significant Outcomes: Develop a program review process to optimize academic program resources while aligning programs to workforce needs.
Increase degree pathways for traditional, non-traditional, and transfer students, including hybrid and online instructional offerings.
Pillar 3: Place
Declaration: ONU’s campus will meet the learning and recreational needs of students, faculty, and staff, as well as the living accommodations of our students.
Objective 1: The University will develop a campus master plan that meets the campus academic, residential, recreational, and athletics needs.
Objective 2: ONU’s recreational and wellness facilities will meet the needs of the campus community and build upon our foundational excellence in the health sciences.
Objective 3: 91ֱwill invest in technology to meet the current and future needs of students, faculty, and staff.
Significant Outcomes: Envision, plan and fundraise for a renovated and expanded King Horn Center in conjunction with a Health Sciences facility.
Review current technology capabilities and align investments to deliver and support faculty, staff, and students.
Pillar 4: Sustainability
Declaration: Ohio Northern University will be financially stable by fostering a culture of continuous innovation and improvement through prudent management, effective branding and marketing, cost management, and enduring relationships.
Objective 1: 91ֱwill balance expenditures with available resources, increasing the University’s Financial Indicators Tool (FIT) score to be in the 4 to 5 range or higher.
Objective 2: 91ֱwill meaningfully increase and diversify enrollment, clearly communicating its brand to all stakeholders.
Objective 3: 91ֱwill outperform investment benchmarks and increase earned income and contributed revenue.
Significant Outcomes: Achieve a five year FIT score average above 4.0 by 2027-28 fiscal year.
Meet or exceed investment benchmarks in two out of three asset classifications on a 3-5 year average annually.
Significantly increase the endowment to eliminate the structural deficit and support the quality of the institution.