STRATEGIC PLAN

2023-2028 STRATEGIC PLAN

MISSION:

Nicholls State University prepares all students for careers and life in a spirited campus environment immersed in the Louisiana Coastal Community.

VISION:

We aspire to be the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Louisiana Coastal Community.

VALUES:

Nicholls State University supports values that promote citizenship, concern for self and others, and the desire for a better world by embracing its core values. Our core values include:

Civic Engagement: We use our time and talents to serve our community.

Diversity: We embrace unique perspectives that all individuals bring to the learning environment.

Excellence: We reach for the highest level of achievement in all activities.

Integrity: We expect fair-mindedness and truthfulness in all instances.

Leadership: As representatives of the university, we embrace our role as leaders.

Respectfulness: We respect the rights of others and are responsive to the needs of others.

Responsibility: We are accountable for our actions.

Safety: We cultivate a safe and secure environment free from harm conducive to unity and freedom of expression.

Pillars of the Nicholls Experience:

Pillar 1: Student Experience

Nicholls is devoted to helping students reach their full potential and aspirations for the future. Through strong engagement with the institution, students are able to complete degrees and become active members of the communities we serve. Within the Colonel Culture, students will experience clear academic pathways, co-curricular experiences and effective services to address wellness, mental, and physical health, while gaining career readiness skills to prepare for life and career success.

Goal 1: Attract Students to Nicholls as a Distinctive Institution.

Objective 1: The University marketing team will develop and execute a strategic marketing plan that highlights the unique and distinctive qualities of Nicholls.

Objective 2: The University marketing team will clarify and promote a strong brand identity for Nicholls as a distinctive, unique higher education choice.

Objective 3: Nicholls will provide programs and facilities of distinction to become a first-choice institution.

Goal 2: Strengthen Academic Success by providing services, development, and clear paths to academic completion.

Objective 1: Support students’ academic progress and degree completion by working with them to define a clear academic path and supporting them throughout their college career.

Objective 2: Support faculty development by growing professional development to equip faculty and staff to better effect student success.

Objective 3: Support development of the UL System Core Competencies in the student experience.

Goal 3: Provide and promote effective services that address wellness, mental and physical health of our students.

Objective 1: Provide and promote effective wellness support for students with services and programs addressing mental health.

Objective 2: Provide and promote effective wellness support for students with services and programs addressing physical health.

Goal 4: Develop career readiness skills in our students to prepare them for life and career success.

Objective 1: Develop skills for effective career decision making through awareness and programs.

Objective 2: Provide opportunities for professional growth and improvement through experiential learning to include internships, undergraduate research, service learning, field experiences and more.

Objective 3: Provide professional development and career support services for all students to help them become effective self-advocators of their value to future employers.

Goal 5: Promote the Colonel Culture to foster a sense of belonging, improve student engagement, and increase access to impactful co-curricular learning experiences.

Objective 1: Define and promote Colonel Culture to include athletic events, cultural events and all other campus activities as part of campus culture.

Objective 2: Expand access and promote opportunities for students to participate in co-curricular learning experiences while engaging with other students, faculty, staff, and external constituents.

Objective 3: Ensure the Nicholls community is a safe and secure environment.

Pillar 2: Employee Experience

Nicholls is an institution with a caring community culture. To ensure Nicholls as a continued employer of choice, we will focus on implementing robust policies, procedures and practices to ensure current and future employee satisfaction and institutional sustainability. We commit ourselves to achieving performance excellence and the continuous improvement of our people and processes.

Goal 1: Define Nicholls as an employer of choice.

Objective 1: Support initiatives to minimize employee work stress and help accommodate life’s challenges.

Objective 2: Encourage and cultivate a work environment for all employees that promotes creativity, rewards excellence, and fosters high morale.

Objective 3: Develop a culture of trust while encouraging teamwork and accountability that upholds university integrity.

Goal 2: Cultivate a positive, welcoming work environment.

Objective 1: Cultivating a culture of diversity and inclusivity by ensuring policies and procedures provide equity throughout the university.

Objective 2: Encourage communication and promote a sense of community through collaboration across the university.

Objective 3: Commit to equity by ensuring policies and structures provide access to opportunities by addressing each person’s needs and circumstances and improving outcomes for all.

Goal 3: Develop and implement employee professional development.

Objective 1: Develop and implement orientation in a digital format.

Objective 2: Support initiatives in providing opportunities for enhancement of skills and professional development.

Objective 3: Develop internal continuing education for supervisors that includes understanding their responsibilities, policies and procedures, and the impact they have on employees.

Goal 4: Increase and sustain communications with all stakeholders.

Objective 1: Improve internal communications to promote greater inclusion in decision-making, accountability at all levels, and more effective implementation of systems, policies, and practices.

Objective 2: Develop and execute a strong communications strategy to communicate the contributions and accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partnerships.

Goal 5: Optimize a sustainable and predictable business model to meet the needs of the people and the institution.

Objective 1: Develop alternative forms of revenue to support ongoing needs of the institution and enhance relationships with the region.

Objective 2: Execute sustainable budgeting model that enables responsible stewardship of all financial resources, including alternative revenue streams and enrollment strategies.

Objective 3: Develop and implement maximized profitability models for all academic, auxiliary, athletic, alumni, coastal, and other operating units.

Objective 4: Review framework and recommendations of Nicholls Online and the adjunct/overload pay schedule and make recommendations for sustainable budgeting.

Pillar 3: Academic Experience

Nicholls provides academic degree programs that meet current and future needs of our coastal region, nation, and world. Success in these programs is led by faculty who teach, mentor, and guide students throughout their academic journey. As a result, faculty can improve student learning, prepare students to compete in the global marketplace and enhance student success by providing access to experiential learning opportunities with smaller class sizes that enable more personalized direction and support. In addition, Nicholls is committed to non-credit offerings that support professional and continuing education, focusing on employer needs along with creating opportunities to reskill and upskill professionals throughout a career.

Goal 1: Enhance existing degree programs to ensure they meet the needs of the region.

Objective 1: Conduct comprehensive reviews of all undergraduate and graduate degree programs and curricula and implement necessary changes.

Objective 2: Determine which existing undergraduate and graduate degree programs may be delivered online in addition to traditional on-campus delivery.

Goal 2: Create new degree programs to meet the needs of the region.

Objective 1: Investigate and implement opportunities for new undergraduate and graduate degree programs and concentrations.

Objective 2: Determine which new undergraduate and graduate degree programs and concentrations might be delivered online in addition to traditional on-campus delivery.

Goal 3: Establish non-traditional academic initiatives to meet the needs of the region.

Objective 1: Investigate and implement opportunities for academic initiatives outside of the traditional bachelor and master degree formats.

Goal 4: Increase and sustain a communications strategy that engages and informs the campus community.

Objective 1: The University Communications Team will improve communications to promote greater inclusion in decision-making, accountability at all levels, and more effective implementation of systems, policies, and practices.

Objective 2: The University Communications Team will develop and execute a strong communications strategy to communicate the contributions and accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partnerships.

Pillar 4: Community Experience

Nicholls is committed to strengthening regional engagement by serving as a strong partner with community members, area organizations, and companies. Nicholls experiences within the community are critical to ensure our impact extends far beyond our campus boundaries and into the daily lives of our coastal communities. We strive to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, initiatives, and economic engagement to incubate new opportunities for our future along with continuing to lead efforts in research and collaboration in coastal resilience and restoration. Through deep strategic relationships, we will distinguish ourselves as a valued partner and community resource.

Goal 1: Engage the community and region to create resilient coastal communities.

Objective 1: Support opportunities for enhanced faculty research, scholarly activity, and creative activity that includes student participation, contributes to effective student preparation, and fulfills community needs and encourages engagement.

Objective 2: Support development of the Coastal Center at Nicholls State University, activities of which will include research, education, and solutions to coastal problems along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, as well as community resilience and preservation of community history and culture.

Objective 3: Support efforts of the Bayou Region Incubator as it builds entrepreneurship, research, and development in the region.

Objective 4: Launch the Data Refinery supercomputer effort, designed to assimilate datasets from multiple sources and render it more usable in solving specific problems, such as protection and restoration issues associated with the Gulf Coast.

Goal 2: Develop mutually beneficial partnerships, initiatives, and economic engagement connecting Nicholls with the eight parish service regions and beyond.

Objective 1: Strengthen and expand K-16 partnerships to support college readiness, enrollment, and completion.

Objective 2: Measure, report, and promote economic impact to the university service region.

Objective 3: Promote workshops, certifications, and other mechanisms to expand public expertise to university responsiveness to regional needs.

Objective 4: Enhance promotion of arts, cultural, academic, and athletic events, as well as other activities as an integral part of campus culture.

Objective 5: Enhance relationships with alumni as ambassadors of the university.

Foundational Principles:

Along with our values, the foundational principles permeate every aspect of the institution and are addressed throughout this document. These principles support the people and places of Nicholls by ensuring a safe and financially stable living and working environment and a culture of open and effective communication.

Sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to maintain and support over time. Nicholls has sustained for 75 years and continues to provide a strong educational foundation to generations of proud alumni. To sustain our institution moving forward, Nicholls needs to grow and maintain a strong enrollment and find alternative sources of revenue to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.

Communications

Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person, or group to another. Good communication involves the ability to listen or read carefully, understand what is being said or written, and convey information to others accurately. Nicholls wants to grow in this fundamental skill to ensure our community is heard and well-informed.

Safety

Safety is being free from harm, loss, damage or injury. Safety is a sense of security to express one’s views without fear of retaliation. Emotional safety is the visceral feeling of being accepted and embraced for who you truly are and what you feel and need, willingness to reveal how you feel. Psychological safety is defined as feeling about expressing oneself without fear of negative consequences to self-image, status or career.

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