Staff Writer- Sam Paulsen
Over the past seven months, a wide variety of individuals from across the Gustavus community have been hard at work on President John Volin’s five-year strategic plan. This plan is being spearheaded by the strategic planning steering committee, consisting of a team of 11 people, including faculty, staff, and students. The process has, however, not been limited to just a select team of individuals. Community feedback and involvement have been crucial every step of the way.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 2026, Gustavus hosted a campus-wide strategic planning event open to all members of the Gustavus community. This event consisted of tables of staff, faculty, and students, as well as open tables which included a mix of all three. It aimed to create a space for discussion amongst the community about how to continue to push the college further.
“The event was a dedicated time to include people who aren’t a part of administration and the planning process. They are still an important part of Gustavus and getting their perspectives and experiences and their day-to-day is extremely important to this campus,” Table Facilitator, Financial Strength and Sustaining the Future working group member, and Junior Melora Lee said.
According to Lee, many benefits will hopefully come out of this process and the work that is being done, especially from the community feedback they have received. The strategic plan consists of three working groups, each targeted at a different objective for Gustavus to improve upon. The groups that were formed back in December are centered around three key ideas: Academic Excellence and Student Impact, Flourishing Community and Shared Purpose, and Financial Strength and Sustainable Future. These groups have been meeting regularly since December and have been working to implement community feedback in all parts of the process throughout their work.
The President’s steering committee is being co-chaired by Chief Marketing Officer Leah Wong and Provost Brenda Kelly, who have been working at all levels to finalize this plan.
“The goal of this process is to have the strategic plan approved by the Board of Trustees by April 2026,” Wong said during a strategic plan open forum earlier this week.
The strategic plan is not a process of directly implementing the planned changes into Gustavus but rather a process of garnering feedback from the community on what needs to be done in order to elevate Gustavus into one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation.
“It gives us a framework to unite to align under a shared vision for the college,” Wong commented during the strategic plan open forum.
It is not uncommon for college presidents to have a strategic plan during their first few years working at the institution. Former President Rebecca Bergman had a ten-year strategic plan that came into effect when she entered the institution. Although President Volin’s plan has a timeline of five years, students can expect to see results sometime in the near future regarding academic experiences and beyond. Although these results will not be instantaneous, students have much to keep an eye out for.
“Our purpose is to deliver outstanding academic and co-curricular experiences that equip students for lives of wellbeing,” Kelly said. “I think the overall goal is to go back to the purpose, which is to set a strategic roadmap of the College for the next five years.”
As the landscape of higher education continues to change and evolve, the institution of Gustavus aims to as well. The college’s place in higher education as a liberal arts institution is always shifting, and it is imperative for the success of the college that work is being done to help adjust to these changes.
As students leave Gustavus and enter the workforce, a goal of the plan is to make this transition as seamless as possible for students.
“You are a Gustie now, and will even be when you leave, so you should want to help participate in the continual improvement of the College,” Lee said.
A phrase that has emerged from the President’s strategic planning process is that of “Radical Belonging.” In a campus and world that appears to be moving further away from each other, belonging and community are what have emerged as key issues during this planning process.
Following the approval of the Board of Trustees in April, the College will begin its implementation process of the strategic plan. During this implementation phase, students can expect more opportunities and chances to get involved in the process.
Although most students on campus will have graduated by the completion of this plan, there is still a variety of work to be done in the meantime to help the institution achieve its goal that is being outlined during this process.