The University of the South moves confidently into the coming decades based on a renewed educational approach that draws on our past and looks to the future.
Our strategic plan builds upon a rich liberal arts and theological education tradition that explores enduring questions of humanity infused with practical engagement that prepares our graduates for lives of integrity, service, and leadership. At the University of the South, education has never been just about the pursuit of abstract knowledge; it has long sought to prepare students to be engaged citizens who meet society’s needs. Such an educational model requires that students be outfitted with the knowledge, skills, and powers of discernment needed to address the challenges they will face in the world and the moral character to take on such responsibilities.
In keeping with its educational mission and tradition, the University of the South has developed this strategic plan with a clear focus on students. To that end, two underlying objectives animate our strategic plan:
- providing a comprehensive curricular offering that will sustain our attractiveness to a larger number of high-caliber students; and,
- preparing students for lives of service and leadership so they will become active citizens contributing to democracy at home and the resolution of challenges around the world.
Achieving these twin goals will elevate our standing in the increasingly competitive landscape of higher education. Education takes many forms, but it always occurs in the context of the myriad relationships formed among students and between students and members of the faculty, staff, and community. At the University of the South, all members of the community have the opportunity to contribute to, and bear the responsibility for, students’ formation.
