PLU 2020: Affirming Our Commitments, Shaping Our Future is a set of goals published by the Pacific Lutheran University in 2012. PLU 2020 draws upon its predecessors — PLU 2000: Embracing the 21st Century and PLU 2010: the Next Level of Distinction — to outline goals and expectations for the kind of institution PLU will endeavor to be by 2020.
The document aims to “stimulate our thinking as to how we will meet those challenges and take advantage of those opportunities in new, creative and bold ways that fulfill our mission in the decade ahead.”
In 2018, more than halfway through the decade PLU 2020 set goalposts for, we take a look at some notable reccomendations from the aspirational document and some significant events from the last few years related to these goals.
“The university should continue to invest in residence halls as centers for engaged living and learning experiences with vibrant, intentional co-curricular programs as well as comfortable, sustainable living facilities that support changing student demographics and the educational mission of PLU.”
New Residential Learning Communities added in the 2017-2018 school year: STEM (Tingelstad Hall), Lavender Wing (Ordall Hall), Students of Color (Stuen Hall), First in the Family (Stuen Hall) and Diversity, Justice and Sustainability (Stuen Hall).
“The university should strengthen academic planning and learning resources for all students, as well as student services that are increasingly effective, efficient and easily accessible.”
Installation of the Center for Student Success in Mortvedt Library begins in 2018. CSS combines student assistance services into a single space to ease navigation for students seeking help, as well as to provide a welcoming environment for students to find support.
“The university should continue to expand its support for faculty scholarship and should better celebrate and recognize faculty scholarly achievements and service to the campus, their professional organizations and to our many external constituencies.”
To increase visibility of student-faculty research across campus, PLU begins sponsoring Undergraduate Research Symposium in 2018
“The university should advance its practice of careful and conservative budgeting, implement the latest appropriate innovations in student recruitment methodologies and financial aid modeling, and strive for continued success in fund development.”
PLU experiences a $3 million budget shortfall in 2017, largely due to falling retention rates.
Faculty Joint-Committee proposes the elimination of over 30 tenure and/or tenure-track faculty and several subunits of degree offerings for 2018-2019 school year. Reductions aim to create financial stability by equalizing student-to-faculty ratio.
“The university should pursue the development of a formal enrollment growth plan for qualified undergraduates and graduates by building on existing strengths and evaluating possible new majors and programs. Part of this plan is a definition of the optimal enrollment size that is consistent with the university’s mission and educational objectives and that generates additional net revenue.”
PLUÂ experiences consistent decline in enrollment, reporting a deficit of 575 students between 2008 and 2017, resulting in $11.5 million lost tuition revenue.
“We will maintain our enduring sensitivities to the many contemporary cultural influences that will undoubtedly shape our mission and identity for future generations.”
-PLU 2020
