b'Strategic Growth Action PlanPlanning Process NarrativeIn the Fall of 2020, Heidelberg University President, Dr. Rob Huntington, convened a cross-functional commi"ee to develop the institutions 5-to-10 year strategic plan. The Strategic Growth Action Plan (SGAP) provides the Heidelberg community with a vision of the institution in 10 years and charts the institutions path toward that vision. Through the development of Four Strategic Goals, 19 Strategic Objectives, and 52 Key Strategic Initiatives (KSIs), the Strategic Growth Action Plan provides a clear roadmap for how Heidelberg will navigate the changing landscape of higher education to establish nancial stability, achieve academic excellence, and accomplish a cultural transformation of the University as a whole.Background & ContextHigher education, nationwide, is in a precarious position. Across the country, institutions of higher education struggle to balance budgets, reach enrollment targets, and retain and graduate students in signicantly higher numbers. Nationwide, approximately 40% of students who enroll in an institution of higher education drop out. The number of traditional college-age students is declining nationally too; between 2025 and 2030, the population of 18-22 year olds will decline by about 15%. 1Public perception of the value of a college degree has declined in recent years, with fewer Americans indicating that they believe higher education is worth the cost. According to the Strada Education Network, 59% of potential adult learners believe a college degree is worth the cost (down from 77%) and only 64% believe that a college degree will help them get a good job (down from 89%). 2For at least the past twenty-ve years, Heidelberg has struggled with these same challenges. At Heidelberg, approximately 50% of students do not graduate from Heidelberg. 3Heidelbergs ve-year average fall-to-fall retention rate is 72.0%, compared to national average of 77.1% for four-year private institutions. Similarly, HUs four-year graduation rate is 46.4% and the six-year graduation rate is 51.6% (ve-year averages); both Heidelbergs four- and six-year graduation rates lag behind national averages. 4Geographically, Heidelberg also faces challenges, primarily due to changing demographics in the Midwest. The population of traditional college-age students is declining in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, and Kentucky. In the Midwest as a whole, the pool of college-age students will not increase over the next 10 years with an estimated annual pool of high school graduates of 717,300 students through 2031-2032. 5This decline in the population of traditional age college students is sometimes referred to as a demographic cli#. Additionally, the population of high school graduates is changing, not only in average number, but also in demographics. The proportion of White students is expected to decline from 76% to 70% of the graduating population while the proportion of Non-White graduates is projected to increase from 24% to 30% by 2031-2032. 61 h"ps://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonbusteed/2020/09/25/wake-up-higher-education-the-degree-is-on-the-decline/?sh=7be935917ecb 2 h"ps://stradaeducation.org/press-release/condence-in-the-value-of-education-has-fallen-among-adults-without-degrees-seriously-considering-additional-education/3 Heidelberg University Drop Out Phenomenon, 2015.4 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center5 h"p://knocking.wiche.edu/6 h"p://knocking.wiche.edu/7'