BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University is the only college in the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities to include the word “caring” in its mission statement, SBU President Rick Melson told Trustees at their Fall meeting. Building on that distinctive, the SBU Trustees approved a new strategic plan to guide the University through its sesquicentennial celebration in 2028.
“Institutions oftentimes serve themselves,” Melson told Trustees.
“We want to be a student-first institution. If we don’t have students, we don’t have a reason to be here.”
The strategic plan, entitled Belong, Discover, Serve, Excel, uses the acronym CARE to articulate core institutional objectives: “Cultivate a community where people belong; Advance intellectual discovery and vocational readiness; Ready students to serve; Equip SBU to excel.”
The adoption of the strategic plan comes at a crucial moment for SBU. 2023 undergraduate admissions stayed steady with 2022 numbers, but those figures represent the bottoming out of a near decade decline. Hallmark programs such as Physical Therapy and other graduate degrees remain vital for SBU, but those programs have also experienced decline from peak enrollment in the past.
Recognizing the need to adapt to post-Covid realities, Melson pointed to Blackberry and Circuit City as examples of what can happen when providers fail to adjust to the markets they serve.
“We can’t be Blackberry or Circuit City,” Melson said.
“We can get through this, but we cannot keep doing things the same way.”
Melson concluded his presentation by giving each trustee an acorn as a reminder of the school’s founding vision. Abner Ingman and J.R. Maupin believed SBU would become a “mighty oak” of God.
“I am incredibly thankful to our Board of Trustees for coming alongside the faculty and staff of SBU to support this plan that puts students first and provides a solid foundation for the work ahead of us,” Melson said.
“The future of SBU is bright, and I’m excited to see the fruit of our strategic planning come to life in the months and years ahead.”
“The strategic plan adopted by the Board of Trustees is both ambitious and appropriate for SBU at this moment,” said Eddie Bumpers, Pastor of Crossway Baptist Church and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“Relatively few institutions can claim 146 years of history and influence and I’m proud of the steps we have taken to ensure that SBU is thriving at its 150th birthday and beyond.”
SBU also announced the sale of the Gott Center for Christian Education to the Salem R-80 School District. The school district intends to purchase the center for $750,000 and lease it back to university for $1 per year. SBU will continue to offer degree programs through the campus.
“This agreement is a win-win for both SBU and Salem,” Melson said.
“The Salem school district will gain needed space to cost-effectively expand, and SBU will retain efficient use of the Gott Center for Education. We are proud of over thirty years of partnership and eager to continue making higher education investments in Salem for the future.”
In addition to the LPN bridge program in nursing, SBU offers associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in business, education, criminal justice, psychology, and health sciences on the Salem campus. Courses will continue to be offered face-to-face or through video conference in the evenings after sale of the building is completed in Spring 2024.
You can view SBU’s new strategic plan at https://www.sbuniv.edu/_resources/documents/2023-2028-strategic-plan.pdf.