On Nov. 3, an email was sent out to the St. Olaf student body that announced the launch of the college’s new strategic plan for 2024-2030, titled “Solution Seekers.” The 24-page plan outlines the steps St. Olaf will take over the next five years to meet its three interconnected goals — elevating vocation, expanding innovation, and sustaining the St. Olaf community — through a “liberal arts plus” education, which combines a liberal arts curriculum with pre-professional and advising programs.
The strategic planning process officially began in October, 2023. Led by President Susan Rundell Singer, the strategic planning process included input from St. Olaf students, faculty, alumni, and the Board of Regents. Those involved were split into four teams. Three of the teams each focused on one of the three key goals, then the fourth team, an “integration” team, was tasked with weaving the goals together. Initial feedback was provided through rapid response teams and virtual town halls.
According to Rundell Singer, the goal of elevating vocation is to “help our students in discerning where they want to make contributions to the world.”
The strategic plan has action steps to help Oles understand how they can make an impact outside of St. Olaf. This will include expanding access to internships, study-away programs, and other relevant work experiences, as well as the creation of an Academy for Leadership and Character that will provide a range of credentialing opportunities for students.
“If there’s a challenge in the world that you care deeply about, how can we equip you with the confidence to go out and make a contribution to improve it?” Rundell Singer said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger.
Expanding innovation relates to cultivating spaces of creativity and strengthening students’ career readiness in a rapidly changing world. According to Rundell Singer, one large aspect of this is turning Rolvaag Memorial Library into an “innovation hive” — different academic resources will be available to students, and spaces like the DiSCO’s Cave will be expanded. There are also plans to amplify student mentoring programs and flesh out the second-year experience.
“We want to create the programming, then we need the physical space to support that,” Rundell Singer said.
Sustaining the St. Olaf community is the most layered goal. One aspect includes sustaining the culture of belonging and wellbeing within St. Olaf. Vice President for Community and Belonging Eduardo Pazos and the Division of Inclusion and Belonging are heavily involved with this goal by garnering insights from different sectors of the community. Rundell Singer also spoke about financial sustainability, as the College plans to invest in long-term resources to support college affordability and the multitude of programs St. Olaf offers. The third piece regards environmental sustainability, in which the College plans to identify certain United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that align with St. Olaf’s mission and work toward them.
“When we talk about investing sustainably in our work, absolutely the environmental piece is key,” Rundell Singer said. “We have the potential to do so much more.”
Rundell Singer hopes that the first steps toward the plan’s implementation will take place in early December. This will include strengthening academic advising through work on the sophomore experience and beginning the process of updating Rolvaag Memorial Library. “For some of the areas, we’re more ready to go than others,” Rundell Singer said.
The full strategic plan can be found on the St. Olaf website.
