Strategic Plan

It will be subject to frequent, critical review, and its details will be revised as needed to ensure that we honor its ultimate purpose, which is to define where we are going as an institution and how we propose to get there. In creating this document, we have drawn once again upon the rich and diverse intellectual resources of our community to learn from our past, appraise our current condition and look ahead to a future in which we will grow in vitality, accomplishment and stature. The Strategic Plan represents the best efforts of this community to articulate a clear set of goals, strategic initiatives and tactics that will guide us toward a future that is commensurate with our distinguished history and our extraordinary promise.

The essence of the Strategic Plan, however, is not just its goals; it is the means through which we will fulfill them, and the key to this fulfillment is found in our Catholic and Marianist identity. A University of Dayton education that is deeply informed by this identity is one in which personal and social transformation are not only made possible, but one in which such transformation is intentional. It is an education in which learning and teaching are sacramental, faithand reason are integrated, service and leadership are vital vocations and all of these are practiced in and for community.

We are deeply grateful to the many people, including faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni and the board of trustees who gave so generously of their time and their insights to create this plan. Now we ask the University of Dayton community to come together once again as we face an even greater challenge. For we should all be very clear on this point: the most difficult work lies ahead. As we define priorities, establish metrics and put this plan into operation, we will need more than ever the spirit of collaboration that has brought us to this key moment in the history of our University. We invite everyone who cares about this institution to use this Strategic Plan as our common guide toward building a University of Dayton that fulfills our collective potential to become an exemplar of excellence in American higher education.


Daniel J. Curran, Ph.D.
president