CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY VISION 2025 IS ‘BOLD, DYNAMIC' BLUEPRINT FOR UNIVERSITY TO PREPARE CHRISTIAN SERVANT LEADERS

By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Campbellsville University has developed a new Vision 2025 document that is bold and dynamic and will serve as a guide to make CU one of the premier Christian universities in the nation.

 

“Preparing Christian servant leaders, who are logical thinkers, keen problem solvers, effective communicators and who are compassionate,” is the essence of the document, according to Dr. Michael V. Carter, who is in his 11th year as president of CU.

“Campbellsville University is committed to serving the higher educational needs of the 21st century in a spirit of humility, service and concern for others,” Carter said.

“We want to combine the finest in academic rigor with the ability for students to become leaders who are guided by a sense of Christian ethics and care for all people.”

“Vision 2025 outlines a very bold plan of action to help facilitate an environment at Campbellsville University where there is academic excellence, character development, integration of faith and learning, scholarship and research and community learning,” he said.

Vision 2025 is the result of two years of work by the CU Board of Trustees and administration with input from faculty, staff, coaches, students, alumni and community leaders, with the board having officially approved the document.

As a primary goal of Vision 2025, CU is poised to become one of the premier and top tier Christian universities by the implementation of goals and initiatives in the document.

“Vision 2025 will serve as our guide as we work to make Campbellsville one of the premier Christian universities in the nation,” according to Dr. Jay Conner, chair of the CU Board of Trustees.  

“It will lead us as we focus on creating new academic programs which are meaningful to our society and our world. It will hold us accountable as we increase our emphasis on servant leadership and insure that we maintain our commitment to strengthen the financial condition of our beloved school.”

Conner said, after having served on the board for the past ten years, “I have seen the institution make tremendous progress in positioning herself to move aggressively into our second century of service in Christian higher education. We have created incredible momentum toward constantly improving ourselves on all fronts.”

Conner said the institution believes a “key ingredient” to maximizing opportunities in the next 15 years and beyond is the Vision 2025 document.

Conner said the Vision 2025 strategy will “lead us as we focus on creating new academic programs which are meaningful to our society.

“It will hold us accountable as we increase our emphasis on servant leadership and insure that we maintain our commitment to strengthen the financial condition of our beloved school.”

Conner said Vision 2025 is “our blueprint to making Campbellsville an ever-increasing relevant force within Christian higher education.”

Carter outlined the blueprint for the future as commitments to: 1. placing our students and our mission first in all we do; 2. providing our faculty, staff and coaches with the resources to teach and mentor students; 3. increasing the endowment of Campbellsville University; 4. providing new and enhanced facilities;

5. increasing the growth of the campus - in size, student enrollment and academic offerings; 6. expanding the regional footprint of the institution across Kentucky and beyond; 7. providing a variety of educational opportunities and venues in a rapidly changing world; 8. emphasizing a “work to learn” program for students;

9. remaining a strongly Christ-centered institution and maintaining CU's Baptist identity while being open to people of differing backgrounds and experiences; 10. fostering a sense of earth stewardship; 11. integrating ethics into all academic and student life programs; 12. making Campbellsville University a diverse community of learners reflective of the global family;

13. being Great Commission Christians who believe in the “whosoever will Gospel” (John 3:16); and, 14., challenging CU's students to be Christian servant leaders in whatever profession they are called to serve in and in all facets of their lives.

Vision 2025 will also be setting the stage for a series of fundraising campaigns to move Campbellsville University to the next level of achievements.

“Vision is necessary for the growth and development of a Christian organization - whether a church, a faith-based ministry or a university,” Carter said.  

“Throughout history, the belief that what we do can be done better has been at the heart of the Christian movement, and Christian higher education is no exception,” he said.

Campbellsville University is in her 103rd year of providing Christian higher education to students.

CU is already moving toward the top tier as noted by being named to the top 25 baccalaureate universities in the South, for three consecutive years, by U.S.News & World Report.  CU's most recent distinction of being named as one of the South's top four “up-and-coming” institutions of higher learning, also by U.S.News & World Report (one of only 77 institutions in the nation) is further evidence of the progress that CU is making.

“We are committed to making Vision 2025 a reality in the years that lie ahead,” Carter said.

Conner said, “We continue to believe that Campbellsville's best days are still ahead of her, and we are committed to making those days come sooner rather than later.”

Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 3,006 students who represent 97 Kentucky counties, 30 states and 37 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2010 “America's Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 23rd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South, tied for fifth in “most international students” and fourth in “up-and-coming” schools in baccalaureate colleges in the South. CU has been ranked 17 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges® and to G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his 11th year as president.