Strategic Plan 2017-18 Update - Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

The work of the Aspire Higher Strategic Plan is filled with great news about how Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is intentionally fulfilling our mission as a Catholic, liberal arts institution.

When the decision was made to become coeducational in all programs, it was one of the most significant decisions in the history of the College. When I became President in 2010, the College enjoyed a rich legacy, an important mission, committed alumni and students for whom SMWC made such a difference. It was also a College with decades of deferred maintenance, a declining infrastructure and enrollments that would not sustain its future. The launch of the Aspire Higher Strategic Plan is our commitment to sustaining growth so that students of all backgrounds have greater access to a transformative education, and so that we prepare our students for meaningful lives and successful careers, aspiring preeminence in all to which we commit ourselves with a vision for a bold path forward.

When I look back at what has been accomplished since we began working on this plan in 2015, I am extremely proud of the positive and proactive change we have been able to build.

What will it take to continue our momentum?

It will take inspiration. It will take determination. It will take drive. And, it will take the collective energy of the entire SMWC community. By Aspiring Higher, we are a College on the move with a bright, vibrant future.

SMWC is entering a new era in its history. Together, we write a new chapter for The Woods. I invite you to join us.

Dottie King, President

Aspiring Higher for a Vibrant Future

With focused determination and a passionate Woods community, SMWC has made significant and measurable progress towards building momentum and strengthening the College’s commitment to educational excellence, its Catholic identity, commitment to a teaching culture that supports lifelong learning, and effecting positive change in a spirit of service and social responsibility. We are a College on the move!

Enrollment is the largest it has been since the 1970’s! The fall of 2016 brought an incoming class that was 30 percent larger than that of 2015. The 2017 class grew 45 percent over that of 2016.
Undergraduate campus deposits have increased by 62 percent and applications are up 13 percent over last year.
While we are seeing male students enroll (10 percent of the population in 2017), the significant growth in enrollment is to be found in dramatic increases in the new female student population.
The College is enjoying a placement rate of 95 percent, which indicates a high success rate for the percentage of graduates who obtain employment in their major area or admittance to graduate school within six months of graduation.
The College launched a mobile student-centric website and intraweb during Fall 2017. Compared to last year, the College is seeing notable gains in its online visitors. These increases came exclusively from visitors on mobile devices, with the number of new visitors using mobile devices increasing by 58 percent. This is over 14,000 additional first-time visitors compared to the same time period last year. First-time visitors in the Indianapolis metro area increased from 461 to 12,745 from the same time period last year, while first-time visitors from Chicago metro area increased from 2,991 to 10,745.
SMWC opened a Health Services Clinic to provide on campus clinic services to our students, faculty, staff, Sisters of Providence and their staff, and the local community. The clinic was funded by two grants and opened in partnership with Union Health.
The College is reimagining the first floor of the library as the new Rooney Center – a student union approach featuring the We Proudly Serve (Starbucks) Café, the new Health Services Clinic and a new home for the Admission team’s one-stop-shop.
SMWC expanded its efforts to recruit and retain 21^st Century Scholars state-wide, through a new initiative which included the addition of a grant-funded position to create a path for student success.
The Master’s of Leadership Development and Master’s of Healthcare Administration programs added fully online delivery, allowing them to be more competitive and attractive to a national audience.
Men’s cross country was added to the athletics offerings, and recruitment began for a men’s soccer team, who will begin competition Fall 2018. The College will launch a Club Sports Program Spring 2018, adding dance and mountain biking teams for Fall 2018.
The College made a commitment to provide 24/7 technical support for online students.
New recruitment pipelines for band and pep band were added to the SMWC offerings, which allowed for the reinstatement of the instrumental music program as part of the music department offerings.
F-1 status through the Department of Homeland Security was secured, opening the pipeline for increased potential students as part of the English Language Institute.
A First-Year Experience Program is being offered to students as of Fall 2017.
The College created several new committees to oversee special efforts: Diversity Council, Catholic Identity Committee, Information Security Task Force, Historic District Committee and the Trails Task Force.

Building Momentum

In response to growing demand in the healthcare workplace, SMWC will launch a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program in 2018 to prepare nurses with a high level of healthcare training and the authorization to treat patients, ready to fill roles as Nurse Practitioners (NP). NPs and Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP), in particular, are quickly becoming the healthcare provider of choice for millions of Americans. With the addition of baccalaureate nursing three years ago, this area has quickly become the most popular College offering and is a strong contributing factor in the recent enrollment growth. A grant was received in 2017 for $250,000 which will allow SMWC to fully fund the MSN program at launch.

The undergraduate Nursing Program has been the highest enrolled major since its inception, followed by business administration, education and music therapy equivalency.
SMWC continues to look for ways to grow academically while also aligning with our Catholic values through collaboration with the Sisters of Providence. Areas of consideration for partnerships include memory care and sustainable farming.

Investing in our Students

SMWC received a $1 million gift to endow scholarships for students from Scecina Memorial High School and Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis – a significant investment in the College’s endowment and scholarship program.

A total of six new endowments were added last year, including the Endowment for Sustainability to provide educational opportunities for science students through programming centered around eco-justice.
$5 million is awarded in student financial aid each year to hardworking students who choose to attend SMWC – supported by the income from the endowment.
The Woods Fund exceeded its goal for the third year in a row by raising $1.1 million in unrestricted funds from alumni and friends. Unrestricted gifts support student scholarships, faculty development and the overall student experience which is vital to providing a high quality private education.

Investing in our Infrastructure

The College has made an intentional effort to prioritize capital improvement projects that recognize the significance of the historic structures while focusing on improving the look and functionality of spaces for today’s students. Le Fer Hall, the College’s residence hall, is the first focus area of the Aspire Higher Campaign, which launches a $7 million capital project in 2018 to improve both the building and the student experience. Work that is underway or complete includes:

Commitments of $1.1 million in gifts to the Aspire Higher Campaign have allowed renovations to be made to the student social areas, food service preparation area and public restrooms on the main level. Completion is scheduled for Summer 2018.
The Sacred Heart Chapel opened in its new location on the main floor in Le Fer Hall thanks to a generous donation. The former chapel space will become Studio ’64 – a dance, yoga and flex space open for students Summer 2018.
Three new crosses, fabricated by local artist Bill Wolfe and Sycamore Engineering, were placed on the parapets of Le Fer Hall, Guerin Hall and the Conservatory in September by Adams Roofing as an indicator of the College’s commitment to its Catholic identity.
Le Fer Lake construction was completed and features a new walking trail around the lake. The next phase of lake work will include restoration of the water and plant habitat, the addition of an outdoor classroom and dock for science education and planning to connect the trail to county trails outside the campus.
Master planning is underway for the landscaping, co-curricular outdoor seating spaces, parking, drives and way-finding signage. This work will focus on enhancing the natural beauty of the College while addressing needs of a growing and modern college campus.
SMWC and the Sisters of Providence have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 2017– a great distinction for the entire campus, which will lead to new funding opportunities and more regional and national awareness.